TSAI ING-WEN

Taiwan on Friday commissioned new navy minelayers to add to its defenses against giant rival China. President Tsai Ing-wen presided over a commissioning ceremony for the navy’s First and Second Mining Operations Squadrons, which will operate ships able to automatically sow large numbers of small but powerful mines at high speed without the need for divers. Such technologies are part of a strategy to deter any possible invasion from China, with its huge army and vast superiority in numbers of warplanes, ships and other weaponry.

China is furious with Lithuania after it let Taiwan open a de facto embassy. Beijing claims Taiwan is not a country but a Chinese territory.

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis discusses the omicron variant and Biden’s vaccine mandate likely headed to the supreme court.

Addressing a group of visiting French lawmakers, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen is calling for greater unity among democratic nations in the face of rising authoritarianism.

A group of six French lawmakers has arrived in Taiwan for a five-day visit, following a similar trip led by a group of French parliamentarians in October that China sought to discourage.

Nicaragua's decision to sever diplomatic links with Taiwan and recognize China leaves the self-governing island democracy with just 14 diplomatic allies.

Senior officials from the Slovak Republic are in Taiwan for talks on deepening ties with the island in the highest-level visit by the EU-member country since it opened a representative office in Taiwan in 2003.

It is the first joint visit to Taiwan by members of parliament from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, Tsai said. China claims Taiwan is its own territory and rejects any attempts by the self-ruled island to participate in international forums or establish diplomatic relations with other countries that would give it international recognition.

Taiwan says 27 Chinese aircraft entered its air defense buffer zone in the latest in a long series of incursions as part of Beijing’s pressure on the self-ruled island.

Five U.S. lawmakers met with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen Friday morning in a surprise one-day visit intended to reaffirm the United States' "rock solid" support for the self-governing island.

Five U.S. lawmakers have met with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen during a surprise one-day visit intended to reaffirm the United States' support for the self-governing island.

Five U.S. lawmakers are in Taiwan in a surprise one-day visit, says the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto embassy.

The Boston Celtics’ Enes Kanter recently took another jab at Los Angeles Lakers star player LeBron James for reportedly choosing money over morals on the issues of forced labor in China, Uyghurs and Tibet. What happened: Kanter, 29, took to social media on Thursday to again call out James, 36, for not standing up against Nike and its alleged use of forced labor when manufacturing its shoes.

Taiwan has deployed the most advanced version of the F-16 fighter jet in its air force, as the self-ruled island steps up its defense capabilities in the face of continuing threats from China.

Taiwan has deployed the most advanced version of the F-16 fighter jet in its air force, as the self-ruled island steps up its defense capabilities in the face of continuing threats from China, which claims it as part of its territory. Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen commissioned into service 64 upgraded F-16V fighter jets at an air force base in Chiayi on Thursday. The aircraft represent part of Taiwan's total 141 F-16 A/B jets, an older model from the 1990s that will be completely retrofitted by the end of 2023.

Chinese military forces are holding exercises near Taiwan in response to a visit by a U.S. congressional delegation to the island.

Taiwan says China is seeking to take control of the island by wearing down its military capabilities and influencing public opinion.

The head of a European Parliament delegation on its first official visit to Taiwan says it’s “high time” for the European Union to step up cooperation with the self-ruled island, which is also claimed by China.

European lawmakers are meeting with Taiwan’s premier in the first official visit of a European Parliament delegation to the self-ruled island, which is also claimed by China.

The U.S. wants to deepen its relationship with Taiwan, the self-ruled island claimed by China, which has become a major point of conflict in the strained U.S.-China relationship.

Taiwan’s defense minister says the island must defend itself and not depend entirely on others for help if China were to launch an attack, even as Taiwan’s president says she has faith the U.S. would defend it.

The United States and China are stepping up their war of words over Taiwan in a long-simmering dispute that has significant implications for the power dynamic in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

Biden’s remarks on Taiwan’s defense clash with long-running U.S. policy of ‘strategic ambiguity.' Officials say there has been no policy change.

China is saying there is “no room” for compromise or concessions over the issue of Taiwan, following a comment by U.S. President Joe Biden that the U.S. is committed to defending the island if it is attacked.

