13 h. ago Taiwan faces possible Beijing squeeze after US quits WHO and other agencies

The United States’ decision to withdraw from dozens of UN and other international organisations may have dealt another blow to Taiwan’s efforts to raise its global profile amid mounting pressure from Beijing. While Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s government has sought to play down the impact, observers have warned that Washington’s retreat could further squeeze the island’s already narrow international space. US President Donald Trump on January 7 ordered the US to exit 66 international...

Politics

3 d. ago Hong Kong Cantopop singer Raymond Lam cancels 2 concerts in Japan amid China friction

Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actor Raymond Lam Fung has cancelled two coming concerts in Japan, adding to a growing list of high-profile entertainment disruptions amid escalating diplomatic tensions between Beijing and Tokyo. Japanese promoter Promax Inc said on Wednesday that Lam’s “Go With The Flow in Japan” tour – originally scheduled for January 31 and February 1 at the Tokyo Garden Theatre – had been postponed indefinitely. “After careful consideration and extensive discussions with all...

Politics

3 d. ago How Putin’s focus on Ukraine war leaves allies Venezuela, Iran and Cuba exposed

As Russian President Vladimir Putin focuses his attentions on Moscow’s war in Ukraine, his strategic allies around the world have been left feeling neglected – or worse. In Venezuela, officials now think their years-long security relationship with Moscow was a paper tiger. They’re not alone: From Damascus and Tehran to Havana, over the last 13 months authoritarian regimes which previously benefited from their close ties to the Kremlin have found Russian support lacking when it mattered...

Politics

3 d. ago Why the US may find Iran’s air defence system harder to break than Venezuela’s

A bit more than a week after the United States abducted former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a raid on Caracas, US President Donald Trump is threatening military action against Iran, which is seeing a massive wave of anti-government protests. Yet a strike aimed at taking out the Iranian leadership could prove harder, given that Iran’s more sophisticated air defence system is also reported to be integrating China’s most advanced exported technology. On Tuesday, Trump wrote on his social...

Politics

3 d. ago China healthtech stocks surge on Beijing’s cloud integration push By Investing.com

China healthtech stocks surge on Beijing’s cloud integration push By Investing.com  Investing.com South Africa

Science

3 d. ago China healthtech stocks surge on Beijing’s cloud integration push

China healthtech stocks surge on Beijing’s cloud integration push  Investing.com

Science

3 d. ago Canadian MPs asked to leave Taiwan before Carney's Beijing visit

Canadian MPs asked to leave Taiwan before Carney's Beijing visit  Focus Taiwan

Politics

4 d. ago South China Sea: claims of coercion, deception as Beijing and Manila wage new war of words

China and the Philippines have again exchanged barbs over confrontations in the disputed South China Sea, with each accusing the other of provocation and escalating tensions. The Chinese embassy in the Philippines on Tuesday said a statement the day before by the National Maritime Council – a government body created by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr in 2024 to address the nation’s maritime challenges – was “unfounded and misleading”. It accused Manila of “provoking trouble and...

Events

5 d. ago Why timing may be right for China to press North Korea on denuclearisation

The Ukraine war and Donald Trump’s return to the White House have significantly altered northeast Asia’s geopolitical landscape. North Korea’s defence treaty with Russia and leader Kim Jong-un’s decision to deploy troops to support Moscow have shattered any remaining illusions of strategic restraint. While Russia is believed to be supplying North Korea with finance and technology, Japan and South Korea are accelerating military spending and preparing for long-term confrontation, potentially –...

Events

6 d. ago China extends support to Somalia’s sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity

China extends support to Somalia’s sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity  Anadolu Ajansı

Politics

9 d. ago Support Without Guarantees of Survival: China and Russia’s Logic in Confronting the Fall of Allies

Support Without Guarantees of Survival: China and Russia’s Logic in Confronting the Fall of Allies  Modern Diplomacy

Events

9 d. ago It's up to Xi: Trump Says China's move on Taiwan is Beijing's call

It's up to Xi: Trump Says China's move on Taiwan is Beijing's call  India Today

Politics

9 d. ago China's OmniVision Integrated Circuits sets HK listing price at top end, raises $616 million

China's OmniVision Integrated Circuits sets HK listing price at top end, raises $616 million  Reuters

Economics

9 d. ago As Beijing targets Tokyo over Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks, what levers does Japan have?

China’s access to Japan’s coveted industrial-use goods – especially a critical chipmaking ingredient – may face hurdles if Tokyo imposes export restrictions in the event of a prolonged political dispute, though trade is holding steady for now, analysts and a trade organisation said. Beijing’s response to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s November 7 remarks about Taiwan has prompted some analysts to ask what cards Tokyo might play should the relationship deteriorate further. Beijing’s...

Events

9 d. ago As Beijing targets Tokyo over Taiwan remarks, what levers does Japan have?

As Beijing targets Tokyo over Taiwan remarks, what levers does Japan have?  South China Morning Post

Events

1 week ago How China’s history links military strength to fighting corruption

For China’s leadership, the most urgent lesson of modern military power comes not from a foreign manual but from its own history books. Its catastrophic defeat by Japan in 1895, born of internal corruption, forms the invisible backdrop to every Chinese showcase of modern hardware. The recent live-fire drill around Taiwan code-named Justice Mission 2025 – a forceful display of Beijing’s resolve to achieve reunification and deter any challenge to its core interests – was no exception. To Beijing,...

Events

1 week ago Beijing puts 2 more serving Taiwanese cabinet ministers on sanctions list

Beijing has added Taiwan’s interior minister and education minister to its sanctions list of “stubborn Taiwan independence figures” for behaviours it said undermined cross-strait relations and promoted Taiwan independence. Chen Binhua, spokesman for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), said at a press conference on Wednesday that the interior minister Liu Shyh-fang and education minister Cheng Ying-yao had been designated as “stubborn Taiwan independence figures”. Liu and Cheng are cabinet...

Politics

1 week ago Beijing puts 2 more Taiwanese cabinet ministers on sanctions list

Beijing has added Taiwan’s interior minister and education minister to its sanctions list of “stubborn Taiwan independence figures” for behaviour it said undermined cross-strait relations and promoted Taiwan independence. Chen Binhua, spokesman for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), said on Wednesday that Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang and Education Minister Cheng Ying-yao had been designated as “stubborn Taiwan independence figures”. Liu and Cheng are cabinet members in William Lai...

Politics

1 week ago Bid to change Taiwan law that prompted Beijing to warn of war risk falls at first hurdle

A controversial plan to change Taiwan’s law governing relations with mainland China, which critics said could edge the island towards “de jure independence”, appears to have collapsed within days. The failure of the draft legislation to even reach the legislature’s agenda committee underscored the sensitivity of the issue amid mounting pressure from Beijing, which warned on Sunday that a declaration of independence would mean war. The initiative to amend the Act Governing Relations Between the...

Events

1 week ago US ‘decapitation’ strike on Venezuela sparks PLA copycat fears in Taiwan

The US “decapitation-style” operation against Venezuela’s leadership has heightened concerns in Taiwan that Beijing could one day attempt a similar strike against the island, even though Taipei has played down such a possibility. The anxiety has been amplified by the People’s Liberation Army’s two-day drills around Taiwan last week, parts of which simulated joint operations aimed at paralysing political and military command structures – a scenario analysts say echoes elements of leadership...

Events