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the pages: intro travel food Taiwan economy diplomatic Taiwan military human right in TW soft power identity women education medical personality judiciary white terror |
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the pages: intro travel food Taiwan economy diplomatic Taiwan military human right in TW soft power identity women education medical personality judiciary white terror |
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intro. of Taiwan |
♦♣♣ Taiwan-China conflicts ♣♣♣Ko Wen-je's case ♣♣♣ Taiwan has reasons to worry Trump ♣♣♣♣Trump's tariffs, trade war ♦♣♣ ♣a divided, fractured Taiwan♦♣♣♣ Spy war with China ♣♣♣ Taiwan's largest drills ♣♦♣♣ ♣Taiwan's defense♣♣♣ US won't defend Taiwan ♣♦♣♣ "Zero Day" - a preview of China invasion♦
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No.1
"introduction of Taiwan"
on Yandex of Russia, 2026-4-18, 2026-4-11, 2026-3-29, 2026-3-24, 2026-3-18, 2026-3-12, 2026-3-5, 2026-2-23, 2026-2-8, 2026-2-1, 2026-1-26, 2026-1-16, 2026-1-9, 2026-1-1, 2025-12-31, 2025-12-24, 2025-12-12, 2025-12-1, 2025-11-22, 2025-11-11, 2025-11-1, 2025-10-30, 2025-10-10, 2025-10-1, 2025-9-21, 2025-9-1, 2025-8-23, 2025-8-17, 2025-8-9, 2025-7-28, 2025-6-22, 2025-5-31, 5-20, 2025-5-11, 2025-4-27, 2025-4-13, 2025-3-30, 2025-3-3, 2025-2-22, 2025-2-16, 2025-1-1, 2024-12-31, 2024-12-25, 2024-12-24, 2024-12-14, 2024-9-15, 2024-5-12, 2024-4-14, 2024-3-15, 2024-2-28, 2024-2-3, 2024-1-1, 2023-12-29, 2023-12-24, 2023-11-11, 2023-11-1; No.1
"introduction to Taiwan"
at 2022-7-31, 2022-7-7, 2022-7-1, 2022-6-24, 2022-6-15,
2022-6-12, 2022-5-26, 2022-5-14, 2022-4-30, 2022-3-14, 2021-12-27, 2021-12-4, 2021-11-21, 2021-10-21;
pic. : No.1 "introduction to Taiwan" on Yandex of Russia (largest engine in Russia) at 2026-4-18, 2026-4-11, 2026-3-29, 2026-3-24, 2026-3-18, 2026-3-12, 2026-3-5, 2026-2-21, 2026-2-8, 2026-2-1, 2026-1-26, 2026-1-16, 2026-1-9, 2026-1-1, 2025-12-31, 2025-12-24, 2025-12-12, 2025-12-1, 2025-11-22, 2025-11-11, 2025-11-1, 2025-10-30, 2025-10-10, 2025-10-1, 2025-9-21, 2025-9-1, 2025-8-23, 2025-8-17, 2025-8-9, 2025-5-11, 2025-4-27, 2025-3-30, 2025-3-3, 2025-2-22, 2025-2-16, 2025-2-4, 2025-1-1, 2024-12-31, 2024-12-25, 2024-12-24, 2024-12-14, 2024-5-20, 2024-5-12, 2024-5-1, 2024-4-14, 2024-3-15, 2024-2-28, 2024-2-3, 2024-1-1, 2023-12-29, 2023-9-1, 2023-8-22, 2023-8-8, 2023-7-25, 2023-7-1, 2023-5-31, 2023-4-30, 2023-3-31, 2022-9-5, 2022-8-21, 2022-8-8; No.2 at 2025-7-28; This websites group was ranked top "introduction to Taiwan" on Yandex of Russia, 2024-12-2, 2024-10-28, 2024-10-15, 2024-8-31, 2024-8-8, 2024-7-11
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pic. :
Le Monde
diplomatique
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Japan Times, 2026-1-22: With chips, investments and defense hikes Taiwan aims to appease Trump. Will it work?“
Trump is likely to prioritize broader U.S.-China relations over Taiwan-specific concerns,” said Simona Grano of the Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis. |
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| ◆Associated Press, NBC News, 2026-4-22 | Taiwan president postpones Eswatini visit. Taiwan : China's alleged pressure “constitutes blatant interference in the internal affairs of other countries". China: “relevant countries’ adherence to the one-China principle is in full compliance with international law” | ||||
| ◆TIME, 2026-4-17 | Beijing no longer believes invasion is necessary. Consider the following scenario. Beijing declares legal jurisdiction over the waters surrounding Taiwan. the insurance markets would respond precisely as they have in the Strait of Hormuz. | ||||
| ◆Reuters, 2026-4-17 | Beijing refocuses its Taiwan narrative on Kuomintang and 2028 election─a Kuomintang victory would avert conflict and offer much closer relations. | ||||
| ◆Reuters, 2026-4-17 | China turns Taiwan's own voices against it in information war. | ||||
| ◆SCMP, 2026-4-16 | Xi Jinping stresses 'patience' on Taiwan reunification in talks with opposition leader. Cheng, KMT chair, said a KMT victory in the next election in 2028 would be the mandate needed to officially represent the people of Taiwan in formal negotiations with the mainland. | ||||
| ◆Reuters, 2026-4-15 | The United States' claims about China exerting military pressure on Taiwan are distorted, and demonstrate its "malicious intentions", a government spokesperson in Beijing said. | ||||
| ◆Fox News, 2026-4-14 | Hormuz chaos sparks warning: Beijing could apply a similar strategy to Taiwan, the world's most critical hub for advanced semiconductors. | ||||
| ◆Heritage Foundation, 2026-4-15 | China has unleashed a decades-long naval-building program unlike any in modern times. The reality for the U.S. Navy today is that it lacks the commercial base to confront China's naval forces, as evidenced by persistent delays in shipbuilding and labor shortages. T | ||||
| ◆CNN, 2026-4-10 | opposition leader Cheng said at Xi-Cheng meeting that she hoped "the Taiwan Strait will no longer be a focal point of potential conflict, nor will it become a chessboard for external intervention.” fears among some in Taiwan that Trump sees the island as little more than a pawn in the wider US-China spat and is not interested in its long-term future. | ||||
| ◆XinHua, 2026-4-10 | Xi stressed that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait hope for peace and tranquility, improved cross-Strait relations, and better lives. "This is a responsibility that the CPC and the KMT cannot shirk, and also a driving force for the two parties to work together" | ||||
| ◆New York Times, 2026-4-5 | if the war with Iran continues, stockpiles could become dangerously low, leaving allies around the world vulnerable to attacks. Countries like Taiwan, South Korea and Japan are relying on missile batteries to deter potential aggression. | ||||
| ◆AFP, 2026-4-5 | Taiwan opposition's trip to China enables the KMT to tell voters that they "are the ones who can actually lead Taiwan towards the direction of peace and stability", A friendly meeting with Cheng could help Xi "undermine the argument for US-Taiwan defence cooperation" ahead of the summit with Trump in May | ||||
| ◆Nikkei Asia, 2026-4-6 | Taiwan opposition's Cheng grabs reins of Beijing relations with China tour, Political landmines lurk as KMT-CCP dynamics shift and US watches. | ||||
| ◆SCMP, 2026-4-4 | following White House pressure for the island to take on more responsibility for its defence; an emerging split between more US-leaning and Beijing-friendly camps. | ||||
| ◆Reuters, 2026-4-1 | A a time of international turbulence the world does not need a crisis over Taiwan, the leader of the Taiwan island’s largest opposition party (KMT) said ahead of a trip to China. " Taiwanese people do not want Taiwan to be one of the world’s most dangerous flashpoints." | ||||
| ◆Newsweek, 2026-4-1 | a growing body of work now treats blockade, quarantine and graduated coercion not as sideshows to invasion, but as the more plausible opening chapters of the war. | ||||
| ◆Brookings, 2026-3-30 | Taiwan's defense spending has long been politically contentious, caught up in partisan politics between the two main political parties, as well as societal pressure to prioritize spending on social programs rather than the military and imported weapon systems. | ||||
| ◆Nikkei Asia, 2026-3-31 | The opposition majority has been relentlessly on offense, while the governing party caucus, two years on, is showing signs of fatigue. On March 6, more than 20 legislators from the ruling DPP were absent from the chamber during a defense budget vote. The DPP was outnumbered 29 to 54 by the opposition on that vote. | ||||
| ◆The WEEK UK, 2026-4-1 | “Some believe 2049 is a critical date,” said the Council on Foreign Relations, as Xi has “emphasised that unification with Taiwan is essential to achieving what he calls the Chinese Dream, which sees China’s great-power status restored by 2049”. | ||||
| ◆The Telegraph, 2026-3-29 | China assembles fleet of attack drones near Taiwan; from where they would take minutes to reach the territory and potentially overwhelm its air defences. China is thought to have closed that gap in the arms race in recent years. While the war in Iran has drained the US’ arsenal and could limit the flow of arms to Taiwan. | ||||
| ◆Anadolu Agency, 2026-3-26 | Japan's joint statement with the US after talks between Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and President Donald Trump made no reference to the island. A recent media report claimed that the Japanese government had deleted descriptions of Taiwan from its press release at Takaichi’s request, “aiming to avoid further provoking China” | ||||
| ◆Financial Review, 2026-3-24 | Is Trump more likely to use force when the adversary appears vulnerable, and he sees an opportunity for a big strategic pay-off? The answers are clearly yes. The obvious caveat is that taking on Iran is not the same as taking on Russia (which he seems reluctant to do), let alone China. | ||||
| ◆Wall Street Journal, 2026-3-23 | Constricting the flow of arms would deal Taipei a heavy blow. Taiwanese officials say even a symbolic shift in Trump’s rhetoric would hand Beijing a victory, advancing its goal of convincing Taiwan's 23 million people that America is unreliable and Taipei's capitulation is inevitable. | ||||
| ◆South China Morning Post, 2026-3-23 | Taiwan unveils long-range strategy ‘Deny, delay, degrade’─ using long-range firepower to prioritise targeting the incoming adversary – including amphibious fleets and logistics support forces. Beijing was expected to combine long-range rocket strikes on Taiwan's critical infrastructure with a large-scale amphibious operation. | ||||
| ◆Financial Times, 2026-3-21 | Taiwan is concerned that the Iran war is depleting stocks of long-range cruise missiles that would be vital for the US to help defeat the attackers. | ||||
| ◆ Associated Press, 2026-3-18 | A delay in the state visit (Trump-Xi summit) could also mean a delay in any arms sales to the self-governing island of Taiwan to deter attacks from Beijing. | ||||
| ◆ Reuters, 2026-3-18 | China offered what it said would be energy stability to Taiwan if it agreed to Beijing's rule, part of a campaign by China to convince the island of the benefits of "reunification". Xinhua mapped out what it said were the advantages Taiwan would enjoy after "reunification", including economic support, but said the island had to be run by "patriots". | ||||
| ◆ Eurasian Times, 2026-3-16 | Taiwan appears on track to have the highest density of anti-ship missiles in the coming years. China has a massive inventory of anti-ship missiles, including land-based coastal cruise missiles, anti-ship ballistic missiles, and air-launched anti-ship missiles. This means Taiwan trails China in both the sheer volume of anti-ship missiles and in their speed, range, and overall lethality | ||||
| ◆ New York Times, 2026-3-11 | For 12 of the past 13 days, no Chinese military flights were recorded near Taiwan. A Taiwanese expert said Given that Mr. Trump's administration is already engaged in war with Iran, “I think that Xi doesn't want Trump to think that Beijing is adding to the trouble” | ||||
| ◆ Bloomberg, 2026-3-10 | A Taiwanese official said the reduction in People's Liberation Army activity near Taiwan may be China’s attempt to pave the way for the summit in three weeks that could further steady ties between the world's two largest economies. | ||||
| ◆ Daily Express, 2026-3-10 | it looks as if the Iranian regime will survive, albeit severely bruised and beaten. This could give Beijing confidence there are limits to US might. Taiwan may face tragic future if China bites. | ||||
| ◆ AFP, France24, 2026-3-10 | China and Taiwan will clash this week in a politically tinged Women's Asian Cup. Taiwan competes under the name "Chinese Taipei" in international sports events, including this one and the Olympics. It is part of a political compromise with China that allows Taiwan to take part in major competitions without presenting itself as a sovereign nation. | ||||
| ◆ The Sporting News, Yahoo Sports, 2026-3-4 | Chinese Taipei is intentionally ambiguous, created to ease tensions between the PRC and Taiwan. The name was intended to be ambiguous but still satisfy the requirements of each nation. Taiwan gets to compete internationally under its own moniker and identity. Meanwhile, China is permitted to refer to it as "Taipei, China," which allows the nation to show ownership of the region. | ||||
| ◆ TIME, 2026-3-6 | The opening of China's NPC looked ominous for Taiwan. Premier Li Qiang unveiled a 7% bump on defense spending while using strident language for the self-ruling island. U.S. President Donald Trump's ongoing war with Iran has depleted stocks of sophisticated weapons systems vital to defend the island Taiwan. | ||||
| ◆ Global Times, 2026-3-6 | a bill on space cooperation between the Taiwan region and the US that had passed the US Senate Commerce Committee. Chinese professor : The DPP authorities have long sought to boost island's space industry and broad military sector, through so-called "cooperation" with the US. However, the US is unlikely to genuinely share advanced technologies in this field with the island of Taiwan, let alone hand over critical high-end technologies to the region. | ||||