After sending a record number of military aircraft to harass Taiwan over China’s National Day holiday, Beijing has toned down the saber rattling but tensions remain high, with the rhetoric and reasoning behind the exercises unchanged.

China "does not need to use force" in order to achieve its desired "reunification" with Taiwan, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday.

A Chinese official says China’s recent increase in military exercises and warplane missions near Taiwan were necessary to defend the nation’s sovereignty and territory.

Police say the Capital Gazette newspaper shooting that left at least 5 people dead in Annapolis, Maryland was "a targeted attack."

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen vowed to reject China’s attempts at reunification in a speech made during the country’s National Day this Sunday. Tsai’s speech came days after China flew record numbers of warplanes into its defense zone in a significant escalation of military tensions. Ramy Inocencio reports.

Taiwan’s president has vowed to defend the island from China’s rising pressure for reunification, after a week of tensions with Beijing.

A spate of Chinese military flights off southwestern Taiwan in recent days has prompted alarm from the island, which Beijing claims as its own, and is increasing tensions in a region already on edge.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping says reunification with Taiwan will happen peacefully, despite a recent ratcheting up of military threats against the self-governing island.

A former Australian prime minister has accused China of being a bully and expressed enthusiastic support for Taiwan while visiting the democratically ruled island.

A group of French senators visiting Taiwan as part of a regular parliamentary exchange met with President Tsai Ing-wen during a trip that comes in a particularly tense moment between China and the self-ruled island.

With record numbers of military flights near Taiwan over the last week, China has been stepping up its harassment of the island it claims as its own, demonstrating a new level of threat as it asserts its territorial ambitions in the region.

From Cold War skirmishes to China’s economic opening, both sides have avoided war by leaving unsettled the question of who actually owns the island.

A group of French senators are visiting Taiwan following a large Chinese show of force with fighter jets amid the highest tensions in decades between Taiwan and China.

The group, led by senator Alain Richard, will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwanese economic and health officials and the Mainland Affairs Council. Richard, a former French defense minister, previously visited Taiwan in 2015 and 2018, according to Taiwan's semi-official Central News Agency, and heads the Taiwan Friendship group in the French senate. China tried to discourage Richard's visit, with its embassy in France saying ahead of the trip: “It will not only damage China’s core interests and undermine China-French relations, but will also damage France’s own reputation and interests."

President Joe Biden is dispatching White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan for talks with a senior Chinese foreign policy adviser.

Beijing says it will block Taiwan's application to join an 11-member Pacific Rim trade grouping.

Fraught relations with neighboring China are dominating Saturday's election for the leader of Taiwan’s main opposition Nationalist Party. Four candidates, including incumbent Chairman Johnny Chiang, are competing for the leadership of the party that has advocated closer relations with Beijing. China has threatened to use force to bring Taiwan under its control and has increasingly used military, diplomatic and economic pressure in an attempt to undermine the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen and sway opinion among the Taiwanese people, who strongly favor the status quo of de-facto independence.

An F-16 screeched across the sky before landing on a highway cut through pineapple fields in southwestern Taiwan to refuel quickly and take off again.

SU'AO, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan's president oversaw the commissioning of a new domestically made navy warship Thursday as part of the island's plan to boost indigenous defense capacity amid heightened tensions with China. President Tsai Ing-wen spoke at a naval base in Su'ao, on the island's east coast, saying the ship “proves that on the path to becoming independent in national defense, no matter what difficulties arise, we can overcome them one by one.” The ship known as the Ta Jiang and nicknamed a “carrier killer” was built by Lung Teh Shipbuilding Co., a Taiwanese company.

U.S. states with high COVID-19 vaccination rates are protecting children from hospitalization, according to an analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Taiwan has received its first Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines after a prolonged purchasing process that gave rise to a political blame game with China.

