Taiwan
16 briefs
China Did Not Fight in the Iran War. It May Have Won It Anyway.
The CFR and Times of India both say the same thing: Beijing watched the US burn through stockpiles, studied its weaknesses, and walked into the Trump summit holding a much stronger Taiwan hand than it had before the war started.
Trump Flies to Beijing Saying He Does Not Need Xi's Help -- Which Is How You Ask for Help
The US needs China to pressure Iran. China knows this. Markets put a 16% chance China actually joins Iran negotiations -- and an 88% chance it buys Boeing planes instead.
The Summit Without a Spine
Trump flies to Beijing Tuesday. Both sides want stability. Neither side can say what they actually need from the other.
The Summit That Has to Look Like Nothing
Trump and Xi have more to gain from a deal than from a standoff. The problem is neither can afford to say so.
Taiwan Passed Its Defense Bill. The Opposition Cut It by 40 Percent.
The KMT and TPP forced through NT$780 billion instead of the NT$1.25 trillion the government requested, days before Trump meets Xi in Beijing.
Trump Is Going to Beijing. China Is Already Pricing the Trip.
Trump confirmed a mid-May summit with Xi in Beijing. China rolled out new trade rules that undercut US supply chain policy hours later. Iran is the card China is holding. Taiwan is the price.
China Turned Airspace Into a Weapon. Taiwan Found a Workaround. The Tactic Survives.
Lai Ching-te reached Eswatini by borrowing the king's charter jet after China pressured multiple African countries to revoke overflight permits. The trip succeeded. The precedent is now set.
Trump Flies to Beijing. China Says Taiwan Is the Price of Admission.
Two weeks before the Trump-Xi summit, China's foreign minister told Rubio that Taiwan is the 'biggest risk' in the relationship — and the US side has not publicly disagreed.
China Gave All of Africa Zero-Tariff Access, Except the One Country That Recognizes Taiwan
The same day Taiwan's president arrived in Eswatini through a secret route after China blocked his aircraft, Beijing announced zero tariffs for all 53 African nations except Eswatini. The timing is not coincidental.
US and China Trade Barbs Two Weeks Before the Summit. Both Sides Are Building Leverage, Not Trust.
Bessent calls Beijing's new supply chain rules 'provocative' on the same day He Lifeng voices 'solemn concern' over US trade measures. The Trump-Xi meeting is 15 days away.
China Just Told Europe: Arm Taiwan and Pay the Price
Beijing sanctioned seven European defense firms for selling weapons to Taiwan. It is the first time China has directly targeted European companies for Taiwan-related arms sales. The message is the action.
Taiwan Sends a Minister to Its Loneliest Island
A ministerial visit to Taiping Island after seven years signals that Taiwan is quietly expanding its South China Sea posture while the world watches the Taiwan Strait.
China Sent a Carrier Through the Taiwan Strait on the Same Day Japan Did
The PLA's Liaoning and Japan's Ikazuchi transited the strait within 24 hours of each other. This is not a coincidence. It is a demonstration of who controls the calendar of escalation.
The Handshake and the Warplanes
Xi met Taiwan's opposition leader in Beijing while sending 16 warplanes toward the island. The signal was not diplomatic.
Beijing's Proxy in Taipei
Xi met the KMT's leader in Beijing while 16 Chinese warplanes circled Taiwan. The timing was not coincidental.
Beijing Invited the Opposition. Taiwan's Government Should Be Alarmed.
The KMT chair's 'Journey of Peace' to Beijing is a sophisticated move to split Taiwanese politics before Trump meets Xi.