President William Lai (賴清德) awarded the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon to former Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis yesterday, honoring his significant contributions to Taiwan-Lithuania relations and expressing gratitude for his support of Taiwan’s democratic values. Landsbergis remarked during their meeting at the Presidential Office in Taipei that the camaraderie between Taiwan and…
Francis Tuschek European members of NATO need to drastically increase their military spending or start studying Russian, the US-led bloc’s secretary-general, Mark Rutte, has said. Rutte’s remarks came during a question and answer period at the end of the joint meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and the Subcommittee on Security…
by Martin Haffner Associate Editor In a concerning development for Taiwan, the National Security Bureau (NSB) has reported a marked increase in cases of espionage linked to China. This uptick underscores growing geopolitical tensions in the Taiwan Strait and raises alarms about national security in the self-governing island, which China views as a breakaway province….
Francis Tuschek, Staff Writer 中國正在建造入侵船隻 China is constructing at least five new specialized barges, which are believed to be intended for amphibious operations, according to Naval News. Defense analysts have observed an uptick in this type of vessel at the Guangzhou shipyard in southern China, with reports of at least three to possibly five or…
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has acknowledged that US authorities, including the CIA, can access WhatsApp messages by remotely logging into users’ devices, effectively bypassing the platform’s end-to-end encryption. Speaking on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast on Friday, Zuckerberg explained that while WhatsApp’s encryption prevents Meta from viewing message content, it does not protect against physical…
by Martin Haffner Associate Editor In the ongoing struggle for influence and territorial integrity in the Asia-Pacific region, Taiwan has taken a bold step in asserting its military capabilities by unveiling its hypersonic Qingtian missile. This move comes amid escalating tensions with mainland China, prompting concerns not only in Beijing but also among international observers…
Francis Tuschek, Staff Writer The Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) ordered by Taiwan from the United States will be deployed in key locations in Taipei and New Taipei City for regional defense, according to a statement from the Ministry of National Defense released yesterday. Specifically, the air defense system will be installed in Taipei’s…
by Martin Haffner Associate editor Title: ‘Act Prudently’: China Slams EU Parliament Over Taiwan Resolution, Warns of Red Lines In a significant escalation of diplomatic tensions, China has issued a strong rebuke to the European Union Parliament following its recent resolution concerning Taiwan. This resolution, which advocates for increased support for Taiwan amid growing concerns…
by Martin Haffner Associate Editor Title: China Denies Involvement in Taiwan’s Undersea Cable Damage Amid Rising Tensions In a climate of escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait, Chinese authorities have officially denied any involvement in the recent damage to an undersea cable that connects Taiwan with international communication networks. The incident has added to the…
Francis Tuschek, Staff writer NATO countries should start spending 5% of their GDP on defense, US President-elect Donald Trump said on Tuesday. European members of the US-led military bloc, he told a press conference, continue to spend “only a tiny fraction” of what Washington spends on defense, even though they are more affected by the ongoing conflict…