Politics

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One in Lansing, Michigan on Oct. 5. 
US-China tensions

Taiwan told U.S. commitment is 'rock solid' after Biden remark

Taipei sought clarification after president's talk of 'agreement' with Xi over island

7 October 2021
Sanae Takaichi expressed support for Taiwan as a "partner with shared values." (Photo by Kai Fujii)
International relations

New LDP policy chief Takaichi supports Taiwan's CPTPP bid

Conservative firebrand sides with Taipei in face of Chinese opposition

6 October 2021
A Chinese PLA J-16 fighter jet flies in an undisclosed location in this undated file photo released by the Taiwan defense ministry.
International relations

China turns up pressure on Taiwan with record warplane dispatches

149 sorties in 1st four days of this month more than the whole of September

5 October 2021
Taiwan is hoping people in Japan will develop a taste for its sugar apples. (Photo by Nana Shibata)
International relations

Sweet talk: Taiwan touts sugar apples in Japan amid China ban

Taipei seeking new markets for luxury fruit due to trade spat with Beijing

3 October 2021
Eric Chu speaks to the media after winning the chairmanship of Taiwan's main opposition Kuomintang in Taipei on Saturday.
Politics

Taiwan's new Kuomintang leader keeps party on China-friendly track

Choice of Eric Chu as chairman puts KMT at odds with a majority on the island

28 September 2021
Eric Chu waves to supporters after winning chairmanship of Taiwan's main opposition KMT party on Saturday, in Taipei.
26 September 2021
A military honor guard parade at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei on March 16, 2016. Taiwanese authorities are considering removing the statue of the island's first president as part of a plan to to take down symbols its authoritarian past. 
Politics

Taiwan axes symbols of authoritarian past in push to rebrand

Towering statue of Chiang Kai-shek slated to be pulled down in Taipei

26 September 2021
The Taiwanese coast guard takes part in maritime exercises to simulate fending off terror attacks and invasion at a Taipei port in May 2019.
International relations

China-Taiwan tensions pose tough questions for Japan PM hopefuls

Next leader will face big decisions on CPTPP membership and defense spending

25 September 2021
USA is formed by lighting on the Taipei Grand Hotel to thank the U.S., which will give Taiwan 750,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine on June 6: Taiwan should drop Daddy America patronage.
Opinion

Regional partners the key to Taiwan's long term security

Taipei should not keep all its eggs in Washington's basket

24 September 2021
CPTPP members should encourage the U.S. to return to the fold while President Joe Biden is still in office.
Comment

Why U.S. membership in CPTPP makes more sense than ever

Washington risks being locked out and ceding Indo-Pacific influence to China

24 September 2021
A container terminal at China's Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in Zhejiang Province. China applied to join the CPTPP on Sept. 16, and Taiwan followed with its own application on Sept. 22.
Trade

Rival China and Taiwan bids put CPTPP's free trade mettle to test

Japan under mounting pressure to defend rules-based order

24 September 2021
The Chinese incursion involved two Shaanxi Y-8 planes. (Photo courtesy of Taiwan's Defense Ministry)
Politics

Taiwan reports major Chinese air incursion after CPTPP bid

Taipei denounces 'harassment' from 24-plane flyby

24 September 2021
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen: Taipei has applied to join the Japan-led CPTTP trade pact, a move that is expected to rile China. 
Trade

China blasts Taiwan's bid to join CPTPP trade pact

Taipei accuses Beijing of 'obstructing' island's international presence

23 September 2021
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen: Taiwan has already been discussing CPTPP membership informally with the trade bloc's existing members.
Trade

Taiwan submits bid to join CPTPP trade pact

Bloc members now face choice of supporting Beijing or Taipei

23 September 2021
Whether the European Union will begin making preparations for a bilateral investment agreement with Taiwan appears to depend on how the EU Commission assesses the bloc's relationship with China. (Nikkei montage/AP/Reuters)
International relations

EU split on Taiwan question as it fears fraying China ties

27-nation bloc must determine whether China is more of a partner or rival

22 September 2021
Sanae Takaichi, former Japanese internal affairs minister, discussed greater exchanges between Tokyo and Taipei in an online meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. (Photo from Twitter post by Takaichi)
Japan election

Japan PM hopeful Takaichi speaks with Taiwan's Tsai Ing-wen

Abe protegee seeks to burnish conservative credentials ahead of LDP election

21 September 2021
European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels on May 5.
Indo-Pacific

EU pushes for deeper Indo-Pacific ties in face of China concerns

Draft document shows bloc is seeking closer trade, investment ties with Taiwan

14 September 2021
Soldiers take part in a biological and chemical warfare drill during the annual Han Kuang military drill in Tainan, Taiwan, on Sept. 13.
International relations

Taiwan simulates Chinese biological and electronic attacks in war game

Island turns to asymmetric warfare to fend off full-scale invasion

14 September 2021
Japan dispatched an Air Self-Defense Force C-130 to Kabul in an attempted rescue mission that ran up against numerous obstacles.
Politics

Japan's fumble in Afghanistan bodes ill for any Taiwan crisis

Rescue of 1 Japan national reveals maze of constraints that must be alleviated

11 September 2021
The Ta Chiang "carrier killer" corvette features anti-air and anti-ship missiles and a catamaran hull for fast, stealthy travel. (Photo courtesy of Taiwan's Presidential Office)
Politics

Taiwan Navy launches 'carrier killer' with 28 missiles

Ta Chiang to be deployed to island's northeast, where Chinese ships pass

10 September 2021
Japan is speaking up for Taiwan as it fights pressure from China. This is a dramatic shift in Tokyo's stance, which for decades avoided challenging Beijing because of its importance for Japan's economy.
Asia Insight

Taiwan grows ever closer to Japan over vaccines, China fears

Ties have blossomed since 2016 election of Beijing-skeptic Tsai

31 August 2021
Senior lawmakers from Taiwan and Japan's ruling parties hold the first ever security dialogue between the two sides. (Photo supplied by Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party)
Politics

Taiwan says security talks with Japan focused on TSMC investment

Ruling parties from both sides hold first ever joint security dialogue

27 August 2021
Unlike last year's Triple Stimulus Vouchers program, similar vouchers will be given out for free this year. (Photo by Yu Nakamura)
Coronavirus

Taiwan rolls out $180 stimulus vouchers in wake of COVID curbs

Taipei expands giveaway from last year, looking to help eateries and hotels

27 August 2021
Open source research and Chinese media reports suggest the Bo Hai Ma Zhu civilian ferry has been used in People's Liberation Army drills. (Photo from Bohai Ferry website)
International relations

China mobilizes civilian ferries for Taiwan invasion drills

Giant vessels could help Beijing leapfrog amphibious transport bottleneck

25 August 2021
A PAC-3 surface-to-air missile defense system is deployed on Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, in preparation a North Korea missile launch.
International relations

Japan missile plan on Ishigaki island helps boost Taiwan defense

Tokyo fears attack on democratic island could spread to Nansei island chain

20 August 2021