Taiwan Beijing

Taiwan targets Beijing’s grey-zone tactics near remote South China Sea islands

Taiwan’s navy will support patrols around the Taipei-controlled Dongsha Islands after mainland Chinese coastguard activity near the South China Sea atoll surged over the past year. The activity has fuelled concerns in Taipei that Beijing is using the remote outpost to test Taiwan’s responses and refine its grey-zone tactics. Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration said mainland Chinese coastguard vessels had appeared around the atoll 39 times since February last year, compared with only...

Taiwan hits back at Beijing’s ‘cognitive warfare’ after coastguard patrols

Taiwan has accused Beijing of escalating tensions after mainland Chinese coastguard and survey vessels carried out law-enforcement operations in waters off the island’s east coast. Over the weekend, mainland China’s transport ministry announced a “special maritime traffic law enforcement operation” and dispatched a flotilla of coastguard vessels into the waters east of Taiwan. That included the coastguard’s largest patrol vessel.

Rookie Taiwan lawmaker blacklisted by Beijing makes long-shot bid to become Taipei mayor

Rookie Taiwan lawmaker blacklisted by Beijing makes long-shot bid to become Taipei mayor Ruling DPP’s Puma Shen made his name as an outspoken civil defence activist, but faces an uphill battle to unseat the KMT’s Wayne Chiang The ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s decision to nominate Puma Shen Pao-yang, an outspoken critic of Beijing whose political identity has been built around his calls to strengthen the island’s security, came as a surprise to many. The former academic joined...

Beijing detects suspected Japanese spy jets near Taiwan

Advertisement Beijing detects suspected Japanese spy jets near Taiwan Two crewed electronic reconnaissance aircraft sent to ‘snoop around’ and observe mainland Chinese vessels, leading PLA analyst says 2-MIN READ2-MIN Listen Albee Zhangin Shanghai Mainland Chinese maritime authorities detected what analysts believed to be Japanese surveillance aircraft southeast of Taiwan on Monday, after Beijing bolstered patrols around the waters following border talks between Japan and the Philippines....

Beijing sends largest patrol ship east of Taiwan after Japan-Philippine boundary talks

Beijing has sent a flotilla that includes mainland China’s largest patrol vessel to waters east of Taiwan in response to Japanese-Philippine maritime boundary negotiations. The Ministry of Transport ships are expected to conduct joint patrols with a coastguard formation dispatched to the same waters last Monday. The Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily published a commentary on Sunday that accused Japan and the Philippines, which already have long-running territorial disputes with...

What does Beijing’s response to Tokyo-Manila boundary talks mean for Taiwan?

What does Beijing’s response to Tokyo-Manila boundary talks mean for Taiwan? The Chinese coastguard’s rapid growth in recent years has included an evolution of its roles and relationships with the PLA The patrol east of Taiwan showed “not only an expansion of [CCG’s] sailing path, but also enhanced governing and jurisdictional capabilities”, according to an article on Tuesday by Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account affiliated with state broadcaster CCTV. Citing maritime expert Yang Xiao,...

Beijing deploys new missiles matching Patriots opposite Taiwan

Mainland China has equipped frontline troops facing Taiwan with a new missile, state media reported. The missile is believed to be an HQ-16F, which has comparable qualities to the US Patriot PAC2 and 3 systems. On Friday, state broadcaster CCTV aired footage of the 73rd Group Army’s first operational and live-fire assessment of the missile in the Gobi Desert.

Beijing demands measures to curb impact of Czech senate president’s Taiwan trip

Beijing has strongly condemned Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil’s visit to Taiwan this week, and demanded “immediate and effective” measures to curb the impact of his trip. Vystrcil, who is leading a delegation of some 40 representatives from Czech business, academic and cultural sectors, arrived in Taiwan on Monday morning. He is set to meet the island’s leader, William Lai Ching-te, and other high-level officials before leaving on Thursday.

The art of the deal: how Beijing pushed Trump to ‘arrest’ the trend on Taiwan arms sales

China bans four New Zealand lawmakers over visit to Taiwan

China bans four New Zealand lawmakers over visit to Taiwan China says the MPs’ visit sends the ‘wrong signals’ to Taiwan’s ruling party. China has banned four New Zealand lawmakers for visiting Taiwan in May, saying they disregarded Beijing’s “serious concerns, resolute opposition and repeated prior warnings”. In a statement released on Thursday, the Chinese embassy in Wellington lambasted the visit, saying the lawmakers met with high-level politicians, which caused “serious adverse...