Tension Between China and Taiwan
With more than 350 vessels, Beijing commands the world’s largest naval fleet, per the Defense Department. By comparison, the US Navy has 296 ships and submarines.
However, China currently has only one foreign naval base — in Djibouti in East Africa. Business Insider
Armies worldwide see drone squadrons as key players in combat, able to overwhelm defense systems by sheer numbers and without putting soldiers’ lives at risk, such as with more expensive jets or tanks. France24
It is wrong to label Taiwan’s main opposition party the Kuomintang (KMT) as being pro-China as it has always been pro-U.S. and is dedicated to defending the island though also to talking to Beijing, its chairman said in Washington. Reuters
U.S. President Joe Biden’s bombshell in Tokyo late last month that America would be willing to use force to defend Taiwan against a potential Chinese invasion has sent academics and officials in Taipei scrambling to assess Washington’s position. Nikkei Asia
As defense ministers from around the world fly in to Singapore to attend Asia’s top security conference this weekend, they will be acutely aware that the war in Ukraine has given an added intensity to discussions about Taiwan and a potential invasion by China. Politico
The exchange was the latest in a spiral of martial messaging between the US and China. It was also a reflection of the mounting fears in Washington, Taipei and among US allies that Beijing could try to annex Taiwan in the next few years. Financial Times
From tour guides to tattoo artists, some in Taiwan are taking shooting lessons for the first time in their lives as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ratchets up anxiety at the prospect of giant Neighbour China making a similar move on the democratic island. Yahoo News
China’s government on Thursday accused Washington of jeopardizing peace after U.S. envoys began trade talks with Taiwan aimed at deepening relations with the self-ruled island democracy claimed by Beijing. MSN
According to an exclusive report released by Japan’s right-wing Sankei News on Saturday, the Japanese government has decided to dispatch a staff member from Japan’s Ministry of Defense to work at the so-called Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association’s Taipei office as early as this summer. Global Times
Japan is reportedly planning to send an “active-duty” defense official to Taiwan to strengthen “information-gathering capabilities” in the wake of increasing Chinese aggression in the Taiwan Strait. IBTimes.com