Estonia and Taiwan are stuck in a stalemate over plans to open a Taiwanese office in Tallinn, illustrating difficulties in Taipei-Europe ties even as both feel pressure from China & Russia. w/ comments from @matejsimalcik.bsky.social and @williamyang120.bsky.social asia.nikkei.com/politics/int...

Europe’s ability to strategically engage Taiwan & rebalance ties w/China depends on a nuanced grasp of cross-Strait dynamics. A pleasure to host @williamyang120.bsky.social in Brussels at Martens Centre to explore how EU can step up in the region amid growing uncertainty surrounding the US role.

Donald Trump und Xi Jinping wollen morgen einen Handelsdeal schließen. Für die Taiwaner bedeutet das angespannte Stunden – und Erinnerungen an ein altes Trauma. Analyse auf @spiegel.de (thanks @williamyang120.bsky.social) www.spiegel.de/ausland/usa-...

Kinesiske agenter infiltrerer Taiwans militær med penge, kvinder og gambling. Nu kigger Taiwan mod Tel Aviv for at lære at stå imod. Jeg har set nærmere på anbefalingen fra en tidligere admiral: www.berlingske.dk/www.berlings... - vurdering v. @williamyang120.bsky.social

Personal news: Personal news: Following a months-long application process, I'm happy to announce that I'll start a new role as International Crisis Group's Senior Analyst on Northeast Asia on April 21.

Regional tensions over the South China Sea have tanked the sales of a popular children’s doll in Vietnam after it was put under investigation and accused of being unpatriotic because a design marking appeared to resemble China’s “nine-dash line”. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

#China's military said Sunday (Mar 9) it would tighten its "noose" around Taiwan if separatism over the island escalated, warning proponents to step back from the "edge of the cliff" or face a "dead end", state media reported. www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/ch...

President Trump's dismantling of the U.S.-led global order has injected deep uncertainty — and perhaps fresh opportunity — into #China's timeline for a potential invasion of #Taiwan. www.axios.com/2025/03/08/t...

Thailand’s deportation of 40 Uighurs to #China last week was in the South-east Asian country’s best interest due to the possibility of retaliation from Beijing if the group was sent elsewhere, a Thai minister said on March 6. www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia...

My latest: #Taiwan President Lai Ching-te is hailing a planned $100 billion investment in the U.S. by TSMC as “a historic moment for U.S-Taiwan relations,” adding that the move is not the result of pressure imposed by the U.S. government. www.voanews.com/a/taiwan-lau...

#China said Wednesday it will increase its defense budget 7.2% this year, as it continues its campaign to build a larger, more modern military to assert its territorial claims and challenge the U.S. defense lead in Asia. apnews.com/article/chin...

Canada and the US offered to resettle 48 ethnic Uyghurs held in detention in Thailand over the past decade, sources have said, but Bangkok took no action for fear of upsetting China, where most of them were covertly deported last week. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

When Trump hit China with new tariffs, Beijing had an immediate response. @joshuacoe.bsky.social @williamyang120.bsky.social theworld.org/segments/202...

My latest: #China set the economic growth target for 2025 at 5% on Wednesday, vowing to “rise to the challenge and strive for success” amid a lack of domestic demand and a challenging external environment. www.voanews.com/a/china-sets...

My latest: #China kicks off its biggest political meetings of the year this week as additional tariffs from the United States loom and the leadership in Beijing looks to address the “complex and multifaceted” economic challenges. www.voanews.com/a/china-host...

My latest: #China has held a series of live-fire military drills across the Indo-Pacific region over the past week, from the Taiwan Strait to the Tasman Sea. www.voanews.com/amp/china-fl...

Thailand deported at least 40 Uyghurs to #China on Thursday, ignoring calls from the U.S., the U.N. and right groups not to send back the men, who had been detained in Thailand for more than a decade, because of the risk of torture. www.rfa.org/english/uygh...

My latest: Hong Kong’s largest and oldest opposition party, the Democratic Party, has announced that it will start the process of disbanding, a move that analysts say will mark “the end of an era” for the city’s pro-democracy forces. www.voanews.com/a/hong-kong-...

New Zealand Defence Force has confirmed the three Chinese ships off the coast of Australia have moved inside the Australian exclusive economic zone this morning. www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/5...

China conducted naval drills between Australia and New Zealand over two days. Beijing said it is "deeply surprised and strongly dissatisfied" with Australia's remarks which it said were "inconsistent with facts." amp.dw.com/en/china-acc...

China will be able to establish a "significant strategic presence" in the Pacific following its new agreement with the Cook Islands, a security studies professor says. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

A day after China warned its three military ships would be live weapons testing between New Zealand and Australia, the Cook Islands has today released a controversial agreement indicating #Beijing has secured a maritime presence there. www.1news.co.nz/2025/02/22/c...

The Cook Islands said on Saturday it has struck a five-year agreement with #China to cooperate in exploring and researching the Pacific nation’s seabed mineral riches. www.nzherald.co.nz/world/cook-i...

The United States is set to cut the size of its diplomatic mission in #China by up to 10 per cent, according to people familiar with the situation. www.scmp.com/news/china/d...

