Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

MOFA response to US government emphasizing strategic importance of Taiwan in National Security Strategy

December 6, 2025  

The White House released the National Security Strategy of the United States of America (NSS) on December 4. In addition to stating that Taiwan is a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing, it emphasizes Taiwan’s vital geostrategic location and importance to global shipping, underscoring Taiwan’s significant influence on the US economy. The NSS also notes that the United States is prioritizing preserving military overmatch to deter conflict across the Taiwan Strait and that it will maintain its long-standing policy on Taiwan, including not supporting any unilateral change to the cross-strait status quo.
 
The NSS also stresses that the United States will build a military capable of denying aggression anywhere in the first island chain. It calls on allies and partners in the first island chain to invest more resources in collective defense and critical deterrent capabilities to enhance the ability of the United States and its allies to jointly prevent any attempt to seize Taiwan and to avoid a military imbalance so unfavorable that it would be detrimental to the defense of Taiwan. 
 
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung sincerely welcomes these statements and thanks the United States for clearly indicating in the NSS Taiwan’s importance to key supply chains and geostrategy, for stressing that the United States will work with allies and partners to ensure Taiwan’s security, and for reiterating concerns over unilateral attempts to alter the cross-strait status quo. 
 
The Trump administration has continued to show support for Taiwan. President Trump recently signed the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act—the first Taiwan-friendly bill of his second term—and his administration announced its first batch of arms sales to Taiwan. 
 
Taiwan is committed to steadily advancing security cooperation with the United States to ensure security and stability across the Taiwan Strait and the region. The Taiwan government will also continue to actively bolster its defense capabilities, including through a special defense budget announced by President Lai Ching-te of NT$1.25 trillion over the next eight years. These actions demonstrate to the international community Taiwan’s steadfast determination to protect itself and maintain the status quo.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (December 9) announced that a bamboo fungi sample was found to contain sulphur dioxide, a preservative, at a level exceeding the legal limit. The CFS is following up on the incident.

“The CFS collected the above-mentioned bamboo fungi sample from a shop in Sham Shui Po for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. The test result showed that the sample contained sulphur dioxide at a level of 10 300 mg/kg, exceeding the legal limit of 500 mg/kg,” a CFS spokesman said.

“The CFS has informed the vendor concerned of the irregularity and instructed it to stop sale and remove from shelves the product concerned. The CFS is also tracing the source of the product,” the spokesman added.

According to the Preservatives in Food Regulation (Cap. 132BD), any person who sells food with preservatives above the legal limit is liable upon conviction to a fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months.

Sulphur dioxide is a commonly used preservative in a variety of foods including dried vegetables, dried fruits, pickled vegetables and salted fish products. This preservative is water soluble, most of it can be removed through washing and cooking. However, susceptible individuals who are allergic to this preservative may experience breathing difficulties, headaches and nausea after consumption.

The CFS will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action. An investigation is ongoing.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The National Games Coordination Office (Hong Kong) announced today (December 9) that the National Special Olympic Games (NSOG) table tennis competition, the first competition event of the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities (NGD) and the 9th NSOG in Hong Kong, has concluded. 

     The NSOG table tennis competition was held at the Tsuen Wan Sports Centre, and over 150 athletes from 29 teams from the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao competed for medals, with Hong Kong sending six male and five female athletes. Hong Kong athletes achieved a total of nine gold medals, six silver medals and four bronze medals. 
     
