Page 2 - Taiwan Elections

Taiwan selling more to US than China in major shift away from Beijing

Whether it's tapioca balls or computer chips, Taiwan is stretching toward the United States and away from China the world's No. 2 economy that threatens to take the democratically ruled island by force if necessary. That has translated to the world's biggest maker of computer chips which power everything from medical equipment to cellphones announcing bigger investments in the U.S. last month after a boost from the Biden administration. Soon afterward, a Taiwanese semiconductor company said it was ending its two-decade-long run in mainland China amid a global race to gain the edge in the high-tech industry. These changes at a time of an intensifying China-U.S. rivalry reflect Taiwan's efforts to reduce its reliance on Beijing and insulate itself from Chinese pressure while forging closer economic and trade ties with the United States, its strongest ally. The shift also is taking place as China's economic growth has been weak and global businesses are looking to diversify following

US, Taiwan navies quietly held drills in April amid rising China threat

US-Taiwan military engagement, including visits and training, are kept low-key and are often not officially confirmed because of China's objection to military contacts between Washington and Taipei

Taiwan defence min reports surge in Chinese military activity near island

Since September 2020, China has intensified its use of 'grey zone tactics' by operating more military aircraft and naval ships near Taiwan

Chinese army criticises US for ship's passage through Taiwan Strait

China's military criticized a U.S. destroyer's passage through the Taiwan Strait, which occurred less than two weeks before the island's new president takes office and while Washington and Beijing are making uneven efforts to restore regular military exchanges. Navy Senior Capt. Li Xi, spokesman for the Eastern Theater Command, accused the U.S. of having publicly hyped the passage of the USS Halsey on Wednesday. In a statement, Li said the command, which oversees operations around the strait, organized naval and air forces to monitor" the ship's transit and handle matters in accordance with laws and regulations. The Navy's 7th Fleet said the Halsey conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit on May 8 through waters where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law." The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer transited through a corridor in the Strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state, the fleet's statement ...

Taiwan detects nine Chinese aircraft, five naval vessels around nation

In response to Chinese action, Taiwan monitored the situation and deployed combat patrol aircraft, naval vessels, and coastal missile systems, according to Taiwan's MND statement

Taiwan tracks six Chinese PLA military aircraft and six naval vessels

China has been using grey zone tactics more frequently since September 2020, gradually expanding the number of military planes and navy vessels in the Taiwan area

China opens new air routes with flight paths situated very close to Taiwan

The democratically elected government of Taiwan rejects China's sovereignty claims and says only the island's people can decide their future

US navy sends aircraft through Taiwan Strait a day after US-China talks

The US 7th Fleet said a Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, a day after US and Chinese defence chiefs held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconaissance plane transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace, the 7th Fleet said in a news release. By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations, the release said. Although the critical 160 kilometre-wide strait that divides China from the self-governing island democracy is international waters, China considers the passage of foreign military aircraft and ships through it a challenge to its sovereignty. China claims the island of Taiwan, threatening to defend by force if necessary despite US military support for the island. China had no immediate response to the report, but has in past issued stern protests and activated defences in ...

Xi Jinping meets former Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou on pro-unification visit

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou in Beijing Wednesday in a bid to promote unification between the sides that separated amid civil war in 1949. Ma left office almost two decades ago and was largely excluded from the opposition Nationalist Party's failed campaign to retake the presidency in January, a concession to the electorate's strong opposition to political unification with China and politicians seen as willing to compromise Taiwan's security. He follows a long line of politicians from the Nationalists, also known as the KMT, who have been invited to China by its authoritarian one-party government and given VIP treatment on visits around the country. China claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary. Beijing sends navy ships and warplanes around the island on a daily basis in hopes of wearing down Taiwan's defensives and intimidating the population. The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are all ...

