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Looking at the OC Register and California Central Coast news sources, those were the two main news sources that were from my hometown. However, there was little to no information regarding the China Taiwan tensions. Likely, the reason is because of the demographics that live in the area. There are a lot of people who are Chinese who live in Southern California and my hometown. With the controversaries with Taiwan regarding whether it's independent from China, it seems they would want to refrain from talking about Taiwan. The only related news was the U.S. China tensions because of the recent incident with the weather/spy balloon.

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Could not find an article that mentioned Taiwan, but found articles relating to the U.S. tensions with Taiwan relating to the balloon.

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US holds drills in South China Sea amid tensions with China

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The United States Navy and Marine Corps are holding drills in the South China Sea at a time of heightened tensions with Beijing

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OC Register national news by the associated press

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WASHINGTON - Monday was supposed to be a day of modest hope in the U.S.-China relationship. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was going to be in Beijing, meeting with President Xi Jinping in a high-stakes bid to ease ever-rising tensions between the world's two largest economies.

Instead, Blinken was spending the day in Washington after abruptly cancelling his visit late last week as the U.S. and China exchanged angry words about a suspected Chinese spy balloon the U.S. shot down. As fraught as the US-China relationship had been ahead of Blinken's planned trip, it's even worse now and there's little hope for it improving anytime soon.

Even as both sides maintain they will manage the situation in a calm manner, the mutual recriminations, particularly since the shoot-down of the balloon on Saturday that drew a stern Chinese protest, do not bode well for rapprochement.

The setback comes at a time when both sides were looking for a way to potentially extricate themselves from a low point in ties that has had the world on edge.

White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby noted Monday that Blinken's trip was delayed, not canceled. But prospects for rescheduling remain uncertain.

"I would put this at a six" on a scale of 10, said Danny Russel, a China expert and former assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs in the Obama administration, on the damage to current diplomatic efforts between the two countries.

"The signals I see suggest that there has to be a pause and a line drawn under the incident but once the drama has gone through its final act, there seems to be every intention to re-engineer a trip by the secretary of state," said Russel, who is now vice president for international security and diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute.

The administration will be "starting at a serious deficit," Russel said. "This is a setback but it's not impossible to see a return. Absent mismanagement, this is recoverable."

Blinken and senior Chinese officials do plan to attend at least two international gatherings - the Munich Security Conference in mid-February and a meeting of the Group of 20 foreign ministers in India in early March - that could provide venues for renewed engagement.

But the lost opportunity caused by the balloon incident may be difficult to recreate.

It's not that the U.S. and China don't talk. It's that they talk from extremely divergent points of view with very little leeway for either to step back from entrenched positions that are often directly related to political conditions at home.

Military-to-military channels are used, but they have been hindered by increasing Chinese incursions into Taiwanese air defense zones and aggressive actions in the South China Sea. The result is the U.S. has stepped up reconnaissance flights and warship voyages through the Taiwan Strait.

Diplomatic channels remain open, but for several years they have been dominated by disagreements rather than grounds for potential cooperation and they are now crowded by complaints from both sides over the balloon.

President Joe Biden and Xi agreed to Blinken's visit during a meeting in November in Indonesia. Biden may have been hoping that his top diplomat would return from China with a measure of progress on issues ranging from trade, Indo-Pacific security and climate change to human rights and the status of Taiwan. Instead, he now faces a domestic political maelstrom just ahead of his State of the Union speech to Congress on Tuesday.

Republican lawmakers have been harshly critical of what they say was Biden's weak response to the presence of the balloon over U.S. airspace. New GOP House speaker Kevin McCarthy's expected trip to Taiwan this year is likely to be accompanied by new complaints about the administration's approach.

Meanwhile in Beijing, after initially taking a relatively conciliatory response to the balloon, Chinese leaders have adopted a much tougher position likely in response to nationalistic public reaction. After apologizing for the balloon, which it said was a weather craft that mistakenly strayed into U.S. airspace, China now condemns the downing as an unacceptable violation of international law and standards that has set back the potential for dialogue.

"Blinken's visit to China had offered a way to stabilize the U.S.-China relationship," said Da Wei, director of the Center for International Security and Strategy and Beijing's prestigious Tsinghua University. The postponement has now "greatly reduced" the window for that, he said.

Quite apart from the political implications for both, the developments have laid bare the extremely fragile nature of what many had hoped could be a manageable economic, political and military rivalry.

Tensions between the U.S. and China, notably over Taiwan, have been a source of deep concern for Washington and many of its allies. They worry that overt conflict will crater the global economy and their concerns were exacerbated last year with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, on which China has largely sided with the Russians.

At the same time, China and the United States have been on a collision course on other matters, including China's increasing aggressiveness in the South and East China Seas, which have put U.S. allies like Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Thailand on edge, not to mention Australia and New Zealand.

China's continued clampdown on pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, its human rights record in the mainly Muslim western region of Xinjiang, harassment and imprisonment of Christians and other religious minorities elsewhere, and ongoing campaign against Tibetan leaders have all become significant irritants in ties.

Over the last five years, China-U.S. relations have entered a new and worsening phase of confrontation, conflict and competition, said Da, calling the current period a "new kind of Cold War.""It's very different from the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, but if we define cold war as the two biggest countries in the world being locked in fierce confrontations and conflicts in a way that doesn't involve military and wars ... we are rapidly moving in that direction," Da said.

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Balloon bursts hope of easing China-US tensions

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WASHINGTON - Monday was supposed to be a day of modest hope in the U.S.-China relationship. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was going to be in Beijing, meeting with President Xi Jinping in a high-stakes bid to ease ever-rising tensions between the world's two largest economies.

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The international sources seem to take a less objective and broader look at the situation with a larger scope. For example, the article by Aljazeera references the situation similar to what is occurring in Russia and Ukraine.

Similar instances and events seem to catch the attention of international news reporters such as when officials from China visited Taiwan.

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The Financial Times features news articles from Nikkei Asia.

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News, analysis and comment from the Financial Times, the worldʼs leading global business publication

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Japan news company with a news category called Taiwan Tensions. They are joined with the Financial Times.

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TAIPEI (Reuters) -- A group of Chinese officials arrived in Taiwan on Saturday on the first visit in three years since the COVID-19 pandemic began, to attend a cultural event at a time of soaring military tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan's government this week allowed the trip of six officials, lead by Liu Xiaodong, deputy head of the Shanghai office of China's Taiwan Affairs Office, to attend the Lantern Festival in Taipei, at the invitation of the city government.

Liu, arriving at Taipei's downtown Songshan airport, did not answer questions from reporters. His group was ushered into a van under heavy security and driven away.

Around a dozen pro-Taiwan independence supporters protested his arrival outside the airport, shouting "Taiwan and China, separate countries" and "Chinese people, get out", while on the airport road another small group of pro-China supporters shouted their welcome.

Chilly Chen, head of the pro-independence Taiwan Republic Office, told Reuters the Taiwanese people were very hospitable and welcomed visitors but were concerned they were coming to push Chinese policies on the democratic island.

"Everything China does is in the service of politics, and their aim is definitely united front," Chen added, referring to the name of China's policy to co-opt non-Communists and Taiwan's people in particular.

Taiwan's China-policy-making Mainland Affairs Council said the group has been allowed to come as long as they keep a low profile and it hoped their visit would promote mutual understanding and "healthy and orderly exchanges".

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an, from the main opposition party the Kuomintang which traditionally favors close relations with China, told reporters they "very much welcomed" the delegation.

Arrangements for the group will follow the principles of "low-key, simple, and secure" as set out by Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, Chiang told reporters.

While China has refused to speak to Taiwan's government since President Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016, believing she is a separatist, city-to-city exchanges had continued until interrupted by the pandemic.

Still, Tsai's administration has cautiously been trying to reopen less sensitive people-to-people links since it lifted pandemic-related border controls late last year, aiming to engender goodwill with China.

China continues to carry out military activities near Taiwan, including almost daily crossings of the Taiwan Strait's median line by Chinese air force jets, which had previously served as an unofficial barrier.

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Chinese officials arrive in Taiwan on first post-pandemic visit

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TAIPEI (Reuters) -- A group of Chinese officials arrived in Taiwan on Saturday on the first visit in three years since the COVID-19 pandemic began, to attend a cultural event at a time of soaring military tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

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Background on the history of China and Taiwan and why their tensions exist.

