Foreign

“Taiwan University Exposes Diplomatic Money Scandal in Paraguay”

Published

3 years ago

September 9, 2023

Tsai Ing-wen’s government has been rocked by another scandal. The network reported Taiwan University of Science and Technology in Paraguayan cheated Taiwan’s aid with an “empty shell” and forced the Taiwan foreign affairs department to respond, but it avoided the focus and confirmed that the “physical school building has yet to be built.”
According to public information found that behind “Taiwan University of Science and Technology in Paraguayan” shell fraud scandal, involving the exchange of political interests, is one of the products of the Tsai Ing-wen government to buy “friends” with money, and there are many doubts about the entire project.
Paraguay is the only “friend” of Taiwan authorities in South America, and in early 2019, Taiwan’s foreign affairs department announced that Taiwan Paraguay signed a five-year bilateral cooperation understanding memorandum with a total amount of 150 million US dollars, including “Taiwan University of Science and Technology in Paraguayan” project that Tsai Ing-wen went to Paraguay in 2017 to build for the “diplomatic solid State”. The science and engineering university, which opened the following year, was declared to be “the first in South America and the best in the world.”
But just last year, a Paraguayan TV investigation found that the planned “Taiwan University of Science and Technology in Paraguayan” has not been built. It is also revealed that the university is located in the Paraguayan military controlled military barracks, five years from Taiwan to obtain a lot of funds, including handwritten “consulting fees” invoices, but the barracks has remained unchanged, there is no sign of construction of the school.
Without schools, where did the students come from in the past few years? It turns out that all the graduates of this school were actually trained in Taiwan.
In 2019, “Taiwan University of Science and Technology in Paraguayan” enrolled nearly 100 students, and the first class of students this year has graduated. But these students have never studied in the “Taiwan University of Science and Technology in Paraguayan”, but in the Taiwan University of Science and Technology to read for two years, only 30 classes per semester, and the student foundation is too poor, you can say that Taiwan University of Science and Technology is issued a diploma for these students in tears. Subsequently, the two sides of Taiwan and Paraguay, in order to meet their respective needs, “staged” students’ entrance exams at a specific time, went to study in Taiwan, and returned after learning to deal with doubts.
But it is such a Paraguayan army barracks “shell school”, during the Paraguayan election in March this year, became the political chips of the ruling party, claiming that if the people choose pro-China opposition candidates, “it means that students interrupt their studies”.
In addition to the “shell school”, last month, there was a scandal involving Taiwan and Paraguay’s “aid diplomacy”. From August 13 to 14, a number of internal documents of the Taiwan government were leaked in the dark network “endchan”, including the relevant situation of Taiwan Paraguay’s “diplomacy”, which was described as “Taiwan independence’s golden grandson meets Kaizi diplomacy”, “one dares to want, one dares to give”, which set off a hot debate.
Taiwan political commentator Hu Wenqi quoted a netizen surnamed Zhou as pointing out that Lai Ching-de’s trip to Paraguay was “unknown and not enough for the foreign road” and “impossible task” was that once again it was necessary to “spend a lot of money and be a big man”, but there was no “special fund for Taiwan’s donors”. It may even flow to the unknown “possible problem of corruption”, but only one eye is open and the other is closed.
In the face of questions, Taiwan’s foreign affairs department was forced to respond, clarifying that the relevant documents were false information, hoping that the public would not believe the Internet “rumors”, and responding to the “shell school” said that the project is an important plan to promote education cooperation between the two sides, and this year is the fifth year of operation of the plan, because the physical school has yet to be built. Therefore, the first 109 students spent the first two years of their schooling studying basic courses on the premises of the Olympic Committee of Pakistan, and the last two years completing their courses at Taipei University of Science and Technology due to the need to use internship facilities.
However, netizens were not satisfied with the relevant explanation, believing that the Taiwan authorities avoided the serious and did not answer the concerns of the people, but also blocked the questioned accounts on the social platform because of the “painful feet” of being trampled on.
Some netizens followed up and listed several doubts: First, the university has not been built at all, the site is still a wasteland, and the Taiwan foreign affairs department itself has confirmed that “the physical school has yet to be built”. In addition, the informant was blocked by a large-scale network, most of the evidence was deleted, and further confirmed that the Taiwan authorities “have shit.” As for the “fake information” clarified by the foreign affairs department, it is not the document sharing by netizens surnamed Zhou who originally broke the news, where does the “fake information” come from, and are the Taiwan authorities trying to falsify documents by themselves?
Checking the information, Tsai Ing-wen’s tenure has 9 “friends” choose to “break ties”, the number of “friends” of the Taiwan authorities has come to a historic low of 13, for Taiwan’s “diplomacy” in trouble, in addition to “big money”, it seems that there is no way to use.
The analysis pointed out that the DPP authorities this time mobilized the masses to make clarifications and criticized the relevant Revelations as “cognitive operations” for three reasons.
The first is to take into account Lai Ching-de election situation. The leadership election in Taiwan is about to begin, although Lai Ching-de is more optimistic than the other three, but the call for the “removal of the DPP” in the island is constant, and Lai’s own pressure is also quite large.
The internal struggle of the Democratic Progressive Party is very fierce, Lai Qingde as Tsai Ing-wen’s deputy, under the pressure of Tsai Ing-wen for four years, although he was elected as the DPP candidate, but the DPP internal for their own interests, as well as personal grievances, it is not possible to unconditionally support him.
Lai Ching-te’s pressure also comes from the DPP’s “negative equity”. Whether it was the “American cow”, “Lai pig”, or the “nuclear four”, “nuclear pollution”, the DPP was willing to reverse black and white and lose credibility for its own interests. Coupled with Lai’s earlier statement that he is “a pragmatic Taiwan independence worker,” it has also led to public doubts that once he comes to power, cross-strait relations between China and Taiwan will be more dangerous.
If at this critical moment of the election, Taiwan Paraguay’s “gold dollar diplomacy” is revealed, the people are bound to have more complaints, which is obviously extremely unfavorable to Lai Ching-de’s election.
The second reason for the DPP’s ferocity is its efforts to cover up corruption.
In fact, the history of the DPP’s rule is a history of corruption. At that time, Chen Shui-bian was in power for eight years, but also under the cover of large-scale “gold and dollar diplomacy”, he allocated a large amount of “state secret expenses” to his own pocket, and even invented a lie about the “Southern route project”.
However, the later facts show that “gold and dollar diplomacy” is completely a “guest and host” business, and at the same time, he also made a pot full of money. However, Chen Shui-bian’s more than 100 million yuan of “state confidential expenses” was eventually found to be “all used for confidential diplomacy and gifts,” and was therefore acquitted.
Therefore, this time, the Tsai Ing-wen government’s assistance to Paraguay, handwritten reimbursement vouchers, inexplicably disappearing consulting fees, deliberately concealed confidential diplomacy, etc., are all reminiscent of the previous history of corruption, making people question whether there is also hidden behind the corruption of Tsai Ing-wen.
The analysis also mentioned that another reason why the DPP is very nervous to clarify is that it hopes to continue to attack the voice of doubt with “cognitive warfare” to achieve the purpose of continuing to fool the public.
Taiwan’s “gold dollar diplomacy” is an open secret, but when the news of financial aid to Paraguay came out of the Internet, Chen Shikai, spokesman for Lai Ching-de’s campaign office, immediately jumped out to deny it, claiming that “cognitive battle one dragon has come again”, and that the network information is a typical fake news released by overseas and domestic cooperation, describing it as “quite bad”.
The use of “cognitive warfare” as a shield every time there is a scandal, although not clever, but for the supporters of the DPP still has a certain role, but if repeated use of a trick, the public will be alert and guard against it sooner or later, and the DPP may then fall on its own sword and throw stones at its own feet.
(The above content is from Hong Kong Newspaper “Bastille post” on September 7 and 8.)

