9/24 Evening News Roundup: 1,500 NTD Vouchers Available Islandwide Before 9/29, Are Banks and Post Offices Open During Mid-Autumn and Teachers' Day Holiday? U.S. Treasury Secretary Says Trade Truce Extended to January 2027 Ahead of Trump-Xi Meeting

Taichung's Daking district has opened online registration for its 'Good Taste Voucher,' with 300 winners to be drawn on September 29. Selected individuals must pay 800 NTD to receive a 1,500 NTD voucher, redeemable only at designated Daking merchants. The Mid-Autumn Festival and Teachers' Day holiday runs from the 25th to the 28th. Bank counters will be closed for four days, and most post office windows will suspend services, except for the Taipei Palace Museum Post Office, which will offer limited operations. Internationally, the Trump-Xi meeting is scheduled for September 24 at the White House in U.S. Eastern Time. Ahead of the summit, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that the U.S.-China trade truce will be extended to January 10, 2027. China's official statement on the same day did not yet include this date. Additionally, the Central Weather Administration released the holiday weather forecast for September 25–28. Highways will implement southbound ramp closures and high-occupancy vehicle restrictions on the first day. Workers required to work during the holiday must be paid holiday overtime rates if September 25 (Mid-Autumn Festival) and September 28 (Teachers' Day) are not legally shifted, with different calculations from regular weekend rest days. Below are six updates as of the evening of September 24, Taiwan time. Daking 'Good Taste Voucher' Lottery on 9/29: Islandwide Registration, Pay 800 NTD for 1,500 NTD Voucher The Daking business district in Beitun District, Taichung City, has launched 300 limited 'Daking Good Taste Vouchers.' Residents from any county or city in Taiwan can register via the event membership platform for the lottery. However, registration does not guarantee a free 1,500 NTD voucher. Winners who obtain the purchase eligibility must pay 800 NTD in New Taiwan Dollars to receive a 1,500 NTD voucher. The district plans to livestream the lottery on Facebook at noon on Tuesday, September 29. The winner's purchase voucher will be sent to their membership wallet. They must then place an order and make payment via the membership platform. After settlement, the voucher will be issued to the wallet. Each person is limited to one purchase. Winners must complete online purchase and remittance by 4:00 PM on October 1; failure to do so will be considered a forfeiture. Vouchers are non-refundable and non-exchangeable after issuance and do not provide change upon use. 2026 Mid-Autumn and Teachers' Day Holiday Bank and Post Office Hours: Banks Closed on 9/28, Palace Museum Post Office Offers Limited Services September 25 (Friday) is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and September 28 (Monday) is Teachers' Day. The Financial Supervisory Commission's 2026 bank holiday schedule lists both days as bank holidays. Combined with Saturday the 26th and Sunday the 27th, general bank counter services will be suspended for four consecutive days, resuming normal operations on Tuesday, September 29. ATMs and online banking will continue to provide self-service. Chunghwa Post announced that from September 25 to 28, only the Taipei Palace Museum Post Office will offer foreign currency exchange, philatelic items, and agency product sales. All other windows will be closed. During the holiday, general mailbox collection will be suspended, and regular mail, express mail, and parcels will not be delivered. Express mail delivery will continue, and designated postal units will still accept express mail drop-offs. i-Mailboxes and postal ATMs will remain operational for self-service, but i-Mailbox shipments will only be collected after the holiday. Some international express mail requiring electronic customs clearance information will still need to wait for business days to be processed. 9/24 U.S.-China Economic Talks Before Trump-Xi Summit: Bessent Says Trade Truce Extended to January 10, 2027 U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated after talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng that the U.S. and China have agreed to extend the original economic easing period, set to expire on November 10 this year, by two months to January 10, 2027. On September 24, Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesperson He Yadong stated that the 8th round of economic and trade consultations reached multiple agreements, and both sides held their first dialogue on artificial intelligence under the economic consultation mechanism. Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington, D.C. on September 23, U.S. Eastern Time. U.S. President Trump and President Xi are scheduled to meet at the White House on September 24, U.S. Eastern Time. 9/25–9/28 Mid-Autumn Holiday Weather: Mostly Cloudy to Sunny, Scattered Rain in Eastern Taiwan on 25th, Long Waves Expected on 26th–27th The Central Weather Administration's 5:00 PM weather forecast on September 24 for the upcoming week indicates that on the first holiday day, September 25, most areas will be mostly cloudy to sunny. Scattered brief showers are expected in northern Taipei, eastern Taiwan, and the Hengchun Peninsula. Localized brief afternoon showers are expected in southern mountainous areas, with scattered brief showers in Chiayi and areas southward and other mountainous regions. On September 25, Taipei is forecasted to range from 24 to 33 degrees Celsius, central Taiwan 24 to 34 degrees, and southern Taiwan 26 to 33 degrees. From September 26 to 28, most areas will remain sunny to partly cloudy, with scattered brief afternoon showers in mountainous areas. Long waves are likely along the eastern coast, Lanyu, Green Island, and the Hengchun Peninsula from September 26 to 27. From early morning on the 26th, localized fog or low clouds may appear from Changhua to Tainan, affecting visibility. 9/25 Mid-Autumn Holiday Freeway Southbound Restrictions: Ramps Closed on National Highway 1 and 5, HOV in Effect on NH1 and NH3 On the first day of the holiday, September 25, the Freeway Bureau estimates southbound traffic volume will be 1.5 times the normal weekday level. From 5:00 AM to 12:00 PM, southbound entrances at Pingzhen and Puyan systems on NH1 will be closed. From midnight to 12:00 PM, southbound entrances at Shiding and Pinglin on NH5 will be closed, with the Shiding southbound entrance temporarily used for large vehicles during closure. From 6:00 AM to 12:00 PM, southbound entrance ramps on NH1 from Neihu to Toufen (including elevated Diding, Huanbei, and Airport systems) and on NH3 from Muzha to Xiangshan will implement high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) restrictions. From September 25 to 28, tolls on national highways will be suspended from midnight to 5:00 AM daily. On NH3 from Hsinchu System to Yanchao System, a single rate with a 20% discount will be applied during the holiday. Return-direction restrictions: On September 27 and 28, from 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM, northbound entrances at Puyan System on NH1, Hufei, and Xibin on NH3 will be closed. From 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM on September 26 to 28, northbound entrances at Su'ao, Luodong, Yilan, and Toucheng on NH5 will implement HOV restrictions, with end times adjustable based on traffic conditions. 2026 Mid-Autumn and Teachers' Day Holiday Work Pay: Double Pay on 9/25 and 9/28, Saturday Calculated Separately The Ministry of Labor announced that September 25 (Mid-Autumn Festival) and September 28 (Teachers' Day) are both national holidays under the Labor Standards Act. Workers covered by the Act are entitled to full pay during holidays. If employers arrange for workers to work on these days with their consent, they must pay an additional full day's wage on top of regular wages for up to 8 hours. For example, a worker earning a monthly salary of 36,000 NTD, with an hourly wage of 150 NTD on regular days, working Monday to Friday, should receive an additional 1,200 NTD for working 8 hours on September 25 or 28. If the worker's Saturday the 26th is a rest day, working 8 hours under the same pay conditions would require an additional 1,900 NTD in rest day overtime pay. Sunday the 27th, if it is a regular day off, cannot be required for work except in cases of natural disasters, emergencies, or unforeseen events. Actual leave classification depends on the worker's schedule and labor-management agreement. If a national holiday coincides with an individual's regular day off or rest day, a make-up day must be arranged on another workday. Shifting national holidays to other workdays also requires individual worker consent and must not reduce the total number of required rest days.