| ◆ Asia Times, 2026-3-7 | The Center for a New American Security: Taiwan should adopt a so‑called “hellscape” strategy built around large numbers of drones and other uncrewed systems to counter a potential Chinese invasion. Such a Hellscape strategy needs to be supported by strong space technology. Taiwan ramps up space-defense drive amid Beijing threats. | ||||
| ◆ Brookings, 2026-3-4 | the Taiwan public really should have a say in any effort to resolve the cross-Strait dispute. The United States should not be involved in defining their future. It’s really up to the PRC government to formulate an offer that is Taiwan-friendly and appeals to the public. | ||||
| ◆ AFP, 2026-3-5 | "China is unwilling to be a vassal state," said Chinese military commentator". China boosts military spending with eyes on US, Taiwan. The balance would be radically different closer to China's shores if the US Navy were to intervene militarily, e.g., to support Taiwan against Beijing. "Economic devastation, casualties, and nuclear escalation risks would be catastrophic for all parties." | ||||
| ◆ TIME, 2026-3-5 | Iran War Draining US Weapons Stockpiles, Raising Fears From Ukraine to Taiwan. “My main concern is not that we don’t have enough munitions to prosecute this conflict with Iran, it’s about the day after and being able to deter China,” an expert at Foundation for Defense of Democracies said. | ||||
| ◆ ABC (Australia), 2026-3-5 | China could benefit from US distraction. Already, Washington's military campaign in Iran has pulled assets from the region, e.g., The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier. US diplomats have even questioned whether China would use the opportunity to seize the island. | ||||
| ◆ Lowy Institute (Australia), 2026-3-4 | “the importance of the long war”. Senior figures spoke of a new focus on “city fighting”, with an acceptance that China’s may well be able to force an amphibious landing and that grinding combat in Taiwan’s conurbations could then ensue. | ||||
| ◆ Global Times, 2026-2-28 | US administration reportedly delays announcing arms sales to Taiwan; move a slap in face of DPP (Taiwan's governemnt) , and sends a clear signal that Taiwan is a tradable chess piece for the US, experts said that simply delaying the arms sales would not be enough given the seriousness of the issue. | ||||
| ◆ New York Times, 2026-2-27 | The Trump administration has delayed announcing a package of arms sales to Taiwan valued at billions of dollars to avoid upsetting Xi Jinping. Mr. Trump has been dismissive of Taiwan in private, according to a memoir by John R. Bolton, By contrast, Mr. Trump has consistently expressed admiration for Mr. Xi. | ||||
| ◆ Univ. of Nottingham TaiwanInsight.org, 2026-2-27 | Trump clearly has no objection to using Taiwan as a chess piece to be traded off in negotiations with Xi. There have long been concerns that Trump would potentially trade off Taiwan in trade negotiations with Xi. | ||||
| ◆ BBC, 2026-2-25 | Japan's Yonaguni unit will be equipped with medium-range surface-to-air missiles. And as Takaichi bolsters the country's military and defence budget, such assertiveness seems unlikely to end here. Beijing has been piling on the pressure in a wide range of ways - sending warships, throttling rare earth exports, curbing Chinese tourism, cancelling concerts and even reclaiming its pandas. | ||||
| ◆ The Guardian, 2026-2-25 | Japan announced plans to bolster defences on remote western islands in 2022, as it shifted its security focus from threats from Russia in the north to countering Chinese military activity in the East China Sea. The uninhabited islets, located about 150km from Yonaguni, are administered by Japan but claimed by China, where they are called the Diaoyu. | ||||
| ◆ New York Times, 2026-2-24 | CSIS expert: In the near term, given the significant vacancies, it would be incredibly difficult for China to launch large military campaigns against Taiwan; So far, the tempo of China's military modernization does not appear slowed by the purges. | ||||
| ◆ The Hill, 2026-2-22 | it is conceivable that Beijing will ask the U.S. to commit to preventing basing of medium-range missile systems on offshore islands that are closer to the Chinese coast. director of the Defense Priorities expects the sale to include fewer advanced weapons.“Taiwan is not a vital national interest for the U.S., but stable security and trade relations with China are an absolutely vital interest. " | ||||
| ◆ Defense Priority, 2026-2-20 | In a U.S.-China war over Taiwan, we are comparing a Chinese logistics supply line of 100–200 miles versus 5,000–8,000 miles for the United States. It is likely that the invasion force could be ready in a matter of a few days; operation scould go forward with minimal warning. Taiwan's defenders could not be certain where China intends to land and would have difficulty distinguishing the main force from mere feints. | ||||
| ◆ The Latin Times, 2026-2-22 | AOC challenges Trump, Vance over answer about China and Taiwan: " ask yourself why do you think the issues turn to that. Because there are very few people who are willing the foreign policy establishment that continues to send people to war and bankrupt our country for the rich" | ||||
| ◆ Foreign Policy, 2026-2-20 | Weeks after greenlighting the biggest-ever U.S. weapons sales package to Taiwan, Trump is slow-walking further sales to the island under pressure from Chinese President Xi Jinping. A narrative of the island as a “strategic liability” has come to the surface among certain administration officials in Washington. | ||||
| ◆ Brookings, 2026-2-18 | America's objective is not to deny Taiwan to the PRC or to keep Taiwan permanently in America's security perimeter. American public's top priority on China is to avoid war, positioning U.S. policy as diametrically opposite to China's goals is not a winning formula for attracting enduring public support. the best way is to establish conditions for dialogue between both sides of the Strait. | ||||
| ◆ The Strategist , 2026-2-20 | Taipei's exact munitions stocks are a closely guarded secret, but there's evidence that too few rounds are held for certain key weapon systems, which would quickly fall silent as Chinese troops stormed ashore and Chinese ships blockaded Taiwan's ports. massive munitions stockpiles are needed to sustain high-intensity operations, or Taiwanese forces need millions of such drones. | ||||
| ◆ Global Times, 2026-2-13 | Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs to people in Taiwan: If you trust the US as your friend, it can kill you. Don't think the US is going to save you if you do something that does not make sense. | ||||
| ◆ AFP, 2026-2-12 | Xi's recent purge of his top generals has sparked speculation about what it might mean for Beijing's timeline to potentially attack Taiwan. Trump's efforts to force Taiwanese chipmakers to increase production capacity in the US and his insistence that Taiwan spend more on defence has fuelled concerns about his willingness to protect the island. | ||||
| ◆ Reuters, 2026-2-10 | Chinese Communist Party's fourth-ranked leader Wang Hunning said China will offer firm support for "patriotic pro-reunification forces" in Taiwan and strike hard against "separatists". | ||||
| ◆ War on the Rocks, 2026-2-9 | On Dec. 30, the Chinese military fired 10 rockets landing in the waters southwest of Taiwan directly inside the 24-nautical-mile contiguous zone. This was a historic breach, demonstrating the ability to threaten key ports like Kaohsiung with cheap artillery rather than expensive ballistic missiles. | ||||
| ◆ Lowy Institute (Australia), 2026-2-9 | Trump's second term could usher in a new world order dominated by superpowers – if not an outright condominium between Washington and Beijing. Trump's penchant for deployment of “shock and awe” military force against weaker adversaries could strengthen the hands of more hawkish elements in Beijing. KMT is already reaching out to Beijing | ||||
| ◆ The Hill, 2026-2-6 | China's latest series of large-scale military drills around Taiwan, Justice Mission 2025, offers the clearest evidence yet that Beijing is prepared for action. Tensions in the Taiwan Strait have reached heights unseen since the end of the Cold War. The response from major Indo-Pacific actors, including Australia, the U.S. and Japan, was one of deep concern. | ||||
| ◆ Reuters, 2026-2-4 | Pressure from politicians in the United States has grown on parliament not to hold up defence spending. U.S. lawmaker, Senator Dan Sullivan, directly criticised the Kuomintang (KMT) "is playing with fire." The KMT says while it supports strengthening Taiwan's defences, it has a right to fully scrutinise government spending plans and will not sign "blank cheques". | ||||
| ◆ Global Times (China), 2026-2-5 | Among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, only China has yet to achieve reunification - this must be fully resolved. Economically, the Chinese mainland's GDP maintains a long-term advantage of more than 20 times that of Taiwan island, with the gap continuing to widen...an 11.2 percent increase in the Chinese mainland's exports to Taiwan and a 6 percent rise in Chinese mainland imports from the island last year. | ||||
| ◆ Reuters, 2026-2-3 | U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, was "disappointed" to see Taiwan's opposition parties slash Lai's defence budget. In response, the KMT asked Wicker "Would the U.S. Congress ever pass a blank-cheque budget for eight years with no specifics?" | ||||
| ◆ Economist Intelligence Unit, 2026-2-3 | The latest developments represent the intensification of China's “salami slicing” tactics against Taiwan, with its “grey zone” tactics becoming less grey. The migration of Chinese drills closer to Taiwan's shores point to a growing risk of future military exercises being used as a cover for a direct invasion (or a lower-level tactic, such as a blockade). | ||||
| ◆ El Pais, 2026-2-3 | The Jamestown Foundation:“Zhang (China's second-in-command ) and Liu fell from power because their results in force building and war preparation failed to meet expectations and may have jeopardized Xi Jinping's requirement that the PLA be capable of invading Taiwan by 2027.” U.S. intelligence typically cites this date as the time by which Xi has demanded troops be ready. | ||||
| ◆ Wall Street Journal, 2026-2-1 | The removal of Zhang highlights a higher level of confidence about the prospect of “reunification” than Xi has shown at any point since he rose to power in 2012... This confidence is bolstered by his absolute control over the military. Beijing views Trump as having little appetite for a costly military intervention in the Taiwan Strait. | ||||
| ◆ Forbes, 2026-1-31 | China is practicing a Taiwan blockade with a floating Great Wall — 2,000 Chinese fishing boats; Many were known militia vessels, and the level of coordination suggests state direction. The 2025 National Security Strategy warns that “a potentially hostile power” could “impose a toll system over the world's most vital lanes of commerce or–worse–close and reopen it at will.” | ||||
| ◆ New York Times, 2026-1-29 | Even in its politically wounded state (for Xi's purge), the Chinese military would likely be prepared to conduct operations; Preparation for military campaigns and exercises is the responsibility of the regional joint theater commands, at least partly insulating the preparations from upheavals in Beijing. | ||||
| ◆ The Telegraph, 2026-1-29 | An invasion would require hundreds of thousands of well-trained troops, and a vast navy with cutting-edge warships, ordinary civilian barges and everything in between. It would take months or years of planning. Yet, Beijing already seems to be building up such a force. | ||||
| ◆ Task & Purpose, 2026-1-29 | The Pentagon report to Congress says the PLA expects future warfare to include high-tech and autonomous systems, but also maritime blockades, forced isolation, and comprehensive sanctions — lessons it says the PLA has learned from the Western response to Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. | ||||
| ◆ Global Times, 2026-1-29 | Taiwan military plans to move HIMARS systems forward to Penghu and Dongyin, paired with tactical missiles with a range of up to 300 kilometers, which would allow strikes to reach Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) naval ports, missile bases and airports in Fujian and Zhejiang provinces. China: "Taiwan independence" armed forces are like an ant trying to shake a giant tree when facing the PLA. | ||||
| ◆ New York Times, 2026-1-24 | Trump seems much less inclined to protect Taiwan than some of his predecessors. One reason for Trump's diffidence may be his dismissal of Taiwan as a tiny island far less significant than China. Another may be vulnerability: restricting exports of rare-earth elements, forcing an American surrender and leaving Trump in effect on a Chinese leash. | ||||
| ◆ The Telegraph, 2026-1-24 | In a break from decades of US foreign policy, the 34-page national defense strategy report made no reference to Taiwan, the self-governing island that China has claimed as its own. | ||||
| ◆ National Interest, 2026-1-24 |
China's J-20S Fighter Jet Is Now a Carrier Killer. |
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| ◆ Irish Times, 2026-1-24 | Taiwan's expert: the period of higher military risk is more likely around 2032 to 2035. | ||||
| ◆ Washington Examiner, 2026-1-23 |
China is toasting Trump's repellent
Afghanistan rhetoric.
