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Taiwan

Taiwan
Latest news, in-depth features and opinion on Taiwan, covering politics, economy, society and the island's relationship with mainland China.
last updated:
6 January, 2025
US President Joe Biden announces a preliminary agreement with Intel for a major Chips and Science Act award in Arizona in 2024. Photo: Reuters
United States

Biden’s semiconductor law will boost US chip production at high cost: report

Subsidies behind the expected chipmaking boom mean that each job created will cost taxpayers about US$185,000 a year.

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Will Beijing answer Taiwanese body’s call to revive cross-strait talks?

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US-China relations

Trump’s security pick pledges China strategy that reinforces Indo-Pacific ties

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More Taiwan soldiers exit military early, causing ‘alarming’ staff shortage

Legislators call for action as defence ministry figures show a rising number of volunteer personnel are willing to pay for early discharges.

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Figures released by Taiwan’s defence ministry reveal that more soldiers and officers are seeking early discharges, leading to staffing ratios under acceptable operational standards. Photo: EPA-EFE
Semiconductors

Nvidia CEO to visit China amid antitrust probe, US AI curbs

Jensen Huang is set to tour the mainland Chinese cities of Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing, before flying to Taipei later this week.

Taiwanese military focuses on PLA cognitive warfare threat in revamped TV show

Juguang Garden’s content gets hi-tech overhaul to cover Beijing’s misinformation campaigns, defence ministry says.

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War and conflict

Opinion | How Taiwan’s Quemoy symbolises shared but diverging memories

Taiwan’s ‘Cold War Disneyland’ offers both a window into the bleakness of war and a reminder of the benefits of cross-strait detente.

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Tourists look at Xiamen, Fujian province from Quemoy on May 18, 2024. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

Biden urges Trump to tackle China’s overcapacity, clean energy dominance

In a departing message delivered a week before leaving office, Biden claimed the US is in a stronger position in a long-term competition with China.

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Beijing ramps up integration push with local Taiwan affairs offices in Fujian

Fujian will also roll out policies to support Taiwanese people who seek education and work in the province, Communist Party official says.

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War and conflict

Opinion | Why the US will not allow a nuclear-armed South Korea

While Seoul’s own nuclear defence would lessen the US security burden, it would also undermine American interests in the Indo-Pacific region.

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(From left) Incoming commander General Xavier Brunson, outgoing commander General Paul LaCamera, US Navy admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, and South Korea’s acting defence minister Kim Seon-ho inspect troops during a change-of-command ceremony for the United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on December 20. Photo: EPA-EFE
United States

Letters | Is a drone-powered US-mainland China duel over Taiwan in the offing?

Readers discuss the rise of unmanned weapons, and Donald Trump’s statements on Greenland and the Panama Canal.

A law enforcer attends a drone training session on China Coast Guard vessel Sifang in waters adjacent to the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on September 14. Photo: Xinhua

Can Taiwan avoid political turmoil as lawmakers spar over mass recalls?

As the DPP and KMT tussle over government’s mandate, each side threatens to oust lawmakers, fuelling worries over political stability.

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Donald Trump

Panama Canal chief pushes back against Trump’s claims of Chinese meddling

Despite the US president-elect’s demands, administrator Ricaurte Vásquez says American ships can’t get special treatment.

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US-China relations

US national security adviser fears Trump might push some nations toward China

Jake Sullivan is concerned that future questions about US reliability will lead countries to say, ‘maybe we need to hedge with China’.

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Jake Sullivan has been the national security adviser for US President Joe Biden. Photo: Reuters
The Philippines

Opinion | How the Philippines is managing a cold war abroad – and at home

The removal of the Dutertes from the security council is a calculated move by Marcos Jnr to prevent the family, perceived as pro-China proxies, from exerting influence.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
TSMC

Apple and Nvidia chip supplier TSMC’s sales top estimates, boosting AI in 2025

The world’s largest contract chipmaker reported a 39 per cent rise in October-December revenue to US$26.3 billion.

The Philippines

Philippine politicians worry about ‘warmonger’ Trump’s aggressive foreign policy

Several groups say Donald Trump poses a grave danger to the region and worry the US president-elect may involve the Philippines in a war.

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Hong Kong society

Tremors felt in Hong Kong as 4.2 magnitude quake strikes off Guangdong

Observatory says it received more than 10 reports of minor shaking, with duration of a few seconds.

A seismograph records the seismic activity of an earthquake. The epicentre of Friday’s quake was about 200km southeast of the city. Photo: Shutterstock
Taiwan economy

Opinion | Why Taiwan should reconsider its stance against nuclear energy

Taiwan, near-fully dependent on imported energy, plans to shut its last reactor. Yet renewables like nuclear can support its security and carbon goals.

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Donald Trump

Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda shifts towards imperialist rhetoric

Trump’s rhetoric, reminiscent of 19th-century colonialism, has alarmed allies and emboldened adversaries, raising concerns about the potential for conflict.

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Aviation

Taiwan’s failure to warn plane away from airforce base sparks security concerns

Many question island’s wartime readiness after pilot nearly lands single-engine aircraft at sensitive military installation by mistake.

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The DA-40 is a single-engine aircraft popular with flight schools. A similar plane approached a Taiwanese military base earlier this week, triggering security concerns. Photo: Shutterstock
Fame and celebrity

16 new spiders have just been named after Jay Chou’s songs

In 2011, Taiwan’s astronomers named an asteroid after the Mandopop star – now, a scientist has brought us ‘Excuse spider’ and ‘Rainbow spider’.

Jay Chou performs at Nanjing Olympic Sports Center in November 2019. Photo: Getty Images
Hong Kong courts

Hong Kong’s top court questions grounds for convicting June 4 alliance trio

Court of Final Appeal judges question how group can be defined as ‘foreign agent’ and denied evidence substantiating that allegation when mounting defence.

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Taiwan’s ruling DPP ‘backed pro-independence event’, KMT lawmakers allege

Opposition also takes aim at Beijing-sanctioned Kuma Academy’s fundraising drive on health ministry platform, says genuine causes ignored.

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China's military weapons

Why do China’s sixth-gen stealth fighters have different designs?

The smaller of the advanced jets is expected to be carrier-based while the larger plane could become a fighter-bomber, observers say.

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The jet seen over Chengdu was a larger, three-engine aircraft with a tailless diamond-wing design. Photo: Weibo/师伟微博
Jimmy Lai trial

Judges grill Hong Kong’s Jimmy Lai over calls for Taiwan to join US alliance

Remarks prompt two High Court judges to question Apple Daily founder over his earlier claim that he opposed Taiwan’s independence.

Jimmy Lai Lai has pleaded not guilty to three conspiracy charges concerning foreign collusion and sedition. Photo: AFP
Jimmy Lai trial

Hong Kong’s Jimmy Lai calls Taiwan ‘unique country’, denies backing independence

Former media tycoon has returned to the witness box following two-week break during holidays.

Food and Drinks

Persimmon predicament in Taiwan as harvests continue to fall

Climate change, typhoons and ageing farmers among reasons blamed for the suffering industry as growers think of new ways to maximise revenue.

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