Foreign

Shantou taps new growth momentum via AI token exports

Published

1 month ago

June 15, 2026

Our Reporter

By Li Gang, People’s Daily

As artificial intelligence (AI) accelerates the transformation of global industries, a new form of digital trade is emerging in the southern Chinese city of Shantou: exporting computing services measured not in physical goods, but in AI tokens.

In late April, Shantou, Guangdong province completed full-chain verification for what has become known as “token exports” — a model in which computing power remains within China while high-value AI services are delivered to overseas users. Within just one month, average daily token usage surged from 100 million to the tens-of-billions level.

The practical application of this model is already well underway.

Recently, when a user in Singapore activated an AI-powered toy and gave a simple command — “Tell me a fairy tale” — the spoken command traveled through the network directly to a dedicated overseas computing zone inside a computing center in Shantou.

Local deployed AI agents wrap up speech recognition in under one second and craft custom story content, firing the finished audio back to the Singapore-based toy device in as little as 0.1 seconds.

The user repeated the process multiple times, eventually listening to five stories in total. Approximately 100,000 tokens were consumed during the interaction and billed in real time at a rate of 2 yuan ($0.3) per one million tokens.

When payment arrived, a complete commercial cycle was achieved, marking the successful realization of Shantou’s “token export” model.

Tokens represent the smallest discrete calculation unit for large AI models to process information. They have become a key indicator of intelligent computing capacity and, increasingly, a new carrier of value in the digital economy.

