Page 4 - Taiwan Elections

Taiwan's presidential frontrunners clash over future of trade with Beijing

Taiwan's presidential candidates clashed over future trade agreements with China on Tuesday, as the two leaders presented contrasting opinions regarding the same

Aimed at boosting ties, Taiwan, Canada sign bilateral investment agreement

The Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Arrangement is part of Canada's plan to increase trade and influence in the Indo-Pacific region

Beijing will reunify Taiwan with mainland China: Xi Jinping warns Biden

In a group meeting attended by a dozen American and Chinese officials, Xi told Biden that China's preference is to take Taiwan peacefully, not by force, the officials said

Taiwan reports Chinese balloons near its territory amid pressure from China

Two Chinese balloons flew north of Taiwan, the island's Defense Ministry said Monday, as China increases pressure on the self-ruled territory it claims as its own ahead of a presidential election in January. The balloons crossed the sensitive Taiwan Strait separating the island from China and were detected about 110 nautical miles (204 kilometres) northwest of the northern port city of Keelung on Sunday, the ministry said. It was the second time this month Taiwan reported a Chinese balloon near its territory, after one crossed southwest of Keelung on December 7. China's potential for using weather balloons to spy on other governments came into focus earlier this year, when the United States shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean, drawing China's ire. Taiwan's Defense Ministry did not say whether it suspected the balloon could have been used for spying. China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately comment. Beijing has increased pressure on Taiwan by send

China pressures Taiwan with trade accusations, warplanes ahead of elections

China in October said it was extending its trade barrier investigation to Jan. 12, the eve of Taiwan's elections. Taiwan denounced that at the time as election interference

Taiwan intelligence says China leadership discussed election interference

Beijing has repeatedly called the DPP dangerous separatists and urged Taiwanese to make the "right choice". The DPP's presidential candidate, Lai Ching-te, is leading in the polls

Taiwan probes alleged election graft linked to Foxconn's founder Gou

The Central Election Commission will announce by Nov. 14 whether Gou has enough signatures

Foxconn's Terry Gou continues presidential bid for Taiwan amid China woes

At a religious event on Sunday in Taipei, Gou repeated his stance that the Taiwanese people don't want war with China. But there, too, he didn't address Foxconn's China woes

Apple, Tesla links mean China can't pressure business: Foxconn's Terry Gou

If China were to confiscate assets of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., it would hurt the interests of major global pension funds, and "no foreign investor will dare to invest," he said

Foxconn's Terry Gou to run for Taiwan's presidency as independent candidate

Terry Gou, the billionaire founder of the electronics giant Foxconn, declared Monday that he will run as an independent candidate for president in Taiwan's 2024 election, ending months of speculation. At a news conference, Gou criticized the governing Democratic Progressive Party, saying its policies have brought Taiwan into the risk of war with China, which claims the self-ruled island democracy as part of its territory. He said Taiwan also needs new approaches on the economy and other matters at home. Domestically, the national policy direction is filled with all sorts of mistakes. There's no way to solve the difficulties of Taiwanese industry and people's livelihoods, he said. Gou's Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., is a major supplier to Apple and has factories in China. He has long had presidential aspirations. He ran in the 2019 election but lost as Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party easily won re-election. This time around, Gou initial

US approves new $500 mn arms sale to Taiwan as tension from China surges

The Biden administration has approved a $500 million arms sale to Taiwan as it ramps up military assistance to the island despite fervent objections from China. The State Department said Wednesday it had signed off on the sale of infrared search tracking systems along with related equipment for advanced F-16 fighter jets. The sale includes the infrared systems as well as test support and equipment, computer software and spare parts, it said. Although the deal is modest in comparison to previous weapons sales, the move is likely to draw fierce criticism from Beijing, which regards self-governing Taiwan as a renegade province and refuses to rule out the use of force to reunify it with the mainland. This proposed sale serves U.S. 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 in a statement. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient'

Taiwan ruling party taps vice-president for closely-watched election

Taiwan's vice president, Lai was confirmed as the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's candidate in next year's presidential election

Taiwan's president, Tsai Ing-wen begins US visit to shore up support

Taiwan's president is beginning a swing through the United States and Central America, a visit aimed at showing that her self-ruled island has allies as it faces a rising threat from China. Taiwan was carefully calibrating President Tsai Ing-wen's stops in the United States, and as always forgoing any official meetings with senior U.S. leaders in Washington, in an effort to contain what China said would be a strong but as yet unspecified response. Tsai arrived in New York on Wednesday and was scheduled to spend Thursday in the city, but few details of the trip were made public. A senior Chinese diplomat in Washington, embassy charge d'affaires Xu Xueyan, pointed to an expected meeting between Tsai and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy elsewhere in the country. The meeting would have serious repercussions overall and a serious, serious, serious impact on U.S.-China relations, she said in a virtual session with reporters on Wednesday. Sen. Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat and chairm

Taiwan votes on lower voting age, mayors, city councils in local elections

Voters headed to the polls across Taiwan in a closely watched local election on Saturday that will determine the strength of the island's major political parties ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Taiwanese citizens will be picking their mayors, city council members and other local leaders in all 13 counties and in nine cities. There's also a referendum to lower the voting age from 20 to 18. Polls opened at 8 am (0000GMT) on Saturday. While international observers and the ruling party have attempted to link the elections to the long-term existential threat that is Taiwan's neighbour, many local experts do not think China has a large role to play this time around. The international society have raised the stakes too high. They've raised a local election to this international level, and Taiwan's survival, said Yeh-lih Wang, a political science professor at National Taiwan University. At an elementary school in New Taipei City, the city that surrounds the capital Taipei, voters

Former president who introduced direct elections to Taiwan passes away

Former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui, who brought democratic changes to the self-governed island despite missile launches and other fierce saber-rattling by China, has died. He was 97

Taiwan elections: China says separatists will 'stink for eternity'

Tsai, who has drawn the ire of Beijing for refusing to acknowledge that Taiwan is part of "one China", secured a record-breaking win in Saturday's vote

Best of BS Opinion: The inequality debate, China's Taiwan tangle, and more

In other views, writers tackle another element of the inequality debate, an income tax immunity scheme and the implications of Taiwan's recent elections. Kanika Datta sums up the views

China's Taiwan tangle

More doubts on 'one-country-two systems' principle

Re-election of Taiwan's President signals growing divide with China

It's a contradiction that will keep the island of 23 million people at odds with its much larger neighbour for the foreseeable future and put increasing strains on the one-China principle

Chinese media says Tsai used 'dirty tactics' for Taiwan election win

Tsai, who has pitched herself as a defender of liberal democratic values against an increasingly authoritarian China, secured a record-breaking win in Saturday's presidential election