|
★
No. 1 "comment
Taiwan" on Mocrosoft Bing,
2025-4-27,
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2025-3-19,
2025-3-3,
2025-2-28,
2025-2-16,
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2025-1-1,
2024-12-30,
2024-12-25,
2024-12-24,
2024-12-7,
2024-10-10,
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2024-5-1,
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2022-5-6
★
pic.:
No.
1 "comment Taiwan" on US Yahoo,
2025-4-27, 2025-4-1, 2025-3-19, 2025-3-3
★
pic.:
No.
1 "comment Taiwan" on US Yahoo,
2025-2-28, 2025-2-16, 2025-1-25, 2025-1-1, 2024-12-30, 2024-12-25, 2024-12-24, 2024-8-31, 2024-8-8, 2024-8-2, 2024-7-24, 2024-5-1, 2024-4-19, 2023-8-8, 2023-7-4, 2023-6-28, 2023-6-16, 2023-5-31, 2023-5-1, 2023-4-30, 2023-3-31, 2023-3-23, 2023-2-28, 2023-2-6, 2023-1-21, 2023-1-14,
Top or No.
1 "comment Taiwan" on US Yahoo,
2022-12-12, 2022-10-10, 2022-9-11, 2022-9-5,
2022-8-13, 2022-8-7,
2022-6-25, 2022-5-25
 ★ ★★
 
★
pic.:
No.
1 "comment Taiwan" on US Yahoo,
2025-2-28, 2025-2-22, 2025-1-1, 2024-12-24, 2024-8-31, 2024-8-8, 2024-8-2, 2024-7-24, 2024-5-1, 2024-4-19, 2023-8-8, 2023-7-4, 2023-6-28, 2023-6-16, 2023-5-31, 2023-5-1, 2023-4-30, 2023-3-31, 2023-3-23, 2023-2-28, 2023-2-6, 2023-1-21, 2023-1-14,
Top or No.
1 "comment Taiwan" on US Yahoo,
2022-12-12, 2022-10-10, 2022-9-11, 2022-9-5,
2022-8-13, 2022-8-7,
2022-6-25, 2022-5-25
★
No. 1 "comment
Taiwan" on
DuckDuckGo , 2025-4-27, 2025-4-1, 2025-3-3, 2025-2-23, 2025-2-16, 2025-1-1, 2024-12-25, 2024-12-24, 2024-12-7, 2024-8-31, 2024-8-8, 2024-8-2, 2024-7-24, 2023-6-16, 2023-5-1,
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2021-10-8, 2021-10-1,
2021-9-27,
2021-9-19, 2021-9-7,
2021-8-22, 2021-8-5, 2021-6-27;
No. 2 "comment
Taiwan" on
DuckDuckGo , 2022-9-11
pic.:
No.1 "comment
Taiwan" on AOL,
2025-4-27, 2025-4-1, 2025-3-3, 2025-2-22, 2025-2-16, 2025-1-1, 2024-12-25, 2023-7-4, 2023-6-28,
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No.1 or top "comment
Taiwan" on AOL,
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2022-3-22, 2022-3-9,
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2021-10-8,
2021-10-1,
2021-9-27,
2021-9-19, 2021-9-7,
2021-6-27,
2021-5-1,
3-8-2021, 2-20-2021,1-18-2020, 12-05-2019;
No.3 at 2022-7-19,
top 3 on US Yahoo, 2022-7-29, 2022-7-19
pic.:
The
web-sites group ranks No.1
"comment Taiwan" on Yandex of Russia ,
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2022-1-25,
2022-1-11,
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2021-10-23, 2021-10-20, 2021-10-3, 2021-6-27,
8-13-2020,
8-5-2020,
6-12-2020,
5-21-2020,
2-28-2020,
1-17-2020,
1-11-2020,
12-18-2019, 12-1-2019, 11-26-2019, 11-7-2019;
No.3 at 2023-3-23
★
No. 1 "comment
Taiwan" on Yahoo (Taiwan),
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:
No.1 "comment Taiwan" (Chinese version)
on Yahoo Taiwan
,
2024-4-19,
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★
pic.:
No.1 "comment Taiwan"
on MetaGER.de of Germany,
2024-8-31, 2024-8-8, 2024-8-2, 2024-7-24, 2024-5-1,
2024-4-19, 2024-2-28, 2023-11-1, 2023-9-11, 2023-8-22, 2023-8-8,
2023-7-4
Latest news
◆
full text
♣
♣
♣Taiwan
should worry about Trump
♣
♣
♣
China-Taiwan
war
♣
♣
♣
Trump's new tariffs
& trade war♣♣
♣
♣unprecedented
recall
on lawmakerss
♣
♣
China holds large-scale drills , Taiwan lost its China
spy war♣
♣
♣
♣Taiwan's
tougher stance on china♣
♣
♣Trump's
defense
policy
♣
♣
♣world
backs
Beijing's claim
♣
♣
♣
lots more
topics
|
China
─ Taiwan
War |
|
◆◆Wall
Street Journal,
2025-5-14 |
Beijing's
new ships can land on beaches and link to form massive mobile piers. Analysts
say they're intended to rapidly offload military
equipment, setting the stage for a D-Day-style invasion of Taiwan. |
 |
|
◆◆Wall
Street Journal,
2025-5-10 |
Taiwan's leaders have embarked on an urgent overhaul of the island's defenses to
prepare for what they see as the possibility of a Chinese invasion by 2027. The purpose: be able to hold on long
enough for the U.S. to come to the rescue. the deputy foreign minister said:
Taiwan will also need to know if U.S.
forces will show up. |
|
◆◆New
York Times,
2025-5-6 |
China's
military is now the world's largest armed force
and rivals the
United States in air, naval and missile power.
Xi Can't Trust His Own Military.
Taiwan should radically increase
spending on weapons such as anti-ship cruise missiles, sea mines and drones. The
US should deploy more long-range missiles... |
|
◆◆Economist,
2025-5-1 |
A blockade could provoke an
American military response without forcing Taiwan to surrender. That is why a
quarantine is more likely. Elbridge Colby has
long argued that America should concentrate on containing China, not least by
explicitly guaranteeing Taiwan's security. Now he says
Taiwan is not an “existential” matter for America and suggests the island cannot
be defended at acceptable cost.
economist.com/briefing/2025/05/01/chinese-military-exercises-foreshadow-a-blockade-of-taiwan |
|
◆◆Foreign
Policy,
2025-5-1 |
Lai Ching-te gave several
speeches that went significantly
further than his predecessors in positioning Taiwan as a sovereign state
that is separate from China. The Trump administration should rein in Lai
before he mistakes Washington's passivity for approval
and entangles the United States in a potentially calamitous war |
|
◆◆The
Diplomat, 2025-4-29 |
Taiwan
was not taking defense reform more
seriously, and responding to calls for a dramatic increase in defense spending
with a less than credible “counteroffer” to make incremental increases.
PS:
War on the Rocks,
2025-4-16:
Taiwan's military remains a profoundly unserious organization.
It is not
ready to wage war. |
|
◆◆Brookings,
2025-4-25 |
According to our
survey, across almost all measures, the United States is seen as a less
reliable partner, Taiwan and South Korea both feel less confident that the
United States will assist them in the event of a conflict with their respective
authoritarian neighbor.brookings.edu/articles/the-trump-effect-on-public-attitudes-toward-america-in-taiwan-and-south-korea/ |
|
◆◆TIME,
2025-4-26 |
Why China-Taiwan relations
are getting
so tense?
Lai Ching-te's DPP lacks a parliamentary majority, and he can't
be sure the Trump Administration has his back. Whatever his political
intent, Lai has become more strident on cross-Taiwan Strait questions in recent
weeks. |
|
◆◆The
Hill,
2025-4-19 |
The
commander of the U.S.
Indo-Pacific Command, gave
testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee: In
2024, the People's Liberation Party demonstrated
growing capabilities through persistent pressure operations with military
pressure against Taiwan increasing by 300%”, “China's increasingly
aggressive actions near Taiwan are not just exercises, they are rehearsals”. |
|
◆◆Reuters,
2025-4-18 |
the Republican Senator Pete Ricketts said that although
administrations change, the bipartisan support for Taiwan in Congress continued;
The US will keep helping Taiwan in its self-defence. |
|
◆◆The
Insider,
2025-4-19 |
The
commander of the U.S.
Indo-Pacific Command: China could stop US airpower
from achieving air superiority in the first island chain, China's fighter fleet,
bombers, and missiles are enough to cause problems.
