A U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft transited through the Taiwan Strait; the move precedes U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to China later in the month as the U.S. Navy stated its commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific (Reuters)
China Blasts Taiwan Premier’s Japan Trip as “Evil Designs”
China condemned Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai’s weekend visit to Japan, his country’s first premier to travel there since 1972, calling it a covert act of provocation; Tokyo declined to comment, stating the trip was to support Taiwan’s baseball team and was private (Reuters)
China’s Nuclear-Armed Submarines
China is building submarines with capabilities to target the United States from waters close to the Chinese mainland, the head of U.S. naval intelligence said in testimony submitted to a congressional hearing (U.S.-China ESRC)
At present, Chinese ballistic-missile submarines need to be in the vicinity of an island chain that includes Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan, to target parts of the United States, he said; China’s push for naval modernization comes in contrast to the United States, which has been slow to build new submarines (WSJ)
Reported Delay on Taiwan Arms Announcement
The Trump administration has delayed announcing a weapons sale to Taiwan over concerns about Chinese President Xi Jinping’s reaction, unnamed U.S. officials told the New York Times; the State Department said it does not discuss pending arms sales but that “the enduring U.S. commitment to Taiwan continues” (NYT)
Trump is due to travel to Beijing next month (Reuters)
Australian Warship Transits Taiwan Strait
An Australian warship passed through the Taiwan Strait; Chinese state-backed media reported that the ship was tracked and monitored by China’s military (Reuters)
U.S. Delays Taiwan Arms Package Amid Pressure Ahead of Beijing Visit
U.S. officials are reconsidering a major arms sales package to Taiwan after Chinese President Xi Jinping urged President Trump to exercise caution during a recent phone call, raising concerns that approving the deal could disrupt Trump’s planned April visit to Beijing (WSJ)
Trump’s Taiwan Policy
The White House issued a clarification that its policy on Taiwan remains unchanged after Trump said he had discussed arms sales to Taipei with Chinese President Xi Jinping; under a 1982 U.S. policy known as the Six Assurances to Taiwan, the United States pledged not to consult with Beijing on arms sales to Taipei (FocusTaiwan)
The U.S. policy on Taiwan was a focus of a recent Trump-Xi call, the Chinese government said (Chinese MoFA)
Taiwan Parliament to Address Defense Spending Review After Holiday
Parliament speaker Han Kuo-Yu announced that the review of a $40 billion special defense spending budget will be prioritized after the week-long Lunar New Year holiday; the statement follows concerns expressed by U.S. lawmakers (Reuters)
U.S. Lawmakers Urge Taiwan to Advance Stalled Defense Spending Bill
A bipartisan group of thirty-seven U.S. lawmakers warned Taiwanese political leaders that delaying a proposed $40 billion defense spending increase could undermine the island’s ability to deter growing threats from China; the letter urged parliament to approve higher military funding as concerns mount over Beijing’s expanding pressure and delays in U.S. weapons deliveries to Taiwan (Reuters)
Taiwan-U.S. Trade Details
The U.S. Trade Representative’s office published details of a U.S.-Taiwan trade agreement reached last month; the deal lowers Taiwan’s base U.S. tariff rate to 15 percent—less than rates for many of its neighbors in Asia—while committing Taiwan to removing or lowering 99 percent of its tariffs on U.S. goods (USTR)
Taiwan pledged to buy around $85 billion of U.S. goods, including liquefied natural gas and crude oil, aircraft, and power-generation equipment by 2029 (Reuters)
It also won tariff exemptions for more than two thousand products, President Lai Ching-te wrote on social media (Facebook)
The deal requires Taiwanese congressional approval (AP)
China Vows to Crack Down on “Separatists”
China stated its commitment towards supporting “patriotic pro-reunification forces” and cracking down on “separatists”; the comments were made during this year’s annual “Taiwan Work Conference” (Reuters)
Japan-Taiwan Chip Cooperation
The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company announced it is selecting Japan as the first location outside Taiwan to produce 3-nanometer semiconductors, some of its most advanced models; Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae called the partnership a “model case” for Tokyo’s policy to boost strategic technologies (FT)
Trump-Xi Call
Trump wrote on social media that he and Xi discussed Iran, Taiwan, and Chinese purchases of U.S. fuel and soybeans on a call today (Truth Social)