An Australian state leader is indicating that a slight easing of pandemic restrictions is coming for Sydney after achieving a vaccination milestone.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has received her first dose of the island’s domestically developed coronavirus vaccine on Monday, launching its rollout to the public.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen received her first dose of the island's domestically developed coronavirus vaccine on Monday, launching its rollout to the public. The vaccine, made by Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp., was given emergency approval by regulators in July using a shortcut that prompted fierce opposition from parts of Taiwan's medical and scientific community. Instead, they compared the level of antibodies that Medigen's vaccine was able to generate with that of AstraZeneca's vaccine, which has been approved by many governments and has undergone the full three stages of clinical trials.

Officers from the U.S. and Taiwanese coast guards have met to discuss improving cooperation and communication despite efforts by China to isolate the self-governing island democracy

That the deal came via a businessman with strong ties to Mainland China months after the government failed to buy the same vaccines, indicates that Beijing put its finger on the scale, political observers say.

The assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse has drawn shock and condemnation from leaders around the world, along with calls for calm and unity in Haiti.

The U.S. sent 2.5 million Moderna COVID-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan on Sunday — More than triple the number it had previously pledged, AP reports.Why it matters: The donation is a show of support for Taiwan as it faces pressure from China, which has claimed the self-governed island as its territory, AP writes. It comes as Taiwan has faced an uptick in COVID-19 cases in May, despite the virus having been largely under control in the country until that point.Get market news worthy of your time with

A plane with 2.5 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in Taiwan from the U.S. in a donation with both public health and geopolitical meaning.

The island nation’s freedoms have lifted high-tech innovation, making China dependent on its electronic goods. An invasion would only set back the Communist Party’s goals.

The sortie was the biggest of its kind since the Taiwanese government began publishing information about the frequent incursions last year. They have followed actions that Beijing disapproves of.

Three senators visiting Taiwan say the U.S. will give the self-ruled island 750,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, part of President Joe Biden’s move to share tens of millions of jabs globally.

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A flight carrying 1.24 million doses of AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine from Japan touched down in Taiwan on Friday to help the vaccine-starved island fight its largest outbreak since the pandemic began. Taiwan, a self-governing island short of doses, has blamed China for interfering in a potential deal for another vaccine. Now it is more than doubling its vaccine supply thanks to Japan, which is trying to play a greater role in global vaccination distribution and accelerate its own slow rollout ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in July.

Taiwan has a longstanding policy of not importing Chinese-made vaccines. China has called it a politically motivated decision.

Across much of Asia, taxi drivers are starved for customers, weddings are suddenly canceled, schools are closed, and restaurant service is restricted as the coronavirus comes surging back in countries where it had seemed to be well under control.

An equipment failure caused an outage at a power plant in southern Taiwan on Thursday, triggering rolling blackouts across the island affecting millions of people. The outage in Kaohsiung trapped at least one person in an elevator and disrupted a daily briefing being given by government officials on the island's pandemic situation. Taipower, the government-run electric company, launched the rolling blackouts at 3 p.m. and said emergency repairs were underway.

Some of the countries that were most praised last year for controlling the coronavirus are lagging far behind in getting their populations vaccinated.

From Cold War skirmishes to China’s economic opening, both sides have avoided war by leaving unsettled the question of who actually owns the island.

Prosecutors in Taiwan are seeking an arrest warrant for the owner of an unmanned truck that rolled onto a train track, causing the country’s worst rail disaster in decades.

Chef Hung shows pineapple beef noodle outside of his restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, March 10, 2021. Hung Ching Lung, a Taipei chef, has created a pineapple beef noodle soup at his eponymous restaurant Chef Hung, in what he says is a modest attempt to support Taiwanese pineapple farmers. Taipei chef Hung Ching Lung created a pineapple beef noodle soup at his eponymous restaurant Chef Hung, in what he says is a modest attempt to support Taiwanese pineapple farmers. The spiky fruit became a politically charged symbol after China banned the import of Taiwan's pineapples on March 1, citing pests. China denies its move to ban Taiwanese pineapples was politically motivated, with a spokesperson for Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office saying that the decision was a “normal biosafety measure, and entirely reasonable and necessary."