"their advanced long-range air-to-air missiles also present a tremendous
threat.". Researchers have said that China
could more easily devastate American airpower than the other way around. |
|
◆◆PBS,
2025-4-7 |
Taiwan's financial systems, energy and communications are
vulnerable to Chinese blockade and cyberattack, and critics worry Taiwan isn't
doing enough to prepare for social and economic disruption.
On paper, Taiwan's reserves appear large.
But these men say military training is insufficient, Many young people today are
reluctant to join the armed forces. There's also a general lack of awareness
among civilians about the importance of national defense. |
|
◆◆Washington
Post,
2025-3-21 |
For decades, Taiwanese leaders have
performed a delicate dance of not provoking Beijing. President Lai Ching-te is changing that.
“We are moving toward conflict
escalation with China, that's for sure,” said a
professor at National Chengchi University. |
|
continue reading China-Taiwan war (2) |
|
Trump's
new tariffs, Taiwan's
semiconductor, trade war |
|
◆
Reuters, 2025-5-13 |
"They've agreed to open China,
fully open China, and I think it's going to be fantastic for China, I
think it's going to be fantastic for us, and I think it's going to be
great for unification and peace," Trump said,
without mentioning Taiwan.
AIT (a de facto embassy):
"It's clear President Trump was speaking in the context of the
U.S.-China trade relationship" |
|
Taiwan's Markets Jolted as Currency Surges Most Since 1980s |
|
Reuters, 2025-5-5 |
Bloomberg, Reuters, 2025-5-5 |
|
Taiwan's president
called for an end to "false" news about
US forex talks.
"I would also
like to ask malevolent people to stop deliberately
spreading false information",
Lai Ching-te said. |
Taiwan's
monetary authority hadn't been seen aggressively intervening in the market
Monday to limit its strength, though
it typically does so to smooth out volatility. An
unprecedented two-day surge in Taiwan's currency is the
latest leg of a scramble out of the U.S. dollar and
signal of disquiet in markets as Trump's trade war
rattles confidence and disrupts trade relationships.
"Many
are saying that's due to pressure from the U.S."
a financial industry executive
say that "must be the
case."; expert at LC Beacon Global Fund:
a weak dollar is certainly an integral part
of Trump's strategy
to move manufacturing onshore is out |
|
|
|
◆
The Hill, 2025-4-28 |
Taiwan's semiconductor industry no longer guarantees lasting security. The
US is pressing Taiwan TSMC to increase
production in the US, reducing its reliance on Taiwan-based
manufacturing. As Taiwan's economic leverage
diminishes, will Washington still view
it as indispensable? “Once Trump's America
gets what it wants — or if you remove the chips from the equation — will
the assurance still be there?” |
|
◆
TIME, 2025-4-26 |
Though we don't yet know his tariff intentions toward Taiwan, Trump is extremely
unlikely to cut it loose, at least in the near term. |
|
◆
BBC, 2025-4-16 |
Trump is trying to create a chip industry through protectionism
and isolation, when what allowed the chip industry to emerge throughout Asia is
the opposite: collaboration in a globalised economy.
TSMC have faced challenges with their
investments, including surging costs, difficulty recruiting skilled labour,
construction delays and resistance from local unions.
major US companies could apply pressure on Trump to reverse any
levies on the chip sector.yahoo.com/news/perils-trumps-chips-strategy-us-233939824.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall |
|
◆
New York Times, 2025-4-16 |
President Trump has threatened tariffs on Taiwan
and the chip industry. China has signaled it will not let the trade war
keep it from the technology it needs. Analysts said China's
move to exempt chips made in Taiwan was an acknowledgment of just how
much China's tech relied on Taiwan.
Expert at Techcet said,
“Everyone
is holding their breath"
nytimes.com/2025/04/16/business/china-taiwan-tariffs-chips.html |
|
◆
Washington Post, 2025-4-9 |
Tariffs put Taiwan on shaky ground with U.S., may open door for China.
Taiwan can't afford to take on Beijing
and Washington at the same time, Taiwanese professor
at NCCU said. The U.S. aims to push other countries into
negotiations through raising the tariffs, hoping they'll
buy more American goods and services |
|
◆
Business Insider, 2025-4-8 |
Trump tariffs are all about Taiwan.
Tariffs are an attempt by Trump to reorder the global economy away
from Chinese manufacturing.businessinsider.com/trump-tariffs-taiwan-china-invasion-explained-2025-4 |
|
◆
CNN, 2025-3-14
|
TSMC paying
Trump a $100 billion ‘protection fee’reignited fears
and resignation in Taiwan about losing its crown jewel.
An economist at the University of
Chicago: TSMC and others will
have to “do whatever they can to make Trump happy.” But the
risk is “Once you agree to blackmail, then there's
no end of it” |
|
continue ready Trump's tariff (2) |
|
The scale of this recall effort is unprecedented in Taiwan's
democratic history |
|
◆
ABC News
Australia, 2025-5-10 |
The KMT has denounced the recall effort as a "witch hunt" and an attempt by the DPP to establish one-party rule.
KMT chair E. Chu has accused Mr Lai of launching "a cultural revolution
in Taiwan", referencing the
bloody purges in China under Mao Zedong. Mr Lai has rejected characterisations as a dictator.
A recent poll found 59.3 % of
respondents oppose the DPP's recall campaign, with 33.8 % in support. |
|
◆
The Diplomat, 2025-5-5 |
TPP chair Huang called for a
new set
of presidential elections to
be held if a
new set
of legislative elections take
place. Some KMT politicians have proposed
a vote of no confidence in the Cabinet. |
|
◆
Brookings, 2025-2-12 |
Taiwan's
politics are intense, but today they are in hyperdrive. The three main
political parties maintain their own narratives for the causes of the
breakdown in Taiwan's comity and its deepening
divisions. President Lai Ching-te's toughest
test as a leader may be whether he is capable of building consensus
within his own political party and forging compromises with key
stakeholders across Taiwan's political
spectrum. |
|
◆
Foreign Policy, 2025-2-3 |
The ruling
party's engaging in violence in the legislature to prevent bills from being passed,
launching what many see as a political witch hunt against the leader of the
third party, and attempting politically motivated recalls to target dozens of
opposition lawmakers is a terrible look for any self-respecting democracy. These dysfunctional
domestic politics are not just embarrassing, but damaging for Taiwan's stability
── in Taiwan, recalls have been wielded in a retaliatory
and petty manner as political weapons rather than as legitimate means of
kicking bad politicians out of office. The opposition
warned that if
the DPP could use the judicial system against Ko, it could go after any other
politician. |
|
◆
The Diplomat,
2025-1-28 |
The KMT-TPP
alliance's deep
cuts to government
budget spark
widespread recall
efforts against KMT
legislators in Taiwan.
The
scale of this recall effort is unprecedented in Taiwan's
democratic history. Most
importantly, the budget cuts raise international doubts about Taiwan's
determination to defend itself.
TPP claimed that the reduction is only 6.6
percent of the proposed budget and
that the remaining budget is “more than sufficient” for the government's
operations. The
majority may not support the recalls. |
|
◆
Washington
Times,
2024-12-27 |
"Elbridge Colby and Pete Hegseth: Charting a new course for
U.S.-Taiwan security":
With the possibility of recall elections targeting these KMT politicians, Taiwan has
an opportunity to confront these internal threats and demonstrate its commitment
to national security. |
|
Taiwan
might have reasons to worry about Trump |
|
◆
Economist,
2025-5-1 |
Mr Trump's fickleness has made Taiwan's security seem more parlous |
|
◆
The Hill, 2025-4-28 |
U.S. support is no
longer a given. Taiwan risks becoming less a steadfast partner and more a
bargaining chip in the U.S.-China rivalry — or worse, standing alone against
China |
|
◆
TIME, 2025-4-26 |
If he won't take on costs and risks to help Ukraine repel Russian
invaders, how confident can Taiwan be that Trump will commit U.S. troops and
taxpayer funds to defend an “ally” thousands of miles from American shores? |
|
◆◆The
WEEK,
2025-4-15 |
Increasing economic dependence on the US "could placate Mr
Trump", said The Spectator, but "experience shows that it could just become a
way for Trump to exert more pressure in the future" |
|
◆◆Newsweek,
2025-4-8 |
Would Donald Trump Defend Taiwan?
Even as Pete Hegseth said that the U.S. priority is the Indo Pacific, the U.S.
military is focused on the Middle East, and there have been reports that the
U.S. THAAD battery in Seoul along with two Patriot missile batteries, deployed
elsewhere, were moved to the Middle East. |
|
◆◆The
SUN (UK),
2025-4-8 |
Trump v Xi trade war makes world a scarier place – China
could launch full scale invasion of Taiwan.
