https://www.scmp.com/rss/515712/feed Taiwan went to the polls in a critical presidential election on January 13, 2024. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Amber Wang Amber Wang Taiwan’s two main opposition parties are set to join forces in local elections, a midterm contest this autumn that analysts say could lay the groundwork for potential cooperation in the 2028 leadership race to challenge the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The elections, scheduled for November and commonly known as the “nine-in-one” elections, will determine local officials and councillors across nine categories, ranging from mayors and county magistrates to village chiefs, as well as... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3347357/taiwans-main-opposition-parties-join-forces-local-elections-foundation-2028-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3347357/taiwans-main-opposition-parties-join-forces-local-elections-foundation-2028-race?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 12:14:46 +0000 Wang Huiyao Wang Huiyao Recent months have witnessed an important shift in the political landscape across the Taiwan Strait, one that deserves careful consideration from policymakers in Asia, Europe and the United States. Despite considerable global turbulence, years of rising tensions in Asia and external pressure, there are emerging signs of stabilisation and even fresh momentum for peaceful momentum towards unification between mainland China and Taiwan. Taiwan’s political environment has evolved significantly since... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3335902/momentum-peaceful-reunification-across-taiwan-strait-growing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3335902/momentum-peaceful-reunification-across-taiwan-strait-growing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 01:30:08 +0000 Alcott Wei Alcott Wei Beijing has criticised Japan for hosting former Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen, who visited Japan in a personal capacity and is not known to have met any officials. Tsai, the former Taiwanese leader from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), went on her first post-office visit to Japan from September 9 to 12. She had previously been invited to visit Japan several times but declined, according to the Sankei Shimbun, a daily newspaper. Tsai’s office said she was visiting as a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3326675/beijing-warns-japan-against-giving-platform-taiwan-independence-tsais-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3326675/beijing-warns-japan-against-giving-platform-taiwan-independence-tsais-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 08:22:30 +0000 Holly Chik Holly Chik China has accused the United States and Britain of undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait with their decision to send warships through the waterway, a mission that the two allies described as routine. The People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theatre Command said Chinese naval and air forces closely monitored the destroyer USS Higgins and the British frigate HMS Richmond as they transited the strait on Friday. The passage amounted to “harassment and provocation”, command spokesman... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3325426/china-tracks-us-british-warships-taiwan-strait-transit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3325426/china-tracks-us-british-warships-taiwan-strait-transit?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Sep 2025 07:00:13 +0000 William Zheng William Zheng Beijing has criticised Taiwan’s failed recall vote as a “political manipulation” that was “completely contrary” to the will of the people. In Saturday’s vote, all 24 lawmakers from the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) survived the recall attempt backed by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Chen Binhua, a spokesman for mainland China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, criticised the DPP for “repeatedly provoking political strife” at the expense of Taiwanese people’s well-being, state news... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3319749/mainland-china-says-taiwans-failed-recall-vote-shows-how-political-manipulation-failed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3319749/mainland-china-says-taiwans-failed-recall-vote-shows-how-political-manipulation-failed?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Jul 2025 11:01:07 +0000 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai As tensions between Beijing and Taipei rise, academia and the education sector reveal how each side is changing to adapt to – or shape – the new environment. In the first of a two-part series, we survey the vast research by mainland academics studying potential paths and models for governing the island. For decades, Beijing has talked about peaceful reunification with Taiwan and possibly governing it under the arrangement of “one country, two systems”, a term that means the island could have a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3318338/taiwan-papers-academics-suggest-how-mainland-china-might-rule-island?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3318338/taiwan-papers-academics-suggest-how-mainland-china-might-rule-island?