2024 in Taiwan explained

Events from the year 2024 in Taiwan, Republic of China. This year is numbered Minguo 113 according to the official Republic of China calendar.

Incumbents

• President: Tsai Ing-wen (until 20 May); Lai Ching-te (since 20 May)
• Vice President: Lai Ching-te (until 20 May); Hsiao Bi-khim (since 20 May)
• Premier: Chen Chien-jen (until 20 May); Cho Jung-tai (since 20 May)
• Vice Premier: Cheng Wen-tsan (until 20 May); Cheng Li-chun (since 20 May)

Events

January

• January 13:
  • The opposition Kuomintang wins a majority in the 2024 Taiwanese legislative election.
  • Vice President Lai Ching-te of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party is elected president.^[1]
• January 25 – Taiwan officially extends compulsory military service to one year from four months due to rising tensions with China.^[2]

February

• February 14 – 2024 Kinmen Chinese motorboat capsizing incident: Four Chinese fishermen go overboard and two drown near Kinmen, after their boat capsizes while being chased by the Taiwan Coast Guard, who allege they were trespassing.^[3]

March

• March 27 - A food poisoning outbreak originating from a restaurant in Xinyi District, Taipei, occurs, believed to be caused by bongkrek acid. Two people die and several others are hospitalized.^[4]

April

• April 3 –
  • 2024 Hualien earthquake: A magnitude 7.4 earthquake is felt off the east coast of Taiwan in Hualien County. Eighteen people are killed, while over 1,100 others are injured.^{[5] [6]}
  • The National Defense Ministry of Taiwan says more than 30 Chinese PLA Air Force warplanes entered Taiwanese airspace, and at least nine PLA Navy warships were detected around Taiwan. The ROC Armed Forces is deployed in response to the violation.^[7]
• April 13 – The Kuomintang wins five of six by-elections for the mayorship of Miaoli City and other local positions, with an independent candidate winning the sixth.^[8]

May

• May 19 – White Terror Memorial Day, an event to commemorate political repression under the regime of Chiang Kai-shek from 1949 to 1987, is officially observed for the first time following a decision by the Taiwanese government.^{[9] [10]}
• May 20 – The Legislative Yuan votes in favor of highly controversial legislative reform bills that result in some lawmakers engaging in legislative violence. Chung Chia-pin, Chiu Chih-wei, Chuang Jui-hsiung, Puma Shen and Wu Tsung-hsien are hospitalized following the incident.^[11]
• May 20 – Lai Ching-te is sworn in as President of Taiwan, with Hsiao Bi-khim as his Vice President.^[12]
• May 21 – Three people are injured in the 2024 Taichung Metro attack.
• May 23 – China holds military drills around Taiwan as a "strong punishment" for "separatist acts".^[13]
• May 24 – Tens of thousands of people protest against reforms in the Legislative Yuan.^[14]
• May 28 – The Kuomintang and Taiwan People's Party pass amendments granting the Legislative Yuan greater powers to oversee the executive and to question officials and citizens, despite claims that these amendments violate civil liberties and could reduce the powers of president Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party.^[15]

June

• June 9 – A Chinese speedboat enters the mouth of the Tamsui River before colliding with other vessels at a ferry terminal. The boat's sole occupant, who claims to be a defector from China, is arrested^[16] and later identified as a former captain in the People's Liberation Army Navy of China.^[17]
• June 21 – China officially defines Taiwanese separatist behavior as a criminal act.^[18]
• June 27 – The government officially advises its citizens to avoid traveling to the People's Republic of China as well as Hong Kong and Macao in response to Beijing's decision to criminalise pro-independence sentiments.^[19]

July

• July 2 – The Taiwanese fishing vessel Tachinman 88 is intercepted and boarded by the China Coast Guard off Kinmen and taken along with its crew to Fujian Province in mainland China.^[20]
• July 11 – Taiwan reports that 66 Chinese military aircraft operated around Taiwanese airspace in a 24-hour period, marking the highest single-day number in 2024 so far.^[21]
• July 12 – The Ministry of Culture announces the removal of military honor guards from the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall as part of efforts to stop the promotion of a "cult of personality" around the former leader and "authoritarianism".^[22]
• July 24–25 – At least ten people are killed nationwide as Typhoon Gaemi makes landfall over Yilan County.^{[23] [24]}
• July 30 – An agreement is reached between China and Taiwan to repatriate the fatalities of the 2024 Kinmen Chinese motorboat capsizing incident to the mainland.^[25]
• July 31 – The closure of TransWorld University.^[26]