Trump
cares about the TSMC, but he has made it clear he
really doesn't care about Taiwan as an independent
democratic state or as a staunch Western ally.
The word is, Trump has made it clear to China that if he reached some grand
bargain with Beijing that was better for America, he'd stand aside and let
it absorb Taiwan |
|
◆◆Wall
Street Journal,
2025-3-17 |
Taiwan's military planners signal to Washington the desire for a stable relationship as
anxieties simmer in Taipei about whether President Trump would send help to
defend against a Chinese attack. Trump's recent suspension of U.S. support
for Ukraine heightened
those concerns in Taiwan. |
|
◆◆Washington
Post,
2025-3-21 |
The U.S. president's transactional approach has unnerved
many in Taiwan.
The
long-standing U.S. policy of “strategic
ambiguity”is now even more pronounced.
|
|
continue reading Taiwan's Trump
problem (2) |
|
Taiwan's
defense and security structures are so deeply penetrated by Chinese
spies
China holds large-scale drills
around Taiwan after president Lai announced measures to counter China's
influence and espionage |
|
◆◆Washington
Post,
2025-4-1 |
China targets Taiwan's
president with military drills and personal attacks.
Taiwanese expert: "we should call it a pre-invasion operation.”
By specifically targeting Taiwan and blaming Lai, China is engaging in
“cognitive warfare” that is gradually making Taiwanese numb to the real threats
they face. The gradual ratcheting up of activity in
frequency and complexity raises the possibility that “drills could escalate into
actual conflict”. |
|
◆◆New
York Times,
2025-4-1 |
Chinese land, navy, air and missile forces
would “approach close” to Taiwan and practice “seizure of overall control,
etc. The exercises appeared intended to intimidate Taiwan, without
tipping over into a wider confrontation or crisis. They
likely want to persuade the Trump administration that
Lai is a troublemaker and to deter the U.S. from maintaining high levels of
support to Taiwan.nytimes.com/2025/04/01/world/asia/china-taiwan-military-drills.html |
|
◆◆Washington
Post,
2025-3-28 |
Taiwanese soldiers guarding president's office were spying for China.
This shows how severe China's infiltration is
in Taiwan; Taiwan's
sentencing on espionage activities has been too lenient. It is now even more uncertain whether Washington would
come to Taiwan's aid. Taipei's
latest crackdown on espionage helps show Washington that Taiwan
is serious about plugging leaks |
|
◆◆The
Diplomat,
2025-4-1 |
the U.S. has called on
Taiwan to do more for its own security,
including taking action on frequent
cases of defection or espionage |
|
◆◆Washington
Examiner, 2025-3-25
|
Taiwan has already lost its China spy war.
Taiwan's
defense and security structures are so deeply penetrated by Chinese spies
that Beijing knows everything about its plans to deter aggression by the
People's Liberation Army, including American
defense and intelligence secrets. At this point,
any secrets Washington shares with our Taiwanese partners stand a high
chance of winding up in Chinese Communist hands.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/courage-strength-optimism/3357074/taiwan-has-already-lost-its-china-spy-war |
|
◆◆Stanford
Review,
2025-2-24 |
Taiwan's military is dilapidated.
Reports of Chinese espionage and infiltration are commonplace throughout
Taiwan's military and civil society. |
|
◆◆Reuters,
2021-12-20 |
The repeated cases of the most senior
level of Taiwan armed forces officers being convicted of espionage...Beijing
has even penetrated the security detail assigned to protect Taiwan's
President. Well-placed spies in the ranks of
the Taiwan military could offer a priceless advantage to China if the two
sides plunge into open conflict, according to Taiwanese and U.S. military
analysts. |
|
Taiwan's Tougher
Stance on China |
|
◆◆Washington
Post,
2025-3-31 |
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has also adopted a
harder line toward China and moved to crack down more on Chinese espionage
in what analysts say is an effort to appeal to China hawks in the Trump
administration. |
|
◆◆New
York Times,
2025-3-23 |
Taiwan President's Gambit: Time for a Tougher Stance on China.
President Lai may be betting that China's
appetite for retaliation will be limited by Beijing's
interest in containing tensions with the Trump administration.
Part of Lai's calculus is that if the opposition
played games with his proposed defense spending increase, that would get
Washington's attention in a way they really don't want.
Nationalist politicians accused Lai of unfairly casting his domestic critics as “red” tools of Beijing,
and argue that reinstating
military
courts is backsliding. |
|
◆◆Washington
Post,
2025-3-21 |
For decades, Taiwanese leaders have performed a delicate dance of
defending Taiwan’s sovereignty while not provoking Beijing. Taiwanese
President Lai Ching-te is changing that. “We are moving toward conflict
escalation with China, that's for sure,” said a
professor at National Chengchi University. |
|
China-Taiwan conflict (2) |
|
◆◆Associated
Press, 2025-3-18 |
China conducts air and sea drills
(an unusually large number of Chinese military ships, planes and drones entered
airspace and waters surrounding Taiwan ) in response to US and Taiwanese
statements. Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te said that Taiwan law
designates mainland China as a “foreign hostile force” and said tougher
measures... The United States deleted the literal expression that reflected the
one-China principle and that did not support Taiwan independence on the website
of the U.S. Department of State. |
|
◆◆Wall
Street Journal,
2025-3-17 |
Taiwan envisions Chinese assaults
on the island to potentially come by land, sea, air and space as well as through
cyberattacks, among others. China could launch a rapid invasion or blockade
Taiwan to try to pressure it into submission. |
|
◆ Brookings,
2025-3-13 |
In surveys
(2021, 2022), Taiwanese people were asked how likely they are to be
willing to fight against an invasion by China on a one-to-five scale. After
observing the invasion, more respondents gravitated to extreme options.
A
research in 2022 indicated that the more Taiwanese citizens believe the United
States will assist Taiwan, the higher their willingness to engage in
self-defense becomes. Additionally, a 2024 study by Ronan Tse-min Fu and
colleagues found that when Taiwanese individuals perceive that Taiwan and U.S.
interests align, they are more likely to trust that the United States will
provide assistance, thereby strengthening their resolve for self-defense. |
|
◆
Fox News,
2025-3-2 |
most Taiwanese aren't
willing to make the sacrifices required for victory in war. Migrant workers
serving as essentially mercenaries would only highlight how few of our citizens
are willing to fight
. Taiwanese expert says: I understand the logic
behind the U.S. policy of strategic ambiguity, but I fear far too many Taiwanese
people – especially younger people – are counting on a rescue from Uncle Sam," |
|
◆
New
York Times, 2025-2-25 |
Mr. Trump said Taiwan was spending
far too little on its military and was too complacent about the United States
coming to its rescue in a war |
|
◆
Wall Street
Journal, 2025-2-22 |
Taiwan must
"adopt a new military culture"
akin to that of Israel, turning itself into a warrior-state.
the DPP has flirted with sovereignty and self-determination, it has always been
careful to stop short of provoking China with any outright declaration of
independence —— that has kept Taiwan and China from
falling into war. |
|
◆ Brookings,
2025-2-12 |
China's
strategy of “coercion without violence.”includes
cyber intrusions, economic coercion, influence operations, bribery, organized
crime, united front activities, and ceaseless and intensifying military pressure
surrounding Taiwan. In other words, Beijing is taking a full spectrum of actions... |
|
◆
Economist, 2025-2-6 |
China is
infiltrating Taiwan's armed forces.
Most of the prosecuted cases have been uncovered through internal
reporting, showing that anti-spy education is working. |
|
◆
New
York
Post, 2025-1-23 |
Trump says he can strike
deals that would keep China out of Taiwan. “We have a
pot of gold.”,“We have one very big power over China
and that's tariffs”. |
|
◆
Washington
Post, 2025-1-17 |
Taiwan is entering a
period of political upheaval that could hinder its combat readiness;
The two parties (KMT, TPP) that hold
the majority in parliament are calling for
substantial cuts, including to defense spending;
Debates over defense — “whether to increase the military budget
or pay a ‘protection fee’ to Trump” — are being “turned into
battlegrounds for partisan conflict”.
Trump has declined to give Biden's
promise, instead calling for Taipei to pay for U.S. protection. |
|
◆
Bloomberg,
2025-1-14 |
Taiwan's military
is
not
prepared
for a Trumpian
World; With
the former president soon back in the White House, Taipei needs to
rethink its defense strategy. |
|
◆
Council
on Foreign Relations, 2025-1-15 |
A top concern among U.S.
security analysts is that China's growing
military capabilities and assertiveness, as well as the deterioration in
cross-strait relations, could spark a conflict that leads to a
U.S.-China confrontation. |
|
◆
L.A.