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Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China (ROC), is an island separated from China by the Taiwan Strait. It has been governed independently of mainland China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), since 1949. The PRC views the island as a renegade province and vows to eventually "unify" Taiwan with the mainland. In Taiwan, which has its own democratically elected government and is home to twenty-three million people, political leaders have differing views on the island's status and relations with the mainland.

Cross-strait tensions have escalated since the election of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016. Tsai has refused to accept a formula that her predecessor, Ma Ying-jeou, endorsed to allow for increased cross-strait ties. Meanwhile, Beijing has taken increasingly aggressive actions, including by flying fighter jets near the island. Some analysts fear a Chinese attack on Taiwan has the potential to draw the United States into a war with China.

Is Taiwan part of China?

Beijing asserts that there is only "one China" and that Taiwan is part of it. It views the PRC as the only legitimate government of China, an approach it calls the One-China principle, and seeks Taiwan's eventual "unification" with the mainland.

Beijing claims that Taiwan is bound by an understanding known as the 1992 Consensus, which was reached between representatives of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Kuomintang (KMT) party that then ruled Taiwan. However, the two sides don't agree on the content of this so-called consensus, and it was never intended to address the question of Taiwan's legal status. For the PRC, as Chinese President Xi Jinping has stated, the 1992 Consensus reflects an agreement that "the two sides of the strait belong to one China and would work together to seek national reunification." For the KMT, it means "one China, different interpretations," with the ROC standing as the "one China."

Taiwan's KMT-drafted constitution continues to recognize China, Mongolia, Taiwan, Tibet, and the South China Sea as part of the ROC. The KMT does not support Taiwan's independence and has consistently called for closer ties with Beijing. But in the face of recent election losses, KMT leaders have discussed whether to change the party's stance on the 1992 Consensus.

The KMT's chief rival party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), has never endorsed the understanding laid out in the 1992 Consensus. President Tsai, who is also the leader of the DPP, has refused to explicitly accept the consensus. Instead, she has attempted to find another formulation that would be acceptable to Beijing. In her 2016 inaugural address, Tsai noted she was "elected president in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of China," which is a one-China document, and said she would "safeguard the sovereignty and territory of the Republic of China." Tsai also pledged that she would "conduct cross-strait affairs in accordance with the Republic of China Constitution, the Act Governing Relations Between the People of [the] Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, and other relevant legislation." Beijing, however, rejected this formulation and cut off official contacts with Taiwan.

In a 2019 speech, Xi reiterated China's long-standing proposal for Taiwan: that it be incorporated into the mainland under the formula of "one country, two systems." This is the same formula used for Hong Kong, which was guaranteed the ability to preserve its political and economic systems and granted a "high degree of autonomy." Such a framework is deeply unpopular among the Taiwanese public. Pointing to Beijing's recent crackdown on Hong Kong's freedoms, Tsai and even the KMT have rejected the "one country, two systems" framework.

Is Taiwan a member of the United Nations?

No. China rejects Taiwan's participation as a member in UN agencies and other international organizations that limit membership to states. Taipei regularly protests its exclusion; the United States also pushes for Taiwan's meaningful participation in such organizations. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Taipei criticized the World Health Organization (WHO) for giving in to Beijing's demands and continuing to bar Taiwan-which mounted one of the world's most effective responses to COVID-19 in the first two years of the pandemic-from attending the organization's World Health Assembly as an observer. Ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) countries have called for Taiwan's inclusion in WHO forums.

Taiwan does, however, hold member status in more than forty organizations, most of them regional, such as the Asian Development Bank and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, as well as in the World Trade Organization. It holds observer or other status on several other bodies.

Only thirteen states maintain official diplomatic ties with Taiwan. In March 2023, Honduras became the latest country to sever ties with Taiwan and establish relations with China. No government has ever simultaneously maintained formal diplomatic ties with both China and Taiwan.

What is the United States' relationship with Taiwan?

In 1979, the United States established formal diplomatic relations with the PRC. At the same time, it severed its diplomatic ties and abrogated its mutual defense treaty with the ROC. But the United States maintains a robust unofficial relationship with the island and continues to sell defense equipment to its military. Beijing has repeatedly urged Washington to stop selling weapons to and cease contact with Taipei.

The U.S. approach is governed by its One-China policy [PDF]. It is based on several documents, such as three U.S.-China communiqués reached in 1972, 1978, and 1982; the Taiwan Relations Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in 1979; and the recently declassified " Six Assurances " [PDF], which President Ronald Reagan conveyed to Taiwan in 1982. These documents lay out that the United States:

"acknowledges the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China" and that the PRC is the "sole legal government of China" (some U.S. officials have emphasized that the use of the word "acknowledge" implies that the United States doesn't necessarily accept the Chinese position);

rejects any use of force to settle the dispute;

maintains cultural, commercial, and other ties with Taiwan, carried out through the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT);

commits to selling arms to Taiwan for self-defense; and

will maintain the ability to come to Taiwan's defense, while not actually committing to doing so-a policy known as strategic ambiguity.

The United States' chief goal is to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and it has implored both Beijing and Taipei to maintain the status quo. Washington says it does not support Taiwanese independence.

Through its policy of strategic ambiguity, the United States has for decades attempted to maintain a delicate balance between supporting Taiwan and preventing a war with China. But President Joe Biden has seemingly rejected the policy, stating several times that the United States would come to Taiwan's defense if China attacked. White House officials have walked back his comments, saying the policy has not changed, but ultimately, the president gets to decide how to respond. Several members of Congress and some experts, including CFR President Richard Haass and Research Fellow David Sacks, have welcomed Biden's statements, arguing that China's increased aggression necessitates clarity. Other experts have disagreed with this position.

How have recent U.S. administrations approached Taiwan?

Under President Donald Trump, the United States deepened ties with Taiwan over Chinese objections, including by selling more than $18 billion worth of arms to the military and unveiling a $250 million complex for its de facto embassy in Taipei. Trump spoke with Tsai by telephone ahead of his inauguration, the highest level of contact between the two sides since 1979. He also sent several senior administration officials-including a cabinet member-to Taipei, and during his last days in office, the State Department eliminated long-held restrictions governing where and how U.S. officials can meet with their Taiwanese counterparts.

The Biden administration has taken a similar approach, continuing arms sales and affirming the Trump administration's decision to allow U.S. officials to meet more freely with Taiwanese officials. Biden was the first U.S. president to invite Taiwanese representatives to attend the presidential inauguration. The United States participates in military training and dialogues with Taiwan, regularly sails ships through the Taiwan Strait to demonstrate its military presence in the region, and has encouraged Taiwan to increase its defense spending.

Also, Taiwan has received bipartisan support in Congress over the years, with lawmakers proposing and passing legislation to boost U.S.-Taiwan relations, bolster the island's defenses, and encourage its participation in international organizations. The latest proposed legislation, the Taiwan Policy Act of 2022 [PDF], includes designating Taiwan as a major non-North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally. In August 2022, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) visited Taipei-the first speaker to do so since Newt Gingrich (R-GA) in 1997-and met with Tsai. Beijing strongly condemned the visit and in response planned military exercises that effectively surround the island and banned imports of some fruit and fish from Taiwan, among other actions. Less than a year later, Tsai met with new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) during a March 2023 visit to California. McCarthy was the highest-ranking U.S. official in nearly thirty years to meet a Taiwanese president on U.S. soil. Despite the brief nature of the visit, it elicited a similarly strong Chinese response, including condemnation, fresh sanctions, and a show of force in the Taiwan Strait.

Could war erupt over Taiwan?

A top concern among U.S. analysts is that China's growing military capabilities and assertiveness, as well as the deterioration in cross-strait relations, could spark a conflict. Such a conflict has the potential to lead to a U.S.-China confrontation. That's because China hasn't ruled out using force to achieve Taiwan's "reunification" and the United States hasn't ruled out defending Taiwan if China attacks. The U.S. Department of Defense said in a 2021 report [PDF] that China's military, the People's Liberation Army (PLA), is "likely preparing for a contingency to unify Taiwan with the PRC by force, while simultaneously deterring, delaying, or denying any third-party intervention, such as the United States."

