China intends to marginalize Taiwan, and that is why it signed a trade pact with ASEAN states at the regional summit meeting in Laos on Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday.
"Taiwan is excluded from the current integration within ASEAN. This is harmful and unfair to economic and trade development in East Asia," ministry spokesman Michel Lu (
"Taiwan can offer ASEAN members quality goods at good prices through the multilateral trade mechanism, so why exclude Taiwan from the regional body?" he asked.
The trade agreement between China and ASEAN is one of Beijing's economic approaches to marginalize Taiwan, Lu said.
Related government agencies will try to communicate with ASEAN through different channels and discuss how to respond to regional economic integration in the future, he said.
"Taiwan, with its trade and economic strength and highly educated people, can be a contributor to East Asia," Lu said.
As ASEAN leaders agreed to hold the East Asia Summit outside the formal ASEAN regions next year, Taiwan will try to join the summit even though it knows the possibility of participation is slim, he said.
"We face practical difficulties. On the political front, China will certainly prevent us from joining the summit. Yet we still need to look for opportunities to participate," Lu said.
Jich Wen-chich (
"If the trade pact will exclude non-partners, the existing multilateral trade bodies would not allow it to do so. The World Trade Organization (WTO) may take actions to alleviate [the impact incurred by the pact]," Jich said.
The WTO imposed many restrictions on regional free trade agreements and preferential treatment, which would limit the influence of the China-ASEAN trade accord, Jich said.
Most countries have low tariffs for imported electronics, which represents a vital portion of Taiwan's export market. Therefore, the trade accord between China and ASEAN, which aims to lower or abolish tariffs, is unlikely to affect Taiwan too much, he said.
The China-ASEAN trade pact can be seen as a sign of integration in East Asia, Jich said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
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The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
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