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by Julia Rios with Sean Chang in Taipei MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AFP) — Nicaragua switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China on Thursday, meaning just 14 nations now recognize the democratic island that Beijing has vowed to one day seize. The announcement is a diplomatic coup for China as it tries to keep Taiwan isolated on the world stage and as Taipei strengthens ties with multiple unofficial Western friends such as the United States. China has […]
by Sean CHANG Agence France-Presse NANTOU COUNTY, Taiwan (AFP) – Toads are a symbol of prosperity and good fortune in Taiwan, but the unexpected discovery of an invasive species has officials and environmentalists scrambling to contain their spread. With flashlights in hand and shielded by protective gloves, dozens of volunteers from the Taiwan Amphibian Conservation Society worked through the night searching rice fields and vegetable plots for their quarry — the cane toad. There should be […]
by Amber Wang with Jerome Taylor in Hong Kong TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Chinese warplanes made 159 incursions into Taiwan’s air defence zone in November according to AFP’s database, the second-highest month on record as Beijing continues to pile military pressure on the democratic island. Self-ruled Taiwan lives under the constant threat of invasion by China, which views the island as its own territory and has vowed to seize it one day, by force if […]
The bodies of three people have been discovered in a burnt-out building in the Solomon Islands capital Honiara, police said Saturday, the first reported deaths after days of rioting. The charred bodies were discovered in a store in the Chinatown district of Honiara, with a security guard telling AFP he found the bodies in two rooms late Friday. Police said forensic teams had launched an investigation and were still on the scene but that the […]
by Francesco FONTEMAGGI WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Joe Biden has invited Taiwan to a virtual summit on democracy alongside more than 100 countries — a move bound to anger China, which is not on the list. The conference was a campaign pledge by the US president, who has placed the struggle between democracies and “autocratic governments” at the heart of his foreign policy. The “Summit for Democracy” will take place online on December 9 […]
by Amber WANG TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Ken Young and Kylie Wang, hosts of a popular daily news podcast, say they feel Taiwanese and not Chinese — a belief shared by many young people on the self-ruled island. Beijing views Taiwan as part of China and has intensified pressure on Taipei in recent years, pushing political tensions between the two to dizzying heights. For younger Taiwanese people, the growing antagonism has cemented a distinct identity […]
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has said she has “faith” that the United States will defend the island in the event China launches a military strike, in an interview with CNN broadcast Wednesday. “I do have faith” that US forces would help defend Taiwan, Tsai told the news network, highlighting the “wide range of cooperation with the US aiming at increasing our defense capability.” US President Joe Biden last week said the […]
A strong earthquake struck northeastern Taiwan on Sunday, with residents reporting violent shaking in the capital Taipei. Taiwan’s central weather bureau said the quake was of magnitude 6.5 while the US Geological Survey gave a lower strength of 6.2. It struck northeastern Yilan county at 1.11 pm (0511 GMT) at a depth of 67 kilometres (42 miles). An AFP reporter in Taipei said the shaking seemed to last roughly 10 seconds and felt like […]
by Amber Wang and Jerome Taylor in Hong Kong Agence France Presse TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Chinese fighter jets crowding Taiwan’s radar screens are Beijing’s latest tool to ramp up pressure on the democratic island, sparking fears that one mistake could suddenly turn a festering cold conflict into an all-out war. Self-ruled Taiwan has lived under the threat of a Chinese invasion since the two sides split at the end of a civil war […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China on Friday urged Washington to tread carefully on Taiwan after President Joe Biden said the US would defend the self-ruled island from attacks by Beijing. “China has no room for compromise on issues involving its core interests,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said, warning that Washington “should act and speak cautiously on the Taiwan issue.” © Agence France-Presse
BALTIMORE, United States (AFP) — The United States would defend Taiwan if the island were attacked by China, President Joe Biden said Thursday, a declaration welcomed by the democratic island that risks fury from Beijing. Authoritarian China regards self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to one day seize the island, by force if needed. Beijing’s sabre-rattling has ramped up in recent years, exacerbating fears the island of 23 million people could become […]
KAOSHIUNG, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwanese residents voiced anguish and outrage on Friday after 46 people perished in an inferno that tore through a dilapidated housing block as investigators searched for what sparked the island’s deadliest fire in decades. The blaze is the latest tragedy to highlight concerns over lax safety standards in Taiwan and has exposed the poor living conditions of many elderly in a society that is rapidly ageing. The fire broke out in […]
