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☆ Taiwan’s President Lands in the U.S. Amid Threats From China
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( James T. Areddy | Charles Hutzler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen in New York during what the U.S. says is a stopover on her way to visit Guatemala and Belize, which diplomatically recognize Taiwan. NEW YORK—Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen arrived in New York on Wednesday for her first visit to the U.S. in more than three years, in the face of threats from Beijing that American politicians who engage with her could trigger unspecified retaliation. Her visit through Friday provides Ms. Tsai with a rare opportunity to command an international stage and promote the democratic island to its most prominent champion, the U.S.

WASHINGTON, March 30 (Reuters) - Efforts to build a floor under U.S.-China relations have yet to be successful and coming months will determine if it is possible to reestablish constructive diplomacy with Beijing, a top White House official said on Thursday, stressing the need for "Cold War"-era hotlines and other crisis mechanisms. Campbell said the U.S. was in the early stages of a new phase of competitive relations with China. Campbell said the United States was stepping up its focus on the Indo-Pacific in spite of the war in Ukraine and this would been seen in its budgets, engagements, aid and assistance. He pointed to India, which is due to take part in another summit of the so-called Quad countries in Australia expected in May, and said he believed its relationship with the United States was the most important of the 21st century. Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Michael Martina; Editing by Leslie Adler and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Taiwan leader's meeting with McCarthy could provoke a 'big' reaction from China, says analyst
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A meeting between Taiwan's leader and U.S. House Speaker will provoke a strong reaction from China, said Anna Ashton, China director at the Eurasia Group. Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen will likely meet face-to-face with Kevin McCarthy when she makes a transit visit through Los Angeles next week. The meeting with McCarthy hasn't been officially confirmed. A meeting like this would be the senior most U.S. official meeting with a sitting Taiwan president on U.S. soil ever," Aston told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia" on Thursday. "Beijing has already warned about their opposition to this meeting and we could see a reaction, even as big as the reaction after the Pelosi visit."

BOAO, China, March 30 (Reuters) - China is committed to opening up the world's second-largest economy and delivering reforms that can help stimulate growth, Premier Li Qiang said on Thursday, adding that geopolitical tension would only hold back development worldwide. China has set itself a modest target for gross domestic product growth of about 5% this year, after significantly missing its target for 2022. In particular, major economic indicators such as consumption and investment continue to improve, while employment and prices are generally stable," Li said. Another flashpoint in U.S.-China rivalry has been Taiwan, the democratically ruled island that China claims as its territory. In his speech, Li said "chaos and conflicts" must not happen in Asia and that China would act as an "anchor" for global peace.

☆ Taiwan, China must do 'everything possible' to avoid war- former president Ma
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Former Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou meets the head of China's Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council Song Tao, in Wuhan, Hubei province, China in handout picture released March 30, 2023. Ma Ying-jeou's Office/Handout via REUTERSTAIPEI, March 30 (Reuters) - Taiwan and China must do everything possible to avoid war and it is the responsibility of both sides' leaders to ensure peace, former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou told a senior Chinese official on Thursday. Ma arrived in China on Monday, the first time a former or sitting Taiwanese president has visited the country since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war to Mao Zedong's communists. "The two sides must maintain exchanges, cooperate together, and do everything possible to avoid war and conflict." Ma, who was in office from 2008-2016, met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Singapore in late in 2015 shortly before current Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen was elected.

☆ Taiwan sees less severe China reaction to president's U.S. meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoTAIPEI, March 30 (Reuters) - Taiwan expects a less severe reaction from China to an expected meeting between President Tsai Ing-wen and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and has not seen any unusual Chinese military movements, a senior Taiwan security official said on Thursday. Speaking at parliament, Taiwan National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen said they expected a less severe reaction to that meeting than when then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi came to Taipei and China staged war games around Taiwan after she left. "She will be meeting in the United States, so the political complexity is not as high as the speaker coming to Taiwan." But Taiwan has been keeping a close watch on China's military movements, said Tsai, adding: "At present there is nothing unusual". China is also hosting several senior foreign officials and leaders while President Tsai is away, meaning the timing would not be right for a strong military reaction against Taiwan, Tsai said.

