Taiwan imbroglio
China’s ruling Communist Party claims the self governing democracy of Taiwan as its own territory despite never having controlled it, and has not ruled out taking the island by force.
China’s ruling Communist Party claims the self governing democracy of Taiwan as its own territory despite never having controlled it, and has not ruled out taking the island by force.
A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Sunday slammed US arms sales to Taiwan and strongly condemned its attempt to weaponise the region.
The United States approved a USD 385 million arms sale to Taiwan on Friday, continuing its efforts to strengthen military relations with the island nation, a move that has raised concerns in China, Al Jazeera reported.
Taiwan on Monday strongly condemned China for launching large-scale military drills around the island nation and appealed to all nations to take note of Beijing's ''authoritarian and expansionist'' behaviour.
Taiwan has sought to join hands with India and other partners to safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific, and strengthen the global supply chain in line with the rules-based international order.
The Taiwan issue was not the only one to feature in the Paraguay poll. Indeed, the economy, plagued by rising fiscal deficits and slow growth figures, and corruption were major issues that dominated the discourse.
Taiwan plans to put Covid-19 in the same category of notifiable communicable diseases as influenza from May 1, the local disease monitoring agency said.
The US does not recognize Beijing’s claim over Taiwan, but admits that ‘it exists.’ It is currently providing Taiwan with military equipment to boost its military capabilities to counter Chinese aggression. There are also US military personnel on the island, training Taiwanese forces.
"Yesterday, China completed the third day of live-fire drills but still, there are 8 vessels that are operating in the waters surrounding Taiwan," Taiwan's Defence Ministry said.
The cautiously calibrated visit of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to America has led to a robust response from Beijing