Times, 2025-1-13 |
China is working with
gangs,
shell companies and others to gain
intelligence, Taiwan's spy agency says |
|
◆
Financial
Times, 2025-1-13 |
Taiwan's long stretches of the coast comprise cliffs, reefs and
rocks, while the flatter western seaboard is lined with mudflats.
China building new mobile piers
could help possible Taiwan invasion;
But military experts said a Chinese invasion force would still
struggle to advance through Taiwan's western
plains, which are densely packed with paddy fields, fish ponds and urban
sprawl, with wide roads often hard to reach from shore. |
|
◆
Financial
Times, 2025-1-5 |
Taiwan suspects
a Chinese-owned ship of cutting a subsea cable off its northern coast.
Taipei is concerned
that such “greyzone” operations, below the threshold of war, will make
it harder to defend against aggression that could eventually escalate to
an outright attack.
ps:
Politico Europe (2025-1-5):
Taiwan has experienced several dozen incidents of damage to its
underwater telecom cables in recent years, without being able to
definitively identify the source of the attacks, and has appealed to the
European Union for help. |
|
◆
The
Hill, 2025-1-7 |
Lyle Goldstein, a professor at
Brown University said the cost of a war with China is
“incalculable” and would at the very least sow mass destruction in Taiwan and
the South China Sea region;
the U.S. should
avoid a war over Taiwan, arguing it amounts to a civil war dispute
and, for the U.S., a moral
conundrum more than a national security risk. |
|
◆
Wall Street Journal,
2025-1-3 |
In addition to
unleashing its full military power, Beijing would be expected to use a
variety of economic strategies in a showdown over Taiwan.
A 2023 study by Rhodium Group and the Atlantic Council concluded
that Beijing has been more systematic in preparing such defenses than
Russia was to counter Western sanctions. |
|
◆
Washington Examiner,
2025-1-1 |
The quantity and
quality of munitions to deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan has fallen as
they have been diverted to Ukraine. While
Taiwan's
2.5% of GDP spent on defense is impressive compared to many European
nations, it is nowhere near what is needed in a nation at the front line
of conflict. |
|
◆
USNI
News, 2024-12-19 |
The
Pentagon's
report: Xi Jinping's
goal of having his military ready to carry out a “short, sharp invasion”
of Taiwan by 2027 “is not possible right now”;
the force has not yet demonstrated the type and scale of
sophisticated urban warfare or long-distance logistic capabilities that
would likely be required for operations against Taiwan or major
contingencies overseas”. |
|
◆
Financial
Times, 2024-12-13 |
US nuclear build-up
would not help deter China from using atomic weapons in Taiwan, war game
finds;
Unclassified exercise by CSIS and
MIT suggests Washington should not go beyond current modernisation plans...
only five of 15 iterations
of the nuclear game ended with a withdrawal of the PLA. |
|
◆
Economist,
2024-12-5 |
American military officials have
long worried about a “window of vulnerability” before new weapons enter
into service in the 2030s. But
corruption in the PLA is changing the calculations of analysts;
China's economic woes and social
discontent mean that Mr Xi is turning inward.
The views (the
period of greatest danger has probably been pushed out for
several years) are not universally shared, in
or out of government. “Xi has his foot firmly
on the accelerator and a full tank of gas". |
|
◆
Breaking
Defense, 2024-12-6 |
The
head of the Defense Intelligence Agency:
China did appear to be on track to meet Xi's
2027 preparedness goal.
House intel's Himes:
You could implement a blockade. You know,
what? If you invade Taiwan, what happens? A. You may lose.
B. You may reduce the place to smoking rubble, what have you
really achieved economically?
|
|
◆
Newsweek,
2024-11-20 |
U.S. Pacific Commander Samuel
Paparo:
a cross-strait invasion executed by the Chinese military would
be "exceedingly difficult" given the advantages of the U.S. and allies. |
|
◆
Washington Examiner, 2024-12-4 |
Chinese leaders have said
they want their military to be prepared to invade Taiwan by 2027, though
U.S. defense leaders have said the date does not guarantee a decision to
carry out such an operation has been made.
War with China would exhaust munition stockpiles
"very rapidly",
national security adviser
J. Sullivan
acknowledged that China has "the
single biggest advantage",
"God forbid we end up in a full-scale
war with the PRC" . |
| |
|
Trump's tariff (2) |
|
◆
Fortune, 2025-3-13
|
TSMC's $100 billion promise to invest in the U.S. won’t
shake up the chip supply chain: ‘Most of its capacity is still in
Taiwan’. a senior research analyst at
Isaiah Research is skeptical that TSMC's $100 billion pledge will fully materialize.
Timelines for reaching the next generations of chips are
“not quite aligned with U.S. capacity right now. |
|
◆
NPR, 2025-3-12
|
Taiwanese chip giant's investments in U.S. stir 'silicon
shield' security worries and divide politics in
Taiwan. TSMC chairman is facing a
dilemma, because on one hand, he needs to meet the needs of the Trump
administration. On the other hand, he needs to assure the Taiwanese
people that we'll be safe. |
|
◆
Reuters, 2025-3-4 |
TSMC's $100 bln gamble
jeopardises 'Taiwan First'. TSMC
committed to set up a major research and development centre
stateside, despite an earlier assurance from boss C.C. Wei to keep
innovation on the company's home island. That's a threat to Taiwan in
multiple ways. The enormous disruption that
military conflict would inflict on global semiconductor supply chains is
a core part of the deterrence. But the more that TSMC replicates its
business offshore, the more this protection will erode. |
|
◆
Bloomberg, 2025-2-15 |
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is
considering taking a controlling stake in Intel Corp.'s factories at the request
of Trump administration officials, as
the president looks to boost American manufacturing and maintain US leadership
in critical technologies. |
|
◆
NY Times, 2025-2-13 |
Taiwan is adjusting to a shift in
its relationship with the United States, its primary backer — one that
does not focus on shared democratic ideals, and that is more uncertain
and transactional. Taiwanese officials have traveled to Washington to float energy deals and defend the
island's semiconductors. |
|
◆
Fortune, 2025-2-3 |
Taiwan offers to help firms move production to the U.S., Southeast Asia, or
India as Trump threatens tariffs. a U.S.
think tank argues that
a tariff on Taiwanese chips would likely backfire. The organization
claims that such a measure will increase prices, hurt U.S. tech firms,
and damage relations with Taiwan, while also failing to drive chip and
electronics manufacturing back to the U.S |
|
◆
Washington Post, 2025-1-28 |
the vast majority of chip
production happens overseas, particularly in Taiwan
── Trump said he wanted the
manufacturers of semiconductors and chips — which are used in many
high-end consumer electronics and sophisticated AI-powered technology
and research — to open factories in the United States and would use the
threat of high taxes and tariffs to force them to relocate. |
|
◆
Reuters,
2025-1-28 |
Taiwan Economy Minister said he
only expected a small impact from any tariffs imposed by Trump on semiconductor
exports given their technological superiority.
In another potential challenge for Taiwan,
Trump last week directed federal agencies to investigate persistent U.S.
trade deficits and unfair trade practices and alleged currency
manipulation by other countries |
|
◆
Politico (EU),
2025-1-30 |
Trump threatened to impose tariffs of up to 100
percent on Taiwanese semiconductor imports in a bid to “return
production of these essential goods to the United States of
America.” Taipei will convene “emergency discussions” to determine
countermeasures... |
|
◆
Business Insider, 2025-1-28 |
US tariffs on Taiwan's semiconductors could result in a steep
increase in costs to Nvidia and other significant customers, such as Apple and
AMD. Chip manufacturing efforts in the US are less developed and more expensive
than those in Taiwan. the US's chip
manufacturing sector could take years to develop the
same capacity as Taiwan's. |
|
◆
CNN, 2024-12-15 |
Trump's
remarks have prompted jitters that Taiwan would need to move more of its
critical chip supply chain to the US at a faster pace,
that could affect the island's economic security and
dismantle the very “silicon shield”
... |
| |
|
Taiwan has Trump's problem (2) |
|
◆◆The
Hill,
2025-3-13 |
Taiwan president
Lai has clearly gotten the message that he must increase defense spending in a
world where the U.S. appears increasingly likely to leave small powers to fend
for themselves. |
|
◆
New
York Times, 2025-3-6
|
President Trump has
pressed Taiwan to loosen its dominance in advanced semiconductors and to
move production to the United States, and he has warned of hefty tariffs
if his demands are not met.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/world/asia/taiwan-tsmc-chips-arizona.html |
|
◆ TIME,
2025-2-27 |
University of London
expert says: I haven't
seen any evidence that Trump cares much about Taiwan.