Trump insists the U.S. has “never been more respected.” Unfortunately, as global polls suggest, the exact opposite is true. America will be “Billy no mates” on the day the next war comes. And if China seizes Taiwan, America has a very big problem. |
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| ◆ Fox News, 2026-1-21 | The report concludes that the U.S. is not equipped nor arrayed to protect and sustain the Joint Force in a conflict with China in the Indo-Pacific. Rapid platform attrition, brittle logistics, concentrated basing and insufficient industrial surge capacity combine to force an early operational breaking point for American forces. | ||||
| ◆ National Interest, 2026-1-21 | As Taiwan is an island so near to China, it is likely that the Chinese navy would successfully enact a blockade around the country in the same way that the US Navy imposed a monthslong blockade around Venezuela. If a war erupted between the United States and China over Taiwan the Chinese could defeat the US military. | ||||
| ◆ New York Times, 2026-1-17 | The Taiwan Strait Risk Report, a consultancy, foresees a 30 percent chance of a Chinese invasion in the next five years, and a 60 percent possibility of an air and naval blockade of the island nytimes.com/2026/01/17/opinion/taiwan-china-war.html | ||||
| ◆ Wall Street Journal, 2026-1-16 | Some analysts say China wouldn't want to tank the global economy by attacking Taiwan and potentially disrupting TSMC's production of chips. | ||||
| ◆ CNBC, 2026-1-15 | Lutnick said that the government's objective was to bring 40% of Taiwan's semiconductor supply chain to the U.S. There is substantial risk to the U.S. economy if China invades Taiwan and reduces access to TSMC chips. | ||||
| ◆ CGTN, 2026-1-14 | China made the comment in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's latest remarks regarding Taiwan in an interview with the New York Times. ── "the Taiwan question belongs to China's internal affairs, and its resolution is a matter for the Chinese people alone". | ||||
| ◆ National Interest, 2026-1-11 | During “Justice Mission 2025”drills, a Russian surveillance ship was also present, suggesting a greater level of military coordination between the two nations. | ||||
| ◆ Interesting Engineering, 2026-1-10 | Decapitating porcupine defense: The PLA believes it could make good use of drones to get the job done. They also suggest making use of artificial intelligence to provide precise reconnaissance and firing guidance. IfChinese forces do get bogged down in urban conflict, they could use unmanned tanks, armoured vehicles, and robot dogs. | ||||
| ◆ War on the Rocks, 2026-1-9 |
Pentagon's latest "China Military Power Report": China continues to make progress toward General Secretary Xi Jinping's 2027 “Centennial Military Building Goal” and associated warfighting capabilities against Taiwan. It documents significant progress in nuclear posture enhancement, long-range conventional strike, and capability and resilience of supporting architecture. |
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| ◆ New York Times, 2026-1-8 | Trump Says ‘It's Up To’ Xi Jinping What China Does In Taiwan. | ||||
| ◆ TIME, 2026-1-6 | Taipei needs to act on the assumption that American help, if it comes, may come late, or in limited form, or not at all. Concretely, this means stockpiling. | ||||
| ◆ The Guardian, 2026-1-6 | the PLA is on track to reach its 2027 goal of being able to achieve a “strategic decisive victory” over Taiwan, particularly with its rapid advances in military artificial intelligence, biotechnology and hypersonic missiles. | ||||
| ◆ Bloomberg, 2026-1-4 | China social media hails US' Maduro move as Taiwan template. “Since the US doesn't take international law seriously, why should we care about it?” | ||||
| ◆ Politico, 2026-1-4 | “China might see opportunities: a potential failure for the U.S., increased division within the U.S. if it fails, and long-term a stimulus to Latin American countries looking to balance the U.S. by looking to China.” | ||||
| ◆ Wall Street Journal, 2025-12-31 | Taiwan's ability to deflect a Chinese attack depends on whether the U.S. steps in. China's “Justice Mission 2025” drills prompted statements of concern about heightened tensions from U.S. lawmakers, and from around the world, including the European Union, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Japan. | ||||
| ◆ Bloomberg, 2025-12-31 | Asia in 2026 is not on the brink of war. But the region will be more volatile than it has been in recent memory. Buckle up for a volatile year ! Taiwan will feel the heat even more; President Lai Ching-te has his work cut out for him. | ||||
| ◆ USA Today, 2025-12-30 | "China not only has vast numerical superiority, it now has qualitative superiority across the board in weaponry and probably in training as well," said Asia program director at Defense Priorities. "This is an arms race Taiwan cannot possibly win". | ||||
| ◆ Washington Examiner, 2025-12-29 | New Trump-class guided missile battleships won't beat China. The US needs more warships, missiles, and aircraft able to fight tough and lasting battles in the waters around Taiwan. That means fighting very close to the Chinese mainland. Unfortunately, Trump-class battleships are unlikely to be able to do that. | ||||
| ◆ Fox News, 2025-12-29: China launched its largest military drills on record following a record U.S. arms sale to Taipei. Financial Times, 2025-12-29: Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te pledged to spend about $40bn on weapons over the next eight years — Taiwan's largest special defence budget in more than three decades. ◆ New York Post, 2025-12-30: “Justice Mission 2025”drills are Beijing's largest exercises to date by total coverage and proximity to the island. AFP, 2025-12-30: Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te vowed that the territory would not be "escalating the conflict" or provoke disputes. | |||||
| ◆ Anadolu Agency, 2025-12-28 | Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow is against “any form of independence” for Taiwan. Russia will support China in ‘protecting national unity and territorial integrity’ in event of possible escalation of tensions in Taiwan Strait. | ||||
| ◆ Mainichi Shimbun (Japan), Asia Times, 2025-12-28 | The outspoken Undersecretary of War for Policy, Elbridge Colby, previously publicly urged Japan to be explicit about how its military would respond in the event of an invasion or coercion of Taiwan. Now that Prime Minister Takaichi has done precisely that, both he and – more importantly – President Trump have been silent. | ||||
| ◆ Reuters, New York Post, 2025-12-26 | China hits US defense firms with sanctions over Taiwan arms sales.The U.S. is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, though such arms sales are a persistent source of friction with China. | ||||
| ◆ Daily Express (UK), 2025-12-23 | Pentagon report has revealed that China expects to be capable of fighting and winning a war against Taiwan by the end of 2027. Surging China has decided 'it will win' WW3 by this key date. China's significant expansion of its short, medium, and intermediate-range missile arsenal poses a serious threat to the US, potentially destroying them before they could reach Taiwan. | ||||
| ◆ Business Insider, 2025-12-23 | Asymmetric warfare is a strategy that uses large numbers of inexpensive, mobile, hard-to-target systems — like drones, missiles, and dispersed units — to blunt a larger military's advantages by denying it easy targets and inflicting outsized damage. | ||||
| ◆ Fox News, 2025-12-19 | China warns of rising war risk after historic US arms sale to Taiwan. Analysts say Beijing's sharp rhetoric suggests additional military signaling is likely, though China did not immediately announce specific countermeasures. | ||||
| ◆ Politico, 2025-12-19 | US Weapons on offer, but Taiwan can't pay. U.S. officials are out in force pushing Taiwan lawmakers to provide the funds. | ||||
| ◆ New York Times, 2025-12-18 | China: The latest arms sales “will only hasten pushing Taiwan toward the perils of war”. U.S. officials and China experts have warned for years that Mr. Xi appears determined to regain control of Taiwan, and has been organizing his military for a potential invasion in the coming years. | ||||
| ◆ Bloomberg, 2025-12-18 | US weapons sales to Taiwan annoys Beijing, and the latest package risks straining the US's fragile relationship with China. | ||||
| ◆ The Telegraph, 2025-12-18 | China warns Trump's $11bn arms sale to Taiwan will ‘bring fire’ to US. | ||||
| ◆ CNBC, 2025-12-18 | China says U.S. will only 'harm itself' after Washington approves $11 billion arms sale to Taiwan. | ||||
| ◆ Fox News, 2025-12-14 | China's missile surge puts every US base in the Pacific at risk — and the window to respond is closing. China has the capability to shoot those across the first and increasingly the second island chains. Military experts : A U.S.–China contest defined by missile ranges, base access and whether U.S. forces can survive the opening salvos of a war that may begin long before any aircraft take off. | ||||
| ◆ War on the Rocks, 2025-12-12 | wargame simulated 2034 conflict : the PLA invaded the Philippines after a hypothetical victory in Taiwan two years earlier, prompting an American-led Blue force response. Despite having significant air and maritime assets, Blue was decisively defeated by the PLA. | ||||
| ◆ Raw Story, 2025-12-13 | to the shock of the western world, Trump “cut a deal” to let Nvidia sell some of their most advanced chips to China after our military and intelligence experts have explicitly warned of the danger that this could accelerate that country's move toward seizing Taiwan and threatening us with World War III. | ||||
| ◆ Council on Foreign Relations, 2025-12-11 | Taiwan is the most dangerous flashpoint in the world. No other plausible source of great power war comes close to manifesting the same combination of risk factors as Taiwan. and, perhaps most significantly, its growing impatience with the trajectory of cross-strait relations. | ||||
| ◆ Wall Street Journal, 2025-12-7 |
First,
China would hit Taiwan with missile barrages. Second, its ships would cross the
Taiwan Strait and amphibious units would attempt to land on one or more beaches.
Third, Chinese forces would break out of the landing zone and launch a ground
assault for Taipei. |
||||
| ◆ New York Times, 2025-12-3 | China is invoking World War II with Western leaders is because it’s trying to shift their understanding of Japan to something that looks more like China's: Japan as a country with a history of aggression that’s a potential threat to its neighbors. It's part of a broader push to eventually reclaim Taiwan, justified, in part, by Chinese ideas about what it’s owed for its sacrifices during the war. | ||||
| ◆ New York Times, 2025-12-2 | The Chinese Communist Party has long assumed that time and pressure would slowly wear Taiwan down. If President Xi Jinping of China concludes that bet has failed, he may escalate to sharper forms of pressure sooner than planned. | ||||
| ◆ New York Times, 2025-12-2 | If DPP wins again, that does not mean an invasion would be inevitable. But it does raise the likelihood that China would restrict trade with Taiwan — which is extensive, and economically vital for the island — and increase cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and military feints around Taiwan. This could significantly raise the odds of an accidental clash | ||||
| ◆ Reuters, 2025-12-2 | No room for compromise on Taiwan's security, Taiwan president tells reservists. "Even when engaging in reconciliation, we must have strong power as our backing in order to protect the overall interests of the nation. Without sufficient strength as support, so-called reconciliation will ultimately degenerate into surrender." | ||||
| ◆ The Guardian, 2025-11-30 | As in Czechoslovakia in 1938, so in Ukraine and now, prospectively, in Taiwan. Suspicions grow that Trump may ultimately subordinate defence of Taiwan to detente with China. At present, he seesaws. Promised arms packages are delayed or don't arrive. | ||||
| ◆ Wall Street Journal, 2025-11-28 | Taiwan's survival depends on U.S. military support. That makes Trump's public silence, coupled with his willingness to turn away from traditional U.S. alliances, a cause for concern for some in Taipei. | ||||
| ◆ The WEEK UK, 2025-11-28 | The likely strategy is to overwhelm Taiwan with a massive attack with little warning. Beijing massively outguns Taiwan, with estimates from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute showing that China spent about 23 times more on its military in 2021. There is growing scepticism in Taipei that Trump would intervene militarily in the event of a full-blown Chinese attack. | ||||
| ◆ New York Times, 2025-11-25 | Taiwan's government has come under pressure from the Trump administration to increase defense outlays. Taiwan's president to seek an extra $40 Billion for military to deter and outsmart China’s far larger military forces. But the proposal must be approved by Taiwan’s legislature, where it may be blocked by opposition parties. | ||||
| ◆ Wall Street Journal, Reuters, 2025-11-26 | Trump, after call with China's Xi, told Japan to Lower the volume on Taiwan; and advised her not to provoke Beijing on the question of Taiwan's sovereignty. The Journal reported that Trump's advice to Takaichi was subtle, and he did not pressure Takaichi to walk back her comments. | ||||
| ◆ New York Times, 2025-11-25 | military parades in China and North Korea, both events showcased that three countries with nuclear weapons — China, Russia and North Korea — were united as they face Japan, South Korea and Taiwan — none of which, at the insistence of the United States, has developed its own nuclear weapons. | ||||
| ◆ Washington Examiner, 2025-11-26 | The US has pushed for Taiwan to take defensive contingencies into its own hands instead of relying on U.S. intervention. | ||||
| ◆ , 2025-11-26 | Taiwan unveils 'T-Dome' missile shield modeled on Israel's Iron Dome. | ||||
| ◆ Worldspeople.org, 2025-11-26 | China regularly says it does not want war and is committed to employing all peaceful means possible to achieve reunification with Taiwan, dismissing the issue of an “invasion” by the mainland. People living in Taiwan likewise do not want war, as the island would likely face massive destruction in the event of a U.S.-China war. | ||||
| ◆ New York Times, 2025-11-24 | In an unusual phone, Xi presses Trump on Taiwan. Expert says:“Beijing is rattled by the Japan flare-up because it sees a regional coalition coalescing around the idea that Taiwan's security is a shared stake” Trump did not mention Taiwan. But Xi emphasized “that Taiwan's return to China is an important part of the postwar international order”. | ||||
| ◆ Bloomberg, 2025-11-25 | Trump held back-to-back calls with the leaders of China and Japan, as escalating tensions over Taiwan threaten to derail his weeks-old trade truce with Beijing. Any hint Washington is siding with Tokyo could imperil a truce. Beijing views America's allies as “subordinate to US direction". But for Japan's new leader, bowing to Beijing would invite political blowback at home. | ||||
| ◆ Washington Post, 2025-11-25 |
 |
||||
| ◆ CNBC, 2025-11-25 | the Trump administration is “far more reluctant” to sacrifice blood and treasure on the Taiwan question than his predecessors, preferring instead to focus on the trade relationship between Washington and Beijing. | ||||
| ◆ New York Times, 2025-11-21 |
With the crisis threatening to overwhelm her nascent administration, Ms. Takaichi's task is to avoid an escalation while still projecting strength at home. More reprisals could still come; In 2010's dispute, China limited the export of critical minerals to Japan, including rare earth metals. The Chinese are not offering any off-ramp. It could be a long time before tensions calm. |
||||
| ◆ Kyodo News, 2025-11-20 |
U.S. Ambassador to Japan denounced China's
recent response to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks on Taiwan,
calling its statements "provocative" and its economic measures "coercive." "I just want to say directly from the president (Donald Trump) and from myself and from the embassy, for the prime minister, we have her back". |
||||
| ◆ Newsweek, 2025-11-21 | report to Congress warns a war over Taiwan could be “cataclysmic,” the report warned, potentially “wiping out as much as 10 % of global GDP”—an unprecedented economic hit in modern times. Such a conflict would also carry “an acute risk of nuclear escalation and raise the threat of Chinese geographical expansion in the Indo-Pacific” | ||||
| ◆ Reuters, 2025-11-21 |
“The
policy of the United States is to maintain Taiwan's defensive capability
relative to that of China." China is developing capabilities for “multi-point, small amphibious landing operations” using large numbers of smaller craft. This approach could prove more difficult for Taiwan to defend against than concentrated landings at fewer sites. |
||||
| ◆ The Hill , 2025-11-18 | China's massive military buildup of attack submarines, aircraft carriers and anti-ship ballistic missiles established an area-denial and anti-access strategy that gradually changed the status quo so that restoring it in a confrontation would require the U.S. to initiate the use of force. | ||||
