In 1938, a year before Nazi Germany invaded Poland, France, and the United Kingdom allocated roughly 25–30 percent of their government expenditures to defense in preparation for war. Once the conflict erupted and France fell, the U.K. escalated its spending dramatically, dedicating around 50 percent of public funds to theContinue Reading
Second, tariffs can only make foreign companies start producing chips in the US if it becomes cheaper than doing it somewhere else. But higher American labor costs and the country’s lack of a sophisticated semiconductor supply chain means moving manufacturing there will take years, if not decades, and there’s littleContinue Reading
Representatives from dozens of nonprofit organizations attending a major human rights conference in Taipei, Taiwan, last week woke up Thursday to devastating news. Over the previous night in Asia, the Donald Trump administration had abruptly announced it would end nearly 10,000 contracts and grants from the US State Department, includingContinue Reading
TAIPEI: The United States cannot abandon the Indo-Pacific because the region is part of its “core national interests”, Taiwan’s Defence Minister Wellington Koo said amid concerns about US security commitments to Taiwan. The White House clash between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump, which plunged ties betweenContinue Reading
Many have questioned the fate of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) as party founder Ko Wen-je faces over 28 years in prison on corruption charges. The charges against Ko are linked to the Core Pacific City Mall, with the former Taipei mayor accused of receiving kickbacks in return for expandingContinue Reading
If intelligence sharing is the backbone of a country’s national security, then the United States has long been the central hub for the Indo-Pacific. Washington has played a pivotal role in providing allies with critical intelligence, enabling coordinated responses to emerging geopolitical threats. Through networks like the Five Eyes, thisContinue Reading
Facing 2.4 million cyberattacks a day, Taiwan’s cyber resilience is relentlessly tested by an onslaught of increased and sophisticated cyber threats. Government agencies, critical infrastructure, and private industry are all in the crossfire, turning cybersecurity into a fundamental national security issue. These threats are part of a broader strategy ofContinue Reading
TAIPEI: Taiwan’s defence ministry on Thursday (Feb 27) reported a surge in Chinese military activity the previous day, but officials said they did not detect any live-fire exercises in a drill zone off the island’s southwestern coast. Democratically governed Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, said on WednesdayContinue Reading
Beijing’s modernization of its amphibious capabilities has taken a significant step forward with the development of new special barges. Built by Guangzhou Shipyard International on Longxue Island, these specialized barges aim to enhance the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)’s beach-landing and logistics operations. Integrating civilian roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) technology, the special bargesContinue Reading
TAIPEI: Taiwan’s export orders fell for the first time in 11 months in January as demand for technology products softened amid a seasonal slowdown, but the government remained optimistic about ongoing demand for artificial intelligence technologies. Export orders dropped 3.0 per cent year-on-year in January to US$46.97 billion, Taiwan’s MinistryContinue Reading
