Mainland China’s military appeared to have stepped up manoeuvres near Taiwan during the country’s extended Lunar New Year holiday, usually a quiet period for defence and exercise activity. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) sent an average of 13 aircraft and six navy vessels near Taiwan during the 15-day holiday period, compared with nine aircraft and…
The mainland Chinese authorities have lifted a pandemic-era ban on travel to Taiwan, allowing tour groups from Shanghai and Fujian province to visit the island. The Culture and Tourism Ministry said preparations were “actively under way” – although there is no timetable for visits to resume – and the move would help normalise cross-strait exchanges,…
Former Taiwanese leader Ma Ying-jeou has vowed to protect the island’s deep-rooted cultural and historical ties with mainland China while accusing the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) of having a “misguided political agenda” in attempting to sever these links. “In the past several decades, Taiwan has played a vital role in preserving and promoting Chinese…
A push by Taiwan’s main opposition party to improve cross-strait relations is coming under pressure from the island’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The annual Taipei-Shanghai Twin City Forum – set for Tuesday – hangs in the balance as Taipei mayor Wayne Chiang Wan-an faces growing demands to cancel the event if Beijing continues to…
In the second of a three-part series on mainland China’s increasing military presence around the self-governed island, Hayley Wong looks at how the People’s Liberation Army has been stepping up its efforts away from the Taiwan Strait. To city dwellers and tourists in Taiwan, the island’s eastern coast is all about pristine mountains, deep gorges,…
Former Taiwanese leader Ma Ying-jeou will visit mainland China later this month, his third visit in the past two years, in another push to promote people-to-people exchanges amid elevated cross-strait tensions. Ma will lead a delegation of Taiwanese youth to visit the cities of Harbin in the northeast and Chengdu in the southwest on a…
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has achieved major progress in modernising its training programme, as it seeks to boost combat readiness in modern warfare scenarios, according to the Chinese military’s official newspaper. “The transformation and upgrading of our military training has taken a significant step forward, as [we] explore and implement a new model for…
If Donald Trump adopts a “hostile” approach toward Beijing in his second term as US president, China has many tools in its toolbox to respond, a former top US official on China policy said this week. Rick Waters, who until last year served in Joe Biden’s administration as US deputy assistant secretary of state for…
President Xi Jinping has called for paratroopers to boost combat readiness during a visit to an airborne force unit that would play a key role in a war over Taiwan. Xi was shown weapons and equipment at the PLA Air Force Airborne Corps headquarters in Xiaogan, Hubei province during Monday’s visit, official media reported on…
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to a PLA Rocket Force unit last Thursday highlights the key role the force might play in trying to deter the US from getting involved in a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, military analysts said. Last week, Xi inspected a People’s Liberation Army brigade stationed in the southeastern province of…