| ◆ Royal United service Institute, 2025-11-17 | Considering the many academic studies and war games that envision a PRC attack on Taiwan opening with a pre-emptive strike on US forces in Japan, this is not an outlandish supposition. | ||||
| ◆ Financial Times, 2025-11-13 | Takaichi's remark on Taiwan implied that Tokyo could take military action without being attacked itself. But the prime minister's focus on the domestic economy would starkly highlight Japan’s heavy reliance on Chinese manufacturing and the Chinese market as a driver of its own economic strength. | ||||
| ◆ Washington Post, 2025-11-12 | The diplomatic spat between China and Japan's new prime minister took a turn for the worse when an influential Chinese state media outlet said Sanae Takaichi may have to “pay a price” for her comments on Taiwan. | ||||
| ◆ L.A. Times, 2025-11-10 | Japan and China exchange barbs after PM Takaichi's remarks over Taiwan — a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute “a survival-threatening situation" for Japan requiring the use of force. Her response was seen as deviating from her predecessors' remarks and triggering a controversy that caused her to backpedal later and pledge that her remarks were within the previous official line. | ||||
| ◆ Kyodo News (Japan), 2025-11-10 | “Taiwan's situation has become serious. We must assume the worst-case scenario,” Takaichi said in parliament. Japan's 2015 landmark security legislation has enabled the country, under certain conditions such as a "survival-threatening situation," to exercise the right to collective self-defense, or to defend allies even in cases when it is not directly attacked. | ||||
| ◆ National Interest, 2025-11-5 | Taiwan's TTX 2025 exercises to simulate — First, the PLA would capture the outlying islands, then blockade the Taiwan island. After that, PLA would launch sweeping attacks against Taiwan's east coast—cities like Hualien, Taitung, and Yilan—and seize the island of Penghu. | ||||
| ◆ CNN, 2025-11-4 | China warns the US to avoid crossing four sensitive “red lines” — Taiwan, democracy and human rights, political path and system, and right to development, the most prominent of which is Taiwan | ||||
| ◆ Fox News, 2025-11-1 | Trump and Xi skip Taiwan talk despite years of war preparations.For now, both leaders appear content to keep the most volatile issue in their relationship unspoken. The quiet may help avert confrontation in the short term — but it leaves one of the world's most dangerous flashpoints lingering just beneath the surface. | ||||
| ◆ SKY News, Australia, 2025-11-1 | China will ramp up military actions against Taiwan within two years. China’s nuclear weapons program operated outside any international arms control framework, unlike the US and Russia, which remained bound by treaties limiting deployed warheads. | ||||
| ◆ CNN, 2025-10-30 | Trump refused to green-light the transfer of US weapons stocks to Taiwan earlier this year, under a process PDA. The move led to questions about the US military's commitment to Taiwan. concerns on Taiwan that Trump's personal conviction that Xi will not invade while he is in office could impede the US from effectively boosting their military capabilities in the coming years. | ||||
| ◆ Reuters, 2025-10-29 | China says it 'absolutely will not' rule out use of force over Taiwan. One of Xinhua news agency commentaries mapped out how "patriots" could rule the island after "reunification" and promised Taiwan's existing social system and way of life would be respected. | ||||
| ◆ TIME, 2025-10-23 | an all-out invasion would start with missile strikes against Taiwan's air bases to neutralize its fighter jets alongside a cyber blitzkrieg targeting communications and key infrastructure. Beijing's estimated 300 medium-range ballistic missile launchers—most of whose location is unknown—means they potentially have “the strike capacity to wipe the table clean of U.S. and Japanese bases” . | ||||
| ◆ Washington Examiner, 2025-10-24 |
key aspects of the American economy and
industrial base are reliant on China, providing Beijing with tremendous
leverage. A Sino-American war would be the most devastating conflict since World
War II. invade Taiwan by
2027... numerous steps
— boosting military spending to unseen heights, hoarding grain and oil,
building underground hospitals, and fortifying bases — to that end. |
||||
| ◆ National Interest, 2025-10-24 | Modern wars are about drones, electronic warfare, and hybrid warfare. China's increased drone flights near Taiwan signal both reconnaissance as well as escalation from Beijing. Taiwan is racing to move from reactive to proactive in the drone and electronic warfare domains... | ||||
| ◆ Financial Times, 2025-10-16 | UAVs, drones either for decapitation attacks or to debilitate Taiwan's industries, command and control systems, fuel depots. So these are all new scenarios as well that the Taiwanese side has to adapt to. A naval blockade or quarantine at the moment appears to be a more plausible or likelier scenario because the potential cost to the Chinese side is much lower. | ||||
| ◆ Wall Street Journal, 2025-10-8 | Beijing could subject vessels serving Taiwan to inspection by declaring a law-enforcement or health action, namely, a quarantine, allowing Beijing to quietly raise pressure on Taipei. Since a blockade is an act of war against an enemy state. A Chinese quarantine would force Taiwan and the U.S. to decide whether to take military action and potentially be accused of starting a war. | ||||
| ◆ Washington Examiner, 2025-10-8 | China says Taiwan president is 'prostituting' himself, after Lai said Trump should get the Nobel Peace Prize if he could convince Xi to abandon use of force against Taiwan. Lai engages in "unprincipled foreign pandering and bottomless selling out of Taiwan, squandering the flesh and blood of the people, prostituting himself and throwing in his lot with foreign forces". | ||||
| ◆ The Diplomat, 2025-10-4 | The United States would resort to a strategy of “offshore balancing,” which “allows the U.S. to assist from a distance, and keeps the U.S. position in Asia intact regardless of how a cross-strait conflict concludes.” | ||||
| ◆ New York Times, 2025-9-29 | “The Rocket Force is the crown jewel of the Chinese military" . the Dongfeng-17 missiles are capable of traveling at least five times the speed of sound and can maneuver to evade defenses. the Dongfeng-26, which can be armed with a conventional or nuclear warhead, and can be transported by road, making it harder for enemies to track and destroy. | ||||
| ◆ L.A. Times, 2025-9-29 | Russia's high-altitude parachute systems would allow Chinese forces to glide for up to 50 miles allowing “Chinese special forces groups to penetrate the territory of other countries without being noticed,” the RUSI report said. | ||||
| ◆ Washington Post, 2025-9-26 | In a future war over Taiwan, Moscow's supply of oil, gas and other natural resources — and its large defense industry — could become “strategic backup for China. China lags behind Moscow in airborne combat experience and capabilities for air maneuver. | ||||
| ◆ AP News London, 2025-9-26 | Moscow's assistance (equipment and localized training) could help speed up China's airborne program by about 10 to 15 years. The greatest value of the deal to China is likely in the training and procedures for command and control of parachute forces, because Russia has "combat experience”, whereas China doesn't. | ||||
| ◆ The National Interest, 2025-9-25 | Taipei's strategists are finally making the pivot away from conventional armed forces toward something nimbler. Taiwan is moving slowly toward preparing to wage a protracted insurgency against any nation, like China, that would try to take away the Taiwanese people's sovereignty through force. | ||||
| ◆ UPI, 2025-9-26 | A large-scale amphibious operation is highly risky, with the sites suitable for landing craft to deliver troops and equipment ashore constrained by the gradient and load bearing capacity of the beaches. Seizing airfields could allow troops to flow in by air, but runways can be quickly denied. Russia will train and equip Chinese paratroopers. | ||||
| ◆ Foreign Affairs, 2025-9-22 | There is no doubt that Chinese efforts at infiltration combined with military pressure—such as cyberattacks or a naval blockade under the guise of customs enforcement—would be a major challenge to Taiwan, but such measures could just as easily foment hostility toward Beijing as weaken Taiwanese resolve. | ||||
| ◆ Reuters, 2025-9-20 | Taiwan's message to the international community is that it is determined to defend itself and that people should not believe any claim it has surrendered in the event of invasion. | ||||
| ◆ Washington Post, 2025-9-19 | The U.S. government has for years urged Taiwan to buy more low-cost weaponry to counter China's massive advantage in ships, planes and missiles, but doing so will also make it harder to reach such drastic increases in defense spending. | ||||
| ◆ New York Times, 2025-9-15 | Taiwan is ... a source of advanced semiconductors. But even all that is not worth America's going to war. China is a formidable military power. US's military resources already overstretched by conflicts elsewhere, the US can ill afford conflict with China. | ||||
| ◆ National Interest, 2025-9-16 | if the United States were on the verge of an AGI breakthrough around the 2027 timeframe—then China may have an incentive to strike Taiwan in order to catch up in the race for AI superiority. | ||||
| ◆ Foreign Affairs, 2025-9-12 | Wars of chance are by nature sudden and unpredictable, often with devastating consequences. Chinese officials will not condone direct discussions with Lai because of what they perceive as his ardent pro-independence beliefs, but there is still room for backchannel conversations between Taipei and Beijing. | ||||
| ◆ Reuters, 2025-9-11 | Sea cable patrols missions have become a top priority to combat China's grey-zone warfare, a tactic meant to drain Taiwan's resources while falling short of an act of war. | ||||
| ◆ Monocle (UK), 2025-9-11 | Taiwan struggles to fill military ranks as China ramps up regional threats. large-scale developments of airports and ports for amphibious vehicles on Chinese islands in the East China Sea. It's believed that these could be used to launch an invasion of Taiwan; But on the ground in Taipei, armed forces remain significantly under-manned: active units are only about 80 per cent staffed. | ||||
| ◆ WSJ, The Telegraph, 2025-9-8 | In satellite images analysed by the Wall Street Journal, China builds new naval and air bases for Taiwan invasion. | ||||
| ◆ The Independent, 2025-9-4 | China has absorbed multiple lessons from Russia. Chinese tactics against Taiwan could be a hybrid of the Crimea and the dash to Kiev. China could command the seas by defeating an American force with one kinetic shock, securing control of the Taiwan strait . It could proclaim blockades, maritime quarantines, compulsory shipping lanes and aviation exclusion zones. | ||||
| ◆ The Associated Press, 2025-9-3 | In Taiwan, competing narratives over the meaning of China's massive military show. “The lack of public reaction to China's display of military might reflects both the limits of Beijing's intimidation campaign against Taiwan and the longstanding concern of Taiwanese people becoming desensitized by the constant military threat posed by China,” said a senior analyst. | ||||
| ◆ New York Times, 2025-9-2 | Xi parades firepower to signal that China won't be bullied again, and to show that China can resist pressure from the West. Mr. Xi offered an implicit message to Taiwan and its international supporters of the perils of any move toward formal independence. | ||||
| ◆ SCMP, 2025-9-4 | survey found that more than half of mainland Chinese citizens oppose the use of force to unify with Taiwan under any circumstances. Authors of the Stimson Centre report, "Rethinking the Threat", note that there are numerous measures short of a full-scale attack that Beijing may take, such as a naval blockade and cyberattacks, as part of a campaign of "coercive diplomacy". | ||||
| ◆ BBC, 2025-9-4 | Beijing's parade was a choreographed spectacle of precision, power and patriotism. 'A clear message to Trump'. In short: in the geopolitical universe different powers are aligning as a counterweight to American domination. | ||||
| ◆ CNBC, 2025-8-29 | Taiwan estimates China spent 40% more on military exercises in the Pacific last year, reaching $21 billion...Beijing expands its military footprint and scope of its drills, alarming regional capitals and Washington. | ||||
| ◆ BBC, 2025-8-26 | some, particularly the Taiwan government, believe a subtler invasion may already be taking place: one where China is trying to win the hearts and minds of ordinary Taiwanese in the hopes they would one day choose unification. Meanwhile, Taiwanese celebrities friendly to China, social media influencers and Chinese spouses of Taiwanese citizens have come under close scrutiny, | ||||
| ◆ Daily Express, 2025-8-28 | Huge shift in China-Taiwan relations as V-Day parade decision made. 'Guam Killer' ballistic missile, which is said to be able to reach the strategic American territory, is expected to be showcased in the capital amid rising global tensions. | ||||
| ◆ SKY News, Australia, 2025-8-26 | Yet questions remain over whether increasing spending on defence will truly help Taiwan in a conflict with China, whose military and defence budgets are much larger. Also, the increased defence spending would still only reach 2.45 per cent of Taiwan's GDP, nowhere near the 10 or even five per cent of GDP which American critics have called for. | ||||
| ◆ National Security Journal, 2025-8-26 | A Chinese invasion of Taiwan is not imminent, despite constant military rehearsals and bellicose rhetoric. Beijing's strategy is one of patient deterrence, not immediate conquest. | ||||
| ◆ Fox News, 2025-8-23 | Over the last decade, Taiwan has imported up to 97% of its energy needs, China can leverage its maritime dominance, its legal warfare and cyber tools to choke supply and test Taiwan's political resilience. | ||||
| ◆ Foreign Policy, 2025-8-21 | a break in the U.S.-Taiwan relationship—let alone a U.S. sellout of Taiwan that might tempt China to move against it—would have catastrophic repercussions for the entire world. | ||||
| ◆ Reuters, Bloomberg 2025-8-21 | Taiwan's 2026 defence budget to exceed 3% of GDP as US presses spending increase. Officials included money for the Coast Guard and veteran pensions in that topline figure for the first time. The final amount Taiwan spends on the military in 2026 will likely be different because the budget will have to go before the legislature, where the opposition holds a slim majority. | ||||
| ◆ InkStick, 2025-8-20 | more measured methods could culminate in a blockade of Taiwan by the PLA Navy, backed by Chinese airpower and China's enormous missile arsenal. A blockade is an act of war, legally, but it can put the onus on its target to actually initiate hostilities. A “quarantine” by China's coast guard would strangle Taiwan more gradually than a full blockade, with less risk of war | ||||
| ◆ WSJ, Bloomberg, 2025-8-16 | Trump Tells Fox News He Believes Xi Won't Act on Taiwan. Trump said. “He'll never do it as long as you're president, President Xi told me that.” | ||||
| ◆ Semafor, 2025-8-12 | US unprepared for Chinese attack on Taiwan energy... ways for Beijing to undermine Taiwan's political leadership and public support for independence, and the most obvious — especially following Russia's disruptions to Ukraine's energy system over the past few years, a playbook that Beijing has studied closely — is to interrupt its energy supply | ||||
| ◆ Brookings, 2025-8-11 | The White House recently called off a meeting between Taiwan's defense minister and Pentagon officials and delayed action on military sales. Ely Ratner on WP: These concessions send a dangerous signal that America's approach to Taiwan is negotiable. | ||||
| ◆ Foundation for Defense of Democracies , 2025-8-11 | Chinese attempt to throttle Taiwan's energy supply chain is the kind of coercion that flies under the threshold of war, but could still bring Taiwan to its knees. In a cross-strait invasion, Taiwan's navy and air force are going to be history after a few days | ||||
| ◆ ASPI, 2025-8-11 | Numerous credible evaluations find that China lacks the requisite logistics, leadership and experience to conduct a comprehensive amphibious invasion across the Taiwan Strait. | ||||
| ◆ The Telegraph, 2025-8-8 | Taiwan's deputy foreign minister says that Taiwan needs to “learn and to work with China” to avoid war with a nuclear power. the reality is “if more countries recognise Taiwan, China may use force against Taiwan”. "we need to be pragmatic. We cannot provoke China” | ||||
| ◆ The Conversation, 2025-8-8 | Taiwan faces a precarious future – whether or not US and China continue on path to conflict | ||||
| ◆ The Diplomat, 2025-8-4 | China's likely strategy for taking Taiwan would be a swift and overwhelming assault, aimed at preventing foreign intervention and minimizing civilian resistance. Beijing has cultivated a population conditioned to support the state in conflict. Taiwan's strategy has been the opposite: depoliticize, demilitarize, and hope for deterrence through foreign alignment. The discrepancy could be catastrophic. | ||||
