Former Taiwanese leader Ma Ying-jeou has begun a nine-day trip to mainland China – his third in two years – amid accusations from pro-independence voices that he is compromising the self-ruled island’s interests. Ma’s delegation, which includes a group of Taiwanese university students, was greeted by municipal officials and well-wishers at the airport when they … Read more
A push by Taiwan’s main opposition party to improve cross-strait relations is coming under pressure from the island’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The annual Taipei-Shanghai Twin City Forum – set for Tuesday – hangs in the balance as Taipei mayor Wayne Chiang Wan-an faces growing demands to cancel the event if Beijing continues to … Read more
Former Taiwanese leader Ma Ying-jeou will visit mainland China later this month, his third visit in the past two years, in another push to promote people-to-people exchanges amid elevated cross-strait tensions. Ma will lead a delegation of Taiwanese youth to visit the cities of Harbin in the northeast and Chengdu in the southwest on a … Read more
Former Taiwanese legislative speaker Wang Jin-pyng, a political heavyweight from the main opposition Kuomintang party, has proposed a new cross-strait framework that he says aims to reduce tensions and promote peace. Wang’s concept of “separate governance without division” seeks to establish a situation where Taiwan and mainland China can coexist while maintaining separate governance, yet … Read more
In a rare move, Taiwan’s military is using a Taipei university campus to train reservists to prepare for the possibility of urban warfare against the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), prompting concerns and criticism. Taiwan’s defence minister, however, defended the decision, emphasising the need to consider frontline conditions to deter PLA attacks. National Chengchi University (NCCU) … Read more
US president-elect Donald Trump made Taiwan a focal point of his 2024 campaign, advocating increased defence spending by the island and casting a critical eye on its semiconductor dominance. While some Taiwanese officials have dismissed these statements as campaign rhetoric, Trump’s repeated calls for Taiwan to pay “protection fees” and increase its defence spending to … Read more
Revelations that a US defence contractor overcharged Taiwan hundreds of millions of dollars sparked concerns that the island has been treated like a “sucker”, prompting Taipei, in turn, to decry what it says are efforts to manipulate anti-US scepticism. The price gouging came to light this year after a US federal audit of RTX, formerly … Read more
Cabinet spokesman Chen Shih-kai said the timing of the request “will depend on the president’s promulgation of the laws”. Observers warned that the confrontation would not only significantly affect the administration of the new Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te, but also his popularity. Anticipating defeat, DPP lawmakers had already vowed to take the case to … Read more
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States, Taiwan’s top weapons supplier, do not recognise the island as an independent state. However, Washington is opposed to any attempt to take Taiwan by force and is committed to arming it. Fujian is located just … Read more
The opposition’s legislative package moves the Taiwanese legislature closer to holding an oversight role similar to the US Congress, with measures that include an expansion of lawmakers’ investigative powers. The new laws establish “contempt of the legislature” as an offence, with a maximum penalty of a NT$200,000 (US$6,170) fine. This will criminalise public officials and … Read more