Nanyang Technological University scholar says:
China may be able to
take Taiwan “without too much U.S. interference” if Beijing is able to
strike a similar deal with Washington. |
|
◆ New
York Times,
2025-2-25 |
Mr. Trump executes a dramatic reversal of
U.S. policy toward Ukraine, insisting that Ukraine is to blame for the war;
In Taiwan, Mr. Trump's stinging comments about Ukraine could feed a
current of public
opinion arguing that the island has been repeatedly abandoned by
Washington and cannot trust its promises. |
|
◆
Eurasian Times,
2025-3-1 |
Same Playbook! just
like the Ukraine minerals deal, the U.S. seeks to secure Taiwan's
semiconductor technology through the TSMC-Intel
deal. The
agreements conspicuously lack one crucial element—security guarantees in
both cases. |
|
◆ New
York Times,
2025-2-21 |
Mr. Trump executes a dramatic reversal of U.S.
policy toward Ukraine, abandoning Western efforts to punish Russia for
the invasion and insisting that Ukraine is to blame for the war;
The prospect of the United States trying to make a deal with
Russia over Ukraine, without actually giving Ukraine a seat at the
table, will reinforce the sense of American skepticism in Taiwan”nytimes.com/2025/02/25/world/asia/trump-ukraine-taiwan.html |
|
◆ Washington
Post, 2025-2-18 |
Each statement by Trump that degrades the
principle that territorial boundaries must not be redrawn by force or
coercion might embolden China on Taiwan. political scientist
Graham Allison : “Taiwan will be depreciated in the triangular
relationship”,“I see no evidence whatever that [Trump] believes the U.S.
has any vital interest in Taiwan.” |
|
◆ Newsweek,
2025-2-18 |
Trump's approach to Ukraine could signal how
it would respond to a cross-strait conflict between the East Asian power
and its diminutive neighbor. |
|
◆ The
Guardian,
2025-2-21 |
Taiwan holds its breath as a withdrawal of
American support here would spark an existential crisis. “The Trump administration has already
demonstrated that it is willing to suddenly and without warning
break from decades of bipartisan US policy on China,” says
head at ASPI. Worries about Trump's “lukewarm” view of
Taiwan are becoming more obvious ...says professor at Taiwan's National ChengChi university. |
|
◆ Council
on Foreign Relations,
2025-2-21 |
Trump is making Taiwan more vulnerable. Trump has
also made clear that he wants to negotiate a broad
economic deal with China, which raises the question of what China will seek in
return. If Trump can take Greenland, why can't China take Taiwan? |
|
◆
Politico (EU),
2025-1-30 |
President Donald
Trump's threat to use military force
to take control of Greenland and Panama has spooked Taiwan.
Trump's assertions of the U.S. right to
use military force — even against longtime allies — in the name of
national security concerns could embolden Beijing to apply that same
logic to pursuing its claims to Taiwan. |
|
◆
Wall
Street Journal, 2024-11-18 |
Some in Taiwan say its survival as a self-ruled democracy is
at stake, that it
can't afford to spend what Trump demands on defense and that it would wither in
the crossfire of a U.S.-China trade war.
Taiwan's military spending is currently at 2.45%
of GDP—a lower share than Singapore's 2.8% and
South Korea's 2.7%; In
Washington, the percent of GDP is really seen as a proxy for your
seriousness. |
|
◆
New
York Times, 2024-11-24 |
Taiwan is
ready to defend
democracy. Is Trump?
Maybe he
will strike some sort of bargain with Taiwan. But whatever Taiwan can offer
him, Beijing can easily top. More and
more, there are those in Taiwan who say we are an “abandoned chess
piece,” no longer valued by the United States. China
amplifies these fears... |
|
◆
New
York Times, 2024-11-6 |
Some
diplomats in Asia expect China to
intensify pressure on Taiwan, if not invade the self-governing island it
claims as its territory; and China may
calculate that Mr. Trump would not go to war for a democracy that he has
accused of “stealing” the microchip industry from the United States.
“With Donald Trump, there are large amounts of
uncertainty,” said Lev Nachman, a political scientist, “And it's a matter of uncertainty that comes with
great risk for Taiwan.” |
|
◆
Washington Post,
2024-11-6 |
Trump's statements this
year that raise doubt about his willingness to come to the island
democracy's defense and his misleading
assertion that Taipei needs to pay the US for defense. Such
rhetoric could “fan the flames of skepticism” about American intent at a
time when the Taiwanese are “directly threatened by
CCP disinformation
aimed at undermining U.S. credibility” |
|
◆
New
York Times, 2024-11-10 |
Taiwan's leading chip makers may face demands from the Trump
administration to locate more production in the United States.
Taiwan has already been raising its military spending, partly
under pressure from Washington. But Mr. Trump has said that Taiwan
should raise military spending to 10
percent of its gross domestic product (from
about 2.6 percent).
Sharply increasing military spending could be politically
difficult for Taiwan's president.
Beijing, for its part, appears poised to exploit any signs of
discord between Washington and Taipei. |
|
◆
Fox
News, 2024-11-10 |
Trump's
public comments might suggest that he would not be willing to put boots
on the ground to face another global superpower in defense of a tiny
island democracy (Taiwan). there
is hope among restraint groups
that Trump will be focused on economic
warfare with China – rather than military.
"We don't have that alliance with Taiwan, ...
the Taiwan issue is a powder keg — it's exceedingly dangerous. "
|
|
◆
New
York Times, 2024-11-6
news briefing |
Many
believe Trump's
foreign policy changes could have a greater impact than anything since
the start of the Cold War.
Trump could decide to
do the true “America First” thing and
withdraw completely, and basically say,
"defending Taiwan is not in our interest.” |
|
◆
Bloomberg,
2024-11-5 |
Taiwan's Economic
Affairs Minister acknowledged that Trump could
introduce measures that might prove harmful for Taiwan's
semiconductor industry. But the impact will not be as severe as some
anticipate. |
|
◆
Reuters, 2024-11-6 |
From Taiwan to trade, China braces for more rivalry as close US
presidential race ends. Trump
might try to use the Taiwan issue as a bargaining chip to gain
leverage in other areas, such as offering to restrain Taiwan's
provocative actions in exchange for Beijing's
compromise on trade. |
| |
|
How much of the
world
backs Beijing's claim to Taiwan? |
|
♣
Economist,
2025-2-9 |
By The
Economist's count, 70 countries have now
officially endorsed that China is entitled to pursue
“all” efforts to achieve unification, without specifying that those efforts
should be peaceful.
China's latest diplomatic push appears to be
designed to secure global support for its broadening campaign of coercion
against Taiwan. That campaign includes the threat of imposing a quarantine
or inspection regime on Taiwan
economist.com/international/2025/02/09/chinas-stunning-new-campaign-to-turn-the-world-against-taiwan |
|
♣
Lowy
Institute
, 2025-1-29 |
nearly three-quarters of countries
(74% or 142 in total) now support Beijing's
position that Taiwan is part of China.。A growing number of countries support PRC efforts to “achieve national
reunification” without any caveat that Beijing's objectives should be pursued
peacefully. The widespread adoption of Beijing's stance might
constrain US-led deterrence efforts and could provide the
PRC with extra licence to escalate military aggression
lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/how-much-world-really-backs-beijing-s-claim-taiwan |
|
♣ National Review . 2024-10-7 |
Taiwan is losing the
battle for diplomatic recognition overseas. The island nation cannot compete with China's “checkbook
diplomacy,” preferring instead to await the day when the foreign beneficiaries
of Beijing’s largess recognize the substandard services they're purchasing and
see for themselves the point of diminishing returns.
Washington treated Taiwan as a chip to be traded away. |
|
♣ National
Public Radio, 2024-8-19 |
Taiwan is not officially
considered a sovereign nation by most other countries and does not have the ability to conduct normal diplomacy. |
|
China fumes at
Trump after the State Department drops website
wording on not supporting Taiwan independence |
|
♣
New
York Post, 2025-2-18 |
The US agreed to acknowledge the so-called One China Policy and recognize
Taiwan as part of China in the 1970s under then-President Nixon.