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jul 2025 22:00:11 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang On Quemoy Island, off the coast of Fujian province, people passing the statue of Chiang Kai-shek in the main residential area of Jincheng can see an inscription in Chinese characters: “Saviour of the Nation.” In 2025, it is an oddity for Taiwanese and mainland Chinese alike. In Taiwan, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has moved to erase Chiang Kai-shek’s legacy, with some viewing Chiang as a symbol of dictatorship and authoritarian rule, while on the mainland the man once seen as an... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3316253/how-taipei-controlled-island-close-mainlands-coast-shows-limits-both-sides?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3316253/how-taipei-controlled-island-close-mainlands-coast-shows-limits-both-sides?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Jun 2025 06:00:20 +0000 More young people and business leaders from Taiwan should visit mainland China to “break information barriers” and boost cross-strait integration, the country’s top legislature was told on Sunday. “I want to tell all our friends in Taiwan, come to the mainland, take a look around. Invest here, build a life here, and pursue personal development here,” Zou Zhenqiu, told a panel meeting of the National People’s Congress (NPC) during the annual “two sessions” in Beijing. Zou, head of the Jiangsu... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3301690/build-life-here-npc-deputies-pitch-taiwanese-mainland-china-opportunities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3301690/build-life-here-npc-deputies-pitch-taiwanese-mainland-china-opportunities?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Mar 2025 13:00:14 +0000 Tensions between Taiwan’s political parties are escalating as both camps launch rival recall campaigns, further threatening the island’s fragile political stability. Analysts warn that if these tensions remain unresolved, they could deal a double blow to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which is already struggling to govern and deal with increasing military pressure from Beijing. Despite Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s calls for political harmony, civic groups backed by the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3296981/taiwans-feuding-political-parties-raise-stakes-rival-recall-bids?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3296981/taiwans-feuding-political-parties-raise-stakes-rival-recall-bids?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Feb 2025 06:00:21 +0000 While South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol has attracted notoriety for his stunning failed bid to impose martial law, there is another democracy in the region where the ruling party has been behaving with audacity. On December 20, Taiwan’s legislature became the scene of intense clashes between the ruling and opposition legislators, involving wrestling, kicking and the throwing of water. Legislators from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) had broken into the building... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3292539/taiwans-latest-legislative-punch-ups-suggest-democracy-retreat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3292539/taiwans-latest-legislative-punch-ups-suggest-democracy-retreat?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Dec 2024 01:30:08 +0000 President Xi Jinping has urged Washington to exercise “extreme caution” in handling matters related to Taiwan and avoid fanning “provocative actions” in the South China Sea, according to Beijing’s foreign ministry. The ministry on Sunday released an online statement on the talks between Xi and outgoing US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in Lima, Peru. Taiwan independence forces were “fundamentally incompatible” with peace and stability in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3286948/xi-urges-extreme-caution-us-taiwan-matters-south-china-sea-disputes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3286948/xi-urges-extreme-caution-us-taiwan-matters-south-china-sea-disputes?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Nov 2024 13:04:28 +0000 A former US envoy and Taiwanese lawmaker have warned that Beijing could delve into further detail regarding mainland China’s law enabling it to act towards “non-peaceful” reunification with Taiwan. Next year Beijing could use the 20th anniversary of its Anti-Secession Law to clarify how “non-peaceful means” may be taken against Taiwan, according to Taipei City councillor Vincent Chao. Chao delivered his cautionary remarks at the launch of a report assessing the legal implications of the law by... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3282518/beijing-could-soon-elaborate-anti-secession-law-non-peaceful-taiwan-reunification?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3282518/beijing-could-soon-elaborate-anti-secession-law-non-peaceful-taiwan-reunification?