| ◆ BBC, 2025-8-6 |
Taiwanese expert accused the TV show <Zero Day Attack> of pushing Taiwan independence "so that Taiwan becomes a place that never knows peace". it was evidence of Lai's government "once again using all kinds of channels to play the 'anti-Communist card' and stir up anxiety of war". |
||||
| ◆ Anadolu Agency (Turkey), 2025-8-6 | China blasts Taiwan's Lai as 'warmonger' after William Lai Ching-te said Taipei would increase defense budget by more than 3% | ||||
| ◆ CSIS, 2025-7-31 | The “joint blockade campaign” (联合封锁战役) is discussed extensively in Chinese doctrinal writing, and the PLA has signaled that it would consider such a campaign if it acts against Taiwan. Taiwan requires U.S. intervention if China uses military force in a blockade. | ||||
| ◆ SKY News Australia, 2025-7-31 | Taiwan deputy foreign minister: alone, Taiwan can never be ready ! "It's not possible, China is so big, so huge." | ||||
| ◆ Council on Foreign Relations, 2025-7-25 | In recent surveys, only 36 percent of polled Americans support sending U.S. troops into harms war to break a Chinese blockade or repel a Chinese invasion of the island; while the foreign policy experts and both aisles of Congress remain staunch supporters of Taiwan, their views are increasingly at odds with U.S. public opinion. | ||||
| ◆ WSWS.org, 2025-7-28 | the US that is accelerating preparations for war with China by seeking to goad Beijing into attacking Taiwan — Washington is completely indifferent to the catastrophic impact such a war would have on the Taiwanese population. US is driven above all by the fear that China's economic growth is undermining America's global dominance | ||||
| ◆ Washington Post, 2025-7-23 | The harder challenge is deterring Chinese “gray zone” tactics, that squeeze Taiwan into submission. A professor at the Harvard Kennedy School etc: “The focal threat isn’t invasion but a quarantine that chokes the island by preventing import of food and energy and prevents export of computer chips and everything else.” | ||||
| ◆ The Strategist, 2025-7-21 | China could conceal preparations for an invasion by framing it as a large-scale joint exercise... the opening phase would be a massive missile barrage targeting Taiwan's airbases, radar stations, naval ports and command centres. Simultaneously, China's air force would launch waves of fighters, drones and bombers to suppress Taiwan's air defences. | ||||
| ◆ Financial Times, 2025-7-19 | Japan tells its companies in Taiwan "you're on your own" if China invades; FDI has slumped ft.com/content/04626778-0753-4fa5-a735-f1a5613b3293 | ||||
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| ◆ Global Times, 2025-7-20 | In reality, it reflects a clear-eyed recognition of the facts: Japan has little real intention of getting pulled into a military conflict with China. | ||||
| ◆ Financial Times, 2025-7-15 | experts said Taiwan's military would struggle to shake off a tradition of centralised command. “Decentralisation is a difficult thing for our armed forces” | ||||
| ◆ Fox News, 2025-7-15 | CSIS expert: "Japan is always critical, we can't win the war without them", "Their forces are important, but our ability to use our bases in Japan is critical". Whether Japan allows the U.S. to center its wartime operations on its territory would be a critical question certain to come up in preparations for a wartime contingency. | ||||
| ◆ Council on Foreign Relations, 2025-7-8 | the PLA Navy and China's Coast Guard maintain a constant presence of approximately a dozen ships surrounding Taiwan, and that the PLA Navy could “move into a blockade posture . . . in a matter of hours.” The presence of Chinese warships and aircraft carriers in the waters around Taiwan is such that a full-scale Chinese air assault against Taiwan would also be possible without warning. | ||||
| ◆ New York Times, 2025-7-7 | The close ties between the two economies have been seen in Taiwan as a deterrent against China's aggression, and a way for China to exert its influence over the island. The coupling cuts both ways. | ||||
| ◆◆Eurasian Times, 2025-7-5 | future conflict scenarios might not begin with missile strikes or naval blockades but with targeted disruptions, sudden leadership decapitation attempts, or sabotage of key infrastructure—all carried out covertly before a formal war even begins | ||||
| ◆ New York Times, 2025-6-30 | “President Lai is trying to fire up his base of support as much as possible in order to ensure the recalls are successful". Critics say he is stoking divisions, and risking blowback from Beijing. | ||||
| ◆ Stars and Stripes, 2025-6-30 | Japan unlikely to intervene directly if China attacks Taiwan, expert says. The former head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Adm. John Aquilino, said all indications suggest the Chinese military could be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027. | ||||
| ◆ New York Times, 2025-6-26 | By attacking Iran, President Trump has shown he is willing to engage in a distant war. China's leaders are confident that their military is much more formidable than the weakened Iranian forces. China has about 3,500 missiles, as well as a growing nuclear arsenal and a fast-expanding navy. | ||||
| ◆ CNN, 2025-6-22 | US officials quietly warn that Taiwan's reserve forces remain the soft underbelly of its defense posture. Millions of former conscripts exist “on paper,” but years of truncated service and minimal refresher training have left them “underprepared for modern warfare. “It is imperative to reform military service as quickly as possible” | ||||
| ◆ Reuters, 2025-6-17 | Taiwan's armed forces are dwarfed by those of China, Taiwan is modernisising its military to be able to fight "asymmetric warfare," using mobile and agile systems like submarines, drones and truck-mounted missiles to fend off its much-larger adversary China. | ||||
| ◆ SCMP, 2025-6-15 | Taiwan war game triggers US questions over island's ‘will to fight’ if PLA attacks. The exercise simulating a 2030 cross-strait conflict has exposed serious vulnerabilities in Taiwan's defences of its outer perimeter and eastern regions, most notably Penghu. | ||||
| ◆ Defense News, 2025-6-14 | When young conscripts in Taiwan refer to themselves as “cannon fodder,” it signals a crisis in trust that the government must not ignore. According to the Washington Post, Taiwan's Defense Minister acknowledged that equipment and instructor shortages have delayed plans to improve training for reserves. | ||||
| ◆ Economist, 2025-6-10 | Should Taiwan rehearse how to resist occupation by China, striving to be ungovernable after a defeat? Several Taiwanese experts are sceptical. They call such planning defeatist, divisive and panic-inducing | ||||
| ◆ Atlantic Council, 2025-6-9 | China is carrying out ‘dress rehearsals’ to take Taiwan, which has made distinguishing exercises from true military action nearly impossible. a nonlinear 300 percent increase in Chinese military pressure over the past year. China's geographic advantage across the Pacific becomes even more acute. | ||||
| ◆ The Hill, 2025-6-10 | China's next war ‘could be imminent’ and spread fast. War is coming to East Asia, and Taiwan — Chinese President Xi Jinping, after all, has staked his personal legitimacy on annexing Taiwan. | ||||
| ◆ National Interest, 2025-6-6 | Taiwan must embrace an insurgency strategy. Not tanks, F-16s, and warships (big, beautiful targets for Chinese bombardment) but rather lots of people and a seemingly endless cache of small arms dispersed throughout the country. Taiwan's leaders have not adopted this approach—and they're running out of time to change direction. | ||||
| ◆ Wall Street Journal, 2025-6-3 | The War of Revision Is Coming. Taiwan could be the next battlefield. | ||||
| ◆ The Guardian, 2025-6-1 | China already has sufficient capability to invade now, with amphibious landing craft, D-day-style floating docks, paratroopers and expanded air combat and missile forces in a constant state of readiness. | ||||
| ◆ Bloomberg, 2025-6-2 | China escalated military pressure around the region, deploying dozens of warships and government vessels daily in what it described as an extreme pressure campaign. | ||||
| ◆ Daily Express (UK), 2025-6-2 | China stockpiling nukes and could team up with Russia to grab Taiwan, there's uncertainty over how far the US 'nuclear umbrella' really stretches - and whether America would act in defence of Alaska, Hawaii, Guam or its Pacific allies. | ||||
| ◆ New York Post, 2025-5-29 | Taiwanese officials are worried their country will have difficulty attracting international support should China launch an invasion. "in order to stay in power, Xi will have to possibly use force against Taiwan.” | ||||
| ◆ NBC News, 2025-5-30 | In congressional testimony, an official publicly acknowledged for the first time that there are about 500 U.S. military personnel stationed in Taiwan, more than 10 times the number previously disclosed. But, it is difficult for Taiwan to build a modern fighting force, China's 2.8-million-strong military is more than 18 times larger than Taiwan's number of active-duty personnel. | ||||
| ◆ Financial Times, 2025-5-26 | China improves ability to launch sudden attack on Taiwan, officials say. Military build-up enables Beijing to switch from peacetime to war operations quickly. China's Type 075 amphibious assault ships are capable of dropping special forces into Taiwan ft.com/content/c82eb38e-87cb-4468-b013-0f7fce0fc54b | ||||
| ◆ New York Times, 2025-5-22 | Taiwan defense chief is overseeing the Taiwanese government's efforts to upgrade its relatively small military into a force strong and nimble enough to fend off threats from China, partly by deploying more drones, unmanned sea vessels and highly mobile missiles. .nytimes.com/2025/05/22/world/asia/trump-china-taiwan-security.html | ||||
| ◆ National Interest, 2025-5-20 | Polls repeatedly show that an American majority does not support fighting for Taiwan, preferring instead the current ambiguous status quo. Taiwan's hope and expectation is that the United States will enter the fray. Wargames point to costly fighting and losses if that happens, including the specter of potential escalation to nuclear war. | ||||
| ◆ Foreign Affairs, 2025-5-20 | Military upgrades should be concealed or downplayed until they are fielded... Reassuring Beijing is a critical component of a successful deterrence strategy. Reassurance that Washington does not support Taiwanese independence should include public criticism when Taiwan's leaders make statements or take actions that suggest otherwise. | ||||
| ◆ PBS, 2025-5-20 | Michael Swaine, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft: Taiwan has never been regarded as a strategically critical location for the United States in Asia. The United States should be supporting Taiwan in every way possible, except through military intervention. | ||||
| ◆◆Foreign Affairs, 2025-5-15 | The Risk of War in the Taiwan Strait Is High—and Getting Higher. Beijing's worry about the future could spur a deadly miscalculation Soon | ||||
| ◆◆Newsweek, 2025-5-17 | the former commander of the U.S. Army Pacific, told lawmakers that "the threat of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is no longer distant or theoretical." | ||||
| ◆◆Wall Street Journal, 2025-5-14 | . They span nearly 2700 feet; This could thin out Taiwan's defenses and make it harder to defend all the different places... | ||||
| ◆ Brookings 2025-5-12 | China has been pursuing a strategy of “coercion without violence”to steadily induce a sense of fatalism among Taiwan people that resistance is futile, and that Taiwan eventually will have no choice but to succumb to Beijing’s designs. As The Economist recently reported, about 30% say Taiwan will end up ‘being unified by mainland China’. | ||||
| ◆◆Wall Street Journal, 2025-5-10 | Using weapons that are cheaper to acquire and faster to deploy will be key to fending off China, said professor at King’s College London. One of the biggest obstacles facing Taiwan's military is staffing. President said he would raise military spending to 3% of GDP, but he has encountered resistance to his budget in parliament from opposition... | ||||
| ◆◆Daily Mail, 2025-5-7 | China is at a 'rapid boil' in its preparations for a military attack on Taiwan, said Admiral Samuel Paparo, heading up the US Indo-Pacific Command | ||||
| ◆◆Deutsche Welle (DW), 2025-5-5 | Energy would be Beijing's first target in case of a blockade or invasion. The water supply is powered by electricity, communication is based on electricity and the military would not be able to function without it. | ||||
| ◆◆Real Clear Defense, 2025-5-5 | A Taiwan Strait war wouldn't be measured in months. It would be decided in days. The U.S. won't have time to surge exquisite assets across the Pacific... | ||||
| ◆◆Economist, 2025-5-1 | Recent China's military exercises deployed in a “cabbage strategy” to wrap Taiwan in layers of forces. A blockade could provoke an American military response without forcing Taiwan to surrender. That is why a quarantine is more likely. | ||||
| ◆◆Foreign Policy, 2025-5-1 | Trump Should Rein In Taiwan. Lai gave several speeches that went significantly further than his predecessors in positioning Taiwan as a sovereign state that is separate from China, greatly increasing the risks that Xi could seize Taiwan's outlying islands, order a blockade, or even invade | ||||
| ◆◆Brookings, 2025-4-25 | survey across almost all measures, the US is seen as a less reliable partner, Taiwan and South Korea both feel less confident that the US will assist them in the event of a conflict with their respective authoritarian neighbor. Only 37.5% of respondents in Taiwan believed in Mar. 2025 that it is “likely” or “very likely” that the US would intervene in a military conflict.brookings.edu/articles/the-trump-effect-on-public-attitudes-toward-america-in-taiwan-and-south-korea/ | ||||
| for more China-Taiwan conflicts ... click | |||||
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'Judicial persecution'
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opposition party leader
Ko Wen-je
(柯文哲)
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| ◆The Guardian, 2026-4-3 | 'I will not yield': Taiwan convulsed by 17-year prison sentence for populist opposition figure. What's certain is that Ko's conviction has widened the chasm in Taiwan's already fractured political landscape, as it struggles to bridge the divide that exists between its main political parties. |
| ◆France24, 2026-3-28 | “There are numerous irregularities”, said a Law professor, pointing to how certain evidence was handled and noting that some materials relied upon by prosecutors were indirect and, insufficient to support serious corruption charges. ... broader structural issues in Taiwan's legal system, including prosecutorial discretion and the use of pre-trial detention, which raises questions about proportionality and due process in high-profile cases. |
| ◆Global Times, 2026-4-1 | mainland's Taiwan affairs office: The DPP authorities, in pursuit of political self-interest, have persistently manipulated the judiciary and suppressed and persecuted political opponents. an online poll conducted by a YouTube channel on the case showed that 85 percent of netizens believed the ruling was "unreasonable". |
| ◆Financial Times, 2026-3-26 | verdiction of opposition party leader expected to further entrench political divisions , to strengthen the view of opposition parties and their supporters that President Lai Ching-te and his ruling Democratic Progressive Party are using judicial power to remove political opponents. ft.com/content/a2969bd9-d952-41ba-bbaa-89a15da49cad?syn-25a6b1a6=1 |
| ◆SCMP, 2026-3-26 | Ko banned from running for the island's top office for six years; ruling out a run in 2028. KMT (main opposition) chair Cheng Li-wen voiced support for Ko, calling the trial "ruthless judicial persecution". |
| ◆Nikkei Asia, 2026-3-26 | Onetime Taiwan presidential hopeful Ko Wen-je convicted of graft, that could inflame Taiwan's ongoing political crisis. |
| ◆BBC, 2026-3-26 | Once a rising star in Taiwanese politics and a presidential contender, Ko Wen-je's sizable showing pointed to voters' demand for a more pluralistic political landscape beyond the two main parties. Ko's arrest has triggered protests from his allies and supporters, who accused the DPP of using the charges to suppress its opponents. |
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Taiwan might have reasons to worry about Trump. |
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| ◆ Eurasian Times, 2026-1-27 | the U.S. will no longer tolerate…free-riding. American allies and partners must work and spend for their own security; American support is now conditional and limited. |
| ◆ TIME, 2026-1-6 | The lesson from Venezuela is that small states which bet their survival on great-power protection can find themselves abandoned when their patron's interests diverge from their own. |
| ◆ Washington Post, 2025-12-12 | KMT chairperson Cheng said : “Many Taiwanese are anxious — they fear we provoke first, the U.S. uses the ‘Taiwan card’ to deal with Beijing, and then we get sold out afterward.” |
| ◆ CNN, 2025-12-12 | NSS has nothing to say about China's strategic ambitions … Trump has dedicated multiple paragraphs to Taiwan, but the document also softened its language elsewhere – saying the US “does not support any unilateral change to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait,” instead of the previous phrasing of “opposing” any such change. |
