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Despite having cut official diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979, the U.S. remains the island's chief diplomatic ally and source of military hardware and intelligence. Lai's victory was a setback for China’s efforts to bring Taiwan under its control. It goes against the expectation of global democratic communities and goes against the will of the people of Taiwan to uphold democratic values. Lai’s victory means the Democratic Progressive Party will hold the presidency for a third four-year term, following eight years under Tsai. Lai won a three-way race for president with 40% of the vote, less than the clear majority Tsai won in 2020.

Persons: —, Tsai Ing, “, Stephen Hadley, Lai Ching, James B, Steinberg, Tsai, ”, Antony Blinken, Lai, Johnson Lai Organizations: U.S, Saturday, Taiwan “, Communist Party, Democratic Progressive Party, United Nations, Nationalists, Kuomintang, KMT, China's, Chinese Foreign Ministry, ___ Associated Press Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, China, Hadley, U.S, Asia, Pacific

HONG KONG (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher on Monday, with Tokyo extending its New Year rally, as China’s central bank kept its one-year policy loan interest rate unchanged. China’s central bank opted to keep its one-year policy loan interest rate at 2.5% on Monday while injecting funds into the financial system. Traders are largely betting on the Fed cutting its main interest rate six or more times through 2024. The airline and other travel-related companies were also hurt by a rise in oil prices, which put pressure on their fuel costs. A barrel of benchmark U.S. crude oil rose 10 cents to $72.78.

Persons: Zhaopeng Xing, Raymond Yeung, “, Ernie, Baidu, Lai Ching, Lai, Taiwan’s Taiex, Australia’s, It's, Yemen’s Houthi, Brent Organizations: ANZ, Baidu, Democratic Progressive Party, Dow Jones, UnitedHealth Group, Nasdaq, Federal Reserve, Treasury, Traders, Fed, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Cruise Line Holdings, U.S Locations: HONG KONG, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, South Korea, China, Taiwan

☆ Taiwan Fights Onslaught of Chinese Disinformation Ahead of Key Election
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Taiwan Fights Onslaught of Chinese Disinformation Ahead of Key ElectionIn the run-up to Taiwan’s presidential election, government officials and NGOs say the island has been targeted by thousands of disinformation attacks, which authorities say is an attempt by China to influence the pivotal vote. China has denied it is trying to interfere. Photo Composite: Diana Chan

Persons: Diana Chan Locations: Taiwan, China

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Ruling-party candidate Lai Ching-te emerged victorious in Taiwan’s presidential election on Saturday, a result that will determine the trajectory of the self-ruled democracy’s contentious relations with China over the next four years. Beijing strongly opposes Lai, the current vice president who abandoned his medical career to pursue politics from the grassroots to the presidency. It's the first time a single party has led Taiwan for three consecutive four-year presidential terms since the first open presidential election in 1996. Its candidate, Hou Yu-ih, also had promised to restart talks with China while bolstering national defense. Evelyn Ni traveled from China especially to get a taste of Taiwan’s election.

Persons: Lai Ching, Lai, Tsai Ing, Hou Yu, Hou, “, I’m, David Chiau, Ko Wen, Ko, Chen Binhua, Beijing wouldn't, ” Chen, Antony Blinken, ” Blinken, Evelyn Ni, Tony Chen, ”, Xi Jinping, Stacy Chen, Gabrielle Reid, Sung Organizations: Democratic, Nationalist, KMT, ih, Taiwan People’s Party, DPP, Cabinet's Taiwan Affairs Office, Biden, Associated Press Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, China, Beijing, Japanese, United States, Taipei, Russia, Ukraine, South China

☆ China’s Least Preferred Candidate Wins Taiwan’s Presidential Election
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

10 Hidden Apple Features That Could Change How You Use Your iPhoneApple’s iOS 17 came with a bunch of updates that could change how you use your iPhone. WSJ’s Dalvin Brown explores 10 exciting new features, some of which you have to stumble upon to know about. Photo illustration: Rami Abukalam

Persons: Dalvin Brown, Rami Abukalam

☆ Taiwan has chosen its new president. What’s at stake and how might China respond?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Nectar Gan | Wayne Chang | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The world was watching to see not only who won the election, but how democratic Taiwan’s authoritarian neighbor will respond. China’s ruling Communist Party views Taiwan as part of its territory, despite having never controlled it. In an initial response, Chen Binhua, spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said Taiwan’s presidential election result “will not change the basic layout and course of development in cross-strait relations.”“Taiwan is China’s Taiwan,” he said. Taiwan's Vice President and presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Lai Ching-te speaks during a campaign rally in Keelung on January 8, 2024. In August 2022, China staged massive war games around Taiwan to show its displeasure with then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei.