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Oct 2024 23:16:59 +0000 The US urged “restraint” from both sides of the Taiwan Strait amid speculation over mainland China’s military response to Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s upcoming speech to mark the self-governing island’s Double Tenth Day. A senior official of US President Joe Biden’s administration said Beijing could use Lai’s speech on Thursday as a “pretext” for taking military action in the Taiwan Strait. “We see no justification for a routine annual celebration to be used in this manner,” the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3281760/us-urges-restraint-mainland-china-and-taiwan-ahead-island-leaders-speech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3281760/us-urges-restraint-mainland-china-and-taiwan-ahead-island-leaders-speech?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Oct 2024 20:35:17 +0000 Taiwan is making a further push towards war readiness with renewed focus on its civil defence capacities, a move analysts fear may further provoke the mainland. The island has set clear goals to strengthen its civil defence capabilities as part of the mandate of a special committee created in June by Taiwan’s leader, William Lai Ching-te, to prepare for a potential cross-strait conflict. Analysts, however, caution that while there is broad support for war preparedness, the need for cross-strait... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3280240/taiwan-sets-war-readiness-goals-first-meeting-defence-resilience-committee?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3280240/taiwan-sets-war-readiness-goals-first-meeting-defence-resilience-committee?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Sep 2024 01:00:10 +0000 Scheduled visits to Taiwan by two mainland Chinese academic delegations in recent days have been postponed due to obstacles imposed by Taipei, according to Taiwanese media. One of the delegations, led by Xiamen University’s Graduate Institute for Taiwan Studies (GIFTS), had been scheduled to visit Taiwan last Thursday for academic exchanges, Taiwan’s United Daily News (UDN) reported. A separate delegation, led by the president of Xiamen University, had been scheduled to visit Taiwan today, but... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3277677/taiwan-delays-trips-mainland-chinese-scholars-fresh-setback-cross-strait-visits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3277677/taiwan-delays-trips-mainland-chinese-scholars-fresh-setback-cross-strait-visits?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Sep 2024 13:00:13 +0000 Taiwanese politician Ko Wen-je’s career and the future of the opposition party he founded are in jeopardy after he became embroiled in a corruption probe last week. Ko – a former Taipei mayor and leader of the Taiwan People’s Party who finished third in the presidential race in January – was detained on August 31 after investigators raided his home and office. Prosecutors said he was questioned over his alleged role in a property development during his time as the city’s mayor from 2014 to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3277551/taiwan-politician-ko-wen-je-and-his-party-face-crisis-trust-after-arrest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3277551/taiwan-politician-ko-wen-je-and-his-party-face-crisis-trust-after-arrest?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Sep 2024 06:00:17 +0000 Taiwan’s leader has dispatched his top official – second only to himself within the island’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party – on a 13-day tour of the United States. The trip coincides with speculation about whether William Lai Ching-te, a self-described “pragmatic worker for Taiwan independence”, has managed to earn Washington’s trust during his first 100 days in office. DPP secretary general Lin Yu-chang said he would meet senior US government officials and think-tank experts on behalf of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3277092/no-2-taiwan-official-us-visit-2-weeks-seeks-better-understanding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3277092/no-2-taiwan-official-us-visit-2-weeks-seeks-better-understanding?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Sep 2024 22:30:28 +0000 William Lai Ching-te’s first 100 days as leader of Taiwan have been evaluated not only on the basis of his handling of local affairs, but also in relation to the self-governed island’s heightened tensions with mainland China. Cross-strait relations have deteriorated significantly since Lai took office on May 20, according to analysts, who say he has actively sought to sever Taiwan’s historical ties with the mainland. His predecessor Tsai Ing-wen, also of the independence-leaning Democratic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3276618/100-days-job-taiwans-new-leader-cutting-mainland-ties-reframing-history?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3276618/100-days-job-taiwans-new-leader-cutting-mainland-ties-reframing-history?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Aug 2024 01:00:17 +0000 An international coalition advocating for a tougher stance on the Chinese Communist Party will open its annual conference in Taiwan on Tuesday, an event likely to provoke Beijing. Some 48 lawmakers from 24 countries across five continents arrived in Taipei on Sunday for the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) conference, although Taiwan is not a member of the alliance. According to IPAC, the meeting will focus on crafting a coordinated campaign aimed at maintaining cross-strait... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3272349/taiwan-hosts-international-anti-chinese-communist-party-coalition-conference?