Japan PM Says Raised ‘Serious Concerns’ With Xi on South China Sea, Xinjiang

Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Friday she raised "serious concerns" about the South China Sea, Hong Kong and Xinjiang in a "candid" first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Xi, in turn, told Japan's first woman prime minister, ...

Taiwan Leader Vows Stronger Air Defenses to Counter ‘Enemy Threats’

By Amber Wang Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te vowed Friday to speed up construction of a multi-layered air defense system as part of efforts to counter "enemy threats." Lai's government has been under U.S. pressure to ...

China Exiles in Thailand Lose Hope, Fearing Beijing’s Long Reach

With tears rolling down his cheeks, detained Chinese political exile Zhou Junyi struggles to make his voice heard over dozens of families visiting Bangkok's main immigration detention center. Zhou's China Democracy Party, an exile group, organized a commemoration on June 4 ...

Paraguay’s New Ambassador Presents Credentials to Taiwan’s President

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te accepted the credentials for Paraguay's new ambassador, Darío Filártiga Ruiz Díaz, on Friday at a ceremony at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei. Paraguay is among the island's staunchest diplomatic partners, even amid mounting pressure from China to switch ...

Pacific Leaders Agree New Summit Rules After China, Taiwan Bans

By Ben Strang Pacific Island leaders agreed on Friday to a new framework that would allow nations to join a key regional forum as strategic partners, after accusations that China was influencing regional decision-making. The ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

How to Lure Chinese Financing Back to the Global South: Report

Global South countries face increasing financing pressure, endangering their ability to keep developing while also implementing measures to deal with a growing climate crisis. The disruption of global trade is coupled with a larger megatrend: flows of international capital to the developing world have turned negative. This means that countries are now routinely paying more to service loans than they receive in disbursements.

The vast majority of Global South borrowers ...

China Blasts Ted Cruz’s Call for Somaliland Recognition as  “Coercive” and “Hegemonic”

Powerful conservative U.S. Senator Ted Cruz kicked up a Texas-sized social media storm on Friday when he declared his support for the U.S. government to diplomatically recognize the breakaway nation of Somaliland on the Horn of Africa. Cruz's post generated a huge ...

Betting on Beijing: How a Diplomatic Switch Sank Honduras’s Shrimp Exports

In 2023, Honduras severed ties with Taiwan and recognized China, betting that access to one of the world’s largest markets would bring new prosperity. The move was hailed by President Xiomara Castro’s government as a strategic step toward bigger trade deals and deeper economic cooperation. 

Marcos Downplays Taiwan Comments After Chinese Pushback

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. downplayed recent comments linking the Philippines to a possible conflict over Taiwan, following an angry reaction from China. During his visit to India last week, he said that “there is no way that the ...

Marcos Says Philippines Would Be Dragged ‘Kicking and Screaming’ Into Taiwan War

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos warned Monday that his country would be dragged "kicking and screaming" into any war over Taiwan, but must prepare for it. China considers self-ruled Taiwan, Manila's closest neighbor to the north, to be part of its territory ...

Solomon Islands Bars China and Taiwan From Top Pacific Summit

Pacific nation Solomon Islands has said it would exclude non-member nations from a key regional summit in September, a group that includes China, Taiwan, and the United States. Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele said earlier this week he would defer a meeting ...

Taipei Holds Air Raid Drill to Prepare for Chinese Attack

By Joy Chiang and Amber Wang Taipei came to a brief standstill on Thursday when air raid sirens forced people off the streets and into underground shelters in a rehearsal for a Chinese attack. The ...

China Criticizes Paraguay on Taiwan

China’s Foreign Ministry criticized the news that the Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te is scheduled to visit Paraguay and Belize in August, a visit that could also see him making stopovers in the United States. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said: “We ...
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