Tag - taiwan

 
 

TAIWAN

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. takes part in a news conference during an Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Cebu, central Philippines, on May 8.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
May 24, 2026
Philippine leader’s state visit to Japan to focus on shoring up defense ties
Energy security will also be on the agenda for Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s trip to Tokyo — the first state visit by the country’s leader in more than a decade.
U.S. arms sales to Taiwan take years to process and ⁠are unrelated to the war with Iran, a source familiar with the matter said, after a senior U.S. official suggested there was a pause due to the need to have enough ​arms for the conflict.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 23, 2026
U.S. arms sales to Taiwan unrelated to Iran war, source says
Acting U.S. Navy Secretary Hung ​Cao told a Senate panel hearing that arms sales to Taiwan were paused to ⁠make sure the ​U.S. had the munitions needed for the war in Iran.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te speaks at a news conference on the second anniversary of his taking office, at the presidential building in Taipei on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 23, 2026
Trump call with Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te not yet planned, sources say
Officials from the U.S. ⁠and Taiwan have been in touch about the prospect of a call, but no concrete plans have yet been ​put in place.
Since ‌December, Chinese ‌exports of rare earth minerals like dysprosium, terbium and yttrium oxide, as ​well as specialty metal gallium, to Japan have stopped except for a few tiny shipments of yttrium, Chinese customs data shows.
JAPAN
May 23, 2026
China squeezes Japan over rare earths in repeat of 2010 showdown
The halt to exports ⁠began shortly after a diplomatic row over Taiwan erupted in November.
The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson leads Japanese destroyers JS Ashigara (left) and JS Samidare during a transit of the Philippine Sea on April 26, 2017. Tokyo fears growing uncertainty as rivalry between Washington and Beijing deepens.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 21, 2026
Japan caught in the U.S.-China geoeconomic crossfire
For Japan, this creates a precarious environment. More than 80% of its energy imports — and much of its trade — passes through waters around Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te speaks at a news conference on the second anniversary of him taking office, at the presidential building in Taipei on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 21, 2026
Trump says he’ll speak to Taiwan leader, calling democratic island a ‘problem’
U.S. President Donald Trump said he would speak to Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te — a move that would break with years of diplomatic precedent.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump arrive at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14. Pool / via REUTERS
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 21, 2026
Why the Trump-Xi summit ended in an impasse
Given Xi’s reluctance to address Trump’s Iran concerns, he should be unsurprised that the U.S. has not fully endorsed his new framework for U.S.-China relations.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te delivers an address on the second anniversary of his taking office at the Presidential Office in Taipei on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 20, 2026
If they spoke, Taiwan president would tell Trump China was undermining stability
A conversation between the two ​presidents has not taken place since Washington shifted diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taipei in 1979.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping greets U.S. President Donald Trump outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing during their two-day summit on May 14.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 20, 2026
How will Japan react to Trump’s China pivot?
For Tokyo, the critical issue is whether the U.S. is fundamentally rethinking its approach toward China — and whether that shift could leave Japan dangerously exposed.
The Taiwanese flag at Democracy Boulevard is lowered at the end of the day as the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is seen in the background in Taipei last week.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 19, 2026
Taiwan says China’s military actions are greatest source of regional instability
Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai made the remarks ahead of Wednesday’s second anniversary of President Lai Ching-te taking office.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. speaks during a news conference at the Malacanang Palace in Manila on March 25.
JAPAN / Politics
May 19, 2026
Philippines’ Marcos says Japan defense posture on summit agenda amid Taiwan concerns
Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will discuss Japan’s new defense posture at a summit next week with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in talks also likely to touch on Taiwan.
Matthew Wale at the Parliament House in Honiara on 2024. Lawmakers elected him on Friday after his predecessor was ousted in a no confidence vote.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 18, 2026
Solomon Islands names China critic to government and bans dolphin trade
China and U.S.-ally Australia are the largest donors and security partners to the Solomon Islands, with both competing for influence there.
The U.S.-China rivalry is increasingly centered on semiconductor and rare-earth chokepoints as Japan tries to revive its chip industry and secure a strategically vital role in global supply chains.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
May 18, 2026
Semiconductor chokepoints define U.S.-China rivalry
Two chokepoints now stand out: advanced semiconductors for China and rare-earth minerals for the United States.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te speaks at an event to mark the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic Progressive Party in Taipei on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 18, 2026
Lai says Taiwan won’t be sacrificed as Trump weighs arms deal
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te rejected characterizations that Taiwan seeks independence, and repeated his position that the island is already a sovereign democratic state.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press aboard Air Force One en route to the U.S.  following his official visit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 17, 2026
Trump says ‘nothing’s changed’ on Taiwan. But his words belie a big shift.
The U.S. president has warned Taipei on independence moves and called American arms deals a “negotiating chip” in talks with China.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te speaks at a news conference about economic talks with the U.S., in Taipei in February.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 16, 2026
Taiwan says it is already ‘independent’ after Trump warning
Taipei’s assertion came after the U.S. president warned the island not to formally declare independence and hinted at using arms sales as a ” negotiating chip” in talks with China.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One as he travels back to the U.S. from China on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 16, 2026
Trump warns Taiwan on declaring independence after China visit
The U.S. president also hinted that he would speak with Taiwan’s president about American arms sales and make a decision on the issue “over the next fairly short period.”
U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One before his departure from Beijing Capital Airport on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 15, 2026
Trump claims ‘fantastic trade deals’ as summit with China’s Xi wraps up
The U.S. leader touted what he portrayed as economic wins at a summit that was overshadowed by Xi’s warning of the possibility of conflict over Taiwan.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to reporters about her phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
May 15, 2026
Trump gives Takaichi ‘detailed explanation’ of talks with China’s Xi
Trump called his Japanese counterpart from aboard Air Force One on Friday, with Taiwan and other matters facing the Indo-Pacific region believed to have been discussed.
U.S. President Donald Trump participates in a friendship walk through Zhongnanhai, the tightly guarded headquarters of China’s ruling Communist Party, in Beijing on Friday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 15, 2026
Strategic stalemate: Xi and Trump summit to test limits of managed competition
By the time U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to China ended, it was clear that the relationship had moved into one where Beijing operates from a position of assumed parity.

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