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3272349/taiwan-hosts-international-anti-chinese-communist-party-coalition-conference?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Jul 2024 13:00:16 +0000 Early into his tenure as Taiwan’s new leader, William Lai Ching-te has signalled he will push for the development of a Taiwan-centric identity to stand against Beijing, according to analysts, though they say he is unlikely to officially declare independence. During the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) congress on July 21, Lai, who took office in May, called for Taiwanese people to identify with the island and to do away with the belief that Taiwan could serve as a base to “reclaim” the Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3272151/william-lai-pushes-taiwanese-identity-stand-beijing-how-far-will-he-go?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3272151/william-lai-pushes-taiwanese-identity-stand-beijing-how-far-will-he-go?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Jul 2024 22:00:18 +0000 A senior Taiwanese official involved in mainland affairs has resigned as head of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) following a bribery investigation. Cheng Wen-tsan, a former vice-premier of Taiwan who became chairman of the foundation under the Mainland Affairs Council on June 7, announced his resignation on Sunday, saying he did not want to disrupt the body’s operations. Cheng, 57, known for his moderate stance on cross-strait relations and advocacy for normal exchanges, was summoned by... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3269642/former-taiwanese-vice-premier-turned-senior-official-steps-down-amid-bribery-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3269642/former-taiwanese-vice-premier-turned-senior-official-steps-down-amid-bribery-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jul 2024 11:06:40 +0000 The China Coast Guard has seized a Taiwanese fishing boat and detained its crew near Quemoy, in a fresh flare-up in the area around the Taiwan-controlled defence outpost, also known as Kinmen. The incident occurred just one week after a tense stand-off in which Taiwanese coastguard vessels intercepted four mainland Chinese coastguard ships patrolling waters 5 nautical miles from Quemoy. Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration said on Wednesday that the fishing boat Da Jin Man 88 was stopped by two... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3269028/china-coast-guard-detains-taiwanese-fishing-boat-and-5-crew-members-near-quemoy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3269028/china-coast-guard-detains-taiwanese-fishing-boat-and-5-crew-members-near-quemoy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jul 2024 11:00:21 +0000 Taiwan’s leader William Lai Ching-te has been accused by the opposition of dishonesty after he said he would not comply with a new law to increase the legislature’s power until the courts had ruled on it. On Monday, Lai signed a bill that increases the Legislative Yuan’s oversight powers into law, but he said he would seek a ruling from the island’s constitutional court. The legislature, which is controlled by the opposition, rejected a cabinet request to reconsider the bill, which was passed... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3267965/taiwan-leader-william-lai-accused-lying-row-over-oversight-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3267965/taiwan-leader-william-lai-accused-lying-row-over-oversight-law?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Jun 2024 08:29:32 +0000 US and Taiwanese officials held talks in Taipei on expanding the island’s role in international affairs, the US State Department said on Saturday. “The consultations focused on expanding Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the United Nations system and other international fora,” the US agency said in a statement. “Taiwan has a demonstrated capability and willingness to help address global issues and support the international community.” The State Department added that Taiwan has world-class,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3267683/us-taiwan-seek-expand-islands-meaningful-participation-international-community?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3267683/us-taiwan-seek-expand-islands-meaningful-participation-international-community?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Jun 2024 21:40:15 +0000 Beijing has “firm determination, sufficient confidence and strong capability” to destroy any efforts by Taiwanese separatists, mainland China’s top political adviser and No. 4 official told a forum aimed at boosting exchanges with the island’s mainland-friendly camps. “No matter how the situation in the Taiwan Strait changes, the fact that both sides belong to one China cannot be denied,” Wang Huning said in his opening speech at the annual Straits Forum on Saturday, held in the southeastern... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3266741/chinas-reunification-unstoppable-says-beijings-top-man-taiwan-affairs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3266741/chinas-reunification-unstoppable-says-beijings-top-man-taiwan-affairs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Jun 2024 07:00:30 +0000 Taiwan’s coastguard has arrested a mainland Chinese man who drove his speedboat directly to a ferry pier outside Taipei on Sunday in a breach that has raised security concerns on the island. The man was arrested only after he arrived at the pier around 11am, despite being spotted from a coastguard lookout post while approaching the ferry terminal in the Tamsui River in New Taipei City. The man, identified by his last name Ruan, is 60 years old and was spotted on Sunday 11km (6 nautical miles)... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3266177/mainland-chinese-man-claiming-be-ex-navy-captain-breaches-taiwan-defences-speedboat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3266177/mainland-chinese-man-claiming-be-ex-navy-captain-breaches-taiwan-defences-speedboat?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Jun 2024 09:56:57 +0000 The opposition majority in the Taiwanese legislature is already proving to be a headache for the island’s new leader William Lai Ching-te, after passing a package of bills that ramp up oversight of the executive branch. The legislation – which passed on Tuesday in a combined vote by the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party – is likely to add to Lai’s challenges in his first term, experts said. They also noted that attempts by Lai’s Democratic People’s Party... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3264889/taiwans-opposition-gives-william-lai-and-his-dpp-minority-government-headache?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3264889/taiwans-opposition-gives-william-lai-and-his-dpp-minority-government-headache?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jun 2024 14:00:13 +0000 Significant challenges – particularly from the opposition camp – have cast a shadow over Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s first week in office, already marked by a two-day practice blockade of the island by mainland forces, as part of People’s Liberation Army exercises. Even before Monday’s presidential inauguration, the Taiwanese opposition scored a victory in the legislature, mandating that Lai deliver an annual address on the state of the island, despite efforts to block it by his... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3263966/divided-legislature-and-mainland-chinese-forces-ruin-honeymoon-taiwans-william-lai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3263966/divided-legislature-and-mainland-chinese-forces-ruin-honeymoon-taiwans-william-lai?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 May 2024 14:00:14 +0000 Mainland China showed its displeasure with Taiwan’s newly inaugurated leader’s assertion of Taiwan’s sovereignty with two days of military drills around the island starting on Thursday. William Lai, sworn in as the island’s eighth president on Monday, lauded the self-ruled island’s democracy and repeatedly referred to Taiwan as a nation in his inauguration address on Monday. Lai’s pledge to maintain his predecessor’s position on the Taiwan Strait did little to appease Beijing, which was riled at... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3263946/military-drills-around-taiwan-lethal-aid-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3263946/military-drills-around-taiwan-lethal-aid-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 May 2024 09:19:26 +0000 The European Union as well as lawmakers from the US, Britain and other democracies criticised mainland China’s extensive military exercises around Taiwan on Thursday, warning that the drills threatened to destabilise the region and stoke cross-strait tension. “The EU has a direct interest in the preservation of the status quo in the Taiwan Strait,” the European body said in a statement. “We oppose any unilateral actions that change the status quo by force or coercion.” “All parties should... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3263871/us-eu-and-other-democracies-slam-mainland-china-military-drills-around-taiwan-urge-restraint?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3263871/us-eu-and-other-democracies-slam-mainland-china-military-drills-around-taiwan-urge-restraint?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 May 2024 22:30:09 +0000 A Taiwan led by the newly inaugurated William Lai Ching-te will bring new challenges to the cross-strait relationship, as well as Beijing’s global articulation of its policies towards the self-governed island, according to observers on either side. Joanna Lei Chien, a former Taiwanese lawmaker from the opposition party Kuomintang, said many assumptions on the cross-strait situation “should be thrown out of the window because things have changed at an exceedingly surprising speed” since Lai took... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3263840/mainland-china-be-tested-taiwan-under-william-lai-global-view-cross-strait-policies-line-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3263840/mainland-china-be-tested-taiwan-under-william-lai-global-view-cross-strait-policies-line-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 May 2024 14:00:10 +0000 Beijing has rejected the offer by William Lai Ching-te to resume tourism and student exchanges, saying the new Taiwanese leader lacked sincerity in his inauguration speech and that his stance had become “more radical”. The mainland’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) released another strongly worded statement on Tuesday evening, saying Lai’s attitude in his inauguration remarks was “extremely rampant” while “his advocacy is even more radical” than before. “The entire speech was filled with antagonism... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3263602/mainland-china-rejects-taiwan-leaders-offer-tourism-and-student-exchanges-saying-lai-insincere-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3263602/mainland-china-rejects-taiwan-leaders-offer-tourism-and-student-exchanges-saying-lai-insincere-more?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 May 2024 06:16:39 +0000 Critics of new Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te have warned of a potentially uneasy stand-off with Beijing in the next four years after he referred to the island as a “country” and urged its people not to “harbour any delusions” about cross-strait peace during his inauguration speech. While the international community has largely praised Lai’s inauguration as a demonstration of a vibrant democracy, opposition groups and observers in Taiwan have criticised his unexpectedly assertive... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3263412/william-lais-critics-cry-foul-over-taiwanese-leaders-tougher-expected-inauguration-speech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3263412/william-lais-critics-cry-foul-over-taiwanese-leaders-tougher-expected-inauguration-speech?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 May 2024 14:30:30 +0000 Beijing slammed Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s inauguration speech on Monday as sending “dangerous signals”, saying it would “never tolerate any form of Taiwan independence separatist activities”. Lai, who was sworn in as the island’s new president alongside Vice-President Hsiao Bi-khim, delivered a speech that was tougher than that of his predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen, who is also from the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party. Observers say Lai’s stance could lead to more... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3263410/taiwans-new-leader-william-lai-takes-helm-and-tougher-line?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3263410/taiwans-new-leader-william-lai-takes-helm-and-tougher-line?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 May 2024 14:01:19 +0000 Taiwan’s new cabinet, under President William Lai Ching-te, was sworn in on Monday, with familiar faces in key roles to ensure continuity with the policies of his predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen. Lai, of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, has vowed throughout his presidential campaign and in subsequent speeches to maintain Tsai’s approach to cross-strait relations and other policies, aiming to avoid provoking Beijing. Beijing has meanwhile cautioned Lai against making any moves... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3263370/taiwans-cabinet-sworn-new-leader-william-lai-aims-continuity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3263370/taiwans-cabinet-sworn-new-leader-william-lai-aims-continuity?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 May 2024 10:00:27 +0000 Beijing has accused new Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te of sending “dangerous signals” about seeking independence that undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. A statement released by the mainland’s Taiwan Affairs Office about five hours after Lai’s inauguration speech on Monday said the new president had fully exposed his true nature as a “Taiwan independence worker”. “We will never tolerate any form of ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist activities,” TAO spokesman Chen Binhua... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3263331/beijing-no-rush-respond-new-taiwanese-leaders-pro-independence-speech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3263331/beijing-no-rush-respond-new-taiwanese-leaders-pro-independence-speech?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 May 2024 06:41:24 +0000 Taiwan’s new president, William Lai Ching-te, made a major pivot from his predecessor in his inauguration speech on Monday by not referring to the 1992 consensus. When Lai’s predecessor Tsai Ing-wen first took office in 2016, she pledged “respect” to the “historical fact” of a tacit understanding made between her opposition party with the mainland, although she did not formally recognise it – and later rejected it. The consensus is a tacit agreement between the two sides that there is one China... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3263328/taiwan-inauguration-lai-makes-no-mention-1992-consensus-viewed-beijing-endorsing-one-china-principle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3263328/taiwan-inauguration-lai-makes-no-mention-1992-consensus-viewed-beijing-endorsing-one-china-principle?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 May 2024 06:23:49 +0000 In the eyes of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the legacy of the island’s late leader Chiang Kai-shek represents everything at odds with its political doctrine: the island’s authoritarian past and its deep historical roots with the mainland. But just as Taiwan’s incoming administration under William Lai Ching-te plans to press ahead with Taipei’s project to remove all statues of Chiang on the island, it has received an outright resistance from the island’s military – the same... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3263113/how-ghost-chiang-kai-shek-haunts-taiwans-next-president-william-lai-and-islands-armed-forces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3263113/how-ghost-chiang-kai-shek-haunts-taiwans-next-president-william-lai-and-islands-armed-forces?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 May 2024 01:00:36 +0000 When asked what it was like being vice-president under then-Taiwanese president Chen Shui-bian, Annette Lu once responded that she felt like wallpaper. Few expect vice-president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim to adorn the walls, judging by her tenure as Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the United States from 2020 to 2023. “Bi-khim Hsiao is a force of nature,” said Ryan Hass of the Washington-based Brookings Institution and formerly with the US National Security Council. Hsiao has strong foreign-policy and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3263159/incoming-taiwan-vice-president-hsiao-bi-khim-islands-new-us-whisperer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3263159/incoming-taiwan-vice-president-hsiao-bi-khim-islands-new-us-whisperer?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 May 2024 16:57:15 +0000 A visit to Tokyo by a rising star of the Taiwanese political scene and plans for an unprecedented number of Japanese politicians to travel to Taipei for the May 20 inauguration of the new president have underlined the growing links between Japan and Taiwan. The relationship is “evolving”, an analyst said, noting that while Japan has always been a strong supporter of Taiwan, its politicians and the public are now aware that any attempt to build closer ties with Taipei will inevitably incur the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3263125/japan-taiwan-ties-get-boost-taipei-mayors-tokyo-visit-and-closely-linked-security-concerns-about?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3263125/japan-taiwan-ties-get-boost-taipei-mayors-tokyo-visit-and-closely-linked-security-concerns-about?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 May 2024 11:38:32 +0000 The Taiwanese and US navies have quietly held joint drills focused on communications – a move experts say could be an attempt by Washington to assert its military commitment to Taiwan without dealing a major blow to relations with Beijing. They added that such operations were key for Taipei’s endurance in the case of a military blockade imposed by the mainland. The drills, first reported by Reuters earlier this week, were confirmed by Taipei on Tuesday. Responding to a question about the report,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3263081/taiwan-navy-drills-highlight-us-attempts-balance-military-commitments-and-fragile-beijing-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3263081/taiwan-navy-drills-highlight-us-attempts-balance-military-commitments-and-fragile-beijing-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 May 2024 08:43:55 +0000 Beijing has realistic and limited expectations for the inauguration speech William Lai Ching-te will deliver when he is sworn in as Taiwan’s president on Monday, analysts say, but there are still ways he can signal willingness to improve cross-strait ties. Lai is expected to deliver a wide-ranging speech that will set the tone for his presidential term. It is likely to cover key strategic issues including Taipei’s relations with Beijing and Washington. Analysts sat that Beijing will closely... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3262954/taiwans-william-lai-could-signal-friendlier-cross-strait-ties-inauguration-beijing-isnt-getting-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3262954/taiwans-william-lai-could-signal-friendlier-cross-strait-ties-inauguration-beijing-isnt-getting-its?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 May 2024 22:00:23 +0000 China did not try to influence the outcome of the 2020 US presidential election and the US has “no information to suggest” Beijing will play a “more active role” this year, a top US intelligence official told senators on Wednesday. Testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, US director of national intelligence Avril Haines said that while China had a “sophisticated influence apparatus” to exploit new technologies such as generative AI, Beijing remained concerned about potential... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3262854/china-has-sophisticated-influence-apparatus-did-not-try-sway-202o-us-election-says-american?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3262854/china-has-sophisticated-influence-apparatus-did-not-try-sway-202o-us-election-says-american?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 May 2024 03:14:36 +0000 Beijing has named a handful of Taiwanese influencers to a list of people it plans to target with punitive measures, accusing them of “fabricating fake and negative information” about mainland China’s development and provoking cross-strait tensions. On Wednesday, Chen Binhua, a spokesman for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office, listed five people, saying that a small number of Taiwanese commentators had “disregarded the facts of the mainland’s development and progress, deliberately fabricating false... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3262801/mainland-china-targets-taiwanese-influencers-punishment-over-fake-and-negative-comments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3262801/mainland-china-targets-taiwanese-influencers-punishment-over-fake-and-negative-comments?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 May 2024 10:17:52 +0000 The increased presence of mainland Chinese coastguard ships patrolling the waters around Taiwan-controlled Quemoy has left Taipei with a dilemma regarding the most appropriate steps to assert its claim. Under Taiwan’s rules of engagement and “first strike” policy, relevant authorities are authorised to target and, in serious cases, open fire on vessels persistently violating warnings by remaining within the waters of Quemoy, a Taiwanese defence outpost also known as Kinmen. However, analysts... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3262227/taiwan-finds-concerns-grow-and-options-shrink-mainland-china-increases-patrols-around-taipei?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3262227/taiwan-finds-concerns-grow-and-options-shrink-mainland-china-increases-patrols-around-taipei?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 May 2024 01:00:26 +0000 Taipei’s de facto diplomatic envoy to the US on Tuesday emphasised that the incoming leader of the self-governing island is open to engaging with Beijing on the basis of “equal footing” and “mutual respect,” reaffirming support for the status quo. Discussing president-elect William Lai Ching-te’s approach towards Beijing, Alexander Tah-ray Yui told the Post that Taiwan’s next leader had “already mentioned during the campaign and after winning the election” his openness to dialogue. Lai was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3261805/incoming-taiwan-leader-open-beijing-dialogue-equal-footing-mutual-respect-envoy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3261805/incoming-taiwan-leader-open-beijing-dialogue-equal-footing-mutual-respect-envoy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 May 2024 21:40:47 +0000 As William Lai Ching-te prepares to take office as Taiwan’s next president, Beijing appears to be using a dual strategy of military plane fly-bys and relaxed travel and food import restrictions to ramp up pressure on the island’s next leader, according to observers. Last weekend, 12 People’s Liberation Army aircraft crossed the unofficial median line of the Taiwan Strait, with an unspecified number flying as close as 37 nautical miles (68.5km) from the northern Taiwanese city of Keelung. It... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3261385/beijing-ramps-pressure-taiwan-warplanes-trade-and-travel-policies-william-lais-inauguration-nears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3261385/beijing-ramps-pressure-taiwan-warplanes-trade-and-travel-policies-william-lais-inauguration-nears?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 May 2024 01:00:26 +0000 Beijing is continuing to carry out “regular patrols” in the waters near a Taiwanese-held island off the coast of mainland China ahead of president-elect William Lai Ching-te’s inauguration later this month. Mainland China’s coastguard said units based in Fujian, the province nearest Taiwan, had carried out a “regular law enforcement” patrol in the waters near Quemoy, which is also called Kinmen, on Friday. Taiwan postpones Quemoy live-fire drills after Beijing warns against ‘rash’ act It was the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3261388/mainland-chinese-coastguard-keeps-pressure-taiwan-latest-regular-patrol-near-quemoy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3261388/mainland-chinese-coastguard-keeps-pressure-taiwan-latest-regular-patrol-near-quemoy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 May 2024 13:00:16 +0000 A senior US official emphasised the need to maintain the status quo when it came to US policy towards Taiwan on Tuesday, arguing the approach has “stood the test of time”. Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations committee, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink said “it’s vitally important that the United States continue to be the party working towards the status quo, maintaining the status quo, not being the party that is somehow changing our... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3261004/us-keeping-status-quo-taiwan-policy-vitally-important-senior-american-diplomat-testifies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3261004/us-keeping-status-quo-taiwan-policy-vitally-important-senior-american-diplomat-testifies?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Apr 2024 22:50:32 +0000 Taiwanese president-elect William Lai Ching-te must “courageously” confront the pressing need to improve cross-strait exchanges to fend off the risk of war, a senior opposition lawmaker said on Monday after a trip to the mainland. Describing the Taiwan Strait as a “flashpoint” of potential conflict, Fu Kun-chi, the legislative caucus leader of the main opposition Kuomintang, said Lai and his incoming administration should seize the opportunity to ease tension with Beijing. “We recognise that the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3260816/kmts-fu-kun-chi-returns-flashpoint-taiwan-peace-mission-islands-next-president?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3260816/kmts-fu-kun-chi-returns-flashpoint-taiwan-peace-mission-islands-next-president?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Apr 2024 12:00:22 +0000