August

• August 16 – A kindergarten teacher is sentenced to 28 years' imprisonment by the Taipei District Court for 200 cases of sexual abuse involving children dating as early as 2022.^[27]
• August 19 – Health officials in Tainan report three cases of mpox since the start of the year.^[28]
• August 22 – A court in Taipei sentences eight military officers to up to 13 years' imprisonment for spying for China.^[29]
• August 26 – Chinese rapper Wang Yitai is barred from entering Taiwan and has his 14 September concert in Taipei banned for using the term "Taipei, China" in his promotional materials.^[30]
• August 30 – Ko Wen-je, the leader of the Taiwan People's Party, is arrested as part of a corruption investigation into a property project conducted when he was mayor of Taipei.^[31]

September

• September 10 – A Mirage 2000 fighter jet of the Republic of China Air Force crashes off the coast of Hsinchu during a nighttime training exercise. The pilot safely ejects and is later rescued.^[32]
• September 20 – The Constitutional Court imposes tighter regulations on the usage of the death penalty following a case brought by 37 death row inmates, including a ban on its application to "defendants with mental conditions".^[33]

October

• October 3 –
  • At least two people are killed nationwide as Typhoon Krathon makes landfall over Siaogang District, Kaohsiung.^[34]
  • At least nine people are killed in a fire at a hospital in Donggang, Pingtung.^{[35] [36]}
• October 18 – The Department of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa orders the transfer of the Taiwan Liaison Office in Pretoria to Johannesburg,^[37] which Taiwan rejects, calling a violation of a 1997 agreement made following the downgrading of their relations.^[38]
• October 25 – The Constitutional Court strikes down amendments passed in May by the Kuomintang and Taiwan People's Party granting the Legislative Yuan expanded oversight powers as unconstitutional, citing the separations of powers among branches of government.^[39]
• October 31 – At least two people are killed nationwide as Typhoon Kong-rey makes landfall over Chenggong, Taitung.^{[40] [41]}

November

• November 15 – The Control Yuan impeaches Feng Kwang-chung, the head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in São Paulo, following investigations into procurement violations and neglect of duties that contributed the suicide of an agency employee in 2023.^[42]

Deaths

• 1 January – Chang Chih-chia, 43, baseball pitcher (Seibu Lions, La New Bears).^[43]
• 4 January
  • , 90, writer.^[44]
  • Chen Den-li (陳登立), 89, sportswear company founder (Victor).^[45]
• 6 January – Cheng Chung-chuan, 93, artist.^[46]
• 15 January – Shih Ming-teh, 83, activist and politician, MLY (1993–2002).^[47]
• 1 February – Chang Chuan-chiung, 95, pharmacologist, member of the Academia Sinica.^[48]
• 11 February –, 40, lawyer, complications of the common cold.^[49]
• 15 February – Law Pak, 90, Hong Kong-Taiwanese football player and coach.^[50]
• 16 February – Hu Yao-heng (胡耀恆), 88, theatre historian.^[51]
• 11 March – Chien Tung-ming, 72, politician, MLY (2008–2020).^[52]
• 20 March – Wang Shih-hsiung, 63, politician, MLY (1990–1996), pancreatic cancer.^[53]
• 28 March – Chi Pang-yuan, 100, translator.^[54]
• 27 June – Chang Yuan-chih, 35, mountaineer, fall.^[55]
• 28 July – Shi Jin-Hua, 60, artist, traffic collision.^[56]
• 6 August
  • Doris Brougham, 98, American–Taiwanese missionary and English-language educator, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome.^[57]
  • , 78, physician and poet.^[58]
• 4 September – Yang Jen-fu, 82, politician, member of the Legislative Yuan (1999–2012).^[59]
• 8 September – Wu Chien-pao, politician, member (1998–2011) and speaker (2002–2010) of the Tainan City Council, esophageal cancer.^[60]
• 27 September –, 96, writer and physician.^[61]
• 11 October – Ya Hsien, 92, poet.^[62]
• 25 October – Wang Ching-feng, 91, politician, Hualien County magistrate (1993–2001).^[63]
• 1 November – Chen Huei-dung (陳輝東), 86, artist and museum founder (Tainan Art Museum).^[64]
• 19 November – Chang Si-liang, 83, police officer, director-general of the National Police Agency (2003–2004).^[65]
• 26 November –
  • Peng Tien-fu, 73, politician, member of the Legislative Yuan (2002–2008), member (1990–1998) and speaker (2000–2001) of the Taiwan Provincial Consultative Council.^[66]
  • C. S. Song, theologian, 95.^[67]
• 29 November – Tony Jian, 69, politician, member of the Legislative Yuan (2002–2005, 2010–2011), esophageal cancer.^[68]
• 2 December – Liu Chia-chang, singer-songwriter, screenwriter, director and actor.^[69]
• 4 December – Chiung Yao, 86, novelist, suicide.^[70]