Japan PM visits chip factory, stressing ties with Taiwan, support for tech

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited a new semiconductor plant for which his government has pledged more than 1 trillion yen (USD 7 billion) of support to secure a steady supply of chips on Saturday. I believe this project will have positive ripple effects throughout Japan. It is key for not only the semiconductor industry but also a wide range of businesses such as electric vehicles and electronics, he said while touring the facility. The new plant on the southwestern island of Kyushu, majority owned by the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., is the Taiwanese semiconductor giant's first in Japan. Kishida also expressed sympathy to Taiwan following an earthquake that left at least 12 people dead. Japanese companies like Sony, Denso and Toyota are investing in the TSMC subsidiary that opened the plant in February, although the Taiwanese giant retained an 86.5% stake in the Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. The project underlines Japan's hopes to regain

Taiwan tracks 6 Chinese naval ships, 4 military aircraft, deploys forces

Notably, so far in March, Taiwan has tracked 359 Chinese military aircraft and 204 naval vessels, according to Taiwan News

Taiwan signs migrant worker MoU with India, seen as new source of labour

The ministry will formally notify lawmakers of the MOU and hold follow-up meetings with Indian officials, according to the statement

Despite China's pressure, Taiwan reiterates cooperation with Palau

The Ministry said in a statement that Taiwan has long supported Palau in tourism development in a bid to strengthen the Pacific nation's "economic resilience and sustainability"

Taiwan CAA protests China's unilateral adjustment of flight routes

Taiwan's Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) protested China's unilateral adjustment of flight routes close to the median line of the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday

Beijing steps up military pressure on Taiwan after US, China announce talks

China sent more than 30 warplanes and a group of navy ships toward Taiwan, the island's defense ministry said Saturday. The military pressure comes on the heels of an announcement that senior American and Chinese representatives were expected to meet in the Thai capital as the two countries seek to cool tensions. The Chinese People's Liberation Army sent 33 aircraft, including SU-30 fighters, and six navy vessels around Taiwan, between 6 am Friday to 6 am Saturday. Of these, 13 warplanes crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait an unofficial boundary that's considered a buffer between the island and mainland. Taiwan has monitored the situation and employed its own forces in response to the activities. China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and in recent years has shown is displeasure at political activities in Taiwan by sending military planes and ships. Taiwan said six Chinese balloons either flew over the island or through airspace just north of it days after the ...

US delegation affirms bipartisan support to Taiwan, first since election

A bipartisan delegation from the United States Congress reaffirmed support for Taiwan during a visit Thursday, following the election of its new president. The delegation's visit is the first from US lawmakers to the island since the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party won a third-straight term in the Jan 13 presidential election. China, America's chief competitor for global influence, claims Taiwan as its own territory and threatens to use force to bring the self-ruling island under its control. Beijing strongly condemned Lai Ching-te's election and appears set to continue its policy of refusing to engage with the island's government - a practice that's been in place since Tsai Ing-wen's election in 2016. The support of the United States for Taiwan is firm. It's real, and it is 100% bipartisan," US Representative Mario Daz Balart said. Balart, a Florida Republican, was joined by California Democrat Ami Bera. In the 21st century, there's no place for aggressive action

6 Chinese balloons flew through our airspace; warplanes detected: Taiwan

Between Sunday and early Monday morning, four Chinese warplanes and four navy ships were detected around Taiwan, the Defence Ministry said

Taiwan's new envoy to US offers assurances to Washington, Beijing

Taiwan's top diplomat in Washington has a message for both the island's Chinese adversaries and its American friends: Don't worry that Taiwan's new president-elect will worsen relations with Beijing and possibly draw the U.S. into a conflict. President-elect Lai Ching-te plans to keep the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, Alexander Tah-Ray Yui told The Associated Press on Thursday in his first interview with an international news organization since he arrived in the U.S. in December. The Chinese government has called Lai a troublemaker who will push Taiwan toward independence. But Yui said Lai is willing to engage with Beijing, even as the island seeks to strengthen its unofficial ties with Washington for stability in the region. We want the status quo. We want the way it is neither unification, neither independence. The way it is is the way we want to live right now, said Yui, Taiwan's de-facto ambassador to the U.S., noting the stance is largely supported at home and will guide th

Taiwan's elections and the Indo-Pacific

The diplomatic responses to Lai Ching-te's victory underscore the challenge and importance of maintaining the status quo in the region

Taiwan in the balance

Election results complicate global diplomacy