Month: January 2024

[ad_1] TAIPEI – The U.S. official who heads the body that handles unofficial ties with Taiwan on Tuesday decried Nauru's "unfortunate" decision to break ties with Taipei shortly after an election and warned that Beijing's promises often go unfulfilled.The Pacific, where tiny Nauru is located, has become a source of intense competition for influence between Washington which has traditionally viewed it as its backyard, and Beijing, which has targeted Taiwanese […]

[ad_1] Tokyo prosecutors will not indict seven senior members of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s faction over a political slush funds scandal, Japanese media reported Tuesday.The decision comes after investigators decided that proving a criminal conspiracy between the faction leaders and the faction’s treasurer to not report excess income from political fundraising parties would be too difficult.It also comes as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida convened a meeting of a Liberal […]

[ad_1] BEIJING – China's muted response to the weekend victory by Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te signals what some analysts see as the start of an uneasy four months before he takes office, with Beijing treading carefully before then.Lai, from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), will not replace outgoing Tsai Ing-wen until May 20 — but Beijing has little appetite to break a delicate balance that has settled over its […]

[ad_1] Beijing/Manila – China on Tuesday said it had summoned the Philippine ambassador after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he looked forward to working with Taiwanese President-elect Lai Ching-te. "This morning, Assistant Minister Nong Rong summoned the ambassador of the Philippines to China to make solemn representations and urge the Philippine side to give the Chinese side a responsible explanation," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular news conference. […]