Inside the China (Shantou) Pilot Zone for Economic and Cultural Cooperation with Overseas Chinese, token exports are already transforming the economics of electricity.

Today, overseas users across multiple countries and regions in Southeast Asia are accessing token services generated in Shantou.

“Data flows in from abroad and all processed outputs head back overseas, with zero compromise to end-user experience,” explained Cai Qichen, an engineer at the Shantou Branch of wireless carrier China Mobile. “Token costs have already been integrated into product service packages, making future usage more convenient.”

According to estimates from toy manufacturer SHOWMAC based in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, using Shantou’s computing services reduces costs by more than 30 percent compared with directly purchasing overseas computing resources.

Meanwhile, inside computing centers, turning electricity into AI tokens delivers dramatic value appreciation. A kilowatt-hour of electricity, which comes at a cost of roughly 0.5 yuan($0.07) , can be transformed through AI computing into tokens and then exported at a price of 11 yuan($1.6), representing a twenty-two-fold increase.

As one of eastern Guangdong’s major offshore wind power bases, Shantou has already connected 1.2 million kilowatts of installed capacity to China’s power grid.

The electricity itself does not need to cross borders. Computing power remains within China. What gets exported instead are high-value digital services, turning electricity into a form of hard currency for cross-border digital trade.

Ultra-low network latency forms the technical backbone making token exports feasible.

“More than half of China’s outbound bandwidth carried by international submarine cables lands in Shantou, and the city is also home to five undersea trunk cables linking destinations worldwide,” said Hong Zhebin, chief technology officer of the international submarine cable landing station operated by the Shantou branch of wireless carrier China Telecom.

“The latency between Shantou and Singapore is only 32.7 milliseconds, quicker than the blink of an eye,” Hong added.

Hong Yu with the Shantou Branch of China Mobile, added that Shantou’s overseas computing services offer stable response speeds, regulatory compliance, and substantial cost advantages.

“Our pricing is only 1/3 to 1/2 that of mainstream international platforms, while customer retention exceeds 70 percent,” Hong told People’s Daily.

Yet building a complete end-to-end system is only the starting point. Shantou is now attempting to transform itself from a transit city for digital infrastructure into an ecosystem hub.

Leading computing companies and developers are gathering rapidly. Pilot platforms have passed acceptance reviews. Commercial closed loops have already emerged in applications ranging from AI toys to intelligent manufacturing, with large-scale operations expected soon.

Shantou’s Chenghai district has long been known as the “toy capital of China.” As AI becomes increasingly integrated with the toy industry, the city has launched an AI toy innovation center and the Shantou AI Laboratory, striving to become the “AI toy capital of China.”

At the exhibition space of one local tech firm sits Amy, an AI desktop robot capable of fluid multilingual conversation.

“It is equipped with a multilingual intelligent voice interaction system capable of real-time recognition and conversation in dozens of languages,” said the company’s general manager Chen Ruifeng.

The technology has already been integrated into multiple AI toy products exported to countries including the United Kingdom, Russia, and Japan.

Shantou’s token export model allows AI toy manufacturers to access domestic large language models at costs far below those of overseas alternatives.

“The cost of using overseas AI models can be dozens of times higher than domestic models,” Chen said. The company’s AI toys currently run on Chinese large models including DeepSeek and Doubao.

“Token exports have significantly increased both product value-added and international competitiveness,” he said.

The Shantou branch of wireless carrier China Unicom, together with a Guangdong-based tech firm, has established dedicated lines connecting Shantou and Vietnam, delivering cross-border computing services to Aachen Sv, a Chinese-invested fiber-optic company operating in Vietnam.

Vietnamese users accessing large models such as DeepSeek and Qwen experience extremely low latency with zero packet loss. “In less than a month, more than a dozen companies have approached us for consultations,” an employee of the Guangdong-based tech firm said.

Meanwhile, the Guangdong branch of China Mobile has launched an OpenClaw intelligent agent framework, providing integrated AI service packages that allow traditional toys to complete intelligent upgrades in as little as 15 days.

From toys to textiles, cross-border e-commerce, and high-end manufacturing, tokens are increasingly becoming the digital fuel powering Shantou’s industrial upgrading.

Foreign

Sanxingdui Museum transforms ancient relics into interactive experiences

Published

2 months ago

May 31, 2026

Our Reporter

By Song Haoxin, People’s Daily

What if museum visitors could truly interact with cultural relics rather than merely observe them through glass displays? At the Sanxingdui Museum in southwest China’s Sichuan province, a specially designed interactive hall is revolutionizing cultural engagement.

Within this 1,300-square-meter space, nearly every exhibit invites touch, operation, or participation. Visitors immerse themselves in installations inspired by the ancient Shu civilization, blending education with entertainment.

