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☆ China likely to ramp up diplomatic 'attacks' on Taiwan, island's foreign minister says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, Oct 26 (Reuters) - China is likely to ramp up its diplomatic "attacks" on Taiwan following last week's twice-a-decade congress, including snatching more of the island's few remaining diplomatic allies, Taiwan's foreign minister said on Wednesday. "China is likely to increase its attacks and threats o Taiwan, especially in the diplomatic field," Wu told lawmakers. Wu said Taiwan has received "signs" and intelligence from unspecified diplomatic allies that China was boosting efforts to lure the island's allies into switching official recognition to Beijing. Under Wu's term, six countries have switched official recognition from Taipei to Beijing, which says Taiwan has no right to state-to-state ties. China has stepped up diplomatic and military pressure to try to force Taiwan to accept Chinese rule.

☆ Taiwan to boost energy inventories amid China threat
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Taiwan is working to increase energy inventories in a move to boost the island's resilience in the event of a crisis, a deputy economy minister said, as China stepped up military pressure to try to force Taiwan to accept Chinese rule. Tseng said coal inventories would be increased in the coming years while those for crude would continue at a level of more than 100 days. He declined to give details as making such information public "does no good to Taiwan." China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has ramped up military and political pressure against the island over the past two years. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting By Jeanny Kao and Yimou Lee.

☆ Taiwan official says Xi would be a 'sinner' of all Chinese if he attacks island
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Yimou Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping would become a "sinner" of all Chinese people if he attacked Taiwan and would not win a war as he would face international sanctions and diplomatic isolation, Taiwan's top security official said on Thursday. "There is no possibility of winning in using force to attack Taiwan," Chen said. China would face international sanctions and diplomatic isolation for doing so, he added. "Xi would forfeit the so-called great rejuvenation of the Chinese people, and become a sinner of the Chinese people," Chen said, using a term that refers to those who are ethnically Chinese rather than of Chinese nationality. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Yimou Lee; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Lincoln Feast.

She also outlined steps to boost the military including with mass production of precision missiles and warships. Xi is widely expected to win his third term at the one-every-five-years party congress. "When we say achievement, for Taiwan it's definitely not a good sign, it's not a good thing," Lin said. One senior Taiwanese security official said Xi's third term would bring "unpredictable tensions" across the strait. But China has refused to speak to his successor, Tsai, since she was first elected in 2016, believing her to be a separatist.

☆ More frequent Chinese patrols put 'heavy burden' on aging Taiwan frigates
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Yimou Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TAIPEI, Oct 11 (Reuters) - The stepped up intensity of Chinese naval patrols near Taiwan since August is putting a "heavy burden" on the island's aging frigate fleet, which is struggling to maintain combat readiness, the Taiwanese defence ministry said on Tuesday. China had expanded the area in which the ships operate from "time to time" patrols in the Taiwan Strait to regularly sending them into the waters off southwest and northern Taiwan, it said. The Chi Yang-class frigates were built by the United States in the 1970s and commissioned by Taiwan in 1992. The ministry did not say how many such new ships Taiwan is planning to build beyond 2025. It said the new frigates of about 2,000-tonnes would be similar to their Chinese counterparts in size and more adaptable to react to the regular presence of Chinese ships near Taiwan, which include China's Type 056 corvettes and Type 053H3 frigates.

TAIPEI, Oct 10 (Reuters) - War between Taiwan and China is "absolutely not an option", Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said on Monday, as she reiterated her willingness to talk to Beijing and also pledged to boost the island's defences including with precision missiles. "I want to make clear to the Beijing authorities that armed confrontation is absolutely not an option for our two sides. Only by respecting the commitment of the Taiwanese people to our sovereignty, democracy, and freedom can there be a foundation for resuming constructive interaction across the Taiwan Strait." Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Taiwan is part of China, "has no president and is not an independent country". "The root cause of the current tensions in the Taiwan Strait lies in the Democratic Progressive Party authorities' stubborn insistence on Taiwan independence and secession," she said, referring to Taiwan's ruling party.

