Taiwan’s military detected 24 Chinese warplanes, including fighter jets and bombers, and five vessels near the island just a day after the United States announced its approval of two potential arms sales to Taiwan. The Taiwanese Defense Ministry said in a statement that the Chinese warplanes and vessels were conducting “joint combat readiness and police…

Only days after adopting a proposed $886 billion Fiscal Year 2024 defense budget focused on countering China’s growing military threat in the Western Pacific, key House Armed Services Committee members are returning to the United States after completing three days of unannounced conferencing with officials in Guam, Taiwan, and the Philippines. Committee chair Rep. Mike…

A U.S. coast guard ship transited the Taiwan Strait after Secretary of State Antony Blinken returned from his two-day trip to Beijing, a move the Chinese coast guard claimed has sparked “public speculation.” The legend-class coast guard cutter Stratton conducted “a routine Taiwan Strait transit on June 20” to demonstrate the United States’s commitment to…

Taiwan plans to preserve its idle nuclear power plants in order to ensure their readiness for reactivation in case of an emergency, including a potential naval blockade by China, a lawmaker said on May 28. Vice President Lai Ching-te was responding to a question posed during the National Taiwan University forum about how the self-ruled…

Taiwan’s foreign minister has urged New Zealand to increase its investment in Pacific countries to reduce their dependence on China, warning of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) “ambition” in the region. “I hope New Zealand can make more investment in the Pacific countries,” Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said in an interview with New Zealand’s…

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and his delegation arrived in Taiwan on Monday for the first stop of their Asian tour and met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to discuss economic and trade cooperation. During their meeting, Tsai expressed her appreciation to Youngkin for the delegation’s visit and said she looks forward to expanding bilateral cooperation…

A Philippine senator has called for Beijing to recall its representative in Manila “as soon as possible” following his “threat” to the Philippines to oppose Taiwan’s independence. “How dare he threaten us,” Senator Risa Hontiveros said in a statement on April 16. “He, along with his country’s ships and artificial islands in the West Philippine Sea,…

The list of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in Latin America continues to shrink as China tightens its grip on the region. Though beyond trade maneuvers, some analysts believe China’s isolation of Taiwan in the region also aims to secure favorable “votes” before taking aggressive action against the island nation. The assessment couldn’t be more timely. On…

The Philippines has called for a commitment to dialogue in the “strategic rivalry” between the United States and China, as any escalation of tensions over Taiwan could lead to “adverse repercussions” for the entire Indo-Pacific region. Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) forum in Washington on Monday, Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo…

The U.S. State Department has said that “sufficient resources and capabilities” were in place to ensure peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait as Beijing staged war games around Taiwan for a third day. “We are comfortable and confident that we have in place sufficient resources and capabilities in the region to ensure peace and…