References

1. News: Davidson . Helen . Hawkins . Amy . 2024-01-13 . Taiwan elects Lai Ching-te, from incumbent pro-sovereignty party, as president . 2024-01-13 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
2. Web site: CHANG . Sean . Taiwan's First Conscripts For Extended Military Service Report For Duty . 2024-01-25 . www.barrons.com . en-US.
3. Web site: 2024-02-14 . Two Chinese fishermen die after chase with Taiwan's Coast Guard, which alleges trespassing . 2024-02-14 . AP News . en.
4. Web site: Chin Hui Shan . 2024-03-27 . 2 men die of suspected food poisoning in Taipei after eating char kway teow . 2024-04-01 . The Straits Times . en.
5. News: 2024-04-26 . High school student injured in earthquake dies . 2024-04-26 . Focus Taiwan . en .
6. News: 台湾花莲地震已造成13人死亡1145人受伤 . 6 April 2024 . Southern News Network . 6 April 2024 . 6 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240406192953/https://news.southcn.com/node_179d29f1ce/cfdc380820.shtml . live .
7. Web site: April 3, 2024 . Over 30 Chinese Warplanes, 9 navy vessels around Taiwan .
8. Web site: 2024-04-14 . KMT-backed candidates win 5 of 6 by-elections . 2024-04-14 . Focus Taiwan . en.
9. Web site: 2024-04-18 . Taiwan's Cabinet establishes May 19 as annual White Terror Memorial Day . 2024-05-30 . Radio Taiwan International . en.
10. Web site: 2024-05-20 . Political prisoners' properties returned . 2024-05-30 . Taipei Times . en.
11. Web site: 2024-05-17 . Legislature in chaos over legislative reform bills . 2024-05-23 . Focus Taiwan . en.
12. Web site: William Lai Ching-te urges peace as he becomes Taiwan's new president . 2024-05-21 . Al Jazeera . en.
13. Web site: Taiwan condemns China drills as 'irrational provocations' . 2024-05-23 . BBC . en.
14. Web site: Tens of thousands protest against contentious Taiwan parliament reforms' . 2024-05-25 . reuters . en.
15. News: May 28, 2024 . Taiwan passes controversial reform bill after violence and protests . The Guardian . Davidson . Helen .
16. Web site: 11 June 2024 . Coast guards to be disciplined over Chinese boat incursion: Minister . 11 June 2024 . Focus Taiwan . en.
17. Web site: 11 June 2024 . Taiwan arrests former Chinese navy captain over illegal speedboat arrival . 11 June 2024 . Al Jazeera . en.
18. News: Hille . Kathrin . 2024-06-21 . China threatens death penalty for Taiwan 'separatists' . 2024-06-22 . Financial Times.
19. News: 2024-06-28 . Taiwan urges citizens to avoid travel to China, Hong Kong and Macao following Beijing threats . 2024-06-28 . Associated Press.
20. Web site: 3 July 2024 . Taiwan says China told Taiwan's coast guard to not interfere in the detention of Taiwanese boat crew . 3 July 2024 . Associated Press . en.
21. Web site: Taiwan sees single-day record of Chinese planes in airspace . 2024-07-11 . dw.com . en.
22. Web site: Taiwan to stop 'worshipping authoritarianism' at Chiang Kai-shek statue . 2024-07-12 . Al Jazeera . en.
23. News: Liu . Chien-bang . Yang . Evelyn . Typhoon Gaemi causes 10 deaths, 895 injuries in Taiwan . 28 July 2024 . Central News Agency . 28 July 2024.
24. Web site: Typhoon Gaemi makes landfall near Yilan's Nan'ao . 2024-07-25 . Focus Taiwan . 25 July 2024 . en.
25. News: Ng . Kelly . Taiwan and China reach deal over fishermen's deaths . 28 July 2024 . BBC . 28 July 2024.
