Politics

The two leaders have spoken several times since Biden took office in January 2021. (Source photos by Getty Images)
US-China tensions

Xi and Biden double down on Taiwan positions in 'candid' talks

Leaders discuss chance of face-to-face meeting during 2-hour call

29 July 2022
Taiwan hosts the lion's share of global production capacity for high-end semiconductors.
Semiconductors

Japan, U.S. to launch R&D for 2-nm chip mass production

Economic and diplomatic chiefs to discuss supply chains at 2+2 meeting Friday

29 July 2022
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen lays flowers in front of a portrait of the late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a visit to the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association office in Taipei on July 11.
International relations

Japan and Taiwan lawmakers scramble to fill post-Abe vacuum

Mutual visits aim to strengthen ties in absence of diplomatic relations

28 July 2022
Chipmaking requires hundreds of machines, materials and chemicals. In this TSMC plant in Taiwan, an engineer in protective clothing holds a Front Opening Unified Pod (FOUP) for transferring the wafers used in chips safely between machines.
The Big Story

The resilience myth: Fatal flaws in the push to secure chip supply chains

From China to the U.S. to Europe, semiconductor makers are being showered with subsidies, but to what effect?

27 July 2022
Soldiers prepare military tanks at a factory lot in New Taipei City, Taiwan, for the annual Han Kuang military exercises on July 21.
International relations

Taiwan kicks off annual military exercises as China rattles sabers

Tsai to board warship during drills that 'draw on experience' of Ukraine war

25 July 2022
President Joe Biden shakes hands with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after delivering his State of the Union address on March 1.  (Official White House Photo)
Indo-Pacific

Why the U.S. military thinks Pelosi's Taiwan trip is a bad idea

Chinese will be watching where the plane departs from, experts say

23 July 2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin called former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe an "outstanding statesman" in a condolence message.
Shinzo Abe

Japan to bar Putin from attending Shinzo Abe state funeral

Tokyo to convey schedule to Taiwan and others that sent condolences

22 July 2022
Former Taiwan Adm. Lee Hsi-min speaks to Nikkei Asia in Taipei. (Photo by Annabelle Chih)
Interview

Taiwan's ex-defense chief calls for sweeping military reforms

Adm. Lee Hsi-min says island must prioritize cheaper, asymmetric weapons

20 July 2022
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung rose to prominence as the face of the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic
Politics

Taiwan health minister quits to run for Taipei mayor

Pandemic czar faces uphill battle in city that favors Kuomintang

15 July 2022
Palau's President Surangel Whipps speaks to Nikkei Asia on the sidelines of Pacific Islands Forum in the Fijian capital of Suva on July 12.
Interview

Palau maintains Taiwan ties despite Chinese pressure

Pacific nation will raise concerns at regional forum, president says

13 July 2022
An engineer works at the Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute in Hsinchu.
Technology

Taiwan R&D is a corporate affair as basic research takes a back seat

Study shows how TSMC and Foxconn stay on top, but long-term problems loom

6 July 2022
Satellite image of the Taiwan Strait in October 2018; At least an 85-kilometer-wide stretch should be considered as international waters.
Opinion

Japan should send its naval ships through the Taiwan Strait

Such a move would strengthen the international rules-based order

5 July 2022
U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot speaks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in 2019.
Interview

U.S. lawmaker urges better intelligence sharing with Taiwan

House Asia subcommittee's Chabot says Biden fails to match rhetoric with resources

1 July 2022
RIMPAC exercises in 2018. A total of 26 countries are set to join the drills. (U.S. Navy via Reuters) 
Indo-Pacific

U.S. kicks off 26-nation Pacific naval exercise without Taiwan

RIMPAC will include 25,000 personnel in monthlong drill

30 June 2022
U.S. military equipment is unloaded from a ship. Russia's problems in Ukraine illustrate the consequences of insufficient logistical planning.
Interview

U.S. needs arms storage in Japan in case of Taiwan conflict: Armitage

Beijing trying to rattle Tokyo with AWACS plane target, former diplomat says

25 June 2022
Taiwanese fighter pilot Yen Hsiang-sheng sits inside an F-16V jet during a drill in January.
Politics

Taiwan jets respond to second Chinese air incursion this week

22 military planes enter Taipei defense zone Thursday

23 June 2022
Asia has recently been in the foreign-policy spotlight on Capitol Hill.
Biden's Asia policy

U.S. lawmakers push for Asia-Pacific engagement with flurry of bills

Bipartisan measures call for more diplomats and Taiwan security assistance

23 June 2022
A view of Volcan de Agua, a volcano in Guatemala. The Central American nation is among 14 that recognize Taiwan as a sovereign country.
Interview

Guatemala foreign minister vows to maintain Taiwan ties

Central American nation focused on working with U.S. on immigration and economy

22 June 2022
U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez said in a statement: "As Beijing continues to seek to coerce and isolate Taiwan there should be no doubt or ambiguity about the depth and strength of our determination to stand with the people of Taiwan and their democracy."
International relations

U.S. senators introduce broad Taiwan bill to boost security aid

Proposal would provide $4.5bn in foreign military financing over next 4 years

18 June 2022
Taiwan's grouper production last year amounted to 16,940 tons, and the export volume was 6,681 tons, according to Taiwan's Fisheries Department. China accounted for 91% of the exports.
Trade

China flexes economic muscle with ban on Taiwanese grouper

The fish is 4th agricultural product to be sanctioned by Beijing since last year

15 June 2022
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks at the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday; Taiwanese air force pilots run pass an armed U.S.-made F-16V fighter at a base in Chiayi, southern Taiwan, on January 5. (Source photos by AP and AFP/Jiji) 
International relations

U.S., Taiwan set to hold strategic dialogue this month: sources

Washington plans to prioritize sale of arms to counter China landing operation

13 June 2022
China's Defense Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 12.
US-China tensions

China's Wei slams U.S. 'smears,' Taiwan independence 'delusion'

Defense chief tells Shangri-La crowd that Biden's Indo-Pacific strategy creates conflict

12 June 2022
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a plenary session at the 19th International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 11.
US-China tensions

U.S. policy on Taiwan hasn't changed, but China's has: Austin

Defense chief rules out 'Asian NATO;' warns of Beijing's 'growing coercion'

11 June 2022
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis spoke with Nikkei Asia in Tokyo on June 7.  (Photo by Masayuki Terasawa)
Interview

Lithuania minister urges EU countries to leave China's '17+1' bloc

Top diplomat on mission to find trading partners to replace Beijing

7 June 2022
The government of Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen, right, was said to be concerned by recent comments by U.S. President Joe Biden that Washington would be willing to respond to any potential Chinese invasion of the island. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
Indo-Pacific

Biden's bombshell shows U.S. more committed to Taiwan than ever

Analysts and officials say remarks indicate strong response to any China move

6 June 2022