In this photo released by the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense, a Chinese People's Liberation Army H-6 bomber is seen flying near the Taiwan air defense identification zone, ADIZ, near Taiwan on Friday, Sept. 18, 2020. The second high-level U.S. envoy to visit Taiwan in two months began a day of closed-door meetings Friday as China conducted military drills near the Taiwan Strait after threatening retaliation. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said China on Saturday sent eight bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons and four fighter jets into its air defense identification zone just southwest of the island. In another sign of support for Taiwan, the island's de-facto ambassador to Washington, Hsiao Bi-khim, was an invited guest at Biden's inauguration. Taiwan and China separated amid civil war in 1949 and China says it is determined to bring the island under its control by force if necessary.

The State Department cancelled a planned visit to Taiwan by Craft, as well as several other trips planned by senior officials. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)TAIPEI – The U.S. State Department canceled the planned Taiwan visit by its U.N. ambassador that has drawn strong opposition and a warning from China. China had already warned the U.S. would pay a “heavy price" in response to the planned visit. Cabinet official to visit since the U.S. switched formal relations from Taiwan to China in 1979. Wu also noted that current policy moves could be reversed, pointing to the historic meeting between former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou and Chinese leader in 2015.

In this image from video, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen delivers a speech at the Office of the President in Taipei, Taiwan, Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. Tsai hailed the island's progress in containing the coronavirus pandemic and growing the economy while facing military threats from China. (AP Photo/Wu Taijing)TAIPEI – Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday hailed the island’s progress in containing the coronavirus pandemic and growing the economy while facing military threats from China. In her annual New Year’s Day address, Tsai said Taiwan had effectively conquered the virus through “believing in professionalism, trusting one another and unifying as a society,” without lockdowns or serious disruptions to business and education. China cut links with Tsai's government shortly after her 2016 inauguration to a first term and demands she recognize Taiwan as a part of China.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying also condemned the new sanctions leveled against 14 officials in the standing committee of China’s legislature, which passed a sweeping Hong Kong National Security Law earlier this year. That prompted the rest of the opposition bloc to resign en masse, while Washington leveled sanctions at leading figures in both the Hong Kong government and related Chinese government departments. That, he said, proved Washington was the “black hand" behind disorder in Hong Kong, repeating a frequent Chinese accusation rejected by the U.S. Forden “noted that Beijing has used the law repeatedly to suppress freedom of expression and assembly in Hong Kong and to arrest Hong Kong residents who have raised peacefully their concerns over Beijing’s oppressive policies," the embassy said in a statement on its website. The Trump administration appears to be using Taiwan, Hong Kong and other issues to heighten the level of confrontation in China-U.S. relations, said Su Hao, professor of international relations at China Foreign Affairs University.

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen inaugurated the production of domestically-made submarines Tuesday in the southern city of Kaohsiung, in a step forward for the island's defense strategy at a time of elevated tensions with China. (AP Photo/Huizhong Wu)KAOHSIUNG – Taiwan's president inaugurated the production of domestically made submarines Tuesday in the southern city of Kaohsiung, in a step forward for the island's defense strategy at a time of elevated tensions with China. “This submarine is an important part of allowing our navy to develop asymmetric warfare and to intimidate and block enemy ships from surrounding Taiwan’s main island,” said President Tsai Ing-wen. Weapons sales to the island have increased in quantity and quality in recent years, especially under the Trump administration. It also possesses around 2,000 combat fighters and bombers and 1,250 ground-launched ballistic missiles, considered a key strategic and psychological weapon against Taiwan.

People hold a pig model with a slogan "Betraying pig farmers" during a protest in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, Nov. 22. Thousands of people marched in streets on Sunday demanding the reversal of a decision to allow U.S. pork imports into Taiwan, alleging food safety issues. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)TAIPEI – Thousands of people marched in Taipei's streets on Sunday demanding the reversal of a decision to allow U.S. pork imports into Taiwan, alleging food safety issues. The new policy allows imports of pork with acceptable residues of ractopamine, a drug added into animal feed that promotes the growth of lean meat that some farmers use in pigs. If they mix the U.S. pork with Taiwan pork and then sell it to us average consumers, we as individuals have no way to know the source of the pork.”“I have a child and when we eat things with ractopamine, it's not good for our bodies,” said Jacky Tsui, a 37-year-old factory worker.