Persons: Lai Ching, Xi, China’s, ” Xi, ”, Amanda Hsiao, ” Hsiao, Lai, Chen Binhua, Hwa Cheng, “, Wen, doesn’t, Hsiao, Nancy Pelosi’s, Lai’s, Yuan Organizations: CNN, Democratic Progressive Party, DPP, Party, Taiwan, Communist, International Crisis, Taiwan Affairs Office, Getty, China’s Taiwan Affairs, Atlantic, US Locations: China, Beijing, Taiwan, Taipei, United States, Japan, Keelung, AFP, ” Beijing, “, South, Washington

☆ Foxconn is still running with difficult status quo
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Chan Ka Sing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, Nov 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Terry Gou is not running for Taiwan’s presidency after all. Nonetheless, the $45 billion Apple (AAPL.O) supplier’s continuing push to move production outside of China leaves it firmly on frontlines of rising cross-strait tensions. Foxconn grew into the biggest employer in China, with more than 1 million workers at its peak and a top contract manufacturer for global brands. Foxconn is out of the election spotlight but it still has to grapple with an awkward status quo. CONTEXT NEWSTerry Gou, the billionaire founder of electronics maker Foxconn, announced on Nov. 24 that he will be withdrawing from Taiwan’s presidential election next month.

Persons: Terry Gou, Critics, Foxconn, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Apple, Democratic Progressive Party, DPP, KMT, Hai Precision Industry, World Trade Organization, Reuters Graphics, China -, Foxconn, Taipei Times, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, China, Washington, Beijing, Taiwan, Kuomintang, Taipei

☆ Terry Gou: Foxconn founder drops out of Taiwan presidential race
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Wayne Chang | Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Taipei/Hong Kong CNN —Terry Gou, the billionaire founder of major Apple supplier Foxconn, withdrew from the race to become Taiwan’s next president on Friday, just hours before the deadline to formally register as a candidate. “I have never yielded in the battlefield of international business,” Gou said in a statement, without providing a specific reason for the retreat. “For the future of the Republic of China, choosing to yield is all the love I can give to my homeland,” Gou added, referencing Taiwan’s official name. Gou founded Foxconn, established as Hon Hai Precision Industry in Taiwan, in 1974. Shortly after he announced his bid, Chinese state media reported that Foxconn was under investigation by authorities in China over land use and tax concerns.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — Terry Gou, Taiwan’s, “, ” Gou, Gou’s, Tammy Lai, ”, Hou Yu, Ko Wen, Gou, Foxconn, wouldn’t, Hai Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Apple, Foxconn, ih, Kuomintang, Taiwan People’s Party, Democratic Progressive Party, Hai Precision Industry, Communist, CNN, for Public Credit Locations: Taipei, Hong Kong, Republic of China, Taiwan, China, Beijing, Wuhan

☆ Foxconn’s China woes expose supply chain dilemma
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Chan Ka Sing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Yet, coming less than 100 days ahead of Taiwan’s presidential election in January, it is difficult to see surprise tax raids on Foxconn as having no geopolitical implications. For multinationals, the tax audits expose Foxconn’s difficulty in navigating the global business environment as tensions across the Taiwan Strait escalate. For global onlookers anxious to reduce their Chinese dependency, Foxconn could be the most telling case on the true cost of reshoring. The audits come less than three months ahead of Taiwan’s presidential election in January 2024 and amid Foxconn’s drive to expand its production outside China. Foxconn’s founder Terry Gou, who stepped down as company chief in 2019, is running as an independent candidate in Taiwan’s upcoming presidential election.

Persons: Foxconn, Terry Gou, It’s, Foxconn’s, Lisa Jucca, Thomas Shum, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: Reuters, Apple, Hai Precision Industry, Global Times, Eastern, Democratic Progressive Party, Foxconn, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, China, Taiwan, Foxconn, Beijing, Vietnam, Republic, Shanghai, Taipei

☆ Apple iPhone maker Foxconn being investigated in China as founder runs for Taiwan presidency
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Hong Kong CNN —Taiwan’s Foxconn, one of Apple’s largest suppliers, is being investigated by authorities in China, according to state media. Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, has iPhone factories in Guangdong and Henan, including the world’s largest in the city of Zhengzhou. The company’s listed unit in Shanghai, Foxconn Industrial Internet, plummeted by its daily limit of 10% on Monday. Terry Gou, Foxconn founder, announces bid for Taiwan presidency during a press event in Taipei on August 28. The crackdown came despite repeated calls from Chinese leaders to welcome more foreign investment to boost the country’s slowing economy.

