DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ China starts ‘punishment’ military drills around Taiwan days after island swears in new leader
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —China has launched two days of military drills surrounding Taiwan in what it called “punishment” for “separatist acts,” days after the self-ruling island swore in a new democratically elected leader. China’s ruling Communist Party says the self-ruling democracy is part of its territory, despite never having controlled it, and has vowed to take the island, by force if necessary. The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said it launched joint military drills involving the army, navy, air force and rocket force in areas around Taiwan at 7.45 a.m. on Thursday. The drills are being conducted in the Taiwan Strait – a narrow body of water separating the self-ruling island with mainland China – as well as north, south and east of Taiwan. It expressed regret to “such irrational provocations and actions that undermine regional peace and stability.”

Persons: Lai Ching, China’s, Li Xi, ” Lai, Lai Organizations: CNN, Communist Party, Eastern Theater Command, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry Locations: China, Taiwan, Kinmen, Beijing

Taiwan’s incoming president, Lai Ching-te, is poised to take office on Monday, facing hard choices about how to secure the island democracy’s future in turbulent times — with wars flaring abroad, rifts in the United States over American global security priorities, and political divisions in Taiwan over how to preserve the brittle peace with China. Mr. Lai has promised to steer Taiwan on a safe course through these hazards, a theme that he is likely to highlight in his inaugural speech on a public plaza in Taipei. He has said that he will keep strengthening ties with Washington and other Western partners while resisting Beijing’s threats and enhancing Taiwan’s defenses. Yet he may also extend a tentative olive branch to Beijing, welcoming renewed talks if China’s leader, Xi Jinping, sets aside his key precondition: that Taiwan accept that it is a part of China. “We’ll see an emphasis on continuity in national security, cross-strait issues and foreign policy,” said Lii Wen, the international director for Mr. Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party and an incoming spokesman for the new leader.

Persons: Lai Ching, Lai, Xi Jinping, “, ”, Lii Wen, Lai’s Organizations: Washington, Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party Locations: United States, Taiwan, China, Taipei, Beijing

☆ Tsai Ing-wen: the leader who put Taiwan on the map and stood up to China
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Wayne Chang | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

While supporters applaud Tsai for standing up to China, defending Taiwan’s sovereignty, freedom and democracy, critics blame her for straining ties with Beijing, stoking cross-strait tensions. Beijing, which deems the tacit agreement a precondition for dialogue, has cut official contact with Taipei since Tsai took office. Taiwan President Tsai inspects reservists at a training session at a military base in Taoyuan on May 11, 2023. But under Tsai, Taiwan has sought to enhance its asymmetric defense capabilities, developing and procuring cheaper and more mobile weapon systems that could be instrumental in halting a potential Chinese invasion. Taiwanese military experts have increasingly advocated for such an approach, noting that Taiwan can never match China in military might and assets.

Persons: Taipei CNN — Tsai Ing, introvert, ” Tsai, Xi Jinping, Xi, Tsai, stoking, Taiwan’s, Lai Ching, ”, Alex Chan Tsz Yuk, Wellington Koo, “, Vanessa Hope, Ma Ying, Taiwan's, Jose Lopes Amaral, Wen, Amanda Hsiao, Nancy Pelosi, Chien Chih, Nancy Pelosi’s, Huang, Jameson Wu, ” Sung, ” Hsiao, “ Tsai, Sawayasu Tsuji, Sung, ” Tsai’s, –, Lai Organizations: Taipei CNN, Democratic Progressive Party, DPP, Kuomintang, KMT, World Health Organization, WHO, Atlantic, Trump, Biden, International Crisis, US, Getty, World Health Assembly, National Chengchi University, Getty Images, Taiwan’s Military Academy, ” Tsai’s DPP Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, China, United States, Beijing, Tsai, Asia, Wellington, Ukraine, Gaza, Japan, Czech Republic, Republic of China, Taoyuan, AFP, Washington, Hong Kong

☆ Taiwan quake led to traffic jam of Japanese F-15J air power
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

At one Japanese air base, they take to the streets. A base spokesperson told CNN putting warplanes on a roadway rather than a runway is something that’s practiced so it can be done quickly. “It took 15 to 20 minutes to move 12 fighter jets thanks to normal-time evacuation drills,” the spokesperson said. Aircraft tugs pulled the fighter jets on to a road at Naha Air Base on Okinawa to be sure they were not damaged in a possible tsunami. Naha Air BaseThe F-15J, a variant of the US-designed F-15, is the “mainstay” of Japan’s air force, according to the country’s Defense Ministry.

