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In move seen by the opposition as an attempt to de-sinocise Taiwan, the ruling party is pushing ahead with plans to rid the island of monuments to the dictatorTaiwan’s government has pledged to remove almost 800 statues of Chiang Kai-shek, the Chinese military dictator who ruled the island for decades under martial law, but whose legacy remains a point of contentious debate.In 2018 the...

Drag star celebrated with massive support at home after taking top prize in the long-running US reality showA drag queen has sparked national celebration as the “pride of Taiwan” and won praise and congratulations from the island’s president after winning RuPaul’s Drag Race at the weekend.On Saturday, the long-running, Emmy award-winning US reality show, in which drag queens compete in challenges including lip-sync performances,...

Residents of tourist city near epicentre of 7.2-magnitude Taiwan earthquake face destruction and despairLying in his bed, Liao Xiu Bo wondered if he was about to die. As a powerful earthquake rocked the ground beneath him, he tried to escape his house. “Am I going to be crushed?” he asked himself, before gathering the courage to run down the stairs, which swayed beneath his...

Rescues carried out in worst-hit city of Hualien after strong 7.2 magnitude quake; Japan lifts tsunami advisoryFull report: four dead and dozens injured amid landslides and collapsed buildingsPeople are trapped in collapsed buildings in Taiwan’s city of Hualien according to local media and the local government has suspended schools and classes in the region.According to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration, the epicentre of the quake...

The vessel capsized while being chased by Taiwan’s coastguard near the Kinmen islands, in what China called a ‘malignant incident’Beijing has condemned Taiwanese authorities after two Chinesefishers drowned while being chased by Taiwan’s coastguard off the coast of the Kinmen archipelago.The Kinmen islands lie within a few miles of China’s Fujian coast and are controlled by Taiwan. Continue reading...

As Beijing has increased its efforts to recruit Taiwanese people, the number of spying cases has risenIn November, a Taiwan court heard accusations that two serving soldiers had accepted bribes from Chinese agents to record a video declaring their loyalty to China and their intention to defect in the event of a war. The video reportedly made its way into Chinese propaganda materials.Weeks later,...

One candidate has said he wants to review the Pacific country’s relationships with Taiwan and China, just weeks after Nauru switched allegiances to BeijingTuvalu election explainedVoting has started in the tiny Pacific island nation of Tuvalu, in a national election that could reverberate from China to Australia, amid a tussle for influence in the region.With just over 11,500 people spread across nine islands, Tuvalu...

Lai’s Democratic Progressive party wins unprecedented third term in result likely to anger ChinaTaiwan has voted for Lai Ching-te to be its next president, ushering in a historic third term in power for the pro-sovereignty Democratic Progressive party (DPP), in a result that will anger Beijing and heighten tensions across the Taiwan strait.The victory of Lai, who since 2020 had served as vice-president to...

Beijing has criticised frontrunner Lai Ching-te as a ‘separatist’ as it seeks to intimidate self-ruling islandVote counting got under way on Saturday in Taiwan’s presidential election, held under the shadow of threats from China that choosing a leader it disapproves of could set the stage for war on the self-ruled island.Beijing criticised frontrunner Lai Ching-te, the current-vice president, as a dangerous “separatist” in the...

In today’s newsletter: Taiwan goes to the polls on Saturday, with major geopolitical ramifications on the line• Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.Before we start on Taiwan: late last night, US and UK forces launched air strikes involving at least 60 Houthi targets in 16 locations around Yemen. Joe Biden said he ordered the strikes “in direct response to unprecedented...

Mistranslation of ‘satellite’ to ‘missile’ in message causes alarm and confusion days before presidential electionA Chinese satellite launch has triggered a nationwide emergency alert in Taiwan days before its presidential election, prompting alarm and confusion as the English portion of the message erroneously translated satellite to “missile”.The bilingual air raid alert blasted over loudspeakers and was sent to every mobile phone in Taiwan shortly...

Corruption and the cost of living have trumped concerns about a belligerent neighbour in close race for the presidencyDeep in the mountains of Hsinchu county in north Taiwan, a few dozen residents of Smangus are holding their daily morning meeting in a weatherboard hut, overlooking the towering peaks nearby.The remote Indigenous village, home to about 200 Atayal people, is preparing for Saturday’s presidential election....