4 d. ago Taiwan and the US launch joint production of 155mm artillery shells amid blockade fears

Taiwan has begun co-producing 155mm (6.1-inch) artillery shells with the US, as the island moves to strengthen wartime ammunition resilience amid Beijing’s escalating military pressure and concern over supply disruptions in a high-intensity conflict. Taiwan’s defence ministry on Monday said Taipei and Washington had launched early-stage joint production of a new type of 155mm howitzer ammunition. Lieutenant General Lin Wen-hsiang, head of Taiwan’s Armaments Bureau, testified during a legislative...

Politics

4 d. ago Executive of Hong Kong’s Apple Daily ‘regrets’ not standing up to ex

The lawyer representing a former Apple Daily senior executive has said his client regretted not standing firmly by her journalistic principles against the editorial interference of her ex-boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying. Three High Court judges adjourned sentencing Lai and eight others until an unspecified date after defence lawyers wrapped up their mitigation arguments at West Kowloon Court on Tuesday. Appeals for leniency were made on behalf of six former senior executives of Apple Daily, who pleaded...

Politics

4 d. ago Former Hong Kong Apple Daily executive ‘regrets’ not standing up to ex

A former senior executive of the now-defunct Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily regrets not standing firmly by her journalistic principles against the editorial interference of her ex-boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, her lawyer has told a court hearing. Three High Court judges adjourned the sentencing of Lai and eight others until an unspecified date after defence lawyers wrapped up their mitigation arguments at West Kowloon Court on Tuesday. Appeals for leniency were made on behalf of five former senior...

Politics

5 d. ago Jimmy Lai trial: Hong Kong lawyers for publisher, activists seek reduced jail time

Lawyers for a former newspaper publisher and two activists have called for less than 10 years’ imprisonment for their roles in attempts to instigate sanctions against Hong Kong and mainland China, saying they deserve additional reductions in securing Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s conviction in his national security trial. Arguments over appropriate sentences for the former media boss and eight other defendants began on Monday at West Kowloon Court. Aside from Lai, the rest pleaded guilty before his...

Events

5 d. ago Hong Kong judges doubtful if Jimmy Lai’s health justifies sentence reduction

Three Hong Kong judges who found Jimmy Lai Chee-ying guilty in his national security trial have raised doubts about whether the former media boss is entitled to a reduced sentence on grounds of his health and arrangements in prison, as records showed he was in a stable condition and had requested solitary confinement of his own free will. The High Court justices on Monday began hearing arguments on the length of the sentences to be handed down to the Apple Daily founder and eight others. The...

Events

5 d. ago Hong Kong judges question Jimmy Lai’s bid for lighter sentence, citing stable health

Hong Kong judges in Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s national security trial have questioned whether the former media boss is entitled to a reduced sentence on health or custodial grounds, citing records showing he is in a stable condition and had requested solitary confinement of his own free will. The three High Court justices on Monday began hearing arguments on the length of the sentences to be handed down to the Apple Daily founder and eight others. The other defendants pleaded guilty before Lai’s...

Events

5 d. ago Wang Yi cites ‘severe risks’ after Somalia dropped from Africa itinerary at last minute

Authorities in Mogadishu had cleared the roads for a historic visit, yet on Friday Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi travelled to Tanzania instead of his planned visit to Somalia. It would have been the first high-level Chinese mission to Mogadishu in four decades. The last-minute decision not to include the capital on Wang’s itinerary came as Somalia seeks shows of diplomatic support after Israel recognised the breakaway region of Somaliland last month. A source at the presidential palace told...

Events

6 d. ago Jimmy Lai trial: Hong Kong judges to hear mitigation arguments from defence

Former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying is set to return to West Kowloon Court alongside eight co-defendants, as three judges hear mitigation arguments from defence lawyers in his high-profile national security case on Monday. The 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily is the most prominent figure yet to be convicted under the national security law imposed by Beijing in June 2020. Last month, he was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and a...

Events

6 d. ago Jimmy Lai trial: Hong Kong judges hear mitigation arguments from defence

Former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has returned to West Kowloon Court alongside eight co-defendants, as three judges hear mitigation arguments from defence lawyers in his high-profile national security case on Monday. The 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily is the most prominent figure yet to be convicted under the national security law imposed by Beijing in June 2020. Last month, he was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and a...

Events

6 d. ago Jimmy Lai’s health stable, solitary confinement by his own will, Hong Kong court hears

Former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has returned to West Kowloon Court alongside eight co-defendants, as three judges hear mitigation arguments from defence lawyers in his high-profile national security case on Monday. The 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily is the most prominent figure yet to be convicted under the national security law imposed by Beijing in June 2020. Last month, he was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and a...

Events

7 d. ago Hong Kong slams attempts to ‘smear’ government ahead of Jimmy Lai mitigation

A top Hong Kong official has condemned attempts by external forces and “anti-China absconders” to “smear” the government ahead of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s mitigation hearing, saying the former media boss’ conviction showed that any plots to undermine national security will fail. Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai said on Saturday that such smear campaigns during Lai’s national security trial were proof that Hong Kong still faced risks that could not be taken...

Politics

9 d. ago Hong Kong police searching for mainland Chinese man, 47, missing for 3 days

Hong Kong police are searching for a 47-year-old mainland Chinese man who has gone missing for three days. The force said Ye Zhihui was last seen at Tai Au Mun in Tseung Kwan O on Monday morning. His family reporting him missing later that day. According to police, Ye is about 1.65 metres (5.4 feet) tall, weighs 63 kilograms (139lbs) and is of medium build. He has a squarish face and short black hair. He was last seen wearing a greyish-blue long-sleeved jacket, dark trousers and dark grey shoes,...

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

1 week ago Will Beijing look to US capture of Venezuela’s Maduro for lessons on Taiwan?

The US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro will be closely studied by Beijing, which has signalled its ability to target Taiwan’s leadership in the latest PLA exercises near the island, according to analysts. The operation – carried out on Saturday by the US Army’s elite Delta Force, the military’s top special missions unit – was described by Chinese analysts as a “textbook” strike with high precision and minimal casualties. “The planning and execution were highly refined,” said Fu...

Politics

2 w. ago China launches ‘Justice Mission’ drills after condemning US over $11.1b arms sale to Taiwan

China launches ‘Justice Mission’ drills after condemning US over $11.1b arms sale to Taiwan  Jurist.org

Economics

2 w. ago Trump to meet US’ China envoy after call with Japan PM Takaichi as Taiwan drills conclude

US President Donald Trump is meeting US Ambassador to China David Perdue at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Friday, rounding off a day of diplomacy that began with a call with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The engagements come at a delicate moment for the administration as it seeks to align its “America first” regional approach amid a deepening diplomatic rift between Tokyo and Beijing over Taiwan, and following Washington’s recent approval of its largest-ever arms sale to the...

Politics

2 w. ago Taiwan arms, missing Chinese boy, Trump’s Jimmy Lai appeal: 7 US

We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering US-China relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. As Trump upends US foreign policy, analysts see fresh openings for China Trump was expected to continue applying a wrecking ball to long-standing US national security architecture, threatening global stability and jolting long-time allies, with China a major beneficiary, analysts and former...

Politics

2 w. ago Was PLA’s Taiwan drill testing ‘inexpensive’ ways to wear down island’s air defence?

The latest People’s Liberation Army drills around Taiwan may have been testing how to wear down the island’s air defences using rockets that are “cheap enough to be used in large quantities”, military observers said. On Tuesday, the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command wrapped up a two-day live-fire exercise named Justice Mission 2025. The exercise surrounded large parts of the island and came less than a fortnight after the United States approved a US$11.1 billion weapons package for Taiwan – the...

Politics

2 w. ago Jimmy Lai verdict and Panama port saga: what shaped Hong Kong’s 2025 political scene

A series of consequential political developments and controversies made 2025 a significant year for Hong Kong. Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing’s company CK Hutchison Holdings was caught in the crossfire of US-China tensions over a deal to sell its Panama Canal ports, which was eventually put on hold under pressure from Beijing. Locally, the city held its second Legislative Council election under Beijing’s “patriots-only” overhaul, with the voter turnout slightly surpassing the previous record...

Politics

2 w. ago Pressure Mounts on Chinese Regime to Free Hing Konger Jimmy Lai

Pressure Mounts on Chinese Regime to Free Hing Konger Jimmy Lai  NTD News

Events