Former senator Chris Dodd says Washington will help island expand international space and support its investment in self-defence.

Chris Dodd, a former US senator and friend of Joe Biden, arrived in Taipei on Wednesday for a three-day visit.

The US$162 million vessel will be sent to Taipei-controlled islands in the disputed South China Sea, among other missions.

Government says it is ‘working hard’ to arrange a visit by the American, who was a strong supporter of the island during his time in office

Flights came a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Beijing against invading Taiwan.

Exercises will take place on Dongsha Islands in South China Sea on April 25 and May 5, Taiwan’s coastguard says.

Prosecutors investigating claims they helped Beijing interfere with democracy in Hong Kong and Taiwan, made by self-proclaimed former mainland spy Wang Liqiang.

Investigation also finds truck had its engine running before it slid down embankment onto the tracks.

Island’s chip makers rely on ultrapure water and have plans in case of further restrictions.

The growing concern over the issue may see Joe Biden and Yoshihide Suga issue a rare joint statement.

Taroko Express, en route to Taitung with 488 passengers aboard, was about to enter a tunnel when it was hit by a driverless truck .

The quarantine-free arrangement allows Taiwanese to escape to Micronesia – as long as they are comfortable with Covid-19 tests and staying with the group.

US ambassador’s trip has practical and symbolic importance, head of Washington’s de facto embassy says.

Official’s presence sends strong signal to Beijing about US opposition to poaching more allies from Taipei, analyst says.

There are growing voices in mainland China calling for an end to the agreement, but observers say that’s unlikely.

Agreement follows mainland China’s introduction of a law allowing its coastguard vessels to fire on foreign ships.

Two planes collided in mid-air and crashed into the sea during a training mission, the third such incident in six months.

Beijing’s drive for technological self-sufficiency has led to an exodus of Taiwanese engineers lured away by the promise of a big salary.

Washington may have switched its diplomatic allegiance to Beijing from Taipei in 1979 but that doesn’t mean it supports the mainland’s goal to ‘reunify’ the self-ruled island, observers say.

Mainland authorities have unveiled more than 20 incentives to entice agribusinesses from the island.

The island’s plans to build its own submarine fleet receive a boost after sales of the sensitive equipment are approved by Washington.

Li Keqiang’s comments that Beijing wants to promote peaceful cross-strait ties do not sit well with many Taiwanese in the face of growing mainland pressure.

But Taipei says Beijing should ‘take note of the mindset of the Taiwanese people and refrain from using political terms to hold back amicable interaction’.

The Seventh Fleet says USS John Finn’s passage was a sign of its commitment to a ‘free and open’ Indo-Pacific but Beijing denounces it as a ‘provocation’

Taipei will conduct six rounds of missile tests while carrying out other drills in what is perceived as a warning to the mainland.

Mainland authorities say the island’s ruling party is using claims of right abuses as cover for an independence plot.

Big corporations put in big orders for the fruit as public urged to support growers.

Half a dozen candidates could challenge incumbent KMT chairman Johnny Chiang, including talk show host Jaw Shaw-kong.

Taiwanese authorities cite Article 22 in rejecting applications by Charles Heung Wah-keung and his son Jacky.

Chiu Tai-shan’s first remarks as head of Mainland Affairs Office described as deliberate attempt to ‘distort and confuse’.