But while the US has agreed to the One China Policy on paper, in practice, it
has historically shown “strategic
ambiguity” on the issue. |
|
♣
NBC
News, 2025-2-17 |
The State Department website has also been changed to add a reference to
Taiwan's cooperation with a Pentagon technology and semiconductor development
project and to say the U.S. will continue to support Taiwan's participation in
international organizations, “including membership where applicable.
China has consistently opposed Taiwan's membership in international bodies such
as the WHO. |
|
♣
Independent
(UK), 2025-2-17 |
Beijing accused the Trump administration of
"gravely backpedalling"
; It is not the first time the State Department has removed the
phrase. It did so in May 2022 but restored it a few weeks later after a strong
protest from China. |
|
♣
USA
Today
, 2025-2-17 |
US drops website wording on not supporting Taiwan independence,
prompting praise from Taiwan island.
the State Department website reads in the update posted
: "We expect cross-Strait differences to be
resolved by peaceful means, free from coercion, in a manner acceptable
to the people on both sides of the (Taiwan) Strait." |
|
♣
The
Hill
, 2025-2-9 |
The president's rhetorical pivot from threats to compliments
suggests that he may smell a deal in the air. But US concessions
(such as agreeing to "oppose" rather than "not support" Taiwan
independence...) would make the U.S. strategic position in Asia
increasingly vulnerable, as they leave Beijing with openings for future
exploitation. |
|
Trump's
defense policy on Taiwan |
|
◆
Brookings,
2025-2-12 |
Trump said in 2021, if
China invades Taiwan, “there isn't a f—ing
thing we can do about it.” |
|
◆
Fox News,
2025-2-7 |
Trump's comments on the campaign trail suggest that he would
not be willing to put boots on the ground to face another global superpower in
defense of the island democracy. |
|
◆
Newsweek,
2025-1-3 |
Trump, who positioned himself as being tough on
China, has suggested he would not defend Taiwan from China
|
|
◆ The
Telegraph, 2025-1-13 |
Donald Trump has appointed a number of hawkish foreign policy advisers
to his transition team. However, he has pledged not to allow the US to
become involved in foreign wars. |
|
◆ Newsweek,
2025-1-3 |
Trump, who positioned himself as being tough on China, has suggested he would
not defend Taiwan from China |
|
◆
Voice of America,
2024-12-26 |
Taiwan seeks clarity on Trump team
policy amid Chinese pressure.
There is still quite a bit of resistance not only within the
security apparatus and armed forces, which don't
like the idea of involving citizens in defense, the opposition parties
have also sought to derail [relevant] plans and fundings.
What may come next depends on Taiwan's
actions and Beijing's assessment of Trump's
policies toward the island after he takes office.
|
|
◆
Insider,
2024-12-26 |
Trump's
next undersecretary of defense policy,
Elbridge Colby, once called for the
destruction of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's chip plants
if China takes over Taiwan. In Feb.,
Colby said "disabling or destroying TSMC is table stakes" if China
invades Taiwan. The US and its
allies can't afford to allow China to "have such dominance over global
semiconductors," he wrote in 2023. |
more
|
Prosecutors
indict former
presidential
candidate Ko
♦
He and his supports accused a
political vendetta |
|
◆
Foreign Policy, 2025-2-3 |
The ruling party's launching what many see as a
political witch hunt against the leader of the third party......is
a terrible look for any self-respecting democracy...
These dysfunctional domestic politics are not just embarrassing, but damaging
for Taiwan's stability.
the TPP slammed “green authoritarianism”and warned that if
the DPP could use the judicial system against Ko, it could go after any other
politician. KMT politicians also appeared... |
|
◆
New York Times,
2024-12-26 |
Ko has denied the charges and said that
he was the victim of a political vendetta mounted by Mr. Lai's
government...thousands of supporters
gathered
in protests, arguing that the allegations were
flimsy
and politically motivated, and that
seemingly corrupt politicians from Mr. Lai's
DPParty had
been spared investigations.
“What's important to keep in mind is
that the sort of political force that he awakened in
Taiwan is not going to go away,” said Lev
Nachman, a political scientist at NCCU.
nytimes.com/2024/12/26/world/asia/taiwan-presidential-candidate-indicted.html |
|
◆
Bloomberg,
2024-12-26 |
The Taiwan People's
Party (founded by Ko) denounced the indictment
in a press briefing :
“Today, Taiwan is
experiencing judicial injustice, with politics and state machinery being
used to persecute political opponents,” The indictment “lacks financial
evidence and concrete proof, relying solely on pieced-together claims to
destroy political adversaries.” |
|
◆
BBC,
2024-12-26 |
A dark horse in presidential election, Ko won votes
not far behind ruling party candidate Lai Ching-te's 40%;
His
sizable showing pointed to voters' demand for a more pluralistic political landscape beyond the
two main parties. Ko was
expected to seek the presidency again in 2028.
His allies and supporters accused
the DPP of using the charges to suppress its opponents. |
|
Taiwan has a plan for Trump's inauguration |
|
◆
Radio
Free Asia, 2025-1-20 |
Asia sends top officials to Trump inauguration amid concern
over trade, security
── Trump's return raises fundamental questions in Asia,
in particular the extent he will follow through on his promise to ramp up
tariffs and his commitment to the security of old allies in an increasingly
dangerous world.
Taiwan's delegation
will not be able to attend the inauguration “due
to space constraints” in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol。Trump's talk of taking control of
Greenland and the Panama Canal has triggered a wave of speculation in Chinese
social media that he may be willing to let China take control of democratically
ruled Taiwan. rfa.org/english/asia/2025/01/20/trump-inauguration-lookahead/ |
|
◆
Politico, 2024-12-20 |
Taiwan has a plan for Trump's inauguration.
Taiwan is launching a new charm offensive on Washington ──
dispatching a large delegation to Washington for the inauguration,
which underscores how unnerved Taipei is over what Trump's
return to the White House means for the self-governing island.
The
Council on Foreign Relations
David Sacks:
Taiwan is likely to try to address those perceptions by telling
Trump and his team that Taiwan “is taking its defense seriously, that it's
not a free rider.” |
|
Taiwan Lawmakers
Brawl Over Controversial Bills |
|
◆
Bloomberg,
2024-12-23 |
Taiwan's government said a legal change to budget rules
could derail its 2025 spending plan, underscoring
challenges the opposition is posing to the new leader of
the democracy at the core of China-US tensions. |
|
◆
Bloomberg,
2024-12-20 |
A new wave of political wrangling between Taiwan's ruling and opposition parties
that has involved street protests and lawmakers tussling adds to questions about
President Lai Ching-te's ability to govern one of the world's most dangerous
geopolitical hotspots. |
|
China's
largest-ever war games around Taiwan |
|
◆
New
York Times, 2024-12-10 |
Taiwan says China
has deployed
largest fleet of
ships in decades,
which could block American allies in the region from coming
to Taiwan's defense.
Speculation had been growing for days that China would launch war
games in retaliation for visits made by Lai Ching-te to Hawaii and Guam
last week; The surge in Chinese ships could
also be a signal to the incoming Trump administration, which has yet to
indicate how it will deal with Taiwan. |
|
◆
Fox News, 2024-12-10 |
After
Taiwanese president visits Hawaii and Guam,
Chinese military makes massive deployment around Taiwan to send
'very simple' message: "The Taiwan Strait is
ours"; Taiwan defense officials are raising
concerns ..., saying the build-up could
eventually lead to war as tensions continue to rise in the area. |
|
◆
Financial Times, 2024-12-15 |
Big Chinese naval exercise
to
"punish" its
president, Lai Ching-te, for a trip abroad (included
U.S.)
leaves Taiwan and US struggling
for response.
Taiwan: the manoeuvres involved
all three of the PLA's coastal theatre
commands for the first time, a demonstration
that they can lock down the First Island Chain. |
|
◆
AFP, 2024-12-11 |
Taiwan security official : the
sea drills were "significantly larger" than Beijing's
maritime response to then-US House speaker Nancy
Pelosi's visit to Taipei in 2022, which was China's
largest-ever war games around Taiwan.
China's massive
maritime operation began in October
were aimed at demonstrating that Beijing could
choke off Taiwan and also to "draw a red line" ahead of
the next US administration. |
|
◆
Radio France Internationale,
2024-12-11 |
Hopes for
'reunification' a fact of life on
China's window to Taiwan |
|
Taiwan's presidential office runs first
'tabletop' simulation of Chinese
military escalation |
|
◆
CNN,
2024-12-27 |
The simulation highlights Taipei's
urgency in ensuring preparedness against an increasingly assertive Beijing.