However, experts disagree about the likelihood and timing of a Chinese invasion. The top U.S. military commander in the Indo-Pacific warned in 2021 that China could try to invade Taiwan within the next decade [PDF], while some experts believe that such an invasion is further off. Others believe 2049 is a critical date; Xi has emphasized that unification with Taiwan is essential to achieving what he calls the Chinese Dream, which sees China's great-power status restored by 2049.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 reignited the debate, with some analysts arguing that Moscow's moves could embolden Beijing to similarly invade Taiwan and others saying that Beijing could become more cautious after witnessing Russia's challenges. CFR's Sacks writes that Russia's actions won't influence China's willingness to use force, but that "Chinese leaders will examine Russia's failures and adapt their operational plans to avoid making similar mistakes."

Regardless, the PLA has made preparing for a Taiwan contingency one of its top priorities, and Taiwan has been a major catalyst for China's military modernization. In a 2019 defense white paper, the PLA said it would "resolutely defeat anyone attempting to separate Taiwan from China."

Taiwan likely doesn't have the capabilities to defend against a Chinese attack without external support, analysts say. Even though Tsai and the DPP have prioritized increasing defense spending, with a record budget of over $19 billion for 2023, China's defense spending is still estimated to be around twelve times Taiwan's. In 2022, Taiwanese lawmakers approved the Tsai government's plan to spend an extra $8.6 billion on defense over the next five years. Part of this expanded military budget will go toward acquiring cruise missiles, naval mines, and advanced surveillance systems to defend Taiwan's coasts.

How has China tried to intimidate Taiwan?

China has employed a variety of coercive tactics short of armed conflict, and it has ramped up these measures since Tsai's election in 2016. Its objective is to wear down Taiwan and prompt the island's people to conclude that their best option is unification with the mainland. To that end, China has increased the frequency and scale of patrols of PLA bombers, fighter jets, and surveillance aircraft over and around Taiwan. It has also increasingly sailed its warships and aircraft carriers through the Taiwan Strait in shows of force.

Taiwan has reported that thousands of cyberattacks from China target its government agencies every day. These attacks have soared in recent years. In 2020, Taipei accused four Chinese groups of hacking into at least ten Taiwanese government agencies and six thousand official email accounts since 2018 to try to access government data and personal information.

Beijing has also used nonmilitary measures to pressure Taiwan. In 2016, China suspended a cross-strait communication mechanism with the main Taiwan liaison office. It restricted tourism to Taiwan, and the number of mainland tourists visiting Taiwan fell from a high of over 4 million in 2015 to 2.7 million in 2019. China has also pressured global corporations, including airlines and hotel chains, to list Taiwan as a Chinese province. In addition, China has intimidated countries that have ties with Taiwan: in 2021, China cut off trade with Lithuania for opening a Taiwanese representative office in its capital.

Has Beijing undermined Taiwan's democracy?

In addition to the tactics described above, China has ramped up interference in Taiwan's elections. Its methods include spreading disinformation on social media and increasing its control over Taiwanese media outlets. In the 2020 election, for example, China spread disinformation in an apparent effort to damage Tsai and boost the KMT's presidential candidate. Such efforts are part of China's larger strategy of employing coercion to erode trust in Taiwan's political system and sow divisions in Taiwanese society. However, experts view the DPP's success in recent elections, including Tsai's reelection in 2020, as a rebuke of Beijing.

Taiwan's democracy is relatively young. The KMT governed under martial law from 1949 to 1987. During that time, political dissent was harshly repressed and Indigenous Taiwanese who had long inhabited the island before 1945 faced discrimination. Taiwan held its first free legislative elections in 1992 and its first presidential elections in 1996. Since then, it has peacefully transferred power between parties several times.

Despite Chinese threats, Taiwan appears to have so far bucked the trend of backsliding afflicting democracies around the world. In 2020, the Economist's Democracy Index labeled Taiwan a "full democracy" for the first time. In 2022, the index named Taiwan [PDF] the world's tenth-most-democratic country, ranking it higher than its Asian neighbors (Japan ranked sixteenth and South Korea ranked twenty-fourth) and the United States, which was thirtieth. Recent elections have seen high voter turnout.

Do Taiwanese people support independence?

Most people in Taiwan support maintaining the status quo. A small number support immediate independence, according to opinion polls conducted by National Chengchi University. Even fewer express support for the unification of Taiwan with China. An overwhelming majority reject a "one country, two systems" model, a sentiment that has grown as Beijing cracks down on Hong Kong's freedoms.

An increasing number of Taiwanese people feel more closely tied to Taiwan than to the mainland. Nearly 61 percent of the island's residents regarded themselves as exclusively Taiwanese in 2022, a survey by National Chengchi University found. By comparison, 33 percent identified as both Taiwanese and Chinese, down from 40 percent a decade earlier. Only about 3 percent considered themselves only Chinese, a view that has become less popular since 1994, when 26 percent identified that way. Among those who identify as Chinese is former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, who said " we are all Chinese " during a March 2023 visit to China, the first by a president of Taiwan since the KMT assumed governance of the island in 1949.

What is Taiwan's economic situation?

Taiwan's economy remains reliant on trade with China, which is the island's largest trading partner. However, their economic relationship has experienced disruptions in recent years, partly due to Beijing's pressure on the island and Taiwanese officials' growing concern about its overreliance on trade with China.

Under President Ma, who was in office from 2008 to 2016, Taiwan signed more than twenty pacts with the PRC, including the 2010 Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement [PDF], in which they agreed to lift barriers to trade. China and Taiwan resumed direct sea, air, and mail links that had been banned for decades. They also agreed to allow banks, insurers, and other financial-service providers to work in both markets.

Tsai and the DPP, on the other hand, have attempted to diversify Taiwan's trade relationships, with mixed results. Tsai has had some success boosting trade with and investment in countries in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific through a signature initiative, the New Southbound Policy. Trade between Taiwan and the eighteen targeted countries nearly doubled between 2016, when the initiative was unveiled, and 2022. Taiwanese investment in those countries has also steadily increased. In 2019, Tsai unveiled a three-year plan to incentivize Taiwanese manufacturers to move from the mainland back to Taiwan.

Still, in 2021, Taiwan's exports to China hit an all-time high. Beijing has pressured countries not to sign free trade agreements with Taiwan. A handful of countries have signed free trade pacts with the island; New Zealand and Singapore are the only developed economies to sign such agreements. Beijing has also pushed for Taiwan's exclusion from multilateral trading blocs, including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). (China is included in the RCEP but not in the CPTPP.) Taiwan also is not part of the Biden administration's Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.

Have cross-strait tensions hurt Taiwan's vital semiconductor chip manufacturers?

Taiwan is the world's top contract manufacturer of semiconductor chips, and its industry is booming despite cross-strait tensions. These chips are found in most electronics, including smartphones, computers, vehicles, and even weapons systems that rely on artificial intelligence. Companies in Taiwan were responsible for more than 60 percent of revenue generated by the world's semiconductor contract manufacturers in 2022.

Much of that can be attributed to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's largest contract chip maker and the top supplier for Apple and other U.S. companies. It is one of only two companies in the world (the other is South Korea-based Samsung) that has the technological know-how to make the smallest, most advanced chips, and it manufactures more than 90 percent of them.

Some experts argue that the United States' dependence on Taiwanese chip firms heightens its motivation to defend Taiwan from a Chinese attack. Recognizing the extent to which the United States relies on TSMC for critical chips, Biden has pushed to strengthen the U.S. chip industry; in August 2022, Congress passed a sweeping $280 billion bill to encourage domestic chip manufacturing. The Biden administration followed that legislation with stringent export controls that restrict China's ability to obtain advanced chips, including from TSMC. Experts say these constraints could hamstring China's technology sector-prior to the export controls, China purchased about 70 percent of its chips from TSMC. Beijing is now working to boost its own chips industry, including through expanded production by Huawei, a Chinese telecommunications giant that Washington claims Beijing could use for espionage.

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Taiwan has the potential to be a flash point in U.S.-China relations. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taipei in 2022 heightened tensions.

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Talks about the relationship between Taiwan and the United States since the United States is a common subject in the news articles regarding China Taiwan tensions.

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As a leading democracy and a technological powerhouse, Taiwan is a key U.S. partner in the Indo-Pacific. Though the United States does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, we have a robust unofficial relationship. The United States and Taiwan share similar values, deep commercial and economic links, and strong people-to-people ties, which form the bedrock of our friendship and serve as the impetus for expanding U.S. engagement with Taiwan.