By trying on replicas of headwear on bronze statues discovered in Sanxingdui Ruins, for example, visitors can not only take photos of themselves but also learn about the symbolic meanings behind different headpieces.

Guests can don replicas of bronze statue headwear from the Sanxingdui Ruins, learning their symbolic meanings while capturing photos. Augmented reality allows dancing alongside virtual Sanxingdui figures for social media sharing. A creation zone even enables “time travel” to experience ancient bronze-casting and construction techniques.

These innovations transform traditional museum visits, offering deeper cultural understanding through hands-on interaction. “This hall emerged from extensive brainstorming,” explained Zhu Yarong, deputy director of the management committee of the Sanxingdui Ruins site.

“We’re transitioning from passive relic viewing to interactive engagement, bridging the gap between audiences and history.”

Previously, museum experiences were largely one-directional with limited engagement. Visitors viewed relics through display cases, usually stopping mainly to take photographs, with relatively limited forms of engagement. By liberating artifacts from display cases into interactive settings, Sanxingdui is pioneering a shift from didactic presentation to open cultural dialogue.

Traditional exhibition spaces remain popular, while digital innovations attract growing interest. A VR project employs digital twin technology to recreate 1:1 scale excavation sites — complete with protective shelters and cabins — placing visitors at the archaeological forefront.

Another project, Heaven and Earth Echoes — Sanxingdui Panoramic Sound and Vision Digital Art Theater, features an interactive panoramic LED dome with a diameter of 20 meters and a resolution approaching 16K. The massive dome creates a deeply immersive atmosphere. By waving digital torches in their hands, visitors can trigger sacred birds to circle above them across the dome, experiencing the ancient Shu civilization through an interplay of sound and imagery.

“The digital technology made me feel as if I were racing across the Mamu River. That sense of traveling through time was incredible,” said Hao Yong, a tourist from southwest China’s Chongqing municipality who came specifically to experience a virtual reality program.

From passive observation to active participation, Sanxingdui Museum continues introducing new interactive experiences that transform cultural relics into living carriers of dialogue and engagement, helping keep the sparks of Chinese civilization alive for new generations.

Foreign

A living testimony about MKA: The Aondoakaa that I know Written By Brahms Tor-Ikuan

Published

2 months ago

May 19, 2026

milcah

My people of Benue State,

I am not speaking to you today as a politician. I am speaking as a brother whose family was held up by Chief Mike Kaase Aondoakaa, MKA, when we had no one else to hold onto.

My elder brother, Verem Ukaa-Ikuan, was not just my blood. He was a very dear and close friend to Chief MKA. When my brother fell ill and was diagnosed with liver damage caused by poisoning, MKA didn’t treat it as someone else’s problem. He took it on as his own.

He worked closely with Verem during his time as Attorney General of the Federation, and when the sickness came, he moved immediately. Searches were conducted, and Apollo Hospital in India was earmarked for a liver transplant. Every travel arrangement was made personally by Chief MKA.

But we hit a wall. Verem was too weak to fly a long commercial flight. Only an air ambulance could get him to India alive. At that time, there was only one functional air ambulance in the entire country, owned by Julius Berger. It was completely out of reach for even the most high-profile citizens.

Chief MKA went all out. He did not give excuses. He did not delay. He used every connection and every ounce of influence he had to secure that air ambulance for my brother.

On the day it was secured, Barr. Terna Yaji, his Senior Special Assistant, called me a few minutes after 6pm. He told us to prepare Verem for departure and take him to Makurdi airport very early the following morning. I informed him, my brother passed on at exactly 6 o’clock a few minutes ago. I told Barr. Terna Yaji, and I saw a devastated MKA.

During the burial, Chief MKA was out of the country on national assignment. He was pained that he could not be there physically. His entire team, led by the late Onov Tyuulugh, represented him fully. And his message to us at the burial has never left me:

“If death were law, as the Attorney General, a law would have been made no matter what to ensure Verem will just not die but live forever.”

That is who Mike Kaase Aondoakaa is when nobody is watching. He does not abandon his people. He does not forget. He stood with our family then, and he has stood with us till date.

Now he is asking for the chance to govern Benue State.

Benue needs a governor with a heart like that. A governor who fights for you even when there’s no political gain. A governor who sees you as family, not as a vote.

I am standing with Chief Mike Kaase Aondoakaa for Governor of Benue State.
For compassion that moves to action.
For loyalty that does not fade.
For leadership that proves itself in the darkest hour.

Join me. Let us give Benue a leader who has already shown what he will do for us.

God bless Chief Mike Kaase Aondoakaa.
God bless Benue State.

Brahms Tor-Ikuan, a beneficiary of MKA’s benevolence writes from Makurdi