Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen arrived yesterday in Eswatini, one of only thirteen countries that formally recognize Taiwan, for a four-day trip that will mark fifty-five years of bilateral relations; the visit comes as China pushes countries that share diplomatic relations with Taiwan to switch their allegiances to Beijing (Africanews)
U.S. Approves Sale of F-16 Fighter Jet Sensor System to Taiwan
The $500 million sale will help the island defend itself against potential threats, the State Department said (SCMP)
U.S., Japan, South Korea Make Military Consultation Pact
At a Camp David summit on Friday, the three countries made a “commitment to consult” with one another on responses to security crises; U.S. President Joe Biden hailed the agreement as a “new era” of cooperation between them, while China said the Asia-Pacific region should not be a “wrestling ground for geopolitical competition” (WaPo)
Taiwanese Vice President to Visit San Francisco
William Lai will stop in San Francisco today on the way back to Taiwan from a trip to Paraguay; he is not due to meet with U.S. officials on the trip (Reuters)
Lai said that any Chinese intimidation in response to his U.S. stopover would be an attempt to interfere in Taiwan’s election next year (Al Jazeera)
Taiwan Reports Second Large-Scale Chinese Incursion This Week
The defense ministry said ten aircraft entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone and five warships conducted “combat readiness” patrols; it reported similar activity earlier in the week (Reuters)
China Releases Documentary Showcasing Military’s Ability to Attack Taiwan
The eight-part series aired by state broadcaster CCTV emphasized the military’s capability and soldiers’ willingness to conquer Taiwan (AP)
U.S. Arrests Two Navy Sailors Suspected of Leaking Information to China
Authorities accused the California-based sailors of sharing sensitive military information with Chinese agents, the Justice Department said; a U.S. attorney for California said the schemes were part of a larger Chinese strategy to obtain U.S. military secrets (CNN)
Taiwan Detains Army Officer Suspected of Leaking Information to China
Following the detention, Taiwan’s military vowed to boost counter-espionage measures; in the past decade, Taiwan has arrested twenty-one officers of the rank of captain or higher on allegations of espionage (AP;Reuters)
U.S. to Provide Taiwan up to $345 Million in Military Aid
For the first time, Washington will use presidential authority to send military assistance to Taiwan as China seeks to assert its authority over the island; the aid package includes weapons, education, and training provided through a channel similar to the one that the United States has used to arm Ukraine, the White House said (WaPo)
Dozens of Chinese Warplanes Near Taiwan Ahead of Anti-Invasion Drills
Thirty-seven aircraft and seven naval vessels approached the island as Taiwan prepares for yearly military and civilian readiness exercises next week (AP)
Taiwan’s TSMC Delays Plans for Arizona Plant Over Labor Shortage
The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) had planned to begin mass production at a new plant in Arizona late next year but said that a shortage of skilled workers will push back the opening date to 2025 (Nikkei)
Meanwhile, China’s ambassador to the United States said he would prioritize trying to prevent Taiwan’s vice president from stopping over in the United States during a trip to Paraguay (Reuters)
Taiwan’s Vice President to Transit United States
Taiwan’s Vice President Lai Ching-Te is headed to Paraguay, and the Joe Biden administration said it did not expect any incidents on the stopover; the trip comes as the administration is trying to stabilize diplomatic relations with China (CNN)
Record Number of Chinese Warships Reported Near Taiwan
Taiwan reported sighting sixteen ships in a twenty-four-hour period and seventy-three aircraft flying over the median line or into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone in a seventy-two-hour period in an apparent escalation of an intimidation campaign (CNN)
U.S. General: Accelerated Delivery of Weapons to Taiwan Necessary
In his remarks, top U.S. Army General Mark Milley specifically mentioned the need for more air defense systems and systems that can attack ships from land (Reuters)
The comments came amid a three-day flurry of Chinese military activity near Taiwan (CNN)
Large Groups of Chinese Aircraft, Ships Approach Taiwan for Consecutive Days
In the last two days, China has sent nine navy vessels and nearly seventy planes toward Taiwan, with most of the planes crossing the unofficial median line boundary, in a show of force ahead of Taiwan’s military drills (AP)
Paraguay’s President-Elect Begins Trip to Taiwan
Santiago Peña is meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and her party’s candidate for the Taiwanese presidency to reinforce diplomatic ties. Paraguay is one of only thirteen countries that officially recognize Taiwan and do not have bilateral relations with China (AP)
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said it would be “absurd” for NATO not to provide a timeline for Ukraine’s membership, and France became the second country to supply Ukraine with missiles (Reuters;Reuters)
Paraguay’s President-Elect to Visit Taiwan
President-elect Santiago Pena will meet with his “great friend” President Tsai Ing-wen to reinforce their bilateral relationship amid a campaign by China to flip the island’s international partners (Reuters)
China Sends Aircraft, Ships Near Taiwan During Yellen Visit
While U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was in Beijing for talks, thirteen Chinese planes and six vessels entered airspace and waters near Taiwan (AP)
Taiwan Accuses China of Misinformation, Psychological Warfare Campaign
Taiwan claimed China has fomented false reports of an escape plan for the Taiwanese president in the event of an invasion and dismissed China’s claims of being capable of sinking the U.S. Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier strike group as intimidation (FT;Reuters)
Taiwan’s Presidential Frontrunner Discusses Plans to Keep Peace with China
Should he win the January election, current vice president and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate William Lai, who leads opinion polls, says he will bolster defenses while holding talks without preconditions to maintain the status quo and avert war with China (Reuters)
Taiwan Conducts Live-Fire Drills on Southern Coast
The exercises simulated the repelling of an amphibious invasion of the area’s strategically important beaches (Reuters)
China Calls for U.S. Sanctions to Be Lifted to Resume Military Talks
The talks sought by Washington have been halted due to “unilateral” U.S. sanctions on Beijing, the spokesperson for China’s embassy in Washington said; China previously asked for sanctions to be removed from its defense minister for a Russian arms purchase made in 2018 (Bloomberg)
Taiwan Monitoring Two Russian Warships Off East Coast
Taiwan activated missile systems and sent aircraft to observe the ships as they passed through the country’s response zone (Reuters)
Washington Considers Broadening Restrictions on Chip Exports to Beijing
The U.S. Department of Commerce could expand the restrictions amid security and defense concerns as soon as early July, the Wall Street Journal reported (WSJ)
The head of U.S. technology firm Nvidia has spoken out against previous such controls announced in October, saying they threaten to cause “enormous damage” to the U.S. tech industry (FT)
Western Companies Silo Operations in China Amid Rising U.S.-China Tensions
Firms such as Lixil, Salesforce, and Volkswagen are reorganizing their business models in China to protect operations against potential fallout from tensions between Washington and Beijing, the Wall Street Journal reported; venture capital firm Sequoia Capital recently said it would fully divide its U.S. and China businesses by March 2024 (WSJ)