Persons: Taiwan’s, Terry Gou, won’t, Foxconn, “, ”, Brock Silvers, Gou, Hai, ” Gou, Ann Wang, Lai Ching, — Hou Yu, Ko Wen, Zhang Wensheng, ” Zhang, Silvers Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Global Times, CNN, Hai Precision Industry, Foxconn Technology, WPP, drugmaker Astellas Pharma, Kaiyuan, “, Apple, Communist, Taiwan, Democratic People’s Party, ih, Kuomintang, Taiwan People’s Party, Beijing, China’s Xiamen University, Financial Times, Shanghai, Economic Observer Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Henan, Hubei, Zhengzhou, Shanghai, Taipei, Taiwan

Taipei/Hong Kong CNN —Taiwan is investigating whether four of its firms broke US sanctions or its own investment rules when they provided services to Chinese companies that are reportedly helping Huawei build chip factories. Many Taiwanese companies, including chip giant TSMC and Apple supplier Foxconn, operate in China and are closely integrated into its supply chains. For years, Taiwan’s companies have been treading a fine line between engaging China’s commercial opportunities and avoiding potential violations of export controls, particularly as Beijing has ramped up military pressure on the island. But China’s ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan, home to 24 million residents, as its territory — despite never having controlled it. It has long vowed to “reunify” Taiwan with the Chinese mainland, by force if necessary.

Persons: Emile Chang, ”, Chang, Economic Affairs Wang Mei, Wang, China’s, “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Huawei, Ministry of Economic Affairs, CNN, United Integrated Services, K Engineering, Technology, Apple, Foxconn, Taiwan’s, Economic Affairs, Bloomberg, Communist Party Locations: Taipei, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, United States, China . Washington, Europe, Asia, Beijing

CNN —Billionaire businessman Terry Gou has resigned from the board of directors of Foxconn, the world’s largest electronics manufacturer, days after announcing his bid for Taiwan’s presidency. A self-made, septuagenarian billionaire with a net worth of $6.8 billion, the 72-year-old Gou founded Foxconn, established as Hon Hai Precision Industry in Taiwan in 1974. It grew to become an international business empire and one of the world’s largest electronics contract manufacturers. Taiwan’s presidential election, due in January, comes at period of fraught tensions between the island of 24 million people and its superpower neighbor, China. Taiwan’s presidential election is expected to take place on January 13, 2024.

Persons: Terry Gou, “, ”, Gou, Young Liu Organizations: CNN —, Foxconn, Taiwan’s, CNN, Hai Technology Group, Hai Precision Industry, Apple, Kuomintang, Democratic Progressive Party Locations: Taiwan, China

☆ Taiwan’s Presidential Frontrunner Warns of Chinese Attempts to Subvert Its Political System
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Joyu Wang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones Locations: asia

☆ In Warning to Taiwan, China Announces Military Patrols
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Amy Chang Chien | More About Amy Chang Chien | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

China’s military said it would stage “joint combat readiness” patrols around Taiwan on Saturday, sending a warning gesture to the island democracy soon after a leading candidate in Taiwan’s presidential election finished an overseas trip that Beijing had denounced. Vice President Lai Ching-te, the candidate, had flown to Paraguay — one of 13 states that keeps diplomatic relations with Taipei, and not Beijing — making stops in the United States on his way there and back. The Chinese government is trying to curtail the international activities of Taiwan, which it claims as its own territory. It especially objects to Taiwanese leaders’ visits to the United States, the island’s most important political and military supporter. He is the presidential candidate of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which favors asserting Taiwan’s distinctive identity and sovereignty — a position that Beijing condemns as threatening its claim to the island.