A Taiwan Coast Guard ship travels past the coast of China, in the waters off Nangan island of Matsu archipelago in Taiwan August 16, 2022. REUTERS/Ann WangTAIPEI, Sept 23 (Reuters) - A Chinese blockade of Taiwan or the seizure of an offshore island would be considered an act of war and Taiwan would not surrender, a senior Taiwanese security official told Reuters using unusually strong and direct language. Chinese military action might not be as straightforward as a full frontal assault on Taiwan: it could include actions like a blockade to try to force Taiwan to accept China's rule, strategists say. To show its anger, China mounted military exercises around Taiwan that included firing missiles and steps to mount a blockade. "A blockade is an act of war; seizing an offshore island is an act of war," the official said, adding Taipei believed Beijing was unlikely to take either of those actions at the moment.

☆ Taiwan eyes mid-October end to COVID quarantine on road to re-opening
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Taiwan has reported six million domestic cases since the beginning of the year, driven by the more infectious Omicron variant. With more than 99% of those showing no or only mild symptoms, the government has relaxed rather than tightened restrictions in its "new Taiwan model". If "everything is under control", the government is aiming to end mandatory quarantine for all arrivals from around Oct. 13, with arrivals rising to 150,000 a week, Lo said. Those who test positive, however, still need to quarantine at home or in designated hotels, the government said. Before the pandemic, Taiwan was a popular tourist destination for mainly Asian visitors, with Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia the most important markets.

Firefighters work at the site where a building collapsed following a 6.8-magnitude earthquake, in Yuli, Hualien county, Taiwan September 18, 2022. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterTaiwan's fire department said one person had died and 146 were injured by the quake. The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for Taiwan after the tremor but later lifted the alert. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) (2330.TW), , the world's largest contract chipmaker, said there was "no known significant impact for now". More than 100 people were killed in a quake in southern Taiwan in 2016, while a 7.3 magnitude quake killed more than 2,000 people in 1999.

☆ Taiwan says it fired flares to drive away suspected drones near Kinmen
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-04 | by ( Yimou Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TAIPEI, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Taiwan's defence ministry said on Thursday that unidentified aircraft, probably drones, had flown on Wednesday night above the area of its Kinmen islands and that it had fired flares to drive them away. Major General Chang Zone-sung of the Army's Kinmen Defense Command told Reuters that the Chinese drones came in a pair and flew into the Kinmen area twice on Wednesday night, at around 9 p.m. (1300 GMT). and 10 p.m."We immediately fired flares to issue warnings and to drive them away. The heavily fortified Kinmen islands are just off the southeastern coast of China, near the city of Xiamen. Last week, Taiwan's military fired flares to warn away a drone that "glanced" its Matsu archipelago off the coast of China's Fujian province and was possibly probing its defences, Taiwan's defence ministry said.

Persons: Nancy Pelosi, General Chang, Chang, Yimou Lee, Tony Munroe, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Stephen Coates Organizations: U.S . House, Kinmen Defense Command, Reuters, Thomson Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, China, Xiamen, China's Fujian

☆ Taiwan says its military has increased alertness level, citizens should feel reassured
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TAIPEI, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Taiwan's cabinet on Wednesday said the military has increased its alertness level and authorities will make plans to ensure safety and stability around the island, after China announced a series of military exercises in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's arrival in Taipei. Taiwan's cabinet also said its citizens should feel reassured and that a national stabilisation fund for the stock market will closely watch the situation and react in a timely manner. (This story corrects the description of Taiwan in the first paragraph to "island")Reporting by Yimou Lee, Writing by Martin Quin Pollard; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Nancy Pelosi's, Yimou Lee, Martin Quin Pollard, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Thomson Locations: TAIPEI, China, Taipei, Taiwan

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