China expansionism

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
International Relations 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

“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

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“Hold your own elections, don’t interfere with ours,” foreign minister tells Beijing as Chinese military launches combat drills around Taiwan

composite image showing Chinese fighter aircraft and naval vessel
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

Taiwan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu accused Beijing of trying to interfere with an upcoming national election in Taiwan, after the Chinese military launched military exercises in sea and airspace around the island nation today, August 19. China’s People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command announced the drills on the PLA’s official Weibo account this morning, saying that it was carrying out joint naval and air combat readiness patrols around Taiwan focusing on ship-aircraft coordination to test seizing control of

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Taiwan flags Chinese civilian car carriers as threat to national security

roll-on/roll-off ship with ramp on dock
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , , ,

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense is cooperating with the National Coast Guard Administration and National Police Agency to jointly monitor the movements of Chinese commercial car carriers docking in Taiwan, and vehicle ferries operating in and around the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan’s top military intelligence unit, the National Security Bureau, reported to the Legislative Yuan May 23 on the potential risks of the roll-on/roll-off ships to Taiwan’s security, saying that the MND is cooperating with the coast guard and police to

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“The new normal:” Chinese drone circles Taiwan for second time in a week

composite image showing BZK-005 uav and flight path around Taiwan
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

The Chinese military flew a drone around Taiwan yesterday, May 2, just six days after it made the first encirclement using a bomber drone on April 27, rapidly escalating the maneuver from unprecedented to “new normal.” According to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, a People’s Liberation Army Air Force BZK-005 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flew eastwards from the Chinese coast, crossing the center line of the Taiwan Strait in the north, then passing between Yonaguni Island, Japan, and Taiwan’s east

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New level of threat-posture: Chinese jumbo bomber drone flies around Taiwan for the first time

composite image showing Chinese TB-001 drone and flight path around Taiwan
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense reported that in the 24 hours up to 6:00 am this morning, April 28, a total of 38 sorties by Chinese military aircraft were recorded in Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone, including 19 that crossed the center line of the Taiwan Strait, and one that completely encircled Taiwan. A TB-001 UAV flew via the Bashi Channel, south of the island, and traveled north, returning to China via the Miyako Strait in what appears to be

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Tourist hotspot transformed into missile launch pad as Taiwan counters Chinese military threat

mobile missile launchers in southern Taiwan
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment , , , ,

Tourists visiting a popular scenic spot on Hengchun Peninsula in southern Taiwan’s Pingtung County today were confronted with a large mobile missile unit deployed in the carpark, as Taiwan’s military responded to Chinese air and sea maneuvers around the island. According to media reports, the anti-ship missiles were deployed at the location yesterday evening, April 9, and in the past have only been deployed on military bases and military training grounds. The fact that the missiles are deployed in such

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What response as Chinese military surrounds and harasses Taiwan?

Taiwan military anti-aircraft gun juxtaposed with 101 building, Xinyi District, Taipei City
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Taiwan’s military forces are on the alert and actively responding to provocative actions by the Chinese military as China lays siege to the island in a “rehearsal” for an encirclement and possible invasion of the island nation, but no international friends have come forward in any significant way to deter the aggressive act. On the first day of a three-day exercise dubbed “United Sword” by People’s Republic of China, Chinese warships and aircraft crossed the once-respected center line of the

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Former defence chief touts civilian defence force: Ukraine’s will to resist the enemy a lesson for Taiwan

screenshot of Lee Hsi-ming interview
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Taiwan’s former defence chief (Chief of General Staff), Admiral Lee Hsi-ming, said that if Taiwan had a civilian territorial defence force it would make the Chinese Communist Party think twice about launching an invasion of the country, citing the example of Ukraine, in an interview with Liberty Times Network today, October 7. Lee, who currently serves as a senior research fellow of the Washington-based Project 2049 Institute, said that Russia invaded Ukraine in February this year, and Russian troops in

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Retired tech exec to invest NT$1 billion to train 3 million civilians to help defend Taiwan against China

UMC founder and former Chairman Robert Tsao
Business and Economy 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

The founder and former chairman of chip manufacturer United Microelectronics (UMC) has pledged to invest NT$1 billion (US$32.8 million) to train 300,000 specialist marksmen, and 3 million “black bear warriors” to actively assist with regional defense in the face of growing threats from the People’s Republic of China. Robert Tsao revealed the plan at an international press conference held this morning, September 1, saying that the civilian force will cooperate with the soldiers of the national army to form an

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Beijing’s big bucks billboards display chilling effect on free speech in Australia

Billboard design for Drew Pavlou Democratic Alliance campaign designed by Taiwan English News
International Politics 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Australian Senate candidate Drew Pavlou claims that Australian billboard advertising companies have refused to display his ad campaign out of fear of retaliation by the Chinese government, and that Beijing-funded billboard ads went up instead. Pavlou’s ad was designed to protest against the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics being held in a country with serious human rights issues, and depicted works by Chinese dissident artist Badiucao. Bishopp Outdoor Advertising had agreed to place the ad for $3,000. But yesterday, a representative

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Anti-communist music video suppressed on YouTube but you can watch it here: maybe

Regional 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

In another example of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) spreading influence well beyond the jurisdictions of the single-party, non-democratic state, CCP collaborator YouTube suppressed an anti-CCP music video just seconds after its release. The Taiwanese developers of the game Reversed Front released the song to accompany the launch of the mobile version of the game scheduled for 8:00 pm, November 23. However, by the time the video went live on YouTube, it had already been flagged, and labeled as “adult

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