Taiwan

TAICHUNG, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s military fired missiles from the air and the island’s shore facing China on Thursday in a live-fire exercise to demonstrate its ability to defend against any Chinese invasion.

Assault helicopters launched missiles and fighter jets dropped bombs on targets at sea, while tanks and missile trucks fired from a beach to deter a simulated invading force.

“We want the world to see our determination and efforts to protect our country.” President Tsai Ing-wen said, observing the exercise in a helmet and green military uniform.

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan citizens should avoid unnecessary visits to or transit through Hong Kong, Macau or mainland China after the passing of an “outrageous” national security law for the former British colony, a Taiwan government official said on Thursday.

The law, imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing, targets crimes like secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison. It has been widely condemned in Chinese-claimed and democratic Taiwan where Hong Kong’s anti-government protesters have won support.

Taipei (Taiwan), May 20 (AP/PTI) Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has been inaugurated for a second term amid increasing pressure from China on the self-governing island democracy it claims as its own territory.

Tsai represents the ruling Democratic Progressive Party which advocates Taiwan's formal independence, something Beijing says it will use force to prevent.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen called for stability in relations with China in her inaugural address Wednesday but said she would not accept Beijing’s political terms that would “downgrade Taiwan and undermine the cross-strait status quo.”

Reelected by a landslide late last year, Tsai said relations with Beijing had reached a “historical turning point” and that “peace, parity, democracy, and dialogue” should form the basis for contacts between the sides as a means to prevent intensifying antagonisms and differences.

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan is complying with international sanctions against North Korea, a senior Taiwanese security official told the United States’ deputy representative for North Korea on Tuesday, having previously been called out for breaking them.

Taiwan, claimed by China as its own, is not a member of the United Nations, but says that as a responsible global player it is committed to ensuring sanctions are enforced to rein in North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes.

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Only Taiwan’s democratically-elected government can represent its people on the world stage, not China, its foreign ministry said on Tuesday, calling on the World Health Organization (WHO) to “cast off” China’s control during the coronavirus pandemic.

Taiwan’s exclusion from WHO, due to China’s objections which considers the island one of its provinces, has infuriated Taipei, which says this has created a dangerous gap in the global fight against the coronavirus.

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan has “not yet” received an invitation to a meeting this month of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) decision-making body, the World Health Assembly, but will strive take part, the government said on Monday.

Taiwan’s exclusion from WHO membership, due to objections from China, which considers the island one of its provinces, has infuriated Taipei, which says its exclusion has created a glaring gap in the global fight against the coronavirus.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s foreign ministry on Thursday strongly protested accusations from the head of the World Health Organization that it condoned racist personal attacks on him that he alleged were coming from the self-governing island democracy.

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan dramatically upped its estimate for how much it would spend helping the economy deal with the impact of the coronavirus to $35 billion on Wednesday, and said it would donate 10 million face masks to the most needy countries.

Taiwan has reported 322 cases of the virus, including five deaths, winning plaudits for its early and so far effective measures to control the virus, especially compared to many of its neighbors. But, the export-reliant island’s economy has wilted in the face of the pandemic’s spread.

TAIPEI (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) is closely following the development of the coronavirus in Taiwan and is learning lessons from how they are fighting it, the body said on Sunday, after complaints from Taiwan it was being intentionally ignored.

Taiwan is not a member of the WHO due to the objections of China, which claims the democratic and separately-ruled island as its own.