Through the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), a non-governmental organization mandated by the Taiwan Relations Act to carry out the United States' unofficial relations with Taiwan, our cooperation with Taiwan continues to expand. Taiwan has become an important U.S. partner in trade and investment, health, semiconductor and other critical supply chains, investment screening, science and technology, education, and advancing democratic values.

The United States approach to Taiwan has remained consistent across decades and administrations. The United States has a longstanding one China policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three U.S.-China Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances. We oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-Strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means. We continue to have an abiding interest in peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act, the United States makes available defense articles and services as necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability -- and maintains our capacity to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social or economic system, of Taiwan.

Foreign Representation
The American Institute in Taiwan performs citizen and consular services similar to those at diplomatic posts. The Department of State maintains a contract with AIT and funds a large part of AIT's operations. Sandra Oudkirk is the Taipei-based AIT Director and James Moriarty is AIT's Chairman. Other key personnel are listed on AIT's website .

Taiwan maintains the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) in Washington, DC. Taiwan has representation throughout the United States through Taipei Economic and Culture Offices (TECOs).

Economic Relations
Taiwan is a highly advanced economy producing an estimated $786 billion in goods and services in 2021. The United States and Taiwan have deep and growing commercial, financial, and trade ties, which advance U.S. interests and help create economic opportunities in the United States. Since 2020, the United States and Taiwan, under the auspices of AIT and TECRO, have held the Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue to enhance economic and commercial ties, including supply chain security and resiliency, investment screening, health, science and technology, and the digital economy. The Department of Commerce launched the Technology, Trade, and Investment Collaboration framework with Taiwan in 2021 to provide a platform to develop commercial programs and explore actions to strengthen critical supply chains.

Taiwan is the United States' eighth-largest trading partner, and the United States is Taiwan's second-largest trading partner. U.S. exports of goods and services to Taiwan supported an estimated 188,000 American jobs in 2019. AIT and TECRO have a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) and recently resumed regular TIFA Council meetings.

Taiwanese cumulative investment in the United States was nearly $137 billion in 2020. Taiwan's direct investment in the United States is led by manufacturing, wholesale trade, and depository institutions. These investments directly support an estimated 21,000 jobs in the United States and $1.5 billion in U.S. exports.

Science and Technology Cooperation
AIT and TECRO signed a Science and Technology Agreement in 2020 to enhance scientific cooperation and joint research. The United States and Taiwan also engage in joint scientific cooperative endeavors in areas including meteorology, nuclear science, environmental protection, thoracic cancer research, atmospheric research, and public health and preventative medicine.

People-to-People Ties
People-to-people ties between the United States and Taiwan are strong and continue to grow. Through 2019, travel for business and pleasure from Taiwan to the United States had increased 70 percent since Taiwan became a member of the U.S. Visa Waiver Program in November 2012. Taiwan is the United States' seventh largest source of international students, sending more than 20,000 students to receive a high-quality education each year for the three decades leading up to the pandemic. The United States also sponsors study abroad opportunities in Taiwan for U.S. students from the high school to post-graduate levels, with a particular focus on Mandarin language learning. Since 1957, the Fulbright Program has supported 1,700 individuals to study and teach in Taiwan and 1,600 to come to the United States. In December 2020, AIT and TECRO, with participation from the U.S. Department of Education, launched the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative . The goal of this initiative is to provide increased opportunities for more Americans to teach and study in Taiwan, and for more Taiwanese to pursue education and Mandarin teaching opportunities in the United States.

Taiwan's Role in the International Community
The United States will continue to support Taiwan's membership in international organizations where statehood is not a requirement and encourage Taiwan's meaningful participation in organizations where its membership is not possible. Taiwan and the United States are members of several international organizations and bodies, including the World Trade Organization, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and the Asian Development Bank. In June 2015, AIT and TECRO established the Global Cooperation and Training Framework, a platform for showcasing Taiwan's technical expertise to the world. Under the framework, Taiwan and its partners offer technical trainings in fields as diverse as public health, supply chain resiliency, energy, women's rights, and disaster relief. Japan joined the GCTF as a global partner in 2019 and Australia joined in 2021.

More information about Taiwan is available from the Department of State and other sources, some of which are listed here:
CIA World Factbook Taiwan Page
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Page
U.S. Census Bureau Foreign Trade Statistics
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U.S. Relations With Taiwan - United States Department of State

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U.S.-Taiwan Relationship As a leading democracy and a technological powerhouse, Taiwan is a key U.S. partner in the Indo-Pacific. Though the United States does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, we have a robust unofficial relationship. The United States and Taiwan share similar values, deep commercial and economic links, and strong people-to-people ties, which form [...]

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The locations of the News Wire journalists seemed to be in central areas of the China Taiwan tensions. For example, one of the journalist was in Taiwan, in the country with the political tensions. While, the another journalist was in Washington, D.C. where lots of government officials and talk about the China Taiwan tensions are likely occurring since the U.S. will likely be a major player as the tensions escalate, being an ally of Taiwan.

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Unbiased news on trending topics. Daily.

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Difference between Left and Right leaning

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Difference between Left and Right leaning

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Left-leaning sources tended to have a larger focus on the economic impacts that would be caused by the escalating tensions between Taiwan and China. While as the right-leaning sources tended to focus on the military components of the war and whether the U.S. and Taiwan and China were prepared.

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The Taiwan News sources have a lot more news articles regarding China's actions. Their posts talk about what China says that are contradictory and use words such as "spy". Further they are transparent about the military actions of China on and near Taiwan.

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US military is gearing up for war over Taiwan, Chinese analysts say

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US military is gearing up for war over Taiwan, Chinese analysts say

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The risk of a conflict between the Chinese and US militaries has increased as both sides boost deterrence capabilities, experts say.

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Social Media news headlines tend to be catchy and use images that draw the eye so that people who are scrolling through the news sources read and click on them. The sources also tend to use words and phrases that people are focused on such as "stockpile nuclear warheads" and "business disruptions".

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Could not find much information regarding Taiwan and China tensions this year on multiple China news sources: Voice of People, China Daily, CGTN. Only was able to find information on the South China Morning Post and XinHua Net.

The sources all portrayed China in a positive light such as saying the weather balloons were not spy balloons and talking about wanting peace with Taiwan and that not being possible if Taiwan is independent.

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Uses words such as "peace"

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Firm opposition to “Taiwan independence” required for peace: senior diplomat

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Firm opposition to “Taiwan independence” required for peace: senior diplomat-

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Shanghai officials touch down in Taiwan for landmark post-Covid trip

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The group, in Taipei for three days as part of the Lantern Festival, is the first to cross the strait since the pandemic.

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Taiwan says crashed balloon was used for weather monitoring

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A balloon that came down on remote Taiwanese-held Dongyin island, close to mainland China's coast, had no audiovisual recording equipment on board and was carrying only meteorological recording instruments, Taiwan's Defence Ministry said.

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Tracks the militarization of China nearby.

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TAIPEI (Taiwan News) - The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked six Chinese military aircraft and four naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Sunday (Feb. 19) and 6 a.m. on Monday (Feb. 20).

In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, naval ships, and used land-based missiles to monitor the People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft and vessels, according to the MND. No PLA aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line or entered the southwest corner of the country's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) during this time.

So far this month, Beijing has sent 216 military aircraft and 86 naval ships around Taiwan. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by routinely sending aircraft into Taiwan's ADIZ.

Gray zone tactics are defined as "an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempts to achieve one's security objectives without resort to direct and sizable use of force."

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Taiwan tracks 6 Chinese military aircraft, 4 naval ships around country | Taiwan News | 2023-02-20 13:54:00

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TAIPEI (Taiwan News) - The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked six Chinese military aircraft and four naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Sunday (Feb. 19) and 6 a.m. on Monday (Feb. 20). In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, naval ships, and used land-based missiles to monitor the People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft and vessels, according to the MND.

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MAC slams Wang Yi's Taiwan claim - Taipei Times

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About: Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) reiterated that Taiwan is a sovereign nation, after China’s top diplomat said Taiwanese independence is ‘incompatible with peace’

Bias: Written for Taiwan by Taiwanese reporter, with a bias towards thinking China is distorting the truth

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'DISTORTING TRUTH': The MAC reiterated that Taiwan is a sovereign nation, after China's top diplomat said Taiwanese independence is 'incompatible with peace'

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday protested against claim by China's top diplomat Wang Yi (王毅) that Taiwan is part of China.