Persons: Nature, that’s, CNN’s Wayne Chang Organizations: CNN — Fighter, Japan, Self, Defense, Air Base, CNN, Aircraft, Naha Air Base, country’s Defense Ministry, Taiwan’s Defense Locations: Taiwan, Okinawa, Naha Airport, Naha

☆ China’s coast guard has triggered ‘panic’ in Taiwan. That’s only part of Beijing’s plan
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Nectar Gan | Wayne Chang | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“It’s super scary,” a passenger told Taiwan’s United Daily News in a video upon returning to shore under the escort of a Taiwanese coast guard ship on Monday. “(The Chinese coast guard) chose a tourist vessel because it’s high profile – you would expect lots of people on the boat with cameras and phones,” he said. The stakes are high, as the increased presence and closer proximity of Chinese and Taiwanese coast guard vessels raise the specter of miscalculations that could potentially spiral into open conflict. Speaking to reporters about the inspection by the Chinese coast guard, Taiwan’s Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-kcheng highlighted such risks, saying the defense ministry is “very concerned” about potential miscalculations. Taiwan's coast guard inspects a vessel that capsized during a chase off the coast of Kinmen on February 14, 2024.

Persons: King Xia, ” Kuan, Taiwan’s, Ian Chong, Chong, ”, “ They’re, Chiu Kuo, Lai Ching, China’s, Nancy Pelosi’s, Tian Feilong, It’s, Tian, “, Lai Organizations: Taipei CNN, Taiwan’s United Daily News, Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council, Democratic Progressive Party, National University of Singapore, South China, Taiwan’s, Taiwan Coast Guard Administration Locations: Hong Kong, Taipei, Taiwanese, Kinmen, China’s, Beijing, Taiwan, Xiamen, China, East, South, Taiwan's, Nauru, Taiwan Strait

☆ Unofficial US delegation says support for Taiwan remains ‘rock solid’ after voters defied China
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Nectar Gan | Eric Cheung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong/Taipei CNN —Former senior US officials reaffirmed “rock solid” American support for Taiwan in a visit Monday after the self-ruled island defied threats from China by electing a new president loathed by Beijing. “And we hope that the United States will continue to support Taiwan to deepen our cooperation in this area,” he said. An unofficial US delegation meets with Taiwan's President-elect Lai Ching-te and Vice-President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim in Taipei on January 15, 2024. Since then, the US has maintained close unofficial ties with Taiwan and is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. Asked by reporters to comment on Taiwan’s election results Saturday, US President Joe Biden said: “We do not support independence.”

Persons: Lai Ching, Biden, Tsai Ing, Stephen Hadley, ” Hadley, ”, James Steinberg, Lai, Hsiao Bi, “, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Yoko Kamikawa, Xi, Joe Biden Organizations: Taipei CNN — Former, Taiwan, Saturday, Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan's, China’s, Ministry Locations: Hong Kong, Taipei, China, Beijing, Taiwan, United States, Washington, Taiwan Strait, Japan, United Kingdom, Canada, Tokyo, Japanese, Kuomintang

☆ 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

The funding request, expected to be formally unveiled on Friday, is likely to be around $100 billion over the next year, according to people directly familiar with the proposal who insisted on anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Biden hopes that combining all of these issues into one piece of legislation will create the necessary political coalition for congressional approval. The White House has warned that time is running out to prevent Ukraine, which recently struggled to make progress in a grueling counteroffensive, from losing ground to Russia because of dwindling supplies of weapons. The White House plans to formally unveil Biden’s supplemental request on Friday, according to two officials familiar with the plans, although the timing could change. The Senate plans to move quickly on Biden’s request, hoping that it creates pressure on the Republican-controlled House to resolve its leadership drama and return to legislating.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Kevin McCarthy, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Critics, Josh Paul, “, ”, Paul, Israel, Shalanda Young, Sen, Chris Murphy, Conn, Matthew Lee, Mary Clare Jalonick, David Bauder Organizations: WASHINGTON, Hamas, Republican, Israel, State Department, Tel, Wednesday, ABC, NBC, CBS, of Management, White, Senate, Department of Homeland Security, Taiwan, Biden, Associated Press Locations: Israel, Ukraine, United States, Mexico, Gaza, Russia, Tel Aviv, legislating, China, Europe