     Regarding other competition events in Hong Kong, the boccia and wheelchair fencing events commenced today, while the NGD table tennis (TT11) event will begin on December 11. Tickets for the boccia event are available now, and can be purchased through various channels, including the 12th NGD and the 9th NSOG official ticketing website (ticket.baygamespara.cn) or by searching for the official mini programme on WeChat after completing a real-name account registration. Additionally, the public can visit 11 designated sales outlets (ww2.ctshk.com/articleDetail?id=4&channelId=-1) of the China Travel Service (Hong Kong) Limited to buy paper tickets for events in the Hong Kong competition region. Physical tickets for events held at the relevant venues are also available at the competition area ticket office located at the Kai Tak Station Square. As for the wheelchair fencing and NGD table tennis (TT11) events, limited tickets are available for sale at the relevant competition area ticket offices (Ma On Shan Sports Centre and Tsuen Wan Sports Centre respectively).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at regular intervals:

Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (December 9) that due to urgent maintenance works, the Sham Shui Po Park Swimming Pool in Sham Shui Po District has been temporarily closed until further notice.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

In response to an order from the Buildings Department, as of today, scaffold nets had been removed from the external walls of all 230 private buildings.

Meanwhile, the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit (ICU) continued to extract concrete core samples from affected buildings. So far, the exercise has covered all seven buildings.

Under the ICU’s supervision, miscellaneous items earlier found on some scaffoldings at Yee Kok Court in Sham Shui Po, On Kay Court in Kwun Tong, Sui Wo Court in Sha Tin, Ching Lai Court in Sham Shui Po and Fung Wah Estate in Chai Wan, have essentially been removed by the contractor. The ICU will continue to inspect regularly and monitor the situation.

Financial support

As of noon today, donations received by the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po had reached about $3 billion. Combined with $300 million in startup capital from the Government, this takes the fund to a total of around $3.3 billion.

The fund will provide a living allowance to each affected household. As of today, 1,617 cases had been processed.

The fund will also provide the families of each deceased victim with a $200,000 token of solidarity, as well as $50,000 to cover funeral costs. As of today, a total of 106 cases had been processed.

Social workers from the Social Welfare Department (SWD) have been in contact with more than 1,970 affected households, and more than 4,900 residents have been registered for the “one social worker per household” follow-up service.

SWD staff also visited affected residents staying in transitional housing units in Kai Tak today and gave them Octopus cards with a value of $2,000 to facilitate their daily travel.

Accommodation arrangements

As of this morning, a total of 1,431 residents had been accommodated under the co-ordination of the Home & Youth Affairs Bureau, in youth hostels, camps or hotel rooms. Another 2,530 residents have moved into transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau or the Hong Kong Housing Society.

Relief supplies

On the Government’s online platform for donated supplies, about 1,700 registrations have been received, with approximately 30% submitted by organisations. Over 16,000 donated items, covering various categories, have been distributed.

Missing persons

Officers from the Disaster Victim Identification Unit (DVIU) completed searching the area around the buildings and near the collapsed scaffolding, which had been confirmed as safe. Suspected bones were discovered and collected for further testing.

In the next phase, the DVIU will conduct a search after the scaffold nets and scaffolding are removed.

In addition, further testing has confirmed that a set of human remains found earlier belongs to two deceased individuals. This took the number of deceased in the fire to 160, with 120 human remains identified.

Police have contacted the families of the missing persons and those who have preliminarily identified the deceased through photographs, and continued to arrange DNA oral swab sampling for them in batches today for scientific identification of the deceased.

Meanwhile, the Hospital Authority said all 24 patients hospitalised from the Tai Po fire are in stable condition.

The Fire Services Department has set up a rope system on the podium at Wang Tai House to access the underground pump room, allowing the DVIU to conduct searches in hard-to-access areas at the fire scene. Additionally, the Inter-departmental Fire Investigation Task Force held another meeting today.

As of 4pm today, the Labour Department had inspected 371 construction sites, issued a total of 189 written warnings and 101 improvement notices, and taken out 25 prosecutions.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) today said the Tsing Yi Nature Trails will be closed to the public from tonight until further notice, as various departments will be stepping up mosquito control and prevention work along the trails in the near future.

The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department, together with other departments, will further strengthen the intensity and frequency of anti-mosquito measures along the trails, including carrying out fogging operations continuously to eliminate adult mosquitoes.