China said it would retaliate if House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meets with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen during her planned stop in California next week, further stoking tensions around a highly scrutinized visit that is poised to test strained ties between Beijing and Washington. Ms. Tsai is set to meet with Mr. McCarthy and other Republican members of Congress at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley on her way back from visits to Guatemala and Belize. It is the second of two planned stops in the U.S. bookending her trip to Central America.

China says it will retaliate if Kevin McCarthy, the House speaker, meets with Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen. China said it would retaliate if House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meets with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen during her planned stop in California next week, further stoking tensions around a highly scrutinized visit that is poised to test strained ties between Beijing and Washington. Ms. Tsai is set to meet with Mr. McCarthy and other Republican members of Congress at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley on her way back from visits to Guatemala and Belize. It is the second of two planned stops in the U.S. bookending her trip to Central America.

☆ Morning Bid: Alibaba fires up market mood
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An unprecedented revamp of Chinese tech conglomerate Alibaba Group, which analysts believe to have the blessings of local regulators, pushed up Alibaba's U.S.-listed stock, and then its Hong Kong shares on Wednesday. Companies in China's internet, private education and property sectors have lost billions of dollars in market value in recent years as the country's regulators cracked down on their operations. Reuters GraphicsAlthough a lacklustre 0.6% rise in Asia's main stock market gauge, led by Hong Kong tech names, shows that animal spirits haven't returned yet, there's hope for investors who have been left licking their wounds from recent market declines, especially in bank and tech stocks. Global investor confidence remains fragile, with the European Central Bank (ECB) saying that recent volatility highlights the need for greater regulatory scrutiny. Overnight, a survey showed that U.S. consumer confidence unexpectedly increased in March despite recent financial market turmoil, but Americans still expect inflation to remain elevated over the next year.

☆ No reason for China to overreact to transit by Taiwan's president, senior US officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( David Brunnstrom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, March 29 (Reuters) - The United States sees no reason for China to overreact to planned transits of the United States this week and next month by Taiwan's president, senior U.S. officials said, calling them consistent with long-standing practice and the U.S. one-China policy that recognizes Beijing diplomatically, not Taipei. However, the United States government is required by U.S. law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. The U.S. official said Washington continued to exchange views with China on a broad range of issues through multiple diplomatic channels. "We urge the PRC (People's Republic of China) to keep open channels of communication," a second senior official said, also speaking on condition of anonymity. Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Edited by Michael Martina, Don Durfee and Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Taiwan defiant as China warns of US trip reprisal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsTaiwan defiant as China warns of US trip reprisalPostedExternal pressure will not stop Taiwan from engaging with the world, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Wednesday as she left for the United States, hitting a defiant note after China threatened retaliation if she met U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Rachel Graham has more.

BEIJING/TAIPEI, March 29 (Reuters) - China threatened to retaliate on Wednesday if U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meets Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen during her planned transit of the United States next month, saying any such move would be a "provocation". China, which claims democratically-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, has repeatedly warned U.S. officials not to meet Tsai, viewing it as support for the island's desire to be seen as a separate country. China staged war games around Taiwan last August when then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei, and Taiwan's armed forces have said they are keeping watch for any Chinese moves when Tsai is abroad. While not officially confirmed, she is expected to meet McCarthy while in California, at the end of her trip. The United States says such transits by Taiwanese presidents are routine and that China should not use Tsai's trip to take any aggressive moves against Taiwan.

☆ White House to China: Don't use Taiwan visit as 'pretext'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 29 (Reuters) - The White House urged China on Wednesday not to use a "normal" stopover in the United States by Taiwan's president as a pretext to increase aggressive activity against Taiwan. John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, told reporters that Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's arrival soon in the United States is the latest in a series of routine transits. "The Peoples Republic of China should not use this transit as a pretext to step up any activity around the Taiwan strait," he said. It would be the first meeting on U.S. soil between a House speaker and a Taiwanese leader, and the prospect has angered Beijing. China responded to a visit last August to Taiwan by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with large-scale war games around the democratically ruled island.