☆ Taiwan’s defense ministry urges Beijing to stop ‘military harassment’ after 103 Chinese warplanes fly near island
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Eric Cheung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Taipei, Taiwan CNN —Taiwan’s defense ministry has urged Beijing to stop its “persistent military harassment,” after it detected more than 100 Chinese warplanes close to the island in a 24-hour span between Sunday and Monday. The number of warplanes recorded posed “severe challenges to the Taiwan Strait and regional safety,” the ministry said in a statement. According to a flight map provided by the ministry, 40 of the 103 Chinese warplanes crossed the median line on the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s self-declared air defense identification zone (ADIZ). Those 40 incursions were made by 10 Su-30 fighter jets, 12 J-10 fighter jets, four J-11 fighter jets, 10 J-16 fighter jets, two Y-20 aerial refueling aircraft, and two KJ-500 airborne early warning and control planes. The highest record of Chinese warplanes that entered Taiwan’s ADIZ within 24 hours was reported in October 2021, when 56 planes made the incursion in one day.

Persons: Taiwan CNN —, Su, Taiwan – Organizations: Taiwan CNN, Party, Taiwan, Communist Party, Taiwan’s ADIZ Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, Beijing, Taiwan Strait

The administration said it would redirect $55 million worth of that funding to Taiwan and $30 million to Lebanon, the sources said. However, the administration will allow Cairo to access $235 million of the total of $320 million in foreign military financing that is conditioned on human rights issues, a senior State Department official said Thursday. The US provides more than $1 billion in foreign military financing to Egypt and the vast majority of it is not conditional. “Our position on the very serious human rights situation in Egypt absolutely has not changed and we’re going to continue to raise those issues in Egypt consistently and at the most senior levels,” they added. “The Secretary is determined that Egypt has not fulfilled his conditions and therefore we are reprogramming that 85 million,” the official said.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Antony Blinken “, ”, Antony Blinken, “, Gregory Meeks Organizations: CNN, State Department, Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, House Foreign, Administration Locations: Egypt, Taiwan, Lebanon, Cairo, U.S, China

Chinese naval ships and air force planes have been edging closer to Taiwan’s territorial seas and skies, probing the island’s vigilance and trying to wear down its military planes and ships. China’s increasing presence there signals its intent to dominate an expanse of sea that could be vital for the island’s defenses, including for securing potential aid from the United States in a conflict, experts say. Mr. Lai leaves on Saturday for Paraguay, and is scheduled to stop in the United States on his way there and back. Beijing regards such transits in the United States as an affront to its stance that Taiwan is not an independent state. Mr. Lai is also the presidential candidate for the Democratic Progressive Party, which supports asserting Taiwan’s separate status, a position that Beijing condemns as “separatism.”

Persons: Lai Ching, Lai, ” Organizations: Pacific, Democratic Progressive Party Locations: China, Taiwan, United States, Beijing, Paraguay

☆ Inspired by Ukraine war, Taiwan launches drone blitz to counter China
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Reuters Graphic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +16 min

These drones range from jet-powered, long range surveillance aircraft to small quadcopters deployed by ground troops. Taiwan should accelerate mass production of a range of military drones to boost self-reliance in the struggle with Beijing, it concluded. U.S. drones range in size from two-kilogram, hand-launched drones to 14,500-kilogram long range surveillance drones. Unlike Taiwan, China began mass-producing unmanned aircraft long before the Ukraine conflict. Hundreds of technology experts, including specialists in AI, were recruited to the military, according to UCSD analyst Cheung.

Persons: Tsai Ing, ”, Tsai “, Max Lo, “, Hawk Yang, Yang, Tsai, Joe Biden, ’, Lo, Tai Ming Cheung, ” Cheung, Nancy Pelosi, ” Tsai, Chang, Xi Jinping, Xi, Cheung, ” Elsa Kania Organizations: Reuters, People’s Liberation Army, Thunder Tiger Group, “, Communist Party, Taiwan, Taiwan Affairs Office, U.S . Department of Defense, White, Pentagon ., Teal, University of California, PLA, U.S . House, Airborne, Washington -, Strategic & International Studies ., Royal United Services Institute, 20th Party Congress, UCSD, Center, New, New American Security, China's Ministry of Defense, Pentagon Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Taipei, Taiwan, China, Asia, United States, Australia, Japan, South Korea, America, Republic of China, “ China, Kinmen, Beijing, Washington, Pentagon . U.S, U.S, University of California San Diego, Chiayi, Strategic & International Studies . Ukraine, London, Chang Kong, Today, New American

☆ Taiwan reports record number of Chinese warships in waters around the island
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A record 16 Chinese warships were spotted in waters around Taiwan in a 24-hour period late last week, the island’s Defense Ministry reported, in what analysts said was the latest sign of an intimidation campaign against Taipei by China’s ruling Communist Party. During that same period, nine PLA vessels were reported in waters around Taiwan in three consecutive days. The 16 Chinese ships around Taiwan on Friday into Saturday was the most since the island’s Defense Ministry began providing daily updates of PLA activity around the island in August 2022. “Analysts said Sunday that the recent intensive exercises demonstrate the PLA’s capabilities in encircling the island,” the Global Times story said. Neither Taiwan’s Defense Ministry nor the Global Times article gave details on what PLA warships were in the waters around Taiwan.