Unlike traditional war games
by the military, the tabletop exercise was aimed at testing how different
government agencies could "ensure the normal
functioning of society" in times of crisis |
|
◆
Reuters,
2024-12-26 |
The exercise simulated scenarios
including China's "high intensity" grey-zone warfare as well as when the
island is "on the verge of conflict" to test response readiness by
Taiwan government offices and civil society. |
|
Taiwan's pres. Lai flies to US, angering China |
|
◆
Wall
Street Journal, 2024-12-2 |
Trump has publicly called for Taiwan to spend more to defend itself and has accused Taiwan's world-class chip makers of stealing
American jobs. In a closed-door speech delivered in
English, Lai appeared to address some of those criticisms, outlining plans to
bolster the country's self-defense. Lai promised deepening cooperation with the
U.S. in the semiconductor industry. |
|
◆
AP, Washington
Post, 2024-12-4 |
Taiwanese President Lai reportedly has phone talks
from Guam with US Congress leaders; their talks
seemed designed to underscore the bipartisan support for Taiwan
in the U.S. Congress. |
|
◆
New
York Times, 2024-11-30 |
Taiwan's government
tries to fathom what changes President-elect Donald J. Trump will bring
to U.S. dealings with Taiwan。In uncertain times, Taiwan needs every edge
of international advantage that it can get. Taiwanese leaders have used
their brief stops to promote stronger ties with the United States; This
time, Mr. Lai will not set foot in the continental United States,
reducing opportunities for high-profile meetings.
|
|
◆
Wall
Street Journal, 2024-12-1 |
Taiwan's President begins Hawaii
stopover
and sends a firm but conciliatory
message to both China and the incoming Trump administration: While
Taipei doesn't seek a war with Beijing, it is
counting on U.S. support to deter any aggression from its larger
neighbor. "Transits" are part of careful arrangements made between Washington and
Taipei to allow its leaders to engage with each other on American soil
after the two severed formal diplomatic ties in 1979. |
|
◆
CNN, 2024-11-30 |
Chinese government labeled Lai's
visit as "a provocative act", and could respond by staging a fresh round
of military drills near the island democracy. China hopes to
create an incident during the transition period in the United States to
create pressure on the incoming Trump team by drawing a red line. |
|
◆
AFP (France), 2024-11-30 |
President Lai Ching-te's trip has ignited fiery threats from Beijing.
Bonnie
Glaser: Lai's tour of the Pacific was an opportunity for him "to show those
countries and the world that Taiwan matters". China always wants to leave the impression
that Taiwan is isolated and it is dependent on the PRC. |
|
◆
Deutsche Welle (Germany), 2024-11-30 |
China has slammed the trip
as a step toward independence from Beijing,
and described Lai's planned stopover
in the US territory of Guam as "separatist actions." |
◆ Brookings,
2024-11-22:
To many in Beijing, Taiwan's leaders are testing the boundaries of China's
tolerance by incrementally advancing efforts to permanently
separate Taiwan from China. American officials generally do not
judge that Taiwan President Lai Ching-te has taken steps to undermine peace and
stability.
◆ Daily
Mail (UK) ,
2024-11-23: In a war simulation by the Center for Strategic and
International Studies (CSIS)showed
devastating costs for all involved. The grim war simulations come at a time of political upheaval, with Taiwan's
President Lai Ching-te taking a tougher line with China.
|
Taiwan has a Trump problem |
|
◆
The Atlantics,
2024-10-25 |
The shortcomings of Taiwan's
military lend some validity to Trump's
complaint that America's
allies don't pay enough for
their own defense and dump too much of the
responsibility onto the United States—a burden that a
second Trump administration might not be committed to
bear. |
|
◆
New York Times,
2024-10-26 |
Mr. Trump criticized Taiwan,
saying that “they stole our chip business”,“They want us to protect,
... They don't
pay us money for the protection...
The mob makes you pay money, right?”America's heavy reliance on Taiwan's semiconductors has been a growing
source of concern among U.S. officials, given China's ongoing threats to
invade the self-governing island. |
|
Taiwan's
Lai Ching-te and China's Xi JinPing congratulate Trump |
|
◆ The
Hill, 2024-11-6 |
Taiwan president congratulates Trump on victory.
William Lai Ching-te
posted
on the social platform X. “I'm
confident that the longstanding Taiwan-US partnership, built on shared values
& interests, will continue to serve as a cornerstone for regional stability &
lead to greater prosperity for us all.”
Trump has made several incendiary
comments about Taiwan, saying it should have to pay the U.S. to defend the
nation against China and that Taipei stole
the United States's ability to make semiconductors. He has
also called Chinese President Xi Jinping “brilliant.” |
|
◆
CNA, 2024-11-6 |
Robert
O'Brien
expresses thanks |
|
◆
Bloomberg, 2024-11-6 |
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te is considering trying to make a call to Donald
Trump after his US election victory, in a move that would likely be seen by Beijing as a sign of Taiwan
seeking to assert independence.
Lai has no plan to arrange
a congratulatory call with Trump, the Presidential Office said in a
statement (
到目前為止沒有規畫致電表達祝賀之意) |
|
◆
中国央視(CCTV),
Dagens
(UK),
2024-11-7 |
Xi Jinping Congratulates Trump, Pushes for Peaceful U.S.-China Future.
Chinese President Xi Jinping personally called Donald Trump to
congratulate him on his election victory, according to China's
Foreign Ministry.
"History has shown that China and the United States benefit from
cooperation and lose from confrontation. Stable, healthy and stable
Sino-American relations meet the common interests of both countries and
the expectations of the international community," Xi stated, as reported
by Ukrinform's
own correspondent.He expressed optimism that both nations would continue
to uphold principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and
mutually beneficial cooperation.
"We look forward to further strengthening dialogue and
communication with Washington and to managing differences responsibly,
finding ways to expand cooperation for the benefit of both countries and
the world," Xi added
|
◆
NY
Times, 2024-10-22: The frequency of the exercises suggests that China is stepping up its
intimidation efforts: The Chinese military has held two such large-scale
exercises since Mr.
Lai took office in May, the same number that it held over the
previous eight years.◆
Wall
Street Journal, 2024-10-17:
China practiced a military blockade of Taiwan that is an all
too real future possibility.
Short of Taiwan's surrender, a blockade may be President Xi Jinping's
preferred option.
All underscores the urgent need to buttress deterrence against
a blockade or invasion. This means more civil defense training and
military spending in Taiwan, and
faster U.S. weapons delivery...The next U.S. President could easily face a Taiwan
crisis◆
Foreign Affairs, 2024-10-16:
By almost universal agreement, the
Taiwan Strait has emerged as the most
combustible flash point in the world. Some
have called on the United States to make an unequivocal
commitment to defend Taiwan.
Others have focused on enhancing Taiwan's
defenses. A much smaller number of
analysts have advocated cutting a deal with Beijing in which
Washington ends its commitment to defending Taiwan and the
island is left to fend for itself.◆
Council on Foreign Relations, 2024-10-16:
Taiwan and other U.S. partners
will need to contend with an increasingly capable and
aggressive China and rising
isolationism and protectionism in the United States. Trump's
foreign policy pronouncements reflect sentiments held by many in
the United States.
|
China's
response to a speech by President Lai Ching-te
in Taiwan's national day |
|
◆
New York Times, 2024-10-13 |
China began holding military drills in areas
surrounding Taiwan, a response to a
speech by President Lai Ching-te of Taiwan, who said that China had “no
right to represent” the island and China and
Taiwan were “not subordinate to each other” .
China did not say when the exercises would conclude. |
|
◆◆New York Times, 2024-10-16 |
David Sacks, a fellow at the Council on Foreign
Relations, said PLA's activities are coming
closer and closer to Taiwan shores.
China's military drills were aimed at demonstrating its
potential to choke Taiwan's access to food and fuel and block the skies
and waters from which the United States and its allies would presumably
approach in coming to the island's defense.
The drills send the message that Taiwan remains so sensitive, so
important and crucial for the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist
Party”, said Bonnie Glaser. |
|
◆
Reuters,
2024-10-12 |
China threatens Taiwan with more trade measures after
denouncing president's speech |
◆
The American Conservative
, 2024-10-11:
Although there is widespread agreement in
Taiwan that avoiding war is
desirable, there is no consensus on whether deterrence through
militarization is the best path forward. Conscription, currently
set at a year, is far from adequate in preparing Taiwan's
youth for the type of civic and military readiness found in
nations like Israel or South Korea. There
is a prevalent assumption, that America will
unquestionably intervene in the event of an invasion. A
comprehensive strategy must also aim at fostering political
unity, morale, and military readiness in Taiwan
◆
United
States Institute of Peace, 2024-10-9: Bloomberg Economics has estimated a war
with Taiwan would cost equivalent to 10% of global GDP —
China's GDP would suffer a 16.7% blow
compared to 40% for what would be a devastated Taiwanese economy.
With a far bigger economy than Russia's, China would have
more leverage than Moscow to resist U.S.-led efforts to isolate it after an
attack on Taiwan.
◆
Chicago Council on Global Affairs
, 2024-10-8:
Should China invade, Americans support
arming Taipei but oppose direct military intervention.。A
narrow majority of Americans (51%) say the United States should encourage Taiwan
to maintain the status quo rather than move toward independence (36%) or
unification (4%).
|
If China were to invade Taiwan, would you support or
oppose the United States: (% support) |
| |
2024 |
2023 |
2022 |
|
Using the US military to airlift food
and medical supplies to Taiwan |
74 |
78 |
|
|
Imposing economic and diplomatic
sanctions on china |
72 |
75 |
76 |
|
Sending additional arms and military
supplies to the Taiwanese government |
59 |
62 |
65 |
|
SAending US troops to Taiwan to help
the Taiwanese gov. defend itself against China |
36 |
39 |
40 |
|
globalaffairs.org/research/public-opinion-survey/taiwan-americans-favor-status-quo |
|
China's "coercion
short of violence"
strategy |
|
◆
Associated
Press,
2024-10-5 |
Beijing could wage an economic and cyber war to force a
surrender from Taiwan without direct use of military
power, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said in
the report. the U.S.
government has yet to formulate a plan to respond to
non-military tactics, giving Beijing flexibility in
working to undermine Taiwan without triggering an
outright response from Washington... |
|
◆
Foreign Policy,
2024-10-4 |
Taiwan's greatest
vulnerabilities
extend beyond
its military
──
financial, cybersecurity, and energy risks that
China could exploit. |
|
◆
Foundation of Defense of Democracies,
2024-10-4 |
the “most
likely” scenario: Sometime in the next decade, China
will combine economic coercion, malicious cyber
activity, and limited military moves short of kinetic
attacks to break Taiwan's
societal and/or economic resilience and force a major
adjustment in its policy toward unification.
fdd.org/analysis/2024/10/04/targeting-taiwan/ |
|
◆
Brookings,
2024-10-3 |
China's leaders appear determined to show directional
progress toward their goal of asserting control over Taiwan. Beijing is pursuing
two parallel paths, significant military build-up
and "coercion
without violence" to compel the people of Taiwan
to accept some form of
union with the People's Republic of China as
a least bad option for Taiwan's future. Harris said in
2022 that the United
States would “support Taiwan's self-defense, consistent with our
longstanding policy.”. Trump's disdain for
alliances and security partnerships, though, negatively impacted Taiwan by
calling into question the reliability of America's
security commitments. The common thread among these utterances is
Trump (team) suggestion that
Taiwan is too small and far away for the United States to feel obliged to
defend. |
|
◆
American
Enterprise Institute ,
2024-5-3 |
From Coercion to Capitulation: How China Can Take Taiwan Without a War
/
(1)
uses economic carrots and
sticks, information operations, and military escalation
to convince the US and Taiwan that their cooperation
directly precipitates further escalation
(2) Economic warfare, cyberwarfare, sabotage,
rigorous (and pseudo-legal) inspections of ships
carrying goods to Taiwan, air and sea closures,
electronic warfare, and propaganda
(3) break the Taiwanese public's
will to resist by intimidating supporters of resistance,
sowing doubt and fear ... (4)
information campaigns aim to decrease the US public's
and political leadership's
willingness to support Taiwan.
aei.org/research-products/report/from-coercion-to-capitulation-how-china-can-take-taiwan-without-a-war/ |
◆
Economist,
2024-10-3: China is using an
"anaconda strategy" to squeeze Taiwan.
"They are ready to blockade
Taiwan at any time they want", Taiwan's
navy commander warns. The number of
PLA air
incursions across the median line, has jumped more than five-fold, from January
to
August. The number of PLA ships operating around
Taiwan has steadily risen, too, doubling...
◆
Brookings,
2024-10-3:
China's leaders appear determined to show directional
progress toward their goal of asserting control over Taiwan. Beijing is pursuing
two parallel paths, significant military build-up
and "coercion without violence" to compel the
people of Taiwan to accept some form of union with the People’s Republic of
China as a least bad option for Taiwan's future.
◆
Council on
Foreign Relations,
2024-9-25: today
China's outmatches Taiwan's
both in size and quality, U.S. defense officials say it does not yet have
the ability to carry out a successful amphibious assault on the island amid a
U.S. military intervention on Taiwan's behalf. ◆
New York Times,
2024-9-25: Taiwan and U.S. Work to Counter China's Drone Dominance
, a move
that would also help blunt any threats posed to the island by China.
“Security
and intellectual property risks are real but manageable with the right
safeguards”◆
Wall Street Journal,
2024-9-21:
Supply bottlenecks had delayed delivery of weapon systems to Taiwan
valued at more than $20 billion. Unlike Ukraine or Israel, Taiwan's geography as an island makes
resupplying its military a bigger challenge. Military experts in the West
are particularly concerned that China could try to force Taiwan to capitulate
with a blockade.Taiwan needs to be as independent as
possible to be able to replenish its weapon systems.◆
Financial
Times,
2024-9-19: The scale of
China's military activity is getting larger
and larger, and so it is harder to discern when they might be shifting from training to a large exercise, and
from an exercise to war. military moves below the
threshold of war poses challenge to Taiwan's defences.ft.com/content/3402d159-418c-4485-abb4-7e2155288d61
◆
Brookings, 2024-9-16:What
Taiwan most fears—an amphibious invasion—is currently
beyond the PLA's
reach.Beijing has developed two different means—military and
coercive—to achieve its political objective of unification◆
Politico, 2024-9-11: Nearly three in four Americans are concerned about a
potential invasion of Taiwan, according to the latest
Reagan National Defense Survey.
And, Washington has fixated on a potential 2027 invasion scenario.
But,
China's Strategy To Annex Taiwan Is More About
Cyber Power Than Firepower ◆
full text
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|
|
U.S. SEAL Team Six
──
resisting China's
invasion ? |
|
◆
Voice of America, 2024-9-14 |
the
secret and precise combat characteristics of the
United States Navy's elite SEAL Team Six
mean its role in resisting China's invasion of Taiwan would be
very limited and the focus would be on carrying out special
tasks. |
|
◆
Financial Times, New York Post, 2024-9-12 |
SEAL Team Six has
spent more than a year training for possible Chinese
invasion of Taiwan. However,
the US has so far declined to explicitly
say it would come to Taiwan's aid if attacked. |
|
"cyberwar" - pro-Russian vs Taiwan |
|
◆
CNBC (USA), 2024-9-13 |
"a large number of foreign IPs launched invalid queries" on stock
exchange network, resulting in “unstable service for a short period of
time. Local media reported this attack on the Taiwanese government
and financial unites, including
airports and tax bureaus
by a pro-Russian hacker group in retaliation for comments made by
Taiwanese President William Lai (Lai Ching-te) .cnbc.com/2024/09/13/pro-russian-hackers-crash-taiwan-stock-exchange-website-local-media-reports-.html |
|
◆
Daily Express (UK), 2024-9-3 |
Lai Ching-te has mocked Vladimir
Putin with a humiliating quip, saying his biggest ally China should
take advantage of Russia being
at its "weakest" and take back territory. |
◆
Economist, 2024-9-5: Taiwan needs to hold out
long enough for friends to come to its aid, but polls suggest the will to resist
rests, in turn, on whether Taiwanese think America will defend them.
Taiwan can do much to strengthen its defences but, alas,
it can do little to influence American politics
◆
Wall Street Journal, 2024-9-2:
Elbridge Colby's
argument has always been that Taiwan isn't
itself of existential importance to America. Rather, our core interest is in
denying China regional hegemony over Asia. Taiwan is very
important for that goal, but not essential
◆
Wall Street Journal, 2024-8-28:
Elbridge Colby
suggested the U.S. may not come to
Taiwan's defense in the event of Chinese aggression.
Robert O'Brien
urged
Taiwan to spend at least 5% of its gross domestic product on defense.
|
The Chair of TPP (third largest
party), Ko Wen-je, was arrested |
|
| | |
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