UK parliamentary report calls Taiwan an independent country while Cleverly visiting Beijing

composite image showing UK parliament building and Taipei Cityscape with Taipei 101 building

August 30, 2023August 30, 2023 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment China expansionism, UK-Taiwan

“Taiwan is already an independent country, under the name of the Republic of China (ROC),” a report by the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee says, in a move likely to stir up a hornets nest during Foreign Secretary James Cleverly’s visit to Beijing today, Wednesday, August 30. “Taiwan possesses all the qualifications of statehood, including a permanent population, a defined territory, government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states,” the report stated, noting that the country

travel advisory for Taiwan showing edits

International Relations

July 12, 2023July 12, 2023 Phillip Charlier 2 Comments US State Department

The US State Department Bureau of Consular Affairs updated its Travel Advisory for Taiwan, yesterday, Tuesday, July 11, maintaining the original level one “exercise normal precautions,” but removing two references to “country,” replacing it with “Taiwan.” Previous to the July 11 edit, the advisory read: “Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Taiwan,” and “Review the Country Security Report for Taiwan.” These sentences have been changed to “Read the Taiwan International Travel Information for additional information

International Relations

August 2, 2022August 2, 2022 Phillip Charlier 1 Comment cross-strait issues, USA-Taiwan

A US Air Force jet carrying US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi flew in a large arc over Indonesia before turning north and flying over the Philippine Sea, completely avoiding flying over the South China Sea today, three days after China’s leading propagandist warned that the Chinese military could shoot the plane down. In a now-banned tweet, Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece Global Times, wrote, “If US fighter jets escort Pelosi’s plane into Taiwan,

International Relations

April 19, 2022April 19, 2022 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment COVID-19, South Korea

Taiwan news channel TVBS issued an apology to the people of Korea today, April 19, after using an image that combined the national flag of the Republic of Korea with a CGI depiction of the COVID-19 virus during a TV news report last month. On March 16, TVBS “FOCUS Global News Program” used the image as a background during a news report about South Korea recording 600,000 COVID cases in a single day. A screenshot of the image eventually spread

US congressional delegation arrives in Taiwan on US military plane

International Relations

April 14, 2022April 14, 2022 Phillip Charlier 4 Comments US Congress, USA-Taiwan

A delegation of six US lawmakers arrived in Taiwan this evening, April 14, and will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Joseph Wu, and Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng, tomorrow, April 15, before departing Friday. Led by Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Bob Menendez (Dem. New Jersey), and Senator Lindsey Graham (Rep. South Carolina), the group includes Republican senators Richard Burr (North Carolina), Ben Sasse (Nebraska), Rob Portman (Ohio), and Republican representative for Texas, Ronny

Wang Wenbin Ministry of Foreign Affairs China spokesperson

International Relations

March 28, 2022March 28, 2022 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment China, USA-Taiwan

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin claimed today that some people in the United States are deliberately making an analogy between Taiwan and Ukraine with “sinister intentions” in an attempt to “create a new crisis” in the Taiwan Strait. The Financial Times reported on the 25th that Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command Admiral John Aquilino during a visit to Australia warned in an interview that as the Chinese People’s Liberation Army is gradually increasing pressure on Taiwan, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine highlights the

Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu and other dignitaries pose with humanitarian aid supplies bound for Ukrainians displaced by war

International Relations

March 17, 2022March 17, 2022 Phillip Charlier 1 Comment Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan can help, Ukraine

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs this afternoon sent a shipment of more than 7,500 boxes of humanitarian aid destined for Ukraine and countries hosting refugees, and donations to a special account reached NT$678 million (US$24 million) today, March 17. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release stated that Minister for Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu, Polish Office in Taipei Director Cyryl Kozaczewski, Slovak Economic and Cultural Office Representative Martin Podstavek and Deputy Representative Michaela Sulakova, Ukrainian expatriate, Daria Zheng, and Russian

US delegation with MOFA officials on airport tarmac

International Relations

March 1, 2022March 1, 2022 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Ministry of Foreign Affairs, USA-Taiwan

A delegation of former senior defense and security officials sent by US President Joe Biden arrived in Taipei this afternoon, Tuesday, March 1. The delegation led by former US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen touched down at Taipei Songshan Airport at 3:54 pm, and was met on the Tarmac by Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. Members of the delegation include Meghan O’Sullivan, a former deputy national security advisor under the Bush administration, Michele Flournoy, a former undersecretary of defense

US China Economic and Security Review Commission

International Relations

November 18, 2021November 18, 2021 Phillip Charlier 1 Comment China expansionism, USA-Taiwan

A bipartisan congressional advisory group tasked with making an annual report on US-China relations urged US lawmakers to take urgent measures to strengthen the credibility of US military deterrence to potential Chinese aggression against Taiwan, Wednesday, November 17. The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) warned that a lack of clarity in U.S. policy could could fail to deter the Chinese Communist Party from opportunistic aggression against Taiwan. The report came just a day after a high profile meeting

International Relations

November 5, 2021November 5, 2021 Phillip Charlier 1 Comment USA-Taiwan

A group of US senators introduced a bill seeking to bolster Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against Chinese aggression by authorizing funding to the tune of US$2 billion per year in Foreign Military Financing, according to a United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations press release, Thursday, November 4. The bill also amends the Arms Export Control Act to better facilitate arms transfers to Taiwan. The proposed legislation, the Taiwan Deterrence Act, was put forward by Republican senators Jim Risch,

Tony Abbott and Tsai Ing-wen at the Presidential Office Taiwan

International Relations

October 7, 2021October 7, 2021 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Presidential Office, taiwan-australia-relations, Tsai Ing-wen

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen met with former Prime Minister of Australia, Tony Abbott, and expressed her gratitude for his help in negotiating an economic cooperation agreement between Australia and Taiwan, and his support for Taiwan’s participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Tony Abbott, who served as Australian Prime Minister from 2013 to 2015, responded that he was in Taiwan to help end its international isolation, and offered his support to a democratic country challenged by

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International Relations

UK parliamentary report calls Taiwan an independent country while Cleverly visiting Beijing

US State Department updates Taiwan Travel Advisory: removes the word “country”

Pelosi plane takes a big detour to avoid South China Sea, Chinese coast

Taiwan TV station apologizes to South Korea for “covidizing” national flag

Bipartisan US congressional delegation arrives in Taiwan to meet with key leaders

China: The USA trying to create a Taiwan Strait crisis by comparing Taiwan to Ukraine

Taiwan sends 5.5 tons of humanitarian aid to Ukraine: US$24 million raised in donations

US defense and security delegation arrives in Taiwan amid rise in global security risks

Bipartisan advisory group urges US Congress to get real on deterring China’s aggression against Taiwan

US Senators propose bill for billions to bolster Taiwan’s defense

Former Australian PM meets Taiwan President to express support for a democracy challenged by giant neighbor