The Chinese readout of the call said Xi stressed that Washington’s position on Taiwan was “the most important issue” in U.S.-China relations and that the United States should handle arms sales to Taiwan “with prudence” (Chinese MoFA)
Russia Reaffirms Support For China’s Position on Taiwan
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shogu told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that Moscow continues to support Beijing’s position on Taiwan; Russia has repeatedly stated that it considers Taiwan part of China and opposes its independence in any capacity (Reuters)
U.S.-Taiwan Tech Talks
Senior U.S. and Taiwanese officials held talks on economic cooperation in Washington focusing on the tech sector; the meeting was the sixth edition of an annual U.S.-Taiwan dialogue launched in 2020 (State)
Taiwan’s diplomatic office in the United States endorsed the so-called Pax Silica, a Trump administration effort to ensure joint access to chip and artificial intelligence materials (Focus Taiwan)
Chinese Military Purge
China’s top general was put under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law,” its defense ministry said, in an apparent extension of a purge within the senior ranks of the military; only one of the six generals that President Xi Jinping appointed to the country’s top military commission in 2022 has so far avoided removal (NYT)
Journalist Detained in Taiwan
A journalist was detained on suspicion of bribing army officers to obtain military information allegedly passed to individuals in mainland China; his detention comes as Taiwan intensifies efforts to curb infiltration from Beijing (AP)
New Trade and Technology Agreement Between U.S. and Taiwan
A new bilateral trade agreement will see Taiwan invest $250 billion in U.S. chip and technology manufacturing, while the United States lowers its base tariff on Taiwanese goods from 20 to 15 percent; under the deal announced by the U.S. Commerce Department, Taiwan will also guarantee at least $250 billion in credit to Taiwanese businesses for their growth in the United States (Commerce)
Much of today’s global chip wafer production is based in Taiwan, where some officials argue that its status as a global chipmaking hub serves as an incentive for partners to defend the island against China’s threats (CFR)
Taiwan’s Tech Exports
According to new data. Taiwan’s exports to the United States surpassed those to China last year for the first time in twenty-six years, driven by U.S. demand for high-tech products related to artificial intelligence systems (Nikkei)
Taiwan is currently negotiating to reduce a 20 percent U.S. tariff on its exports; semiconductors are already excluded from that levy (Reuters)
U.S. Arms Package for Taiwan
The Trump administration has notified Congress of its intent to sell Washington’s largest-ever arms package to Taiwan at an estimated value of $11.1 billion, Taiwan’s defense ministry said; the sale includes rocket systems and anti-tank missiles (Reuters)
Two U.S. B-52 bombers flew with Japanese F-35 and F-15 fighters over the Sea of Japan in a display of combined readiness following recent Chinese and Russian bomber operations near Japan and South Korea (Reuters)
When asked about tensions between the two countries, the White House press secretary said Trump believes the United States should maintain its positive relationships with both China and Japan (White House)
United States Backs Japan Over China Radar Incident
Washington publicly criticized China for directing targeting radars at Japanese military aircraft during recent drills near Okinawa, calling the move destabilizing and reaffirming its commitment to Japan’s security (Bloomberg)
Japan’s defense minister also denied Chinese reports that Japanese forces turned their radar on Chinese aircraft during the incident (Reuters)
Joint Chinese-Russian Patrol Near Japanese Waters
Japan dispatched fighter aircraft after Russian Tu-95 bombers and Chinese H-6 bombers carried out a coordinated long-range patrol near its airspace; the operation, which Tokyo called a deliberate show of force amid its escalating tensions with Beijing, followed a similar Chinese-Russian exercise that penetrated South Korea’s air defense zone earlier this week (Reuters)
China Warns Washington Over New U.S. National Security Strategy
China condemned “external interference” after the U.S. strategy outlined plans to bolster regional military power to deter conflict with Beijing over Taiwan; Taiwan welcomed the strategy (Reuters)
NDAA Funds for Taiwan
The updated draft of the National Defense Authorization Act allocates up to $1 billion for Taiwan-related security cooperation, including expanded Coast Guard training and joint maritime planning (U.S. House of Representatives)