Economic Risks Persist Despite Fuel Outlook – April 9, 2026
Fuel shipments could start heading to Taiwan again, but energy shortages still pose risks to the country's economy. Asia deals with a plastics and petrochemical shortage as the conflict in the Middle East drags on. And the latest group of US Congressional representatives is visiting Taipei, urging the legislature to pass a special defense budget. Plus: - With China-based large language models dominating the Chinese-language AI sphere, Taiwan's government is pushing for domestically curated AI models to lower foreign reliance. - Taiwanese author Huang Chun-ming gets an asteroid named after him. - An Indigenous Saisiyat village becomes the first entity in Taiwan to be recognized by the Forestry Stewardship Council.
