Politics

Supporters of KMT candidate Hou Yu-ih at a campaign event in New Taipei City on Jan. 3: Most Taiwanese see friendly relations with China as essential.
Opinion

Big shift in China policy unlikely whoever wins Taiwan election

Next president will face major domestic and external constraints

8 January 2024
Taiwan People's Party's presidential candidate Ko Wen-je speaks to media in Taipei on Oct. 24.
Taiwan elections

Ko Wen-je, the maverick seeking to break Taiwan's two-party dominance

Former Taipei mayor says two sides of Taiwan Strait are 'one family'

6 January 2024
Hou Yu-ih, the Kuomintang's (KMT) presidential hopeful arrives to register his candidacy in Taipei on Nov. 24.
Taiwan elections

Hou Yu-ih, Taiwan's 'law and order' poster child aims for top job

Victory for the former police chief could drastically change political landscape

5 January 2024
Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te at a rally in Taipei in December. (Photo by Hiroki Endo) 
Taiwan elections

Lai Ching-te, the miner's son who staunchly defends Taiwan's sovereignty

China denounces doctor-turned-presidential candidate as 'separatist'

4 January 2024
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, standing next to Vice President Lai Ching-te, delivers a speech on Jan. 1. (Taiwan Office of the President)
Taiwan tensions

Taiwan says Chinese balloon floated directly over the island

Two objects spotted as Beijing steps up intimidation before Taiwan's election

3 January 2024
Bystanders look at a damaged road on Japan's Noto Peninsula following a deadly earthquake on Jan. 1.
Natural disasters

Asian leaders offer assistance for Japan earthquake response

Marcos, Yoon and more express solidarity as death toll climbs

3 January 2024
Engineers at Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute in Hsinchu: Taiwan's chip manufacturing model was built up over decades.
Opinion

U.S.-China faceoff means Taiwan needs closer links with neighbors

Washington's decoupling push poses threat to island's resilience

2 January 2024
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen attends the National Day celebration ceremony in Taipei on Oct. 10, 2023.
Taiwan tensions

Taiwan's Tsai calls for peaceful coexistence with China

President's speech comes hours after Xi said 'reunification' was inevitable

1 January 2024
The Taiwan FactCheck Center flagged a video of presidential front-runner Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party supposedly urging unity among the opposition. (Photo by Kento Awashima)
Taiwan elections

Taiwan civic groups lead fight against disinformation as election nears

AI chatbot answers public's questions, drawing on database built by fact-checkers

1 January 2024
Chinese President Xi Jinping waves during a military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic in this 2019 file photo.
Taiwan tensions

Xi pledges to strengthen economy in 2024, stresses Taiwan unification

Chinese president's New Year's address acknowledges 'headwinds'

31 December 2023
Parts of Asia are getting ready for major elections in 2024, while many people across the globe look forward to enjoying the Paris Olympics. In August, Indonesia will transfer some top government functions from Jakarta to Nusantara, its new capital. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Ken Kobayashi, AP and Dimas Ardian)
31 December 2023
Taiwan presidential candidates, from left to right: Ko Wen-je, front-runner Lai Ching-te and Hou Yu-ih. (Source photos by Reuters and AP)
Taiwan elections

Taiwan KMT presidential candidate vows 'middle way' with China

In debate, Hou says he opposes independence but Taiwanese will decide future

30 December 2023
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has stepped up investment in such destinations as the U.S. and Europe. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
Economy

Taiwan investment in China plummets as it soars in U.S. and Germany

Mainland's appeal ebbs amid flagging economy and rising tensions

29 December 2023
President Xi Jinping said China's national rejuvenation is part of "the unfinished work of the previous generation of revolutionaries like Mao Zedong." (Photo by Daisuke Harashima)
Taiwan tensions

Taiwan 'surely' will be unified with China, Xi says

President vows to realize Mao Zedong's dream at 130th anniversary of his birth

27 December 2023
Bangladesh, Taiwan, South Korea and Sri Lanka are also set to go to the polls next year, while Asia's focus will shift to the U.S. Presidential race later in 2024. (Photo by Ken KobayashI)
Asia Insight

From India and Pakistan to Indonesia, Asia set for election-packed 2024

Over a billion people will be voting but democracy questions cloud some races

26 December 2023
China had banned imports of grouper from Taiwan since last year, citing the discovery of banned agrichemicals. (Xinhua via Kyodo)
Taiwan elections

China lifts ban on Taiwan fish imports weeks before election

Measure seen as attempt to boost Beijing-friendly Kuomintang

23 December 2023
Taiwan presidential front-runner Lai Ching-te (left) and New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih (Source photos by Hiroki Endo and AP)
Taiwan elections

Taiwan presidential race tightens in final weeks, polls show

China stepping up trade curbs in apparent attempt to influence key vote

22 December 2023
Taiwan's presidential candidates took part in a televised address on Dec. 20: the Taiwan People's Party's Ko Wen-je, left, the Democratic Progressive Party's Lai Ching-te, center, and Kuomintang's Hou Yu-ih. (Taiwan's Central Election Commission via Kyodo)
Politics

Taiwan's Lai to election rivals: Beijing sees all of us as pro-independence

Presidential front-runner battles Hou, Ko over China and housing in first debate

21 December 2023
The opposition Kuomintang has questioned the costs associated with manufacturing the Narwhal, Taiwan's first domestically built submarine.
Defense

Taiwan's presidential candidates at loggerheads over submarines

Program's chief dismisses opposition accusations of excessive cost

15 December 2023
Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit on Nov. 15.
Taiwan elections

Xi's unification ambitions loom in Taiwan presidential vote

Island finds itself caught between Chinese and American interests

15 December 2023
Taiwan's National Development Council led almost 30 startups to Singapore for a business expedition in November. (Startup Island Taiwan)
Technology

Taiwanese tech startups pile into ASEAN amid risks in China

From Singapore to Vietnam, companies tap Southeast Asia in expansion drive

12 December 2023
Supporters cheer at the opening of DPP presidential candidate Lai Ching-te's national campaign headquarters on Dec. 3 in Taipei. The party is known for supporting LGBTQ rights. (Photo by Hiroki Endo)
Editor-in-Chief’s Picks

Letter from Nikkei Asia's editor: Taiwan's defining moment

Shin Nakayama shares his weekly reflections and recommendations

8 December 2023
Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu speaks to the media in Taipei on Dec. 8.
Taiwan elections

Taiwan's top diplomat sees stable foreign policy under Lai presidency

Foreign Minister Wu hails upcoming deal with India to accept migrant workers

8 December 2023
A Canadian flag flies in front of the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Canada assumes the rotating chair of the CPTPP commission from January. 
Trade

New CPTPP chair Canada should seek to engage Taiwan: ex-officials

Working group invitation floated, but Beijing sure to oppose

7 December 2023
Supporters of Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which aims to defend the island's sovereignty, gather at the party's campaign headquarters in Taipei on Dec. 3, ahead of the presidential election in January. (Photo by Hiroki Endo)
The Big Story

Taiwan's defining moment: Election to determine future of relations with China

Against backdrop of Ukraine and Hong Kong, voters must choose confrontation or compromise with Beijing

6 December 2023