US President Donald Trump said it would be possible to reach a fresh trade deal with #China, signalling he is open to heading off a brewing trade fight between Washington and Beijing. www.straitstimes.com/world/united...

The Australian Defence Force is monitoring three Chinese navy ships which are understood to be sailing east of Sydney. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02...

Japan's Justice Ministry said Monday it will allow Taiwanese who marry a Japanese to list the individual's place of origin as #Taiwan, instead of #China, in Japan's family registry system. english.kyodonews.net/news/2025/02...

#Taiwan is exploring buying arms worth billions of dollars from the United States, sources briefed on the matter said, hoping to win support from the new Trump administration as #China continues to apply military pressure on the island. www.voanews.com/a/taiwan-con...

My latest: #China has launched a new round of diplomatic outreach to European countries amid rising tension between the United States and its European allies. www.voanews.com/a/china-aims...

China on Monday urged the United States to "correct its mistakes" after the U.S. State Department removed previous wording on its website about not supporting Taiwan independence, which it said was part of a routine update. www.voanews.com/a/china-urge...

Chinese President Xi Jinping has met top corporate leaders, including Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma, at a business symposium in Beijing, state media reported. www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025...

#China is not ready for war, according to a contentious report from a US think tank, which claims the main motivation for the ruling Communist Party’s expansive push for military modernization is to retain its grip on power – not fight an overseas foe. amp.cnn.com/cnn/2025/02/...

It seems journalism as a profession is unable to create much impact amid the current chaos in the U.S. It's hard not to force one to re-evaluate the viable path forward, especially if you no longer see the point of doing what used to be a meaningful profession to you.

A #Taiwan-United States relations fact sheet published on the U.S. State Department website has recently updated its contents to remove a line indicating Washington's long-held stance of not supporting Taiwanese independence. focustaiwan.tw/politics/202...

My latest: #China and the Cook Islands on Friday signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement, but the lack of transparency around the details has alarmed New Zealand, the South Pacific state’s closest democratic ally. www.voanews.com/a/china-cook...

#China believes all stakeholders in the Russia-Ukraine conflict should participate in the peace talks, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday, underscoring Europe's role in them after a flurry of U.S. messaging on how to end the war. www.reuters.com/world/china-...

My latest: The Philippines is increasing efforts to strengthen defense cooperation with several like-minded democracies amid ongoing tensions with #China in the disputed South China Sea. www.voanews.com/a/philippine...

#China is helping Russia's military drone production by becoming a hub for the smuggling of critical Western components for Moscow's armed forces, Estonia's foreign intelligence said in its annual national security report published on Wednesday. www.msn.com/en-my/news/w...

#China has jailed a former senior journalist from the state news agency Xinhua and canceled his pension and medical coverage after he asked questions about the politically sensitive death of Premier Li Keqiang. www.rfa.org/english/chin...

The 25 percent tariffs President Trump imposed on Monday on all U.S. imports of steel and aluminum will primarily hit American allies, but at their heart they strike at his longtime nemesis: #China. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/b...

Two senior officials from the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) will visit Washington and meet with U.S. President Donald Trump's team in an effort to prevent the imposition of tariffs potentially as high as 100 percent on chips from #Taiwan. focustaiwan.tw/business/202...

Canada and the Philippines are in the final stages of negotiating a key defense pact that would allow their forces to hold larger military drills in the South China Sea, where Ottawa has rejected China’s “provocative and unlawful actions." www.msn.com/en-ie/news/w...

North Korea said on Saturday its nuclear weapons are not meant for negotiations but are intended for combat use against enemies that threaten its people and world peace, its state media reported. www.voanews.com/a/north-kore...

President Donald Trump has paused imposing tariffs on small-value packages arriving from #China, apparently to give federal agencies time to sort out how to process millions of such shipments that have come through the U.S. border every day without paying taxes. apnews.com/article/tari...

When the Trump administration froze foreign funding and USAID programs last week, dozens of scrappy nonprofits in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the US were immediately affected. www.aspistrategist.org.au/with-us-fund...

#China and Pakistan will upgrade and reconstruct Pakistan's railway network and further develop its Gwadar port, while Chinese companies can invest in the South Asian nation's offshore oil and gas developments. www.voanews.com/a/china-paki...

Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown will visit #China next week, the first visit by a leader of the small South Pacific state in a decade, to help improve ties ranging from trade, climate and investment to tourism and infrastructure. www.msn.com/en-sg/news/w...

My latest: Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra kicks off a four-day trip to #China on Wednesday that is expected to focus on economic and trade ties. www.voanews.com/a/thai-prime...

My latest: Trump’s decision to impose 10% tariffs on Chinese goods has prompted the Chinese government to threaten to roll out countermeasures, and some Chinese businesses are expressing concerns about potential disruption to their exports to the U.S. market. www.voanews.com/a/trump-tari...

My latest: A little more than a week after #Beijing and Manila reached an agreement aimed at easing tensions in the South China Sea, the Philippines has accused Chinese coast guard vessels of fresh incursions, harassment and “aggressive maneuvers.” www.voanews.com/a/china-test...