NO CHANGES: A Japanese spokesperson said that Tokyo remains consistent and open for dialogue, while Beijing has canceled diplomatic engagements
A Japanese official blasted China’s claims that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has altered Japan’s position on a Taiwan crisis as “entirely baseless,” calling for more dialogue to stop ties between Asia’s top economies from spiraling.China vowed to take resolute self-defense against Japan if
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday condemned China for distorting historical facts and contravening the UN Charter’s provisions in its letter to the UN threatening to invoke the right of self-defense against Japan.The ministry issued the statement after Chinese Permanent Representative
Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) yesterday urged people to avoid contact with poultry or wild birds when traveling abroad, in response to the first reported human death from complications of H5N5 avian influenza (bird flu) in the US on Friday last week.The Washington State Depar
Nations sealed a modest agreement at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in the Brazilian Amazon on Saturday as many countries swallowed weaker terms on a fossil fuel phase-out to preserve unity.Nearly 200 countries approved the deal by consensus after two weeks of exhaustive negotiations on th
DETERMINATION: Beijing’s actions toward Tokyo have drawn international attention, but would likely bolster regional coordination and defense networks, the report said
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration is likely to prioritize security reforms and deterrence in the face of recent “hybrid” threats from China, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said.The bureau made the assessment in a written report to the Legislative Yuan ahead of an oral repor
INTERCEPTION: The 30km test ceiling shows that the CSIST is capable of producing missiles that could stop inbound missiles as they re-enter the atmosphere
Recent missile tests by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST) show that Taiwan’s missiles are capable of intercepting ballistic missiles as they re-enter the atmosphere and pose a significant deterrent to Chinese missile threats, former Hsiung Feng III missile development project
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋), who is visiting the Netherlands for a democracy summit, said China’s use of legal means to threaten Taiwan, including recent calls by a Chinese legal expert and local government for his arrest, “will not work.”Shen said that over the pas
China has taken its widening spat with Japan to the UN, accusing Tokyo of threatening “an armed intervention” over Taiwan and vowing to defend itself in its strongest language yet in the two-week-old dispute.Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi committed “a grave violation of international law” an
The US and Chinese militaries this week held “frank and constructive” maritime security talks, the Chinese navy said yesterday, as the two superpowers gradually restore military-to-military communications after several months of trade tensions.The working-level meetings took place from Tuesday to Th
STATE DEPARTMENT: The IPAC also showed support for Japan, calling for measures to deter conflict and saying Taiwanese must be free to determine their own future
The US Department of State has reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to the US-Japan alliance and to maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait, following several economic reprisals by Beijing against Tokyo for its support of Taiwan.US Department of State deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott on Thursday wr
COINCIDENCE? FDA Director-General Chiang Chih-kang denied the changes were coordinated amid a spat between Tokyo and Beijing, which banned seafood imports
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday officially announced the cancelation of the requirement for a certificate of origin for Japanese food imports to Taiwan, effective immediately. It means that food products from five prefectures — Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma and Chiba — would be
The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed an amendment to the Referendum Act (公民投票法), stipulating that referendums and national elections would be held simultaneously if their time frames coincide.Referendums were first coupled with national elections in 2017, but the legislature in June 2019 passed an
Two US senators on Thursday introduced a bipartisan bill to codify the “six assurances” as a cornerstone of Washington policy toward Taiwan and prevent any unilateral changes to its longstanding position without congressional review.The “Six Assurances to Taiwan Act,” proposed by US senators John Cu
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi rebuffed demands from China to retract her recent comments about Taiwan, saying there was no change to Tokyo’s stance on how it would respond to a major regional security crisis.Takaichi became the first sitting Japanese leader in decades to publicly link a Tai
HELP POORER NATIONS: Plans should conform with developed nations’ COP29 commitment to provide US$300bn annual climate finance, an official said
Negotiators were divided yesterday on the last day of fire-delayed UN climate talks, as Europe rejected UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) host Brazil’s latest draft agreement which lacks a road map to phase out fossil fuels.At stake is nothing less than proving that international cooperation can
OPPOSITION: The KMT and TPP caucuses said the Cabinet’s proposal was not in line with public opinion and failed to match the legislature’s version passed last week
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved its version of draft amendments that would raise funds for local governments to a record high of NT$1.2 trillion (US$38.34 billion) next year.The Cabinet’s amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) would inc
IN THE MIDDLE: Some of the lawmakers defended the trip as an opportunity for investment, cooperation and to see models that could help modernize Panama
A planned trip by some Panamanian lawmakers to Taiwan has unleashed the latest diplomatic spat with China as the Central American country tries to navigate the turbulent waters between the Asian superpower and the US.The Panamanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US ambassador to the country on
People suspected of drug-impaired driving who refuse to take a rapid saliva test at a police checkpoint would face a fine of NT$180,000, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.The updated Uniform Punishment Standard Forms and Rules for Handling Matters of Violating Road Tra
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday called on Taiwanese to increase travel to Japan and buy more of its products to help the country amid a wave of reprisals from China after it expressed support for Taiwan.The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has repeatedly deployed economic and
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