Persons: Lai Ching, ’, Lai’s, Taiwan’s, Lai, Shi Yi Organizations: Democratic Progressive Party, Eastern Theater, People’s Liberation Army Locations: Taiwan, Beijing, Paraguay, Taipei, United States

CNN —Taiwan will never back down in the face of growing threats from China, the island’s vice president and presidential hopeful said Sunday during a transit through the United States, defying Beijing’s condemnation of his trip. William Lai, a front-runner in Taiwan’s presidential race in January, made a stop in New York en route to Paraguay, where he will attend the inauguration of its new president Tuesday. “When Taiwan is safe, the world is safe, and when there is peace on the Taiwan Strait, there will be world peace,” Lai said, according to Taiwan’s presidential office. In March, Taiwan’s President Tsai transited in California and met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, despite warnings and threats from Beijing. Following Tsai’s trip, China launched three days of live-fire military drills around Taiwan.

Persons: William Lai, Lai, Taiwan’s, ” Lai, ”, Xi Jinping, Tsai Ing, Tsai, Xi, “, Kevin McCarthy Organizations: CNN, Communist Party, US, Democratic Progressive Party, Harvard, Kuomintang, China’s Communist Party, Taiwan’s Locations: Taiwan, China, United States, New York, Paraguay, “, Taiwan Strait, ”, San Francisco, Beijing, California

Vice President Lai Ching-te of Taiwan rose to prominence as a pugnacious opponent of Beijing’s claims over the island. But now, as a leading candidate in Taiwan’s presidential race, he is likely to present a more muted persona when he visits the United States starting Saturday. Expect restraint, not rousing speeches, Taiwanese officials and scholars say. Nonetheless, his stops in New York and San Francisco will be closely watched — in Taiwan, in Beijing and in Washington — for clues to how he might handle crucial relations with the United States and China as president, a top issue in Taiwan’s intense presidential race. And his visit, however low-key, is also likely to prompt an escalation of Chinese military flights and naval maneuvers near Taiwan, bringing into focus the risks of real conflict over its future.

Persons: Lai Ching, Beijing’s, Washington —, there’s, ”, Shu Hsiao, huang, ” Mr, Lai, William Organizations: United States, People’s Liberation Army, Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, Democratic Progressive Party Locations: Taiwan, New York, San Francisco, Beijing, Washington, United States, China, Taipei

Kinmen, Taiwan CNN —As the sun sets over Taiwan’s Kinmen islands, the neon lights of mainland China dazzle in the distance just 2.5 miles away. That lingering potential for invasion might make it seem like an unlikely place to construct a bridge to mainland China. Anti-invasion spikes along the coast of Taiwan's Kinmen islands. During a recent trip to Kinmen, Taiwan Vice President and DPP presidential candidate William Lai said he recognized the sacrifices of the islanders during decades of conflict. “The Taiwanese government looks at the Chinese military threat as something that cannot be accepted and we condemn it,” he added.

Persons: John Mees, Ko Wen, ”, Xi Jinping, Ho Chih, Sam Yeh, Kinmen, Yang Chien, ” Yang, “, Yang, Yang Pei, Huang Li, cheng, Tsai Ing, William Lai, Wu Chia, chiang, Nancy Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy, Joseph Wu, ” Wu, Maestro Wu Tseng, Maestro Wu Organizations: Taiwan CNN —, Communist, People’s Liberation Army, CNN, Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan’s Presidential, Mainland Affairs Council, Chinese Communist Party, CCP, Mainland Affairs, Russo, Getty, Communist China's, Tourism Association, Communist Party, Xi, United States, Taiwan’s, Taiwan Locations: Kinmen, Taiwan, China, Beijing, Taipei, Taiwan’s, Xiamen –, Xiamen, Chinese, Ukrainian, Russia, Taiwan's, AFP, Jinsha, “, Fujian, California, Beijing’s

☆ As China Looms Over Taiwan’s Presidential Race, the Opposition Picks a Moderate
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( John Liu | Paul Mozur | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Once a dominant political force, Taiwan’s main opposition party lost the last two presidential elections in large part because it has promoted closer ties with China. Mr. Hou launched his bid with a rallying call. “We must unite for victory, especially at this stage when our country is facing fierce and dangerous international circumstances,” Mr. Hou said following the announcement of his nomination. His candidacy sets the stage for a tight race next January that could chart a new course for Taiwan in the big-power standoff between China and the United States and reshape tensions around the Taiwan Strait, one of the world’s most dangerous flash points. Under the seven-year leadership of President Tsai Ing-wen of the governing Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan has come under intensifying military and diplomatic pressure from China and pushed back by bolstering ties with the United States.

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