| ◆ New York Times, 2025-12-2 | Mr. Trump “has sent conflicting messages to Taiwan which have not helped and worried America's allies in the region". |
| ◆ The Guardian, 2025-11-30 | Trump has now flipped from waging a trade war to gushing gratitude for an invitation to visit Beijing, obtained during his obsequious phone call to Xi last week. Trump subsequently offered no public assurances to Taiwan ... His truckling to Xi reinforced fears in Taipei and Tokyo that, as Ukraine knows, he's chronically unreliable. |
| ◆ Wall Street Journal, 2025-11-28 |
While U.S. silence may deter China, it can also weaken public resolve. That makes Trump's public silence, coupled with his willingness to turn away from traditional U.S. alliances, a cause for concern for some in Taipei. |
| ◆ Anadolu Agency , 2025-11-19 | Beijing-based Asia expert : “Donald Trump is not perceived as trustworthy, and neither are current elites in Washington.” expert at the International Crisis Group: Trump has “evinced little concern for Taiwan's security.” |
| ◆ CNN, 2025-10-30 | Some experts remain worried that Trump might be willing to make concessions on Taiwan for a better trade deal. The refusal to definitively count out Taiwan becoming a pawn in trade talks between the world’s two largest economies comes as Trump has privately and publicly suggested he believes China will not invade the self-ruled island. |
| ◆ TIME, 2025-10-23 | Trump's recalcitrance regarding support for military action over Taiwan is broadly shared by its allies. |
| ◆ CBC, Radio-Canada, 2025-10-17 | The key issue is whether the United States is going to come to Taiwan's rescue if Taiwan gets invaded; Taiwan's role is actually to serve as a critical component of the alliance built by the U.S. The U.S. has made it crystal clear that we're trying to recreate a supply chain free of China's influence. |
| ◆◆The Diplomat, 2025-10-4 | The U.S. government is preparing for a military strategy that “does not demand too much from Americans.” |
| ◆ Asia Times, 2025-10-6 | For now, the silicon shield disincentivizes a Taiwan Strait war. But as a small country threatened by a much larger close neighbor, and with the resolve of its protector perhaps weakening, Taiwan remains fundamentally insecure. / Denny Roy is a senior fellow, East-West Center, Honolulu. |
| ◆◆ cryptopolitan, 2025-9-29 | US pressures Taiwan to shift chip production amid push for 50% domestic supply. arstechnica, 2025-9-29: Taiwan pressured to move 50% of chip production to US or lose protection. |
| ◆◆Foreign Affairs, 2025-9-22 | President Donald Trump puts a higher priority on reaching a trade deal and improving relations with Beijing than on steadfast support for Taiwan. |
| ◆ ◆Financial Times, 2025-8-28 | the US now seems more interested in doing a deal with China than showing support for Taiwan. |
| ◆◆SKY News, Australia, 2025-8-26 | more Taiwanese people have become less trusting and more doubtful about US reliability, as several polls on the island this year have shown. |
| ◆◆Bloomberg, 2025-8-21 | Taiwan Aims to Placate Trump With a 23% Military Spending Boost |
| ◆◆Foreign policy, 2025-8-21 | U.S. security guarantees no longer seem as solid as they once were. Trump once said “Taiwan is like two feet from China. … We are 8,000 miles away. If they invade, there isn’t a fucking thing we can do about it.” |
| ◆◆Global Times, 2025-8-22 | Reports that US is considering taking stakes in TSMC prompt swift responses.If TSMC were to move all its advanced production facilities to the US, the company could face the existential threat of being hollowed out. The Trump administration is growing bolder in trespassing market rules and legal boundaries. |
| ◆◆Reuters, 2025-8-21 | Taiwan's 2026 defence budget to exceed 3% of GDP as US presses spending increase. |
| ◆◆Global Times, 2025-8-21 | DPP boosting Taiwan's military budget to over 3% will ‘intensify tensions’ across Straits and face countermeasures from the mainland and erode resources for people's livelihoods in the island. DPP to lift the regional defense budget to over 3 percent of GDP effectively serves as a "protection fee" to the US. |
| ◆ Brookings, 2025-8-11 | There is real concern that the Trump administration might trade away Taiwan's interests in order to make a deal with Beijing. Trump himself has never shown a principled commitment to Taiwan, and his enthusiasm for a Trump-Xi summit is growing. |
| ◆◆Fox News, 2025-7-30 | "President Trump is handing our primary geopolitical adversary the keys to the castle of 21st century global technological dominance. Doing so will enable Chinese leadership in artificial intelligence, infusing the Chinese military with the technological advantage it needs to continue hostile operations across the globe," the Democratic statement claimed. |
| ◆◆Bloomberg, 2025-7-31 | Trump likes winners — the problem for Taiwan’s leader Lai Ching-te is that he looks like a man running out of options. It’s an unenviable position to be in, with the threat of punishing tariffs hanging over him. Domestically, Lai is dealing with the fallout from a bruising vote that will embolden the self-ruled island’s pro-Beijing opposition. |
| ◆◆Al Jazeera, 2025-7-31 | fears have been growing that US President Donald Trump is losing interest in relations with the democratic, self-ruled island in favour of building ties with China. |
| ◆◆Fox News, 2025-7-29 | U.S.-Taiwan solidarity has long included symbolic gestures — but critics suggest that the Trump administration may be undermining that relationship in a bid to engage China on trade. |
| ◆ Council on Foreign Relations, 2025-7-25 | Trump's desire to shoulder this burden, deterrence in the Taiwan Strait, is very much an open question. Trump is avowedly opposed to entering new wars and is eager to strike grand bargains. Would a grand bargain with Xi involve selling Taiwan down the river in exchange for trade or commercial concessions? |
| ◆ Washington Post, 2025-7-23 | Trump's views about Taiwan are unclear, ... Some fear that in trying to make a broad trade agreement with Xi, Trump could put Taiwan on the table. |
| ◆ WSWS.org, 2025-7-21 | the US under both Biden and Trump has sought to goad China into using its military to take over Taiwan. Washington has been systemically undermining “One China”policy. Washington plans to transform Taiwan into an Asian Ukraine as a means of triggering a conflict, destabilising China and subordinating it to the economic and strategic interests of US. |
| ◆ Taipei Times, 2025-7-14 | Trump's foreign policy is less about strategy than instinct. Trump approaches diplomacy as a real estate mogul might: transactional, impulsive, and often devoid of historical context. For Taiwan, Can it continue to rely on a US security umbrella under a president who has questioned the value of NATO, threatened to pull US troops from South Korea, and hinted in the past at making deals with China at Taiwan’s expense? |
| ◆ The Print, 2025-7-16 | the US response to Taiwan's invasion will depend on the occupant of the Oval Office. Trump has adopted an “America First” approach and is increasingly less keen on spending money to defend foreign countries. |
| ◆ BBC, 2025-7-9 | The US is compelled by legislation to help Taiwan defend itself, but Trump has been ambiguous about this and recently refused to comment on whether he would stop China from taking Taiwan by force. Doubt grows in Taiwan that the US under Donald Trump would intervene militarily in the event of a Chinese attack |
| ◆ New York Times, 2025-7-7 | Mr. Trump has demanded that Taiwan drastically raise its own military spending and accused Taiwan of stealing the lead in semiconductor manufacturing from the United States. Officials in Taiwan have committed to a slight increase in military spending |
| ◆ Economist, 2025-6-10 | When Mr Trump scorns Ukraine as a small country that foolishly imagines it can defy a larger neighbour, Taiwanese hear echoes of their own plight. |
| ◆ Atlantic Council, 2025-6-9 | The US TRANSCOM has revealed reduced capacity and greater cracks in the United States’ sustainment strategy. This combination of reduced warning and response poses serious risks to the United States’ ability to deter a forceful resolution across the Taiwan Strait. |
| ◆ The Guardian, 2025-6-1 | Trump doesn't know how to deal with China. His cowardice only makes a war with Taiwan more likely. when people ask if Trump will fight for Taiwan, the answer is not really in serious doubt. |
| ◆NBC, 2025-5-30 | Officials in Taipei have also been rattled by the collapse of U.S. support for Ukraine as well as the threat of steep tariffs on Taiwan's exports, which Trump has set at 32% in addition to a 10% baseline. Even as it works with the U.S., Taiwan is unsure about the extent of the security commitment from Washington |
| ◆New York Post, 2025-5-29 | Taiwanese officials are worried their country will have difficulty attracting international support should China launch an invasion. |
| ◆New York Times, 2025-5-21 | Taiwan's president has taken a tougher stance on China, raising criticism from some who say it's a risky position since a geopolitically fickle President Trump may not offer steadfast support for the island. |
| ◆ Economist, 2025-5-1 | Mr Trump's fickleness has made Taiwan's security seem more parlous |
| ◆ The WEEK, 2025-4-15 | Washington's long-maintained "security relationship" has been "less than assured" since Donald Trump took office recently. "the confusing signals" from America have left "Taipei wondering where it stands", said The Washington Post. |
| ◆ Newsweek, 2025-4-8 | Would Donald Trump Defend Taiwan? Even as Pete Hegseth said that the U.S. priority is the Indo Pacific, the U.S. military is focused on the Middle East, and there have been reports that the U.S. THAAD battery in Seoul along with two Patriot missile batteries, deployed elsewhere, were moved to the Middle East. |
| ◆ New York Times, 2025-4-1 | The problem with president Mr. Lai's approach is that Taiwan can no longer bank on U.S. support. This isn’t something that we are just now realizing |
| ◆ Wall Street Journal, 2025-3-17 | Taiwan's military planners signal to Washington the desire for a stable relationship as anxieties simmer in Taipei about whether President Trump would send help to defend against a Chinese attack. Trump's recent suspension of U.S. support for Ukraine heightened those concerns in Taiwan. |
| ◆ New York Times, 2025-3-6 | President Trump has pressed Taiwan to loosen its dominance in advanced semiconductors and to move production to the United States, and he has warned of hefty tariffs if his demands are not met.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/world/asia/taiwan-tsmc-chips-arizona.html |
| ◆ TIME, 2025-2-27 | University of London expert says: I haven't seen any evidence that Trump cares much about Taiwan. Nanyang Technological University scholar says: China may be able to take Taiwan “without too much U.S. interference” if Beijing is able to strike a similar deal with Washington. |
| ◆ New York Times, 2025-2-25 | Mr. Trump executes a dramatic reversal of U.S. policy toward Ukraine, insisting that Ukraine is to blame for the war; a few Taiwanese commentators suggest that if war between China and Taiwan should erupt, Mr. Trump might take a similarly transactional approach. |
| ◆ Council on Foreign Relations, 2025-2-21 | Trump is making Taiwan more vulnerable. Trump has also made clear that he wants to negotiate a broad economic deal with China, which raises the question of what China will seek in return. If Trump can take Greenland, why can't China take Taiwan? |
| ◆ Washington Post, 2025-2-18 | Each statement by Trump that degrades the principle that territorial boundaries must not be redrawn by force or coercion might embolden China on Taiwan. political scientist Graham Allison : “Taiwan will be depreciated in the triangular relationship”,“I see no evidence whatever that [Trump] believes the U.S. has any vital interest in Taiwan.” |
| ◆ NY Times, 2025-2-13 | Taiwan prepares for Trump's tariffs and a more transactional U.S. relationship; Taiwanese officials have traveled to Washington to float energy deals and defend the island's semiconductors. |
| ◆ Bloomberg, 2025-2-14 | Taiwan President pledged to boost military spending to 3% of GDP; Trump suggested the archipelago should devote 10% of GDP to its armed forces. |
| ◆ CNN, 2024-12-15 | one thing's for sure: Trump is a less vocal supporter of Taiwan than Biden. That's why Taiwan is buckling up for what could be a far more volatile relationship with Washington. Trump's remarks have prompted jitters that Taiwan would need to move more of its critical chip supply chain to the US at a faster pace, that could affect the island's “silicon shield” ... |
| ◆ New York Times, 2024-11-24 | Trump couldn't care less about Taiwan... Maybe he will strike some sort of bargain with Taiwan. But whatever Taiwan can offer him, Beijing can easily top. More and more, there are those in Taiwan who say we are an “abandoned chess piece,” no longer valued by the United States. China amplifies these fears... |
| ◆ Wall Street Journal, 2024-11-18 | Some in Taiwan say its survival as a self-ruled democracy is at stake, that it can't afford to spend what Trump demands on defense and that it would wither in the crossfire of a U.S.-China trade war. Washington, the percent of GDP is really seen as a proxy for your seriousness. |
| ◆ Fox News, 2024-11-10 | Trump's public comments might suggest that he would not be willing to put boots on the ground to face another global superpower in defense of Taiwan. there is hope among restraint groups that Trump will be focused on economic warfare with China – rather than military. "We don't have that alliance with Taiwan, ... the Taiwan issue is a powder keg — it's exceedingly dangerous. " |
| ◆ New York Times, 2024-11-10 | Tump's call for Taiwan to spend more on its own defense and his complaints about its semiconductor dominance may herald a tenser relationship. |
| ◆ Business Insider, 2024-11-9 | In 2025, Taiwan will have to contend with uncertainty on whether the US will protect it, or play it. |
| ◆ New York Times, 2024-11-6 | Some diplomats expect China to intensify pressure on Taiwan, if not invade Taiwan; and China may calculate that Trump would not go to war for a democracy that he has accused of “stealing” the microchip industry from the US. “With rump, there are large amounts of uncertainty,”“And it's a matter of uncertainty that comes with great risk for Taiwan.” |
| ◆ Washington Post, 2024-11-6 | Trump's statements this year that raise doubt about his willingness to come to the island democracy's defense and his misleading assertion that Taipei needs to pay the US for defense. Such rhetoric could “fan the flames of skepticism” ... |
| ◆ New York Times, 2024-11-6, news briefing | Trump could decide to do the true “America First” thing and withdraw completely, and basically say, "defending Taiwan is not in our interest.” ... |
| ◆ Bloomberg, 2024-11-5 | Taiwan's Economic Affairs Minister acknowledged that Trump could introduce measures that might prove harmful for Taiwan's semiconductor industry. But the impact will not be as severe as some anticipate. |
| ◆ Reuters, 2024-11-6 | Trump might try to use the Taiwan issue as a bargaining chip to gain leverage in other areas, such as offering to restrain Taiwan's provocative actions in exchange for Beijing's compromise on trade. |
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Trump's tariffs , trade war, chips |
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| ◆ Radio France Internationale, 2026-1-15 | "The objective is to bring 40 percent of Taiwan's entire supply chain and production, to domestically bring it into America," Lutnick said, "We're going to bring it all over, so we become self-sufficient in the capacity of building semiconductors". |
| ◆ New York Times, 2026-1-13 | Trump administration nears trade deal with Taiwan. The deal would reduce the U.S. tariff rate, to 15 percent, TSMC would also commit to building at least five more semiconductor facilities, or fabs, in Arizona. |
| ◆ XinHua, China Daily, 2026-1-14 | China criticized Taiwan's authorities for showing no resistance when confronted with overt bullying and exploitation by external forces, but instead they offered Taiwan's core technological strengths as a bargaining chip to gain favor. |
| ◆ AOL, 2025-11-18 | Almost 100% of the chips are made in Taiwan. It's so disgraceful. The good news is it's all coming back, Trump says. H-1B migrant workers are currently needed because Americans don't know how to make microchips. |
| ◆ Anadolu Agency, 2025-11-19 | Trump's insistence that Taiwan shift half of its chip manufacturing to the US is widely viewed in Taipei as unrealistic, risky, and destabilizing. Taiwan possesses a complete semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem, whereas the US lacks such an industrial chain and cannot easily relocate,”"Semiconductor workers roles American workers cannot immediately fill.” |