26. News: 2 August 2024. Universities close amid diminishing enrollment numbers. Taipei Times. 2 August 2024.
27. Web site: 16 August 2024 . Taiwan jails kindergarten teacher over 'vicious' abuse of children . 16 August 2024 . BBC . en.
28. Web site: Tainan confirms three mpox cases amid global outbreak│TVBS新聞網 . 2024-08-19 . TVBS . en-US.
29. Web site: Taiwan jails spies 'seduced by money' to work for China . 2024-08-24 . BBC . en-UK.
30. Web site: Taiwan bans concert by Chinese rapper over insulting 'Taipei, China' promotional materials . 2024-08-26 . Associated Press . 26 August 2024 . en-US.
31. News: Taipei's former mayor Ko Wen-je arrested in graft probe . 2024-08-31 . ABC News. en-UK.
32. Web site: 11 September 2024 . A Taiwanese fighter jet crashes during a training exercise and the pilot is found safe . 11 September 2024 . Associated Press . en.
33. Web site: 20 September 2024 . Taiwan retains death penalty but limits use to 'exceptional' cases . 20 September 2024 . France 24 . en.
34. Web site: Typhoon Krathon makes landfall on Taiwan, packing fierce winds and torrential rain . AP News . 2024-10-03 . 2024-10-03 . en .
35. Web site: Fire at Pingtung hospital leaves 8 dead, 2 missing . Focus Taiwan . 2024-10-03 . 2024-10-03 . en .
36. Web site: Hospital fire in Taiwan kills nine people . BBC . 2024-10-03 . 2024-10-03 . en .
37. Web site: October 19, 2024 . South Africa asks Taiwan to move its unofficial embassy out of the capital . Associated Press.
38. Web site: October 22, 2024 . Taiwan rejects South African demand to move its representative office from capital . Associated Press.
39. News: October 25, 2024 . Constitutional ruling affirms gov't branches on equal footing: Control Yuan . Focus Taiwan.
40. Web site: Typhoon Kong-rey hits Taiwan's east coast, leaving 2 dead, hundreds injured . AP News . 2024-10-31 . 2024-10-31 . en .
41. Web site: 2024-10-31 . Typhoon Kong-rey makes landfall in Taitung . 2024-10-31 . Focus Taiwan . en-US.
42. Web site: 2024-11-16 . Taiwan Sao Paulo office head impeached over procurement scandal . 2024-11-16 . Focus Taiwan . en-US.
43. News: Yeh . Joseph . BASEBALL/Ex-Taiwanese ace, Seibu Lions hurler Chang Chih-chia dead at 43 . 2 January 2024 . Central News Agency . 2 January 2024.
44. News: Wang . Pao-er . Hsiao . Bernadette . Taiwanese ghost story writer Ssu-Ma Chung-yuan dies at 90 . 5 January 2024 . Central News Agency . 4 January 2024.
45. News: Li . Chien-chung . Kao . Evelyn . Victor badminton brand founder Chen Den-li dies at 89 . 9 January 2024 . Central News Agency . 8 January 2024 . Chen Den-li (陳登立), the founder of Victor, a world-renowned Taiwanese badminton and racket brand, passed away at his home on Jan. 4 aged 89, the company said Monday on its Facebook page. Chen was born in Changhua County in 1935. He founded Victor Rackets Industrial Corp. in 1968 and began producing shuttlecocks, which became bestsellers in Taiwan within two years, according to the company..
46. News: 王 . 駿杰 . 台灣現代美術史瑰寶鄭瓊娟辭世 享壽93歲 . 9 November 2024 . United Daily News . 7 January 2024 . zh.
47. News: Shih Ming-te dedicated life to democracy . 16 January 2024 . Taipei Times . 16 January 2024 . 15 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240115171121/https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2024/01/16/2003812169 . live .