Other leaders who supported Trump including President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines congratulated Biden, indicating they rejected Trump’s claim the election wasn’t over. Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia told reporters he looked forward to a “great partnership” with Washington. Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan said he looked forward to working together to end illegal tax havens and on peacemaking in Afghanistan. Others expressed hope Biden will help to heal divisions in American society and global politics. Prime Minister Janez Jansa was the only leader who congratulated Trump even before all votes were counted and showed support after Biden’s win was announced.

(AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas district judge on Friday upheld an order from El Paso County’s top elected official shutting down businesses while the region fights an alarming surge in COVID-19 cases. The state reported 540 confirmed coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours. ___TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas added a record-setting 5,418 new coronavirus cases over two days as hospitals warned that staffing was being seriously strained. ___PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo authorities ordered a weekend lockdown following a spike in daily coronavirus cases. Russia’s tally of confirmed coronavirus cases — currently the fourth largest in the world —has exceeded 1.7 million following a quick spread of contagion since September.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen speaks during a visit to the Penghu Magong military air base in outlying Penghu Island, Taiwan Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, China sent two planes into Taiwan's air defense identification zone, according to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense. The Taiwanese defense ministry said the planes crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has remained defiant, visiting a military base on Tuesday and encouraging the personnel, in particular pilots and crew. Taiwanese foreign minister Joseph Wu said in July that Chinese military exercises have increased in frequency and become “virtually a daily occurrence."

SINGAPORE — Tensions are escalating in the Taiwan Strait and Beijing has been flexing its military might. While a high-level U.S. State Department official visit to Taiwan last week angered China, it probably didn't cross any "red line," said Kelsey Broderick, China analyst at the Eurasia Group. "Red lines are tricky, the only real red line we know from Beijing for certain is if Taiwan declares formal independence," Broderick told CNBC's "Squawk Box." "However, anything that assumes or leans toward Taiwan sovereignty is maybe something of an orange line or a yellow line when it comes to China's relationship with Taiwan." Was it a red line?

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen speaks during a memorial service for the late former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui in Taipei, Taiwan on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. On Saturday, Beijing dispatched 19 more warplanes, two of which were bombers, according to Taiwan's Defense Ministry. Lee had built a separate Taiwanese political identity, distinct from mainland China, which claims Taiwan as part of its own territory to be reunited by force if necessary. The Trump administration has taken multiple steps in recent months to strengthen its engagement with Taiwan, angering China. Krach is the second high-level official to visit Taiwan in two months, following U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar in August.

In this photo released by the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu pose for a selfie with U.S. Under Secretary of State Keith Krach, right, during a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan, Friday, Sept. 18, 2020. Taiwan’s defense ministry said two bombers and 16 fighter jets from China crossed into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. Cabinet official to visit since the U.S. switched formal relations from Taiwan to China in 1979. China has increasingly relied on military threats and diplomatic isolation to pressure Taiwan.

Taiwan Presidential Office via APBeijing has flashed its anger yet again over the Trump administration's ever-warmer ties with Taiwan. The latest condemnation from Beijing came Wednesday after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo congratulated Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on her second inauguration. The praise prompted China's Ministry of Defense to issue a statement expressing "strong dissatisfaction" and "firm opposition" to Pompeo's remarks. Taiwan, the U.S., and "one-China"Taiwan split from China during the civil war that brought China's ruling Communist Party to power in 1949. Pompeo is also now the highest-ranking U.S. official to congratulate President Tsai, specifically, who was elected as Taiwan's first female commander-in-chief in 2016.

But Taiwanese say they are inspired by the dedication of those who traveled halfway around the world to vote. This is as important to us as the American presidential election, if not more, said Ken Wu, secretary-general of the Taiwan Center Foundation of Greater Los Angeles. This is as important to us as the American presidential election, if not more, said Ken Wu, secretary-general of the Taiwan Center Foundation of Greater Los Angeles. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)Like many other immigrants in Southern California, Taiwanese expatriates keep close tabs on events back home. of America, who traveled to Taiwan from across the U.S., rally for presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu.