By Gwynne Dyer – When defeated armies are retreating, they always lay mines behind them if they have time. The mines' slow pursuit, they may inflict casualties on the victors, and they give the losers something purposeful to do amidst panic and despair. That’s what Mike Pompeo has been doing just before time was called on his ideologically driven term as United States Secretary of State.
Taiwan has released a new passport and lawmakers and officials were among the people who lined up early to apply for the redesigned document, which prominently displays the word “Taiwan,” while minimizing the English name “Republic of China” (ROC).
Taiwan is yet to receive an invite to a key World Health Organization (WHO) meeting this week expected to focus on the COVID-19 pandemic due to obstruction from China, the island's foreign ministry said, expressing its displeasure.
On the eve of the resumed meeting of the World Health Assembly next week, the World Medical Association has again called for representatives from Taiwan to be granted observer status.
Taiwan's main opposition party the Kuomintang (KMT) began a push on Sunday for a referendum to block the easing of restrictions on US pork imports, which if passed could threaten a long-mooted free trade deal with Taipei's key ally Washington.
A three-year-old girl entangled in the tail of a giant kite survived a terrifying ride after being swept more than 30 meters into the air during a kite festival in Taiwan, video footage posted on social media on Sunday showed.
Taiwan finalized the purchase of F-16 fighter jets from US aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin on Friday, in a US$62 billion, a 10-year deal sure to anger Beijing. Underscoring the sensitivity of the transaction, the Pentagon announced the contract without specifying the buyer, but a source confirmed it was Taiwan.
A US cabinet member was due to meet Taiwan's leader this Monday during the highest-level visit from the United States since it switched diplomatic recognition from the island to China in 1979, a trip that Beijing has condemned.
A U.S. warship sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Thursday, the U.S. and Taiwanese militaries said, on the same day as the 31st anniversary of China’s bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in and around Tiananmen Square.
At the first meeting of the World Health Organization's (WHO) governing body since Covid-19 stormed the globe, China is set to be challenged on two of its most sensitive issues: The Communist Party's initial handling of the virus and the status of Taiwan's participation.