☆ Kevin McCarthy shared a map of China that includes Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Kevin McCarthy shared a map of China that included Taiwan in a tweet criticizing China. The Chinese Communist Party is very sensitive to its claims about Taiwan in Western media. As a result, Beijing has long sought for Taiwan to be shown as part of China — which McCarthy did. But right now, we are dependent on China," McCarthy wrote in a tweet posted on his official account in promotion of HR 1, the GOP's sweeping energy bill. The Chinese Communist Party is extremely sensitive to any language or depiction that undermines its claims to Taiwan.

☆ U.S.-China relations are going downhill with ‘no trust’ on either side, Stephen Roach says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

US President Joe Biden and China's President Xi Jinping (L) shake hands as they meet on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on November 14, 2022. "Right now, there is no trust," he told "Squawk Box Asia" on Tuesday, who is currently attending the China Development Forum in Beijing. watch now"The balloon was a spark that really put us on a swift downhill descent," Roach added. The office did not provide details of her itinerary while in the U.S. On Taiwan, China has repeatedly said the issue is an internal affair. Every single Taiwan president in recent memory has done this," White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, said at a press briefing last week.

☆ Czech parliament speaker, in Taiwan, says we'll always stand with you
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] The Speaker of the Chamber of the Deputies of Czech Republic Marketa Pekarova Adamova makes a speech at the Parliament in Taipei, Taiwan March 28, 2023. REUTERS/Ann WangTAIPEI, March 28 (Reuters) - The speaker of the lower chamber of the Czech parliament told Taiwanese lawmakers on Tuesday that her country and Taiwan are bound together by freedom and democracy, pledging to always stand with the island's people. Addressing Taiwan's parliament, Marketa Pekarova Adamova said Taiwan and the Czech Republic share the same story. Although the Czech Republic does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Pekarova Adamova is visiting with a delegation of some 150, mostly businesspeople. Pekarova Adamova's trip to Taiwan follows one by Senate speaker Milos Vystrcil in 2020.

☆ 'We are all Chinese', former Taiwan president says while visiting China
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Nicoco Chan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou gestures as he arrives at an airport in Shanghai, China March 27, 2023. Ma, in office from 2008-2016, is the first former or current Taiwanese president to visit China since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 at the end of a civil war with the Communists. He is visiting amid heightened tension as Beijing uses political and military means to try and pressure democratically governed Taiwan into accepting Chinese sovereignty. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has repeatedly offered talks with China, but has been rejected as China considers her a separatist. He and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Singapore in 2015.

☆ Taiwan says sees no signs of PLA deployment before president's US trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, staged war games around the island last August following a trip to Taipei by then U.S.-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. On her way back to Taiwan, she will transit through Los Angeles, where she is likely to meet current House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Taking lawmakers' questions in parliament, Taiwan deputy defence minister Po Horng-huei said China has three to four warships operating around Taiwan every day, which has already become a "new normal". If there are any changes in China's military deployment, Taiwan must be prepared for the worst-case scenario, he said. "So far there is no sign of any special military deployment," Po added.

☆ Foxconn founder Gou, possible Taiwan presidential candidate, to visit US
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, March 27 (Reuters) - Terry Gou, the billionaire founder of major Apple Inc (AAPL.O) supplier Foxconn (2317.TW), will visit the United States this week, his office said on Monday, as he considers another run for Taiwan's presidency. Gou will leave for the United States on Monday evening for a 12-day visit his office called a "journey of scientific and technological economic development" and will also speak at the Washington think-tank, the Brookings Institution. "Not only the United States, but also other major democratic allies have been gradually paying attention to security issues in the Asia-Pacific region," his office said in a statement. Taiwanese presidential candidates traditionally go to the United States before elections given Washington's oversized role in ensuring Taiwan's security in the face of China's military threats to the island Beijing views as Chinese territory. While Gou has said he is considering another run for the January 2024 presidential election, the KMT has yet to choose its presidential candidate.