At the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Wang, the Chinese Communist Party's most senior foreign policy official, said that "Taiwan has been a part of China since ancient times. It is never a country and never will be a country."

It is not China that wants to change the "status quo," but those "separatists who advocate for Taiwan's independence do," he said, adding that calling for Taiwanese independence is incompatible with peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Photo: Reuters

Only by opposing it and following the "one China" principle can peace across the Strait be maintained, he said.

Just as countries around the world call for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity to be maintained, Chinese sovereignty and territorial integrity should be protected, he said, adding that "there shouldn't be double standards on major issues."

Using Taiwan's official name, the MAC said in a statement yesterday that the Republic of China (ROC) is a sovereign nation that has never been and never will be a part of the People's Republic of China.

Photo: I-Hwa Cheng, Bloomberg

The "status quo" across the Taiwan Strait is that the "two sides across the Strait do not belong to one another," it said, adding that the "one China" principle is China's attempt to belittle Taiwan and distort the truth.

China's attempt to mislead other countries has never been recognized by the international community, the MAC said.

While the world jointly condemns Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began almost a year ago, there are heightened concerns about Taiwan's security, it said.

Photo: Reuters

Beijing lacks the courage to condemn Russia's aggression, and instead calls the global "consensus" against authoritarian expansionism "double standards," which only adds to the international community's doubts and opposition against it, it said.

The MAC called on Beijing to adjust its coercive position against Taiwan and take on the responsibility of maintaining regional security and improving cross-strait relations.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi in separate meetings with Wang on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference reiterated the importance of peace across the Taiwan Strait.

Blinken, during an informal meeting with Wang, said that the US has not changed its "one China" policy, and underlined the importance of maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait, the US Department of State said in a statement.

Blinken also reiterated US President Joe Biden's position that the US would defend its values and interests, but does not want conflict with China or seek a new Cold War, adding that it is important for the two countries to maintain effective communication channels.

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Hayashi and Wang talked for about 50 minutes, during which time Hayashi restated his nation's position regarding "specific balloon-shaped flying objects" detected in Japan's airspace, and demanded that intrusions into its airspace never happen again.

Japan is deeply concerned about the situation in the East China Sea, including the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) in the East China Sea - known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan - and the frequent military actions taken by China and Russia around Japan, Hayashi said, adding that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is also important.
This story has been amended since it was first published.

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MAC slams Wang Yi's Taiwan claim - Taipei Times

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The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday protested against claim by China's top diplomat Wang Yi (王毅) that Taiwan is part of China. At the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Wang, the Chinese Communist Party's most senior foreign policy official, said that "Taiwan has been a part of China since ancient times.

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Xi Jinping taps spy chief Wang Huning to draft China's new Taiwan policy | Taiwan News | 2023-01-26 17:24:00

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Uses words such as Spy.

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TAIPEI (Taiwan News) - The chief political strategist of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Wang Huning (王滬寧), has been tapped by Xi Jinping (習近平) to craft a new unification policy for Taiwan, according to a source within the party.

With the help of Wang's expertise in political theory, Xi is expected to announce a new policy towards Taiwan within the coming months. The move could signal an end to the era of the "one country, two systems" proposal championed by Beijing for decades.

According to an analysis published by Nikkei, the CCP's own actions in Hong Kong, and the reaction of Taiwanese citizens, has made the idea of "one country, two systems" an untenable policy proposal. As a result, Xi and Wang must now plot a new course for cross-strait relations.

Wang is a member of the seven-man Standing Committee of the Politburo and is widely considered to be the CCP's spymaster and chief propagandist. He has served in high-profile offices under three different party secretaries-general, which is a rare accomplishment, given the nature of the CCP's internal politics.

Following Xi's consolidation of power at last year's National Party Congress, many analysts expected him to turn his attention to Taiwan. However, mass protests against China's zero-COVID policy in November, and the subsequent country-wide COVID outbreak quickly demanded the government's attention and resources.

Now, at the start of 2023, the CCP is reportedly poised to make Taiwan a policy priority. Chinese scholars like Chen Xiancai (陳先才), the director of the Center of Taiwan Studies at Xiamen University, take a pessimistic view that diplomacy will not prevail in cross-strait relations in 2023.

Chen says Beijing can be expected to step up efforts to integrate Taiwan, and that conflict is more than likely to increase, becoming "more severe" in the year ahead, reported UDN. Chen is one of many who have adopted the fatalistic view that conflict with the U.S. over Taiwan is unavoidable.

While it is unclear what Wang's approach to cross-strait relations might entail, it is likely that Beijing is under increasing pressure to articulate a new policy as soon as possible.

In Taiwan, campaigning for the 2024 presidential election is about to begin in earnest and Beijing will likely want to consider its rhetoric concerning Taiwan very carefully ahead of the election.

Further, with an upcoming visit from U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy to Taipei expected for April, Chinese citizens will likely demand a clear declaration from Beijing on the issue. Following Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in late 2022, a second visit from a sitting U.S. Speaker in less than a year will likely be an especially sensitive matter.

If Beijing wants to pursue a diplomatic course with Taiwan, rather than continue on its path of persistent military provocation, then it will be incumbent on the CCP to outline such a policy course in the near future.

Many hope Beijing's new policy envisioned by Wang will prioritize communication and cooperation over aggression and exclusion.

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Xi Jinping taps spy chief Wang Huning to draft China's new Taiwan policy | Taiwan News | 2023-01-26 17:24:00

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TAIPEI (Taiwan News) - The chief political strategist of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Wang Huning (王滬寧), has been tapped by Xi Jinping (習近平) to craft a new unification policy for Taiwan, according to a source within the party.

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Taiwan visit by Chinese delegation spurs internal political tensions

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British Daily News Source

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A Chinese government delegation has visited Taiwan for the first time since the start of the pandemic, sparking some partisan tension on the island over cross-strait interactions as Beijing reiterated its intentions to annex it.

The delegation of six officials, including the deputy head of the Shanghai office of China's Taiwan Affairs Office, Li Xiaodong, arrived in Taipei with plans to visit the Lantern festival and hold talks with local officials. They were invited by the city government, led by mayor Chiang Wan-an, of the opposition Kuomintang party (KMT).

The group arrived on Saturday, and were quickly driven away without answering questions from gathered reporters, local media said. Around a dozen pro-Taiwan independence supporters protested against their arrival outside the airport, shouting "Taiwan and China, separate countries" and "Chinese people, get out", while on the airport road another small group of pro-China supporters shouted their welcome.

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said it had approved the application for a three-day visit, on the condition that it be low-key and without public political statements. But members of the ruling Democratic Progressive party (DPP) accused Chiang of being secretive about the visit, keeping information away from the DPP and the public, out of fear it would attract protest or controversy.

The visit has added to domestic tensions around cross-strait communication. The KMT has traditionally sought closer ties with China's government, and its vice-chairman, Andrew Hsia, recently visited Beijing. Hsia was criticised for his 10-day visit, the second since a controversial visit shortly after the Chinese military drills that followed Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan last year. Hsia was accused of colluding with an aggressive state, but he and the KMT defended the trip, saying they believed the trip helped reduce tensions. The KMT is seen as having a chance at regaining power in Taiwan's presidential elections in 2024.

The KMT's stance is in contrast with that of the DPP, whose current leadership maintains that Taiwan is a sovereign independent nation, whose people overwhelmingly reject Beijing's plan for what it terms "reunification".

The Chinese government cut communication with Taipei upon their election in 2016, labelling them separatists, but city-to-city visits continued until the pandemic closed borders. In that time, China's military harassment of Taiwan has increased. Air force and navy sorties around Taiwan are now a near-daily occurrence, including frequent crossings of the median line.

Lev Nachman, a political science professor at Taiwan's National Chengchi University, said the cross-strait visits were seen as controversial by those on the "green" (pro-DPP) side of Taiwan's politics, because "there is worry these actions are at the risk of Taiwan's safety and sovereignty".

"It's worth noting that if you are blue-leaning [pro-KMT], these trips are not controversial," Nachman said. "It's possible to support cross-strait dialogue without supporting reunification."

At the same time, Taipei officials welcomed the Chinese delegation, China's foreign minister Wang Yi resisted calls to reassure the world that further Chinese military escalation was not imminent.