The CHP advises members of the public not to visit the trails for the time being in order to reduce the risk of contracting chikungunya fever (CF).

Hong Kong has recorded a total of 78 confirmed CF cases so far this year, 10 of which were local cases.

Five patients in the recently reported local cases, aged between 49 and 67, had visited the Tsing Yi Nature Trails or the surrounding area.

The onset dates of their symptoms were between mid-November and December 2, and the latest case among them visited the trails on November 29.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health announced that, as of 5pm today (December 9), no new cases of chikungunya fever (CF) had been recorded. Hong Kong has recorded a total of 78 confirmed CF cases this year. Among them, 10 were local cases, and the rest were imported cases. Additionally, as the relevant departments will be conducting more intensive mosquito control and prevention work along the Tsing Yi Nature Trails in the near future, the trails will be closed from tonight to the public until further notice. The CHP advises members of the public not to visit the trails for the time being in order to reduce the risk of contracting CF.
 
     Regarding five local cases of CF who visited the Tsing Yi Nature Trails or the surrounding area, the CHP yesterday (December 8) held an interdepartmental meeting with representatives from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), the Home Affairs Department, the Drainage Services Department (DSD), the Lands Department, and the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) to discuss ways to enhance anti-mosquito efforts in the area and safeguard public health.

     The five local cases involve two males and three females aged between 49 and 67. The onset dates of their symptoms were between mid-November and December 2. Epidemiological investigations revealed that the activities of the five patients overlapped at the Tsing Yi Nature Trails and that some of them had reportedly been bitten by mosquitoes there. Among them, the latest case visited the trails on November 29.
 
     Upon receiving notifications of the first case on November 20, the CHP immediately contacted the relevant departments to commence large-scale mosquito prevention and control operations in the vicinity of Tsing Yi. Subsequently, as the sample analysis of some cases have identical genetic sequences, the CHP considered the trails to be a higher-risk area. As early as November 23, the CHP appealed daily through various channels to individuals who had hiked along the Tsing Yi Nature Trails to seek medical attention as soon as possible if they developed relevant symptoms and to call the enquiry hotline (Tel: 2125 2373). In late November, the CHP also informed approximately 130 primary care doctors in Kwai Tsing District through the Primary Healthcare Commission. They were urged to closely monitor whether their patients had compatible symptoms and arrange blood tests for those concerned. The CHP’s Public Health Laboratory Services Branch provides free testing services.
 
     Specifically targeting the vicinity of Tsing Yi Nature Trails, various departments have adopted a series of measures:
 

• The FEHD has co-ordinated mosquito prevention and control efforts among relevant departments and stakeholders in their respective purviews through the interdepartmental task forces on anti-mosquito work across districts. Tools such as large ultra-low volume foggers and robot dogs have been deployed to conduct more than 40 fogging operations to kill adult mosquitoes along the hiking trails, covering the entire trails and the perimeter. The FEHD has also eliminated about 600 potential mosquito breeding sites and applied larvicide oil or larvicides in 80 areas with stagnant water that cannot be removed immediately and installed new mosquito traps. In addition, pamphlets have been distributed to hikers in the area, urging the public to be vigilant against mosquito infestations and take personal protective measures. The FEHD also visited nearby schools and childcare facilities to provide information and assistance on mosquito prevention and control. Furthermore, the FEHD has stepped up inspections of construction sites and residential premises near the trails, instituted two prosecutions against those responsible for violations related to mosquito breeding, and issued eight statutory notices for the elimination of stagnant water.

 

• The Kwai Tsing District Office (K&TDO), which is responsible for the maintenance of the Tsing Yi Nature Trails, has instructed its contractor to enhance mosquito prevention and control measures, including grass cutting, clearing blockages in drainage, conducting fogging operations, and application of larvicide oil or larvicides. In addition, K&TDO has displayed posters at the entrances, pavilions and sitting-out areas along the trails to remind visitors and hikers to use insect repellents and take protective measures. K&TDO also continuously disseminates information on mosquito prevention to residents in the district through the local networks of the District Council Members, Area Committees, and Care Teams.

