Politics of Taiwan

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun via video teleconference Tuesday, in the first substantive talks between the superpowers' defense chiefs in nearly 18 months.

Following the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) recent win of an unprecedented third term in office, Taiwan's legislature has elected Han Kuo-yu, a politician aligned with the China-friendly opposition Kuomintang (KMT), as its new speaker. The appointment signals a divided government in Taiwan, with potential regional implications.

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday met U.S. delegates who arrived on the island on the heels of an election won by a pro-sovereignty candidate who Beijing said would bring war to the self-ruled island.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken asked Beijing to maintain cross-strait stability on Friday during a meeting with a senior Chinese official, hours before voters in Taiwan headed to polls to choose a new president.

Four Chinese balloons were detected moving across the median line separating Taiwan from China, with three flying directly above the island, Taiwan's defence ministry said Wednesday.

China's foreign minister stepped up threats Friday against the self-governing island of Taiwan, saying any who go against Beijing's demand to exert control over the island are "playing with fire."

A US warship sailed through the waters separating Taiwan and mainland China, the US Navy said, days after Beijing staged war games around the self-ruled island.

Led by the United States, multiple Western navies regularly conduct "freedom of navigation operations" to assert the international status of regional waterways such as the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who is visiting China, called for a peaceful solution to the Taiwan issue, Reuters reported.

"Conflicts must be resolved peacefully," Baerbock said at a news conference in Beijing with Chinese Foreign Minister Qing Gan.

She called on China to exert its influence on Russia to end the war in Ukraine.

Tsai said that during the overseas trip, during which she met with McCarthy, the president of the House of Representatives in the USA, and after which she visited Guatemala and Belize, Taiwan's determination to defend freedom and democracy was shown to the world.

China's armed forces have simulated precision strikes against Taiwan on the second day of Chinese military exercises around the island. Taiwan's Ministry of Defense reported numerous flights by the Chinese air force, as well as monitoring China's missile forces, Reuters reported.