Speaking on stage to the Munich security conference on the weekend, Wang instead accused "separatist forces" on Taiwan of seeking to change the status quo. "I will briefly assure the audience that Taiwan is part of Chinese territory," he said. "It has never been a country and it will not be a country in the future."

The Mainland Affairs Council rejected Wang's characterisation that the status quo was a subordinate Taiwan, saying that the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan's official name, has not been and never will be a part of the People's Republic of China.

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Taiwan visit by Chinese delegation spurs internal political tensions

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A Chinese government delegation has visited Taiwan for the first time since the start of the pandemic, sparking some partisan tension on the island over cross-strait interactions as Beijing reiterated its intentions to annex it.

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YouTube
Tiktok
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram memes
LinkedIn
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U.S. military accelerates in Pacific in attempt to prevent a Chinese invasion of Taiwan

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China 'considers tripling nuclear warheads'

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Large focus on the nuclear numbers and eye-catching main picture.

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Strategists seeking to beef up deterrence against US as tensions grow over Taiwan

People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers on armoured vehicles equipped with anti-aircraft artillery take part in a parade at Tiananmen Square in September 2015. (Reuters File Photo)

BEIJING: China is considering tripling its stockpile of nuclear warheads to 900 by 2035, as tensions with the United States are expected to escalate further over Taiwan, sources close to the matter said on Saturday.

The blueprint, mapped out by the People's Liberation Army, has already been approved by President Xi Jinping, who has been eager to bolster Beijing's deterrence against Washington, the Chinese sources said.

With the ruling Communist Party strengthening the country's military capabilities, the United States said last year that China was on course to increase its stockpile of nuclear warheads to 1,500 by 2035 when it aims to complete the modernisation of its military.

Some foreign affairs experts warn that if China achieves the goal of modernising its military, the country could abandon its "no first use" policy.

In November, the top body of the Chinese military reaffirmed the importance of lethal capabilities, analysing that Russia's strong nuclear deterrence had prevented a head-on contest between NATO and Moscow despite its aggression against Ukraine, the sources said.

The number of nuclear warheads held by China is expected to rise to 550 in 2027, the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the armed forces, and to 900 in 2035, the sources added.

Worldwide, Russia has 5,977 nuclear warheads, while the United States possesses 5,428, according to estimates from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri).

Strains between China and the United States have been intensifying, especially after former US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the then third-highest-ranking official in the country, visited Taiwan in early August last year.

Fears have been growing that self-ruled, democratic Taiwan may become a military flashpoint in the region in the near future, as Beijing regards the island as a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary.

China and Taiwan have been governed separately since they split in 1949 as the result of a civil war.

Washington switched its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, but the United States maintains substantive though unofficial exchanges with Taiwan and supplies it with billions of dollars' worth of arms and spare parts for its defence.

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China 'considers tripling nuclear warheads'

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Strategists seeking to beef up deterrence against US as tensions grow over Taiwan People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers on armoured vehicles equipped with anti-aircraft artillery take part in a parade at Tiananmen Square in September 2015.

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War game suggests Chinese invasion of Taiwan would fail at a huge cost to US, Chinese and Taiwanese militaries | CNN Politics

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Focuses on the economic impacts

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center for strategic and international studies

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international relations and national security

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War game suggests Chinese invasion of Taiwan would fail at a huge cost to US, Chinese and Taiwanese militaries | CNN Politics

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A Chinese invasion of Taiwan in 2026 would result in thousands of casualties among Chinese, United States, Taiwanese and Japanese forces, and it would be unlikely to result in a victory for Beijing, according to a prominent independent Washington think tank, which conducted war game simulations of a possible conflict that is preoccupying military and political leaders in Asia and Washington.

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Military experts provide frank assessment of US shortcomings in potential China conflict

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Focuses on the militarization impacts

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The U.S. would face few but significant hurdles if the military were to confront China following a Taiwan invasion, military experts told Fox News Digital.

"Unfortunately, talking broadly and in overall terms, the Chinese have dramatically increased their air, sea, space, cyber and missile capabilities in the last couple of decades," said James Anderson, acting undersecretary of defense for policy under President Trump.

"In some of the scenarios that could happen, we might well be at a competitive disadvantage initially because they have home-field advantage in terms of their capacity to quickly mobilize local forces, and that's really important to the PRC."

Four-star Air Force Gen. Mike Minihan, head of Air Mobility Command, wrote in a memo last week that he believes that the U.S. and China "will fight in 2025," adding, "I hope I am wrong." He pointed to the upcoming elections in the U.S. and Taiwan, which he believed could provide a distraction and allow China to make a move on the island.
US MISSILE BURSTS CHINESE SPY BALLOON OVER ATLANTIC OCEAN OFF THE COAST OF SOUTH CAROLINA

The general said "a fortified, ready, integrated and agile Joint Force Maneuver Team ready to fight and win inside the first island chain" needs to be established to prepare for the looming fight.

And CIA Director William Burns reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered his military to be ready for action no later than 2027.

Anderson, along with Heino Klinck, senior adviser to the National Bureau of Asian Research, stressed that it is difficult to predict how a conflict might play out because "it would be very scenario dependent."

"There are areas in which they have dominance, and there are also areas in which we have dominance, so it's not exactly an apples and oranges type of comparison," Klinck, who previously served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, said, highlighting the "tyranny of distance" as the greatest concern for the U.S. military.

"China certainly has geographic advantages just based on the fact that it's only 100 miles from Taiwan, so that's something that requires advanced logistical planning," he added.

China, in a localized conflict, would have shorter supply lines compared to the U.S., even with partners and military bases in the region creating a baseline from which to operate. And it could more easily support its naval forces with land-based missile systems.

Anderson also highlighted that the U.S. would likely run out of its sophisticated, conventional missiles "in probably a matter of days." U.S. officials announced in October 2022 that they could not maintain the same pace of supply for Ukraine's defense against Russia's invasion because of the risk posed by reduced stockpiles of high-end munitions.
CHINESE SPY BALLOON MAY HAVE GATHERED 'UNSEEN' INFORMATION, EXPERTS SAY
"In essence, we have depleted our own reserves of munitions in order to supply the Ukrainians," Klinck said. "It's demonstrated the fragility of our defense industrial base. And the fact that we have reportedly pulled munitions out of Israel and are planning on pulling certain types of equipment out of South Korea should demonstrate and convey the seriousness of this issue."

The "tyranny of distance" would cause the greater problem, and Anderson highlighted that it might take at least two weeks for the U.S. to fully supply both manpower and weapons to the region to maintain any kind of sustained, intensified action against China.

"There are ways to overcome that," Anderson stressed. "For example, we can and should do a much better job of stockpiling sufficient quantities of munitions in the region and protecting them, but, right now, that's our biggest disadvantage."

Anderson did highlight that, despite these shortcomings, the U.S. has one significant and overwhelming advantage over China: The last conflict in which Beijing deployed its forces was in the 1979 border war with Vietnam, and it has no extensive military or actual combat experience since then compared to its American counterparts.
THESE 5 CHINA INTELLIGENCE FAILURES ARE EVEN MORE DANGEROUS THAN THE CHINESE SPY BALLOON
"The fact is they have no experience conducting a major amphibious assault on the scale that would be required to take the island of Taiwan," Anderson added. "Yes, they did attack various outlying islands of Taiwan during multiple crises in the 1950s, but those were very small-scale operations."

He added that large-scale amphibious operations are "the most difficult combat operations to execute."

"There are no good parallels, and ... from our perspective, the fact that the Chinese don't have a good parallel is good news because this is a competitive disadvantage for them."

Klinck stressed that the lack of parallels is not necessarily a good thing, simply because the U.S. cannot predict how China would approach the problem.

"The fact that they have geography on their side, the fact that the Chinese economy and businesses are integrated into Chinese war plans as well. So, for instance, the Chinese have, in fact, exercised with commercial roll-on, roll-off vessels with commercial airliners," Klinck noted.

"There's a variety of lift assets the Chinese could bring to play that Western militaries may not necessarily depend on."
Fox News Digital's Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.

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Military experts provide frank assessment of US shortcomings in potential China conflict

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The U.S. would face few but significant hurdles if the military were to confront China following a Taiwan invasion, military experts told Fox News Digital. "Unfortunately, talking broadly and in overall terms, the Chinese have dramatically increased their air, sea, space, cyber and missile capabilities in the last couple of decades," said James Anderson, acting undersecretary of defense for policy under President Trump.

