On the night of November 24, 2022, in the middle of a Covid lockdown, a fire in Urumqi killed nine people. State media said zero-Covid measures had
Through the Spyglass: A Look at Taiwanese USV Designs
Ukraine has had great success in sinking Russian navy ships in the Black Sea using drone boats filled with explosives. At the Taiwan International
An Exercise in Caution
When Taiwan’s defense ministry reports the largest ever Chinese fleet has been deployed to the region, but then that fleet is absent from the
Taiwan Slowly Builds Up Its Satellite Communications Capabilities
In 2023, Taiwan’s Matsu Islands were almost cut off from the main island after the two fiberoptic cables that connect them were severed. They were
Winds of Change for Taiwan in Lithuania?
At the end of November, the Taiwan-friendly government of Lithuania expelled three Chinese representatives. China condemned the action and has
P.L.A. in Disarray?
On Thursday, the Chinese Ministry of Defense announced that Admiral Miao Hua (苗華), the director of the Political Work Department of the Central
Can Foreign Navies Legally Transit the Taiwan Strait?
Have you ever gotten into an argument with a tankie over Taiwan Strait transits? Have you heard someone, maybe a Chinese official, say that the strait
Does Taiwan Have a Musk Problem?
During the 2024 campaign Elon Musk spent an estimated $200 million through his America SuperPAC supporting Trump’s election. He appeared with Trump at
Cut Cables in the Baltic Echo Taiwan’s Experience
On Sunday an undersea communications cable linking Lithuania and Sweden through the Baltic Sea stopped working. Then early on Monday morning, the same
J-35: Here’s What We Know About the Second Chinese Stealth Fighter
China’s newest stealth jet was finally unveiled at the Zhuhai air show this week. The Shenyang J-35 is a two-engined, mid-sized fighter that is
Japanese Political Realignment Unlikely to Affect Taiwan Ties
In a shocking result last month, new Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba lost the snap election he had called. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)
What Should Taiwan Do Now Trump Has Won?
In December 2016, as the dust settled on what was then a shocking Donald Trump victory, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) picked up the phone and