| ◆ Cryptopolitan, 2025-11-11 | The former Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has said that Taiwan is strategically protected by its strong semiconductor ecosystem. “Now, it is such an initiative that helps Taiwan strengthen its defence and societal resilience in the face of threats”. Analysts often refer to this dynamic as the “silicon shield.” It is the idea that Taiwan's technological importance makes it too valuable to isolate or attack without global consequences. |
| ◆ CNN, 2025-10-30 | Taiwan is not willing to concede to the US across the board. The island vowed to resist pressure from Washington to shift half of its chip production capacity to the United States, throwing down the gauntlet to the Trump administration just earlier this month. The subject is expected to continue as an active piece of the ongoing trade talks between the US and Taiwan. |
| ◆ Fox Business, 2025-8-27 | Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent: We've ended up with is 99% of the advanced chips in the world are manufactured on the island of Taiwan. That's a national security risk like we haven't seen since the Arab oil embargo. We just have to de-risk several aspects of the U.S. economy. |
| ◆ Bloomberg, 2025-8-12 | opposition parties and some industries have criticized Lai’s administration for Trump imposing a 20% duty on Taiwan’s exports to the US — a figure that is higher than the deals secured by regional competitors like Japan and South Korea. The TVBS survey also found that 52% of respondents were dissatisfied with Lai’s handling of the US tariffs. |
| ◆ BBC, 2025-8-1 | Taiwan, one of the world's largest major semiconductor manufacturers and key US ally - also saw its tariff reduced, from 32% in April to 20%. But it's not yet clear if its chip industry will face separate sectoral tariffs. Its president Lai Ching-te said that the current rate was "temporary," as negotiations with Washington are still ongoing. |
| ◆ New York Times, 2025-7-7 | Taiwan's ruling party wants to be seen in Washington as a reliable friend of the United States, “even if that means paying a short-term economic cost”; Completely decoupling the two economies would be difficult. China remains the largest buyer of Taiwan's exports, especially semiconductors. |
| ◆◆Wall Street Journal, 2025-6-9 | Taiwan exports growth nears 15-Year high on likely frontloading as tariff uncertainty continues. Taiwan expects exports to contract in the second half, citing “escalating trade protectionism and heightened policy uncertainty.” |
| ◆◆Bloomberg, 2025-5-30 | Trump is planning to ramp up weapons sales to Taiwan to a level exceeding the pace set during his first term, Reuters reported, a move that risks escalating military tensions with China at a time the two nations are already locked in difficult talks over tariffs. |
| ◆ Foreign Affairs, 2025-5-20 | The trade war could make a shooting war seem more appealing to Beijing. |
| ◆ The WEEK, 2025-4-15 | Increasing economic dependence on the US "could placate Mr Trump", said The Spectator, but "experience shows that it could just become a way for Trump to exert more pressure in the future". China has signaled it will not let the trade war keep it from the technology it needs. Expert at Techcet said,“Everyone is holding their breath". |
| ◆ Washington Post, 2025-4-9 | Tariffs put Taiwan on shaky ground with U.S., may open door for China. Taiwan can't afford to take on Beijing and Washington at the same time, Taiwanese professor at NCCU said. The U.S. aims to push other countries into negotiations through raising the tariffs, hoping they'll buy more American goods and services |
| ◆ New York Times, 2025-4-3 | The Taiwanese government condemned the tariffs as unreasonable and unfair to Taiwan. The government would lodge a strong protest...The chip companies in Taiwan, the center of the global supply chain, are expected to face pressure from Washington to invest more in the U.S. |
| ◆ Reuters, 2025-3-4 | TSMC committed to set up a major research and development centre stateside. That's a threat to Taiwan in multiple ways. The enormous disruption that military conflict would inflict on global semiconductor supply chains is a core part of the deterrence. But the more that TSMC replicates its business offshore, the more this protection will erode. |
| ◆ Politico, 2025-3-3 | Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC announces new $100B investment in US; CEO C.C. Wei credited President Donald Trump for the investments TSMC agreed to build a factory in the U.S. to cut reliance on geopolitically risky Taiwan during Trump’s first term. |
| ◆ Global Times, 2025-3-4 | Taiwanese critics claim TSMC “has become USMC”, calling the move “yet another example of the Democratic Progress Party (DPP) selling out Taiwan.” |
| ◆ Reuters, 2025-12-16 | Taiwan's global credibility on the line with disputed laws, which granted more funds to local governments, "We cannot allow flawed laws to weaken Taiwan's competitiveness" president says. The opposition has slammed him for ignoring the will of the people. "ordinary citizens got was spreading rumours, making baseless accusations, and resorting to emotional blackmail and divisive tactics". |
| ◆ Bloomberg, 2025-12-16 | Taiwan government refuses to sign off a legal amendment passed by the Kuomintang-led opposition, which reduces the share of tax revenue allocated to the central government by directing it instead to cities and counties. KMT said that, under the constitution, the premier has no authority to protest or refuse to execute laws passed by the legislature. |
| ◆ AFP, 2025-11-1 | Taiwan's new opposition leader said Taiwan can't afford to hike its defence budget to more than three percent of GDP, but Taiwan president Lai Ching-te aims to boost defence spending to more than three percent of GDP next year, following US pressure to spend more on protecting itself against a potential Chinese attack. |
| ◆ Foreign Affairs, 2025-9-22 | a failed “recall” of opposition members that deeply divided the population, and President Lai Ching-te's popularity is collapsing. |
| ◆ SKY News, Australia, 2025-8-26 | Lai Ching-te can choose to double down on his current stance or realise how precarious Taiwan's position is. His approval ratings have fallen sharply to new lows as well. He might need to consider having a more flexible stance regarding cross-strait ties and a more cautious and less deferential approach towards the US |
| ◆ Japan Times, 2025-8-24 | Taiwan voters reject lawmaker recalls, clouding defense budget |
| ◆ Global Times, 2025-8-22 | the people of Taiwan island once again said "No" to the DPP's malicious political farce of suppressing dissent and sowing division, China said after the second round of recall votes against seven KMT legislators in Taiwan island failed. China also condemned the DPP's "green terror." |
| ◆ Bloomberg, 2025-8-12 | Taiwan President Lai Ching-te's approval rating has dropped to the lowest level since he took office last year, underscoring the hit he has taken from a range of political setbacks. |
| ◆◆CNN, 2025-7-27 | KMT chairman: “All Taiwanese people chose stability, chose that the government should focus on getting things done, rather than engaging in bitter political fighting". the KMT has accused the ruling party of resorting to political retaliation after it lost the legislative majority, saying the recalls were undermining and challenging Taiwan's democratic system. |
| ◆◆BBC, 2025-7-25 | The opponents characterise William Lai as a fascist and authoritarian traitor of Taiwan's democracy. Large screens played videos of Lai doctored to make him look like Adolf Hitler with the words "Fuhrer Lai", as well as the slogan "Green Terror" – a reference to the DPP's party colour and the White Terror, a period of authoritarian rule and political repression under the Kuomintang |
| ◆ Forbes, 2025-7-27 | historic vote has no doubt emboldened and rejuvenated the base of the KMT and TPP in their ability to wield power and influence in the legislature. A key objective is to position the KMT and TPP to advance a more constructive narrative towards cross- strait relations and a check on DPP's power base and sustain this momentum until the next Presidential election |
| ◆◆Reuters, 2025-7-26 | KMT Chairman called for Lai to apologise and reflect on his own governance. |
| ◆◆New York Times, 2025-7-26 | Lev Nachman, a political scientist at NTU in Taipei said: “I also think that there is going to be some need for self-reflection about how Lai Ching-te presents himself and the party DPP. He is not winning over moderate voters..." |
| ◆ The Guardian, 2025-7-23 | Lev Nachman, a professor at National Taiwan University said “There's a difference between anti-DPP and pro-Beijing, but from the recallers' perspective these have become synonymous.” |
| ◆ Reuters, 2025-7-23 | The recall groups accuse the KMT of selling out Taiwan by sending lawmakers to China, not supporting defence spending, and bringing chaos to parliament. The KMT denounced Lai's "dictatorship" and "green terror" - the DPP's party colour. China said Lai is "engaging in dictatorship under the guise of democracy" and "using every means to suppress the opposition" |
| ◆ WSWS.org, 2025-7-21 | president Lai is determined to undermine and suppress any opposition. Lai and the DPP are waging an unprecedented recall campaign against 31 KMT lawmakers. The whipping up of anti-China xenophobia to establish DPP parliamentary control is a warning that new anti-democratic measures are being prepared to crack down on opposition to the preparations for war. |
| ◆ The Jamestown Foundation, 2025-7-7 | Taiwan's ‘Great Recall’ a Historic Bid to Overturn the Opposition's Legislative Majority. The pro-recall campaigners rely heavily on “painting red” (抹紅) the KMT by associating them with the CCP's agenda. The KMT deny this, and there is no proof of them taking direct orders from the CCP. |
| ◆ Wall Street Journal, 2025-6-9 | Taiwan has embarked on a mission to purge any allies of Beijing from its civil service in an escalating battle against China's influence. |
| ◆◆Bloomberg, 2025-5-20 | Lai's tougher stance may give Beijing more pretext to ramp up pressure on Taiwan. Nearly half of respondents think Taiwan is heading in the wrong direction. Taiwan risks chipping away at its own civil liberties... Lai's policy may result in a tightening of free speech under the guise of national security ... it causes a kind of chilling effect — a form of self censorship. msn.com/en-us/news/world/taiwan-s-lai-toughens-china-stance-stoking-debate-on-democracy/ar-AA1F3Xlz?ocid=BingNewsVerp |
| ◆◆AFP News, Eurasian Times, 2025- 5-19 | the current dysfunction is distracting lawmakers and eroding public confidence, which benefits Beijing. a divided, fractured Taiwan is incapable of addressing its own long-term requirements and vulnerabilities. The parties “spend a lot of their time thinking about how to weaken support and damage the reputation and the image of their political adversaries”. eurasiantimes.com/its-advantage-china-as-taiwans-president-who-vowed-to-stand-up-to-beijing-faces-political-turmoil-at-home/ |
| ◆◆Brookings, 2025-5-12 | Taiwan's political system is in turmoil. Lai Ching-te's approval ratings have dropped. So, too, has public sentiment on Taiwan's future. Economist: about 30% say Taiwan will end up ‘being unified by mainland China’, 8% more than in 2020. |
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“Zero Day”- What if China invaded Taiwan? This TV drama paints a visceral picture |
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| ◆ Washington Post, 2025-8-23 | Taiwan’s motion picture industry is still heavily reliant on Taiwanese government subsidies — which “Zero Day Attack” also received — and distribution in the enormous Chinese market. Taiwan's People increasingly feel the possibility of coming under attack |
| ◆ The Guardian, 2025-6-1 | A new Taiwanese TV drama, Zero Day, depicts the frightful impact of an invasion on an unprepared nation. |
| ◆ Wall Street Journal, 2025-5-15 | Is ‘Zero Day’ a Preview of Taiwan's Future? A Taiwanese realization: if we don't do something more for this country, we will not retain our democracy and our freedom.” Watching “Zero Day” may unsettle Taiwanese viewers enough to draw the same conclusion—and to act on it. |
| ◆ Financial Review, Australia, 2025-5-14 | Zero Day addresses the issue of divided loyalties in Taiwan head-on. It features portraits of people whose first instinct is to surrender, while others flee and some collaborate with the invaders. |
| ◆ AFP, Eurasian Times, 2025-5-13 | Zero Day! Taiwanese War Drama ‘Wake-Up Call’ To Chinese Invasion Threat As Next Battlefield Could Be Taiwan Strait. Taiwan would be outgunned in any conflict with China and would need the United States and other countries to come to its defence. |
| ◆ Washington Post, Star and Strips, 2024-8-4 | the “Zero Day” show's bleak assessment of Taiwanese readiness to fight touches upon a very real problem facing President Lai Ching-te, new programs have continued to face shortages of funding, instructors and equipment . |
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Taiwan's Han Kuang exercise, the largest and longest one so far |
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| ◆ Spectator (since 1828), 2025-7-19 | Beijing has less risky possible strategies that are more obviously within its capabilities. One is a sudden lightning assault on the Taiwanese government. To do so, Chinese vessels would presumably sail up the Tamsui river, which in the last two weeks the Taiwanese military has practised blockading. |
| ◆◆Reuters, 2025-7-17 | The civil defence drills are taking place at the same time as Taiwan's largest ever military drills, which simulated attacks on its command systems and infrastructure, as well as China's grey zone tactics including military incursions and a disinformation campaign designed to test Taiwan's response |
| ◆◆CNN, 2025-7-17 | Air raid drills across Taiwan as island practices for a war with China it hopes will never come. Polls suggest most Taiwanese don't believe an invasion is imminent, the government is preparing with focus and urgency. |
| ◆◆AFP, 2025-7-17 | "It is as much training as acclimating the Taiwanese population to the reality of modern warfare," said a member of the Atlantic Council. A citizen said Taiwanese people had "lived comfortably for too long" and some didn't take the air raid drill seriously. |
| ◆◆The War Zone, 2025-7-14 | Taiwanese troops train to use subway to their advantage during Chinese invasion of Taipei. Camouflage, concealment, and deception tactics are already aspects of Taiwanese training for urban warfare. In addition to being transit nodes, Taipei Metro stations might be convertible to other uses, including acting as command posts or field hospitals. |
| ◆◆National Defense magazine, 2025-7-14 | Lack of U.S. participation in Taiwan military exercise a concern, experts say; The United States' absence from Han Kuang not only limits its effectiveness, but also incurs heavy costs in the event of an actual invasion scenario, they said. |
| ◆ Reuters, 2025-7-9 | The exercises start with simulated attacks on its command systems and infrastructure ahead of a Chinese invasion, and will focus on testing how Taiwan's military can decentralise command in the event of a crippling communications attack. Cyber attacks and misinformation campaigns are seen by Taiwan as high-intensity "grey zone" actions that are likely to precede a broader Chinese assault. |
| ◆ BBC, 2025-7-9 |
Like last year, the drills will be unscripted to test troops' response to a surprise attack. This change appears to have been made in response to criticism over the years that appeared to be more of a public relations exercise instead of an actual military exercise. Taiwan's military and defence has come under criticism in recent years. Survey '24: only 47.5% have confidence in their defence capabilities. |
| ◆ Global Times, 2025-7-9 | Taiwan plans for a last-ditch fight, attempting to prolong the combat and wait for external forces to come to their aid, in the event of a military conflict, these marine lanes would be cut off by the PLA. Taiwan's current air defense systems have no means of countering the hypersonic YJ-21 - in fact, there are hardly any forces in the world capable of effectively intercepting it. This year's Han Kuang drills include some slight changes, such as the shift from coastal combat to in-depth defense and protracted warfare, which means Taiwan forces are admitting that they cannot stop the PLA from landing... |
| ◆ AFP, 2025-7-9 | Twenty-two thousand reservists -- the largest ever call-up -- are participating in this year's drills. |
| ◆ The Telegraph, 2025-7-9 | China's PLA significantly exceeds Taiwan across every metric. China has more than six times the number of tanks and aircraft than Taiwan, and nearly five times more artillery. War game simulations have shown that if Taiwan faces Beijing alone, or if the country surrenders before the U.S. is able to assist, it would be overwhelmed in a very short time. |
| ◆ Newsweek 2025-7-10 | With the HIMARS and Abrams tanks, the Taiwanese military can strike potential PLA landing forces from greater distances and with more precise firepower, gradually wearing down enemy troops and deploying in dispersed positions to avoid destruction by China's long-range rockets and similar weapons. |
| What did China say ? |
♦
Reuters, 2025-7-9:
Taiwan's "attempt to seek independence through force or relying on
foreign (actors) will never succeed". Taiwan's Han Kuang military
exercises were "nothing but a bluff".