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A Chinese invasion of Taiwan is a real and dangerous possibility that could wreck armies and ruin the global economy worse than the 1929 stock market crash

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Focuses on economic impacts

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A Chinese invasion of Taiwan is a real and dangerous possibility that could wreck armies and ruin the global economy worse than the 1929 stock market crash

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A Chinese invasion of Taiwan could bring about a global recession and significant military losses for both countries and possibly others.

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China seizure of Taiwan not ‘imminent,’ says key DoD official

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Focuses on the urgency of the issue

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China seizure of Taiwan not ‘imminent,’ says key DoD official

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Colin Kahl responded to an Air Force general’s leaked assessment that an attempt could come in the next two years.

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How Reliable Is Al Jazeera? - The Factual | Blog

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Al Jazeera stands out on the international stage as one of few popular, non-Western English-language news organizations. Since its founding in 1996, it has catered to Arabic audiences as well as an ever-growing international audience. However, its reporting has not been without controversy, not least because of its close relationship with the Qatari government. This leads The Factual to ask two questions: how reliable is Al Jazeera and how biased is its coverage?

How Does The Factual Rate News Sources?

The Factual analyzes more than 10,000 news stories every day to help readers find the most informative, least-biased articles. Our news-rating algorithm scores each article along four metrics: (1) cited sources and quotes, (2) publication history, (3) writing tone, and (4) author expertise. These scores combine in a weighted average we call a Factual Grade, which ranges from 0-100%. (See our How It Works page to learn more about our algorithm.)

For this study, we analyzed ~1,000 articles each from 240 news sources. The average Factual Grade for the entire dataset was 62.5%. Based on these averages, we can compare the performance of news sites across the media ecosystem. The entire dataset can be explored in greater detail here.

How Factual Is Al Jazeera?

Al Jazeera scored an average Factual Grade of 59.3%, placing it in the 23rd percentile in our dataset. In Al Jazeera's case, these below average scores can be attributed to articles that lack an identifiable author and therefore receive a low score for author expertise. Many articles also lack hyperlinks to other stories on the same topic, lowering the overall score for source quality. However, articles from Al Jazeera do largely use unbiased language.

Like any news source, scores for articles from Al Jazeera varied widely based on factors like author expertise and cited evidence. For example, some scored above 80%, while others scored below 50%.

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How Opinionated Is Al Jazeera?

As part of each Factual Grade, The Factual measures how opinionated an article is using a sophisticated natural language One of the metrics The Factual uses is the Writing Tone, which measures how opinionated the writing is in an article. For this metric, the algorithm looks for signs of subjective commentary (e.g., first person pronouns and unnecessary adverbs), as well as the emotional nature of selected words, and sees how prevalent they are for a given length of text. More neutral text receives higher ratings, with "0" being the most opinionated and "1" being the most neutral.

Al Jazeera had an average Writing Tone score of 0.73, placing it in the 85th percentile in our dataset. This suggests that articles from Al Jazeera typically have a highly neutral tone. This neutral approach can be seen in article title such as " Colombia to suspend aerial bombings against armed groups" and " Turkey resumes gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean."

How Biased Is Al Jazeera?

Assessments from media bias organizations such as AllSides and Media Bias/Fact Check lead The Factual to assign Al Jazeera a "Moderate Left" bias.

AllSides gives Al Jazeera a "Lean Left" bias due to independent research and 11,329 community ratings. AllSides changed the rating from "Center" due to the omission of right-leaning viewpoints and the tendency to frame such points negatively. Many pieces exhibit bias through "emotionalism, slant, spin, and bias by omission." AllSides also notes the presence of anti-Western, anti-Israel, and anti-Shia biases.

Media Bias/Fact Check (MBFC) assigns Al Jazeera a "Left-Center" bias due to story selection that at times favors the left. This includes a "Mixed" score for factual reporting due to two failed fact-checks, neither of which received corrections. However, Al Jazeera does receive credit for reporting "news with minimally loaded wording" in their headlines. " Pentagon chief Mattis quits, cites policy differences with Trump " is an example of balanced coverage of former president Trump. They note, however, that Al Jazeera exhibits bias against "Israel and right-wing ideologies," particularly in its opinion section.

Who Owns Al Jazeera?

The company's ownership is perhaps the biggest point of contention. The government of Qatar is the primary funder of Al Jazeera. As a private foundation for public benefit, it allegedly retains its editorial independence. Critics suggest that the Qatari government directly influences the news organization's output. Proponents note, however, articles that are critical of Qatar. Media organizations like the National Press Club and Reporters Without Borders also defend Al Jazeera's journalism on the world stage.

Al Jazeera was central to a diplomatic standoff beginning in 2017 between Qatar and several neighbors, led by Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The crisis was due to Qatar's connections to Iran and alleged support for terrorist organizations and the Muslim Brotherhood. Al Jazeera was cited as a mouthpiece for Qatari propaganda and accused of spreading extremist viewpoints. Defendants argue that these countries, which demanded Al Jazeera's closure, are endangered by its popular independent journalism. The standoff eventually ended with Al Jazeera intact.

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How to Mitigate Bias

Al Jazeera provides a useful example of why knowing about the media landscape is essential to interacting with daily news. While the organization is known for high journalistic standards, its numerous controversies warrant closer scrutiny. Likewise, though the organization has a left-leaning bias, it still produces quality news stories and introduces new perspectives to Western audiences.

News articles are bound to have bias because all authors have some frame of reference within which they describe a story. Political bias ratings are helpful in understanding this framing. However, it can be more beneficial to know how factual an article is based on quantifiable metrics that can be seen across the media ecosystem, such as cited evidence, author expertise, and writing tone. This is what The Factual ascertains.

Reading several, highly rated articles from across the political spectrum helps counter the bias of any news source or story. To have the day's most factual news stories delivered to your inbox every morning, subscribe to our daily newsletter.
Article updated on September 15, 2022 to reflect new data.

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How Reliable Is Al Jazeera? - The Factual | Blog

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Al Jazeera stands out on the international stage as one of few popular, non-Western English-language news organizations. Since its founding in 1996, it has catered to Arabic audiences as well as an ever-growing international audience. However, its reporting has not been without controversy, not least because of its close relationship with the Qatari government.

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China renews threat, warns Taiwan independence will be 'punished'

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China's Taiwan Affairs Office said anti-China elements in foreign countries were 'playing with fire' on the issue of Taiwan's independence.

A Taiwanese Air Force Mirage 2000-5 aircraft is seen at Hsinchu Air Base, in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on January 11, 2023 [Ann Wang/Reuters]

China has renewed its longstanding threat to attack Taiwan and warned that foreign politicians who interact with the self-governing island are "playing with fire".

A spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office said on Wednesday that Beijing was recommitted in the new year to "safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity" and " smashing plots for Taiwan independence ".

"The malicious support for Taiwan independence among anti-China elements in a few foreign countries are a deliberate provocation," the spokesperson, Ma Xiaoguang, said at a biweekly news conference.

"We call on the relevant countries to ... cease sending the wrong signals to Taiwan independence separatist forces and cease playing with fire on the question of Taiwan," Ma said.

China views Taiwan - a self-governing democracy that separated from mainland China in 1949 - as Chinese territory that must be brought under Beijing's control, and by force if necessary.

China's state-run Global Times newspaper tweeted the Taiwan Affairs Office warning that Taiwan's "'secession' is doomed to fail" and that Taiwan's independence "is an act waiting to be punished".

The Taiwan question is China's own business and any attempt to split Taiwan from China will not succeed. "Taiwan secession" is doomed to fail, and relying on foreign forces to seek "independence" is an act waiting to be punished: Taiwan Affairs Office pic.twitter.com/o4IL60USWn

- Global Times (@globaltimesnews) January 11, 2023

High-profile visits to Taiwan in recent months by foreign politicians, including then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and numerous politicians from the European Union, have angered Beijing and spurred huge military exercises around the Island by Chinese forces, which Taipei views as a rehearsal for invasion.

At the end of December, China sent a record 71 planes and seven ships towards Taiwan - the largest such exercise in 2022.

This week, Taiwan's military is staging its own military drills intended to reassure the public of its ability to counter China's threats.

"The most important thing is to maintain the safety of our airspace and national security," air force Lieutenant Colonel Wu Bong-yeng told reporters at Hsinchu Air Base just south of the capital, Taipei.