☆ Taiwan welcomes large Czech delegation after Honduras shifts allegiance to China
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The roughly 150-person Czech delegation arrived in Taipei on Saturday, led by the speaker of the lower chamber of the Czech parliament, Marketa Pekarova Adamova. "This visit of the delegation to Taiwan certainly represents that Taiwan is in a democratic alliance," she said. Pekarova Adamova, who is due to meet Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen later on Monday, told the business forum that Taiwan was a crucial investment partner for her country. "Taiwan is not only an important economic partner but also a friendly and democratic partner and deserves our attention and support." Newly elected Czech president Petr Pavel drew a sharp rebuke from Beijing in January after taking a call from Tsai, a clear shift from his predecessor's attempts to win Chinese business.

[1/5] Former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou speaks to the media at the airport before departing on a visit to China, as for the first time a former or current Taiwanese leader will be visiting since the defeated Republic of China government fled to the island in 1949, in Taoyuan, Taiwan March 27, 2023. REUTERS/Ann WangTAOYUAN, Taiwan, March 27 (Reuters) - Former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou left for China on Monday on a landmark trip, saying he hoped to bring about peace and improve relations through the interactions of young people. Ma, in office from 2008-2016, will be the first former or current Taiwanese president to visit China since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 at the end of a civil war with the Communists, where it remains to this day. Ma met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Singapore in late 2015 shortly before the current Taiwan president, Tsai Ing-wen, won an election. The KMT says outreach to China is needed now more than ever given the tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

☆ Honduras forms diplomatic ties with China after Taiwan break
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The national flags of Honduras and Taiwan are seen at the Republic of China Square in Tegucigalpa on March 15, 2023. Honduras formed diplomatic ties with China on Sunday after breaking off relations with Taiwan, which is increasingly isolated and now recognized by only 13 sovereign states, including Vatican City. Relations between Taiwan and Honduras were once stable, he said, but China had not stopped luring Honduras. "The Castro government dismissed our nation's longstanding assistance and relations and carried out talks to form diplomatic ties with China. The U.S. doesn't have diplomatic relations with Taiwan but has maintained that Taipei is an important partner in the Indo-Pacific.

☆ Taiwan president reviews troops ahead of sensitive U.S. visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen looks at a close combat demonstration while visiting a military base in Chiayi, Taiwan March 25, 2023. She is making a high-profile and sensitive trip to the United States and Central America starting on Wednesday. China has condemned the United States for allowing her to go, though her visit there is technically only a transit. At the end of the trip, Tsai is expected to meet U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles. Visiting an army base in Chiayi in southern Taiwan, Tsai reviewed their training, seeing them erect anti-tank barriers and practice martial arts.

☆ U.S. warns China's promises often empty as Honduras wavers on Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The flags of Taiwan and Honduras flutter in the wind outside the Taiwan Embassy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras March 15, 2023. At stake is China's growing footprint in Central America, once a steadfast base for Taiwan and where the United States is worried about Beijing's expanding influence in its backyard. The American Institute in Taiwan said that while Honduras' possible severing of ties with Taipei in favour of Beijing was a sovereign decision, China does not always follow through on its promises. The Honduras drama is happening ahead of a high-profile visit by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen to the United States and Central America next week. The United States also has no official ties with Taiwan but is the island's most important international backer and arms supplier.

"This is not a good moment for American diplomacy," said William Kirby, a professor of Chinese studies at Harvard University. A source familiar with that conversation called it the most antagonistic U.S.-China engagement since contentious talks in Alaska early in the Biden administration. Name me one," Biden said in his speech, evidently referring to a host of domestic and foreign policy challenges facing China. However, Biden is likely to find Xi emboldened in any call after a Chinese-brokered rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran and his meetings with Putin. Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Michael Martina Editing by Don Durfee and Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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