"No matter what weapons are used, Taiwan can't resist
China's sharp sword against independence" . |
|
Taiwan's defense / protection strategy |
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| ◆ CNN, 2025-6-22 | Taiwanese organized efforts to evade conscription are largely seen as a sign of people's apathy towards service, rather than their fear of military rough-and-tumble. |
| ◆ Lowy Institute (Australia), 2025-5-26 | Conscription evasion remains widespread. Defence spending has increased but still falls short of the urgency implied by official rhetoric. Civic mobilisation is growing, but slowly. And public opinion remains ambivalent, supportive of autonomy, but unsure about confrontation |
| ◆ PBS, 2025-4-7 | Taiwan's financial systems, energy and communications are vulnerable to Chinese blockade and cyberattack, and critics worry Taiwan isn't doing enough to prepare for social and economic disruption. On paper, Taiwan's reserves appear large. But these men say military training is insufficient, Many young people today are reluctant to join the armed forces. There's also a general lack of awareness among civilians about the importance of national defense. |
| ◆ PBS, 2025-4-3 | Privately, Taiwanese officials admit they're not ready for the Chinese army. Taiwan needs lots more cheap drones, with technology to repel jamming, secure satellite communications |
| ◆ Fox News, 2025-3-2 | most Taiwanese aren't willing to make the sacrifices required for victory in war. Migrant workers serving as essentially mercenaries would only highlight how few of our citizens are willing to fight . Taiwanese expert says: I fear far too many Taiwanese people – especially younger people – are counting on a rescue from Uncle Sam" |
| ◆ Stanford Review, 2025-2-24 | Taiwan's military is dilapidated. The assumption of CSIS's 2023 war game rests on false premises. Upon closer examination, Taiwan's military readiness and morale stand on weak foundations. What money the government does have to spend on procurement they do so on flashy items like fighter jets, tanks, and attack helicopters–are reduced to piles of twisted steel in hours of an invasion. stanfordreview.org/the-illusion-of-taiwanese-strength/ |
| ◆ New York Times, 2025-2-25 | Mr. Trump said Taiwan was spending far too little on its military and was too complacent about the United States coming to its rescue in a war |
| ◆ The Guardian, 2025-2-21 | many analysts believe a large part of Taiwan's protection strategy comes from keeping production of its most advanced chips – which form 90% of the world's supply – onshore. Bonnie Glaser: But Taiwan will likely face pressure from Trump to accede to his demands.” |
| ◆ Wall Street Journal, 2025-2-22 | Taiwan must “adopt a new military culture” akin to that of Israel, turning itself into a warrior-state—or “a porcupine”... “...enough rifles, pistols, and ammunition such that each member of the military, reserves, and civil defense force has emergency access to a personal weapon.” |
| ◆ Bloomberg, 2025-1-14 | Taiwan's military is not prepared for a Trumpian World; With the former president soon back in the White House, Taipei needs to rethink its defense strategy. |
| ◆ Stanford Review, 2025-3-4 | Certainty that American forces won't intervene on Taiwan’s behalf will only embolden the Chinese. Europe has made it clear that Taiwan is not an issue they will intervene for ... It's likely that in the next 10 years, Taiwan will become just another province of China. |
| ◆ Brookings, 2025-2-12 | Trump said in 2021, if China invades Taiwan, “there isn't a f—ing thing we can do about it.” |
| ◆ Fox News, 2025-2-7 | Trump's comments on the campaign trail suggest that he would not be willing to put boots on the ground to face another global superpower in defense of the island democracy. |
| ◆ Politico (EU), 2025-1-30 | Trump said the island should pay the U.S. for protection from China and suggested that trying to defend the island would be futile. |
| ◆ National Interest, 2025-1-13 | Why Trump Won't Defend Taiwan - Waging World War III for Taiwan—or any small nation, for that matter—would not be in keeping with the predilections and preferences of the incoming US president. |
| ◆ The Telegraph, 2025-1-13 | Donald Trump has appointed a number of hawkish foreign policy advisers to his transition team. However, he has pledged not to allow the US to become involved in foreign wars. |
| ◆ Newsweek, 2025-1-3 | Trump, who positioned himself as being tough on China, has suggested he would not defend Taiwan from China. |
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Taiwan has already lost its China spy war |
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| ◆◆Foreign Affairs, 2025-9-22 | Chinese efforts at infiltration combined with military pressure—such as cyberattacks or a naval blockade under the guise of customs enforcement—would be a major challenge to Taiwan, but such measures could just as easily foment hostility toward Beijing as weaken Taiwanese resolve. “Many of Beijing's efforts to scare Taiwanese citizens invoke more cringe than panic.” |
| ◆◆Strategist (Australia), 2025-7-21 | The activation of a fifth column to incite civil unrest across Taiwan could be highly effective. It could debilitate Taipei's ability to govern and maintain stability, potentially by exploiting existing fault lines in Taiwanese politics. This could provide Beijing with a pretext to deploy what it might call stabilisation forces. |
| ◆◆Eurasian Times, 2025-7-5 | Recent cases suggest that Taiwan's most sensitive political circles are now within Beijing's reach. The data points to a clear pattern—the CCP is zeroing in on Taiwan’s defense establishment, treating it as a primary target for infiltration. |
| ◆◆LA Times, 2025-5-22 | Taiwan is worried about spying threats. That may mean deporting thousands of Chinese; More than 140,000 Chinese immigrants hold residency in Taiwan because they are married to Taiwanese citizens. |
| ◆◆Washington Post, 2025-3-28 | Taiwanese soldiers guarding president's office were spying for China. The presidential office should be the most secure place, this shows how severe China's infiltration is in Taiwan; Taiwan's sentencing on espionage activities has been too lenient. |
| ◆◆Washington Examiner, 2025-3-25 | Taiwan's defense and security structures are so deeply penetrated by Chinese spies that Beijing knows everything about its plans to deter aggression by the People's Liberation Army, including American defense and intelligence secrets. At this point, any secrets Washington shares with our Taiwanese partners stand a high chance of winding up in Chinese Communist hands.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/courage-strength-optimism/3357074/taiwan-has-already-lost-its-china-spy-war |
| ◆◆Stanford Review, 2025-2-24 | Taiwan's military is dilapidated. Reports of Chinese espionage and infiltration are commonplace throughout Taiwan's military and civil society. |
| ◆◆Fox News, 2025-4-23 | it is our house, we will keep it safe. |
| ◆◆The Conversation, 2025-4-22 | With the US now an unreliable ally, proliferation risk is greatest in East Asia: Japan, South Korea, even Taiwan |
| ◆◆The Hill, 2025-4-19 | The commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, gave testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee: In 2024, the People's Liberation Party demonstrated growing capabilities through persistent pressure operations with military pressure against Taiwan increasing by 300%”, “China's increasingly aggressive actions near Taiwan are not just exercises, they are rehearsals”. |
| ◆◆The Insider, 2025-4-19 | The commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific: China could stop US airpower from achieving air superiority in the first island chain, China's fighter fleet, bombers, and missiles are enough to cause problems. "their advanced long-range air-to-air missiles also present a tremendous threat.". China could more easily devastate American airpower than the other way around. |
| ◆◆Asia Times, 2025-4-21 | New non-nuclear bomb's high-temperature fireball and deadly shockwave anticipates urban warfare scenario in Taiwan |
| ◆◆New York Post, 2025-4-10 | Beijing insists will be annexed in the coming years. China acknowledges its role in years of cyberattacks against US over support of Taiwan |
| ◆◆Fox News, 2025-4-11 | commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said "With military pressure against Taiwan increasing by 300%, China's increasingly aggressive actions near Taiwan are not just exercises, they are rehearsals." |
| ◆◆Washington Examiner, 2025-4-10 | Should China try to take Taiwan militarily, it would result in a 25% Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contraction in Asia and it would have a “knock on effect of 10 to 12% GDP reduction in the United States of America. The unemployment rate in the U.S. would spike “7-10 points above base and likely 500,000 excess deaths of despair above base as well,” |
| ◆◆Newsweek, 2025-4-8 | three likely Chinese actions in The Federalist: a full-scale blockade to pressure Taiwan economically; a lightning strike to achieve a fait accompli before Washington can respond; or a wider regional attack involving U.S. bases in Asia. China is engaged in the largest military buildup in modern times, focusing on sea power, amphibious assault capabilities, long-range missiles, and nuclear weapons |
| ◆◆The Guardian, 2025-4-2 | Defence secretary Hegseth indicates US backing for Taiwan – but it is transactional Trump who has the final word. “There's a concern with the Trump administration that its attention shifts around, and what is promised now may not come through,” said scholat at U. Singapore. |
| ◆◆PBS, 2025-4-3 | Privately, Taiwanese officials admit they're not ready for the Chinese army |
| ◆◆Washington Post, 2025-3-21 | “We are moving toward conflict escalation with China, that's for sure”, said a professor at National Chengchi University. |
| ◆◆Daily Express, 2025-3-21 | Taiwan has issued a grim warning on China invasion — but world isn't listening |
| ◆◆Wall Street Journal, 2025-3-17 | Taiwan envisions Chinese assaults on the island to potentially come by land, sea, air and space as well as through cyberattacks, among others. China could launch a rapid invasion or blockade Taiwan to try to pressure it into submission. |
| ◆◆SUN (UK), 2025-3-14 | China to exploit Trump's New World Order with ‘perfect moment’ to strike Taiwan using invasion barges & 1.2m troops. Beijing is already shown signs of preparations for a potential war. |
| ◆◆Associated Press, 2025-3-18 | China conducts air and sea drills (an unusually large number of Chinese military ships, planes and drones entered airspace and waters surrounding Taiwan ) in response to US and Taiwanese statements. |
| ◆ The Telegraph, 2025-1-14 | China's invasion barges are a sure sign that war is coming. Some analysts believe China would need to move two million people across the Strait to guarantee victory. If and when the invasion begins, the barges might be the reason it succeeds |
| ◆ The Hill, 2025-1-7 | Lyle Goldstein, a professor at Brown University said the cost of a war with China is “incalculable” and would at the very least sow mass destruction in Taiwan and the South China Sea region; the U.S. should avoid a war over Taiwan, arguing it amounts to a civil war dispute. |
| ◆ USNI News, 2024-12-19 | The Pentagon's report recognizes that China has “both the will and capability to alter the international order in its favor”; but Xi Jinping's goal of having his military ready to carry out a “short, sharp invasion” of Taiwan by 2027 “is not possible right now” |
| ◆ Financial Times, 2024-12-13 | US nuclear build-up would not help deter China from using atomic weapons in Taiwan, war game finds; Unclassified exercise by CSIS and MIT suggests Washington should not go beyond current modernisation plans...only five of 15 iterations of the nuclear game ended with a withdrawal of the PLA. |
| ◆ New York Times, 2024-12-10 | Taiwan says China has deployed largest fleet of ships in decades, which could block American allies in the region from coming to Taiwan's defense. |
| ◆ Economist, 2024-12-5 | The views (the period of greatest danger has probably been pushed out for several years) are not universally shared, in or out of government. “Xi has his foot firmly on the accelerator and a full tank of gas". |
| ◆ Washington Examiner, 2024-12-4 | War with China would exhaust munition stockpiles "very rapidly", national security adviser J. Sullivan acknowledged that China has "the single biggest advantage", "God forbid we end up in a full-scale war with the PRC" . |
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Unaffordable-island!! |
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| ◆ Economist, 2025-1-30 |
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| ◆ Bloomberg, 2024-1-11 | It costs 16 years of annual income to afford a home in Taipei — one of the highest such ratios globally. uk.news.yahoo.com/taiwan-voters-head-polls-ties-220000046.html |
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