 

• Since the end of November, the DSD has carried out a number of drainage cleaning operations in the vicinity of the Tsing Yi Nature Trails, removing silt and debris from drainage facilities to ensure the system is functioning and prevent stagnant water and mosquito breeding.

 

• The District Lands Office of Tsuen Wan and Kwai Tsing has removed illegal cultivations, metal canopies, and bamboo sticks on relevant government land. The CEDD has requested contractors and site supervisory staff to arrange site inspections, including its surrounding areas, to ensure that the mosquito prevention measures taken are as effective as possible. Regarding mosquito prevention and control measures, these include conducting regular inspections, removing stagnant water, applying larvicidal oil, and setting up mosquito traps on-site with regular checks and replacement of baits.

     Although relevant departments have conducted a series of mosquito prevention and control operations in the past two to three weeks, there are still members of the public who have been infected after visiting the Tsing Yi Nature Trails, indicating that the risk of infection in the relevant area remains. The Tsing Yi Nature Trails are situated in a countryside environment and cover a vast area, with the hiking trails stretching approximately 7 000 metres. Compared with urban settings, mosquito control work there faces greater challenges. Along both sides of the trails, there are various natural breeding grounds for vectors, including puddles on soil surfaces and fallen leaves, which increase the risk of mosquito breeding.
 
     After discussion yesterday, various departments have further confirmed measures to strengthen mosquito prevention and control in the vicinity of the Tsing Yi Nature Trails. Considering that more intensive anti-mosquito operations will be conducted there, the Tsing Yi Nature Trails will be temporarily closed to the public until further notice. During the period, the FEHD, together with other departments, will further strengthen the intensity and frequency of mosquito prevention and control measures along the Tsing Yi Nature Trails, including continued fogging operations to eliminate adult mosquitoes.

     The CHP will send letters to doctors again and urge them to pay attention to patients’ conditions. In case patients present with relevant symptoms such as fever, joint pain and rash, doctors shall arrange relevant testing as soon as possible.

     Meanwhile, regarding the recently announced local case involving a 23-year-old female living in Sheung Wan, the epidemiological investigation is ongoing. The CHP continues to urge members of the public residing and working at Queen’s Road West (near Morrison Street and Hollywood Road) who experienced a fever, rash or joint pain on or after November 15 to seek medical advice or contact the CHP immediately. CHP officers continue to reach out to individuals in the aforementioned locations to remind individuals to be aware of relevant symptoms and to maintain good environmental hygiene in their households.

     As of 5pm today, the CHP has conducted assessments for over 2 700 individuals residing or working in the district through the health consultation booth at the main entrance of the Sheung Wan Civic Centre, its enquiry hotline (Tel: 2125 2373), questionnaire surveys and door-to-door visits. No new symptomatic persons have been identified in the past four days. Two individuals with mild symptoms previously have been arranged to undergo blood tests. All tested negative for the chikungunya virus.

     The public should call 1823 in case of mosquito problems and may visit the following pages for more information: the CF page of the CHP and the Travel Health Service, the latest Travel Health News, tips for using insect repellents, and the CHP Facebook Page, Instagram Account and YouTube Channel, and also the Mosquito Prevention and Control dedicated page of the FEHD.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (December 9) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in the District of Viersen of the State of Nordrhein-Westfalen in Germany, the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District of the Province of British Columbia in Canada, and the East Cambridgeshire District of Cambridgeshire County and the Swale District of Kent County in the United Kingdom (UK), the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the above-mentioned areas with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

A CFS spokesman said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, in the first nine months of this year, while no poultry meat or eggs were imported into Hong Kong from Canada, Hong Kong imported about 60 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Germany, and about 770 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 1.17 million poultry eggs from the UK.

“The CFS has contacted the German, Canadian and British authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation,” the spokesman said.