The defence drills coincided with a visit to Taiwan by German and Lithuanian legislators, and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said the visit demonstrated Berlin's support for the island.

A warm welcome to the @Bundestag delegation led by @MAStrackZi & @johannesvogel. #Taiwan looks forward to deepening our partnerships with #Germany & other like-minded countries, as we stand in solidarity behind our shared values of human rights, freedom & democracy. pic.twitter.com/HH5Minyj8g

- 蔡英文 Tsai Ing-wen (@iingwen) January 10, 2023

Leading the 10-person German delegation, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmerman - who is also the Bundestag's defence committee chairperson - said Russia's war in Ukraine necessitated the visit to Taiwan as it was "a huge wake-up call" not only for Europe and Germany but also for the whole world.

"Now we could see what happened in Ukraine... It affects the whole world," Strack-Zimmerman said in Taiwan.

"That's the reason why we come to your country," she said.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

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China renews threat, warns Taiwan independence will be 'punished'

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China's Taiwan Affairs Office said anti-China elements in foreign countries were 'playing with fire' on the issue of Taiwan's independence. China has renewed its longstanding threat to attack Taiwan and warned that foreign politicians who interact with the self-governing island are "playing with fire".

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Johnson Lai’s Profile | Business Insider, Fox News, MSN Journalist | Muck Rack

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Johnson Lai’s Profile | Business Insider, Fox News, MSN Journalist | Muck Rack

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Find Johnson Lai’s articles, email address, contact information, Twitter and more

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She’s located in Washington

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Taiwan has learned important lessons from Ukraine's war that would help it deter any attack by China or defend itself if invaded, the self-ruled island's top envoy to the U.S. said in an interview Friday with The Associated Press. Among the lessons: Do more to prepare military reservists and also civilians for the kind of all-of-society fight that Ukrainians are waging against Russia.

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Taiwan has learned important lessons from Ukraine's war that would help it deter any attack by China or defend itself if invaded, the self-ruled island's top envoy to the U.S. said in an interview Friday with The Associated Press.

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He’s located in Taiwan.

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TAIPEI (Jan 25): Former vice president Chen Chien-jen will be Taiwan's new premier, the presidential office said on Wednesday (Jan 25), as part of a cabinet reshuffle following heavy losses for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) at local elections last year. Premier Su Tseng-chang submitted his resignation last week along with that of his cabinet ahead of the widely expected government reorganisation.

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TAIPEI (Jan 25): Former vice president Chen Chien-jen will be Taiwan's new premier, the presidential office said on Wednesday (Jan 25), as part of a cabinet reshuffle following heavy losses for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) at local elections last year.

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China renews threat against Taiwan as island holds drills

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Johnson Lai

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BEIJING (AP) - China renewed its threats Wednesday to attack Taiwan and warned that foreign politicians who interact with the self-governing island are "playing with fire."

A spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office said the country was recommitted in the new year to "safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity" and "smashing plots for Taiwan independence" on the self-governing democracy that separated from mainland China in 1949.

"The malicious support for Taiwan independence among anti-China elements in a few foreign countries are a deliberate provocation," Ma Xiaoguang said at a biweekly news conference.

China views Taiwan as a Chinese territory that must be brought under Beijing's control, by force if necessary. A string of visits in recent months by foreign politicians to Taiwan, including by then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and numerous politicians from the European Union, spurred displays of military might from both sides.

This week, Taiwan's military is staging drills intended to reassure the public of its ability to counter China's threats ahead of this month's Lunar New Year holiday.

"The most important thing is to maintain the safety of our airspace and national security," air force Lt. Col. Wu Bong-yeng told reporters at Hsinchu Air Base just south of the capital, Taipei.

The drills coincide with a visit from German and Lithuanian lawmakers - the latter Baltic state being a particular target of Chinese ire for upgrading its ties with Taiwan.

"We call on the relevant countries to ... cease sending the wrong signals to Taiwan independence separatist forces and cease playing with fire on the question of Taiwan," Ma said.

China has responded to foreign visits by holding large-scale military exercises seen by some as a rehearsal for a blockade or invasion. Beijing sends airplanes and warships toward Taiwan on a near-daily basis, often crossing the midline of the 160 kilometer (100 miles) Taiwan Strait dividing the sides. At the end of December, China sent a record 71 planes and seven ships toward Taiwan - the largest such scale exercise in 2022.

China's efforts to isolate the island diplomatically have left Taiwan with just 14 official diplomatic partners, although it retains robust unofficial relations with key ally the U.S. and more than 100 nations around the world.

___

Associated Press reporter Johnson Lai in Hsinchu, Taiwan, contributed to this report.

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China renews threat against Taiwan as island holds drills

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BEIJING (AP) - China renewed its threats Wednesday to attack Taiwan and warned that foreign politicians who interact with the self-governing island are "playing with fire." A spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office said the country was recommitted in the new year to "safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity" and "smashing plots for Taiwan independence" on the self-governing democracy that separated from mainland China in 1949.

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The AP Interview: Envoy says Taiwan learns from Ukraine war

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Ellen Knickmeyer

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The AP Interview: Envoy says Taiwan learns from Ukraine war

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Taiwan has learned important lessons from Ukraine’s war that would help it deter any attack by China or defend itself if invaded, the self-ruled island’s top envoy to the U.S. said in an interview Friday with The Associated Press.

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China-Taiwan: why tensions are rising and what could happen in 2023

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Ben Blanchard

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TAIPEI, Dec 6 (Reuters) - U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan and met Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in August in defiance of Chinese warnings for the trip not to take place.

Angered at what it perceived as U.S. support for Taiwan's de facto independence - a red line for Beijing - China launched war games near the island it claims as its "sacred" territory shortly after Pelosi left.

China's military for the first time fired missiles over Taipei, flew waves of drones over some of Taiwan's offshore islands near the Chinese coast, sailed warships across the median line of the Taiwan Strait and surrounded the island in what Taiwan's military said amounted to a practice "blockade."

Military tensions had not been so high between Taiwan and China since Beijing fired missiles into waters off Taiwan's coast ahead of the 1996 Taiwanese presidential election, as the Chinese government tried to dissuade people from voting for Lee Teng-hui who it viewed as a separatist.

That backfired and Lee handily won the election.

China likewise views Tsai as a separatist for refusing to accept Beijing's long-standing position that China and Taiwan both belong to "one China".

The government of Taiwan - formally the Republic of China - maintains that as the island has never been ruled by the People's Republic of China its claims of sovereignty are void.

Tsai says only the island's 23 million people can decide their future through democracy, and that while she wants dialogue and peace with China and will not provoke, Taiwan will defend itself if attacked.

Since Pelosi's visit, China has continued with its military activities near Taiwan, though on a reduced scale. Taiwan meanwhile continues to bolster its defences.

WHY IT MATTERS

Any war over Taiwan, a major producer of semiconductors, has the potential to crash the global economy. It could draw the United States and its allies into direct confrontation with China's People's Liberation Army, the world's largest military, which is increasingly well-equipped.

China has long said Taiwan is the most important and sensitive issue in its relations with the United States, a message Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated to U.S. President Joe Biden when they met in Bali last month.

The United States, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

The United States has long stuck to a policy of "strategic ambiguity" and not making clear whether it would respond militarily to an attack on Taiwan. However, Biden said in September U.S forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, his most explicit statement on the issue.

China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, which Xi reiterated at the 20th congress of the ruling Communist Party in October.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR 2023?

Anti-China sentiment continues to build in the United States, and in its newly Republican-controlled House, along with support for Taiwan.

If the probable new U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy follows in Pelosi's footsteps and visits Taiwan that would trigger yet more fireworks across the Taiwan Strait and between Washington and Beijing.

Next year, both Taiwan's main political parties will also be gearing up for presidential and parliamentary elections in early 2024.

The main opposition party the Kuomintang, or KMT, which traditionally favours close ties with China but vehemently denies being pro-Beijing, hopes it can get back into office after two terms in opposition following a strong showing at local elections in November.

Explore the Reuters round-up of news stories that dominated the year, and the outlook for 2023.

Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Lincoln Feast.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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China-Taiwan: why tensions are rising and what could happen in 2023

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TAIPEI, Dec 6 (Reuters) - U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan and met Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in August in defiance of Chinese warnings for the trip not to take place. Angered at what it perceived as U.S.