48. News: 中研院士張傳烱辭世享耆壽96歲 專精藥理學曾獲邀至美國務院發表論文 . 6 February 2024 . Up Media . 6 February 2024.
49. News: Yeh . Su-ping . Wu . Po-wei . Wang . Hsin-yu . Wen . Kuei-hsiang . Hsiao . Bernadette . Lawyer, DPP legislator-at-large candidate Chen Chun-han dies at 40 . 16 February 2024 . Central News Agency . 15 February 2024. Republished as: News: Lawyer Chen Chun-han of the DPP dies at age 40 . 18 February 2024 . Taipei Times . 17 February 2024.
50. Web site: Chiang-Fa . He . 羅北穿「飛駝50週年」紀念衫上天國 飛駝人感性追思致意 . Yahoo . 13 February 2024. zh-hk.
51. News: Chao . Maggie . Liu . Kay . NTU drama department founding chair Hu Yao-heng dies at 87 . 19 February 2024 . Central News Agency . 18 February 2024.
52. News: 享壽73歲 藍前立委簡東明病逝 . 17 March 2024 . United Daily News (聯合新聞網) . zh-Hant-TW.
53. News: 林 . 巧璉 . 前立委王世雄胰臟癌病逝高雄長庚 享壽63歲 . 3 April 2024 . Central News Agency . 3 April 2024 . zh.
54. News: Chiu . Tsu-yin . Ko . Lin . 30 March 2024 . Renowned Taiwan writer Chi Pang-yuan dies at 100 . 31 March 2024 . Central News Agency.
55. News: Chen . Jung-chen . Tseng . Ting-hsuan . Ko . Lin . Taiwanese mountaineer dies from fall hiking Mont Blanc . 28 June 2024 . Central News Agency . 29 June 2024. Republished as: News: Taiwanese dies from fall hiking on Mont Blanc: family . 29 June 2024 . Taipei Times . 29 June 2024.
56. News: 宋 . 原彰 . 當代藝術家石晉華車禍亡 藝術界嘆：走筆人生嘎然而止 . 9 November 2024 . United Daily News . 29 June 2024 . zh.
57. News: Lin . Sean . Class dismissed: Brougham leaves enduring legacy on Taiwan . 7 August 2024 . Central News Agency . 7 August 2024.
58. News: Chiung . Taiffalo . The origins of 'Taiwan Taiwanese' . 31 August 2024 . Taipei Times . 31 August 2024.
59. News: 前立委楊仁福病逝享壽83歲 生前致力原民事務 . 9 November 2024 . 5 September 2024 . zh.
60. News: 楊 . 思瑞 . 前台南議長吳健保病逝 親友盼功過留社會評論 . 9 November 2024 . Central News Agency . 8 September 2024 . zh.
61. News: Yen . Kuan-yin . Ko . Lin . Renowned physician, author and White Terror victim dies at 96 . 1 October 2024 . Central News Agency . 30 September 2024. Republished as: News: Author Yen Shih-hung dies aged 96 . 1 October 2024 . Taipei Times . 1 October 2024.
62. News: Yeh . Kuan-yin . Cheng . Ai-fen . Ko . Lin . Renowned poet, co-founder of Epoch Poetry Society Ya Hsien dies at 92 . 12 October 2024 . 12 October 2024. Republished as: News: Epoch Poetry Society founder Ya Hsien dies at age 92 . 13 October 2024 . Taipei Times . 13 October 2024.
63. News: 張 . 祈 . 花蓮前縣長王慶豐辭世 享耆壽91歲 . 9 November 2024 . Central News Agency . 25 October 2024 . zh.
64. News: Wang . Pao-er . Chang . Jung-hsiang . Lo . James . Tainan Art Museum founding chairman dies at 86 . 2 November 2024 . Central News Agency . 2 November 2024.
65. News: 戴 . 志揚 . 前警政署長張四良猝逝前與部屬合唱《你是我的兄弟》 背後原因曝 . 25 November 2024 . China Times . 20 November 2024 . zh.
66. News: 孫 . 唯容 . 前民進黨立委彭添富今晨辭世 議員兒證實：家父往生西方感謝慰問 . 27 November 2024 . Nownews . 26 November 2024 . zh.
67. Web site: Keum . Jooseop . Jooseop Keum . CWM mourns the passing of Prof. Choan-Seng Song (C.S. Song) . Council for World Mission . 26 November 2024 . 26 November 2024.
68. News: 葉 . 立斌 . 健康網》前立委簡肇棟食道癌轉移離世 認識食道癌症狀 . 29 November 2024 . Liberty Times . 29 November 2024 . zh.
69. Web site: 快訊／演藝圈傳噩耗！劉家昌驚傳癌逝 享壽84歲 . 東森新聞 . zh-Hant-TW. 3 December 2024.
70. News: Wu . Xinyi . Breaking . 4 December 2024 . South China Morning Post . 4 December 2024.