Persons: ” Carl Schuster, ” Schuster, China’s, “, ” Organizations: CNN, island’s Defense Ministry, Taipei, Communist Party, People’s Liberation Army Navy, PLA, Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center, Sunday, Global Times, “, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry Locations: Taiwan, Beijing, Hawaii

☆ Chinese military’s three-day show of force increases headache for Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) activity has a range of implications, none of them positive for Taiwan or cross-strait stability, analysts say. The PLA aircraft detected this week included fighter jets, H-6 bombers, anti-submarine warning aircraft and reconnaissance drones, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said. Their response underscores the problem that increased PLA activity poses to Taiwan, said Carl Schuster, a Hawaii-based analyst and former director of operations at the US Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center. “Beijing hopes Taipei will just accept unification as inevitable and allow Chinese forces in without resistance. A Chinese fighter jet refuels during military exercises near Taiwan on April 12, 2023.

Persons: CNN —, China’s, Carl Schuster, ”, “, –, Joe Biden, ” Schuster, hasn’t, Defense Lloyd Austin Organizations: CNN, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, Communist Party, Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center, Taiwan Relations, Washington, PLA buildups, US, AP, ” “ Forces, Times, US Navy, Fleet, United, Eastern Theater Command, Defense Locations: Taiwan, Beijing, Hawaii, Taipei, Washington, Xinhua, Taiwan Strait China, Japan, States, United States, China

☆ Biden administration approves potential $440 million arms sales to Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Michael Callahan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Washington CNN —The Biden administration has approved two potential arms sales totaling $440 million to Taiwan amid ongoing tensions between the self-governing island and Beijing, the State Department announced Thursday. “This proposed sale serves US national, economic and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability,” the State Department said. Washington has long provided arms to the island under the terms of the Taiwan Relations Act, and there is bipartisan support for supplying Taiwan with weapons. “China’s ever-expanding military and grey zone oppression have posed a severe threat to Taiwan,” the ministry said in a statement. “The US arm sales this time not only helps to build Taiwan’s capacity in responding to China’s military threat, but also strengthens our defense resilience and satisfies our training needs.”

Persons: Washington CNN —, Biden, –, “, Mao Ning, “ China’s, ” Organizations: Washington CNN, State Department, Cultural, Washington, Taiwan Relations, Foreign Ministry, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry Locations: Taiwan, Beijing, Taipei, United States, China, Taiwan Strait

☆ US Coast Guard ship transits Taiwan Strait after Blinken’s trip to China
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —A US Coast Guard ship “conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit” on Tuesday, according to a statement released by the US Navy. Koh’s database notes two occasions where Coast Guard cutters have sailed the strait with US Navy destroyers. China’s Coast Guard responded on Thursday on their official Weibo account where Gan Yu, the spokesperson of China’s Coast Guard, said that “on June 21 US Coast Guard Stratton sailed through the Taiwan Strait” and accused the US of “hyping up” the matter by announcing it publicly. According to the US, the Chinese ship came within 150 yards of the USS Chung-Hoon – less than the length of the Arleigh Burke-class ship itself. A Chinese military spokesperson later accused Washington of “deliberately stirring up trouble and risks in the Taiwan Strait.”

Persons: “, USCGC, ”, Antony Blinken’s, Xi Jinping, Collin Koh, Xi, Gan Yu, Coast Guard Stratton, Haley Sims, Hoon, USS Chung, Arleigh Burke Organizations: South Korea CNN, Coast Guard, US Navy, Beijing, USCG, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, Navy, China’s Communist Party, Taiwan, China’s, Guard, Weibo, China’s Coast Guard, US, CNN, USS Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Singapore, Taiwan Strait, Canadian, Washington

☆ More US firms in Taiwan say they’re seeing ‘significant disruption’ due to rising tension with China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Eric Cheung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Taipei CNN —The number of companies in Taiwan saying they’re experiencing business disruptions due to rising tensions between Taipei and Beijing has almost doubled, according to the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan. An annual survey, which polled 214 member firms in Taiwan, showed that the number of companies reporting “significant disruption” rose from 17% to 33% between August and December 2022, the chamber said Tuesday. China’s ruling Communist Party has increasingly exerted its territorial claims over democratic Taiwan, a self-governing island, despite having never controlled it. Almost half of the companies that the chamber surveyed said they’re developing contingency plans in response to the heightened tension. “For companies in Taiwan, cross-strait relations are very important,” Kristie Hsu, a director at Taiwan’s Chung-Hua Institution of Economic Research, told CNN.

