Taiwan

Catch live updates from across the globe here

Chinese jets, warships practice blockading Taiwan; Chinese aircraft carrier also involved in drills

China began three-day military drills around Taiwan called "Joint Sword" after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy

Taiwan's Defence Ministry detected 70 Chinese military aircraft and 11 naval ships around Taiwan by 6 am on Monday and its armed forces were monitoring the situation to respond to these activities."70 PLA aircraft and 11 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond these activities," Taiwan's Defence Ministry said in a tweet."35 of the detected aircraft(SU-30*8, J-11*4, J-10*6, J-16*8, TB-001 UCAV, Y-9EW, Y-8 ASW, J-15*4, CH-4 UCAV, KJ-500 AEW & C) had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's southwest and southeast ADIZ, flight paths as illustrated," it added.China entered the third day of the drills, which kickstarted on Saturday (April 8), right after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-Wen returned from the US where she met House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a meeting to which China strictly showed opposition.Al Jazeera

China held a second day of military drills around Taiwan, with multiple exercises involving aircraft and ships, after the island's president, Tsai Ing-wen, returned from a visit to the US

Taiwan's defence ministry said that as of 0800 GMT (1.30 IST) on Sunday they had spotted 70 Chinese aircraft, including Su-30 fighters and H-6 bombers, as well as 11 ships, around Taiwan

China on Saturday began military exercises around Taiwan to test the capabilities of its forces to "seize control of the sea, air and information," days after a meeting between the US House Speaker and the President of the self-ruled island in defiance of repeated threats by Beijing. China views Taiwan as a breakaway province. Beijing has not ruled out the possible use of force to reunify the self-ruled island with the mainland. The Chinese military announced the start of three-day combat readiness patrols, asserting that it is testing the capabilities of its forces to seize control of the sea, air, and information. The multi-day exercises coincided with the return of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to Taipei after her high-profile visit to the US earlier this week when she met US House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, a move denounced by Beijing. China on Friday slapped sanctions on two American organisations that hosted Tsai besides Asia-based groups --The Prospect Foundation and the .

The Taiwan leader had urged Beijing not to overreact before her departure from Los Angeles on Thursday

Tsai mentioned how three years of the Covid-19 pandemic had not affected cooperation with Taiwan's diplomatic allies

China on Friday slapped sanctions on two American organisations that hosted Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen during her visit to the US and her meeting with the House Speaker, a day after President Xi Jinping said it is "wishful thinking" to expect Beijing to "compromise" on its stand on the self-ruled island. Tsai's meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy - the third most senior official in the US - on Thursday took place against the backdrop of repeated warnings from Beijing to Washington that the meeting should not happen. It was the first time a Taiwan president had met a US Speaker on American soil. China views any official exchanges between foreign governments and Taiwan as an infringement on Beijing's claims of sovereignty over the island. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Washington-based think tank Hudson Institute and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California would be banned from any cooperation, exchange or transaction with institutions

China announced sanctions Friday against two Asia-based organisations and Taiwan's representative in the US in response to the closely watched meeting this week between the US House Speaker and Taiwan's president. The Prospect Foundation and the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats were being sanctioned for their involvement in promoting Taiwan independence under the guise of academic and research exchanges," China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson, Zhu Fenglian, said. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy held talks with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California this week in a rare high-level, bipartisan meeting on US soil. The meeting came as US-China relations have sunk to historic lows and as tensions between Taiwan and China have risen. China views any official exchanges between foreign governments and Taiwan as an attempt to raise Taipei's global status, and thus an infringement on Beijing's claims of sovereignty over the island. China had vowed countermeasures .

China also said that this trip also violates the provisions of the three China-US joint communique

Taiwan's Defence Ministry detected 5 Chinese military aircraft and four naval ships around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Sunday (April 2) and 6 a.m. on Monday (April 3)

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

The move comes before Tsai starts a visit this week to allies such as Guatemala and Belize, and stops in the US

Honduras has cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan, Chinese state media reported Sunday, paving the way for the Latin American country to establish a formal relationship with Beijing. The announcement by Honduras's foreign ministry on Saturday, which was reported by China's CCTV, comes amid rising tensions between Beijing and the United States, including over China's increasing assertiveness toward self-ruled Taiwan. The move leaves Taiwan recognized by only 13 sovereign states. Honduras is the ninth diplomatic ally that Taipei has lost to Beijing since pro-independence President Tsai Ing-wen first took office in May 2016. China and Taiwan have been locked in a battle for diplomatic recognition since the sides split amid civil war in 1949, with Beijing spending billions to win recognition for its One China policy. China claims Taiwan is part of its territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary, and refuses most contacts with countries that maintain formal ties with the

The total amount of semiconductors Taiwan shipped worldwide declined 17.3% last month from a year ago

In the chips sector, globalization is dead. Free trade is dead, Chang said at an event in Taipei Thursday

He vowed to oppose foreign interference on Taiwan, a veiled reference to increasing American support for the democratically elected government in Taipei

As Chinese President Xi Jinping begins his third term, Beijing will continue to press Taiwan on unification and try to undercut US influence in the region, according to an annual report