HOW CANINES KEEP THE CITY SAFE Gentle and good-natured, Lucy is part of an elite team of sniffer dogs, specially selected and trained for the job. When she gets a whiff of the scent of the disease, she sits next to the tree to indicate her find. It takes at least two detection canines to … Read more
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
Hong Kong-Taipei is the busiest international flight route, according to a report released Tuesday by aviation intelligence company OAG. The route — which last held that position in 2019 — again tops the list despite seat capacity remaining 15% below pre-pandemic levels, according to OAG’s report. Seven of the 10 busiest international routes in the … Read more
An annual forum that brings together officials and business representatives from Shanghai and Taipei went ahead on Tuesday after Taiwan denied entry to some mainland Chinese attendees. Speaking at the 15th Taipei-Shanghai Twin-City Forum at a Taipei hotel, Shanghai’s vice-mayor Hua Yuan pledged to encourage people from his city to go on group tours to … Read more
Taiwan has received its first M1A2T Abrams tanks from the United States, which are expected to drastically improve the island’s ability to counter potential amphibious operations by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). A total of 38 of the armoured vehicles, known as the “world’s most powerful tanks”, arrived in Taipei on Sunday night and were … 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
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
Taiwan changed its air raid warning threshold to respond to the PLA’s tactics, the island’s defence minister said on Monday, amid concerns that the decision leaves the public with less time to take shelter during a cross-strait conflict. In the past, the island would issue an air raid alert if People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft … Read more
Taiwan is exploring the possibility of acquiring F-35 fighter jets and other advanced US weaponry, but pundits doubt the plan will get past Washington’s long-held concerns about military technology leaking into the hands of the People’s Liberation Army. According to a recent Financial Times report, Taipei has reached out to president-elect Donald Trump’s team about … 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
