TAIPEI: Somalia began blocking entry to Taiwan passport holders on Wednesday (Apr 30), the island said, alleging China had pressured the East African country to curb travel by Taiwanese people to the region. The move comes as Taiwan, a self-ruled island claimed by China, forges closer ties with the breakawayContinue Reading
TAIPEI: Taiwan’s envoy to the funeral of Pope Francis said he prayed for President Lai Ching-te to be able to attend the inauguration of the new pontiff, and that he had met Japan’s foreign minister, easing the island’s diplomatic isolation. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to maintainContinue Reading
TAIPEI: Taiwan’s envoy to the funeral of Pope Francis aims to use his attendance to “have a good chat” with leaders of countries who are friendly to Taipei, taking the opportunity to boost the international ties of the diplomatically-isolated island. While the Vatican is one of only 12 countries toContinue Reading
Tributes have poured in from many of Huang’s celebrity friends, including content creator Aries Lu with whom Huang had recently collaborated on a dance video. “Your departure hit way too hard,” wrote Lu. In a series of Instagram Stories, Lu added: “I hate waking up only to end up crying, thinkingContinue Reading
Since February of this year, the activities of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) around Taiwan appear to have intensified. First, from February 1 to March 31, the PLA conducted up to eight “joint combat readiness patrols.” On April 1 and 2, the PLA conducted military exercises around Taiwan for twoContinue Reading
A survey from last November found that 34.7 percent of Taiwanese believed that being pro-United States would provoke China to invade Taiwan. Although the number decreased by 6.5 points from 2023, these figures are alarming. They show that many Taiwanese people are misreading the conditions under which China would launchContinue Reading
On April 2 – which Donald Trump dubbed “Liberation Day” – the U.S. president announced massive tariff hikes on nearly all U.S. trading partners, including 32 percent rate on Taiwan. Stock markets were quick to react in the lead-up to April 9, the date that Trump’s tariffs would have goneContinue Reading
TAIPEI: Taiwan’s government said Saturday (Apr 12) it held first tariff discussions with the United States and expected more talks to build “strong and stable” trade ties. Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te said Friday the island was on “the first negotiating list of the US government” as he seeks to shieldContinue Reading
In January 2025, more than 6,900 Taiwanese men born after 2004 became the first group of conscripts to complete the country’s reinstated one-year mandatory military service, a policy last implemented in 2018. The extended service program, announced in 2022 by former President Tsai Ing-wen, is part of a broader effortContinue Reading
TAIPEI: Taiwan state-backed bodies could over the next decade buy an extra US$200 billion from the United States and bump up the percentage of LNG it gets from the country by one-third to help narrow the trade deficit, the economy minister said on Thursday (Apr 10). Taiwan President Lai Ching-teContinue Reading
