Taiwan says eight Chinese fighter jets crossed strait’s median line

TAIPEI: Taiwan’s defence ministry said on Sunday (Dec 24) that, over the previous 24 hours, it had detected eight Chinese fighter jets crossing over the median line of the Taiwan Strait, as well as one Chinese balloon. Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has repeatedly complained of Chinese military activity around the island … Read more

Taiwan elections: Hsai takes KMT message to business faithful on mainland China

According to Taiwanese media estimates, there are roughly 1.2 million people from the island living on the mainland, accounting for about 5 per cent of Taiwan’s population. Most of the voters in this group tend to support the KMT and party officials often make the trip across the Taiwan Strait before elections. 05:27 Taiwan election … Read more

The Week… We try to predict all of 2024 – POLITICO

Two of Westminster’s best-connected journalists, Sky News’s Sam Coates and Politico’s Jack Blanchard, usually guide us through their predictions of how British politics will play out over the next seven days – but in this episode they attempt to predict an entire year… a year that’s set to be the planet’s biggest ever for elections. … Read more

The first nail-biter election of 2024: Taiwan – POLITICO

TAIPEI — 2024 will be a bumper year of elections around the world, but one of the first votes on the calendar will also be one of the most hotly contested and consequential: Taiwan, where there are vital strategic interests at play for both the U.S. and China on January 13. If the campaign started … Read more

Frontrunner William Lai challenged to renounce independence in first Taiwan election debate

“Are you willing to give up your advocacy of Taiwan independence? Mr Lai, you are the chairman of the [ruling] Democratic Progressive Party. Are you willing to abolish the [DPP’s] independence platform so that the public can … rest assured?” Hou said. Hou said Lai’s assurances during the election campaign that he would not declare … Read more

Taiwan to seize intruding sand dredgers from mainland China to fight illegal mining and ‘grey zone warfare’

Under the revision, “ships or other machinery or equipment illegally used for excavation of sand and gravel in [Taiwan’s] exclusive economic zone or on the continental shelf shall be confiscated regardless of who owns the facilities,” the legislature said in a statement on Monday. 30:18 Why Taiwan is a ‘life-or-death question’ for China: Cui Tiankai … Read more

Passenger numbers expected to explode over the holidays at SFO, Bay Area airports

FILE: Aerial view of San Francisco International Airport with United Airlines jets in 2017. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images In this week’s news, airline travelers are expected to number a record 3 million on several days over the Christmas holidays; a new competitor enters the busy SFO-Taipei route; Alaska Airlines inks a partnership with a fast-growing Canadian carrier; United updates … Read more

West needs to call out China to prevent invasion – POLITICO

Taiwan’s new top diplomat in the United States, Alexander Tah-ray Yui, has called on the U.S. and Europe to not “look the other way” in the face of a potential Chinese invasion of the self-governing island. “The best defense, best help that you can do for Taiwan … is by actively, openly voicing your concerns that … Read more

Cross-strait tensions no hurdle for Taiwanese shoppers – if the price is right

Taiwanese consumers like Hsu often buy gear from mainland China when prices are low and device efficacy is sufficient to satisfy their needs, a quality widely described as cost-performance value, or just “CP value”. If not, politics may intrude. “Even though there are some geopolitical tensions, consumers in Taiwan still buy made-in-China products as long … Read more