☆ China Sends Wave of Warplanes Near Taiwan in Response to U.S. ‘Provocations’
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Joyu Wang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

TAIPEI—China’s People’s Liberation Army dispatched a swarm of jet fighters and other military aircraft on sorties near Taiwan on Sunday in a move that Beijing said was a response to provocation by Washington and Taipei. A total of 71 Chinese warplanes were detected flying in the region surrounding Taiwan, with a few dozen crossing the median line of the 100-mile-wide Taiwan Strait that separates the island from mainland China, according to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry. The ministry also said it detected seven Chinese naval vessels in waters near Taiwan on Sunday.

☆ China sends 71 warplanes and 7 ships toward Taiwan in 24 hours
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, Taiwan — China’s military sent 71 planes and seven ships toward Taiwan in a 24-hour display of force directed at the island, Taiwan’s defense ministry said Monday, after China expressed anger at Taiwan-related provisions in a U.S. annual defense spending bill passed on Saturday. Among the planes China sent toward Taiwan were 18 J-16 fighter jets, 11 J-1 fighters, 6 Su-30 fighters and drones. Shi was referring to the U.S. defense spending bill, which calls China a strategic challenge. China’s military has often used large military exercises as a demonstration of force in response to U.S. government actions in support of Taiwan. It conducted large live-fire military exercises in August in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.

☆ China Sends Wave of Warplanes Near Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Joyu Wang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ U.S. Upgrades Ways to Arm Taiwan Against China With New Legislation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Gordon Lubold | Lindsay Wise | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The U.S. is taking new steps to arm Taiwan against China, with Congress passing legislation that will finance weapons sales and authorize the potential transfer of arms from American military stockpiles to Taipei, as the U.S. has done for Ukraine. The Taiwan provisions, tucked into this year’s $858 billion annual defense-policy bill that the Senate passed on Thursday, amount to some of the biggest changes in U.S. support for Taiwan’s defense in decades. It requires the U.S. government to accelerate the transfer of arms to Taiwan amid the continuing war in Ukraine.

☆ Taiwan National Day: 'No room for compromise' on sovereignty, President Tsai says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Eric Cheung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Taipei, Taiwan CNN —Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen said Monday there is “no room for compromise” over the self-ruled island’s sovereignty but she is willing to work with China to find “mutually acceptable ways” to maintain peace across the Taiwan Strait. There is no room for compromise on this,” Tsai said in a speech marking Taiwan’s National Day, delivered as tensions between Taipei and Beijing simmer at the highest point in recent decades. Lawmakers from Taiwan and Japan wave flags at a ceremony to mark the island's National Day in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei on October 10, 2022. Taiwan National Day celebrationsThe Republic of China ruled the mainland until its defeat to the Communists at the end of the civil war in 1949, when it retreated to Taiwan. Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen (top C) attends a ceremony to mark the island's National Day in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei on October 10, 2022.

Hong Kong CNN —Chinese fighter jets or drones that intrude into Taiwan’s territorial airspace will be regarded as a “first strike,” Taiwan’s Defense Minister warned Wednesday, as the island seeks to step-up its defenses in response to Beijing’s military pressure. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has said that “reunification” between China and Taiwan is inevitable and refused to rule out the use of force. Tensions between Beijing and Taipei are at the highest they’ve been in recent decades, with the Chinese military holding major military drills near the island. For decades, the median line had served as an informal demarcation line between the two, with military incursions across it being rare. The US provides Taiwan with defensive weapons, but has remained intentionally ambiguous on whether it would intervene militarily in the event of a Chinese attack.

U.S. forces would defend Taiwan if China invaded, President Joe Biden said Sunday, his clearest statement yet on the issue and one that is likely to infuriate Beijing. In a “60 Minutes” interview broadcast on CBS, Biden was asked whether the U.S. would defend Taiwan against an attack from Beijing, which claims the self-ruling island democracy as its territory. It is at least the fourth time since last year that Biden has made comments that appear to alter longtime U.S. policy on Taiwan. “The president has said this before, including in Tokyo earlier this year,” the spokesperson said, referring to comments Biden made in May. “He also made clear then that our Taiwan policy hasn’t changed.

Search resuls for: "Taiwan’s Defense"

24 mentions found