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
“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
Beijing’s Taiwan affairs chief urged members of the island’s media to contribute to the peaceful development of cross-strait relations. At the Cross-Strait Media Summit in Beijing on Thursday, Song Tao, director of Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said media professionals on both sides should “fulfil their social responsibilities, enhance mutual understanding between compatriots on both sides, … Read more
The People’s Daily published a commentary on Thursday that vowed to uproot the “historical narrative of Taiwan independence” – a narrative it said has been pushed by Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te. The warning came after Lai used the Friday anniversary of Taiwan’s return to China from imperial Japan after World War II to commemorate … 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
1. China hit by sudden rise of sea water level ‘never seen in history’ Late Monday evening, along the coast of northeastern China’s Bohai Sea, the water began to rise as it normally does when tide comes in. But the water kept rising. It quickly flooded inland areas, prompting emergency responses and shattering official records. … Read more
China’s military began a live-fire exercise near Taiwan on Tuesday, maintaining pressure on the self-ruled island after staging large-scale drills and President Xi Jinping called for troops to prepare for war. China’s Communist Party has never ruled the island, but it claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has said it will not renounce … Read more
TAIPEI: A United States and a Canadian warship have passed through waters separating Taiwan and China, a week after Beijing held large-scale military drills in the sensitive passage. The US and its allies regularly cross through the 180km Taiwan Strait to reinforce its status as an international waterway, angering Beijing. China’s Communist Party has never … Read more
Authorities in Taiwan are under pressure to scrap a two-decade-old provision that allows high school students to be enlisted into wartime non-combat service. Under the island’s All-Out Defence Mobilisation Readiness Act of 2001, minors can be mobilised for the non-combat youth service corps during conflicts and natural disasters. But after volunteer consent forms for the … Read more
