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
The defence ministry said it had detected 47 mainland Chinese warplanes near Taiwan in the 24 hours to 6am on Tuesday – the largest number since the PLA simulated a blockade of the island on October 14 in an exercise dubbed Joint Sword-2024B. The PLA sent 153 warplanes for that drill. In the latest exercise, … Read more
Lai, who returned on Friday from a weeklong visit to three of Taipei’s Pacific allies, maintained a relatively low profile during his layovers in the US territories, meeting only local leaders and politicians. Lai was greeted on his arrival in Honolulu last Saturday by Ingrid Larson, managing director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), … Read more
Officials from Shanghai will visit Taipei for the first time in six years to take part in a forum meant to encourage cross-strait communication. Shanghai vice-mayor Hua Yuan will head a mainland delegation taking part in the two-day Shanghai-Taipei City Forum, Taipei city government spokesman Yin Wei said on Wednesday morning. Taipei mayor Chiang Wan-an, … Read more
Former Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen is set to visit Canada on Wednesday in yet another overseas trip expected to provoke a strong reaction from Beijing. “[Tsai] will highlight the unwavering commitment of the Taiwanese people to safeguarding democracy and freedom and reaffirm Taiwan’s determination to collaborate with the international community in contributing to global stability … Read more
“I am confident that the long-standing Taiwan-US partnership, based on shared values and interests, will continue to serve as a cornerstone of regional stability and lead to greater prosperity for us all,” Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te said on Wednesday in a congratulatory message to Donald Trump on his re-election as the US president. Lai … Read more
A ruling by Taiwan’s grand justices against opposition-led reforms to increase legislative oversight is expected to deepen political divides and make life more complicated for William Lai Ching-te’s administration. Opposition leaders described the ruling – that almost all of the proposed reforms were unconstitutional – as a “disgrace” and the “death of judicial integrity”. The … Read more
Kuma Academy, which encourages the Taiwanese public to prepare for war with the mainland and stand up for the island, was sanctioned on October 14 for “propagating secessionist ideas” and serving as a base for “independence separatist activities”. Also sanctioned were two prominent academy figures – Puma Shen, one of its founders, and business tycoon … Read more
Chinese President Xi Jinping visited a coastal island just across the Taiwan Strait a day after the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) wrapped up massive military drills around Taiwan. Xi inspected Dongshan county in the southeastern province of Fujian on Tuesday afternoon, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The Taiwan-facing island county has served as a regular base … Read more
Taiwan has signed contracts to purchase nearly 1,000 killer drones from the United States, bolstering its asymmetric warfare capabilities amid rising cross-strait tensions. According to a government procurement website, the Taiwanese army signed two contracts with the American Institute in Taiwan, Washington’s de facto embassy in Taipei, on Tuesday. The contracts, valued at a total … Read more
