Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration reported mainland Chinese law enforcement vessels entered restricted waters near Taiping Island on Thursday, a first for government vessels. The ships were driven away by Taiwan's coastguard. Experts suggest this is Beijing's attempt to assert sovereignty.
China's fourth-ranking official, Wang Huning, praised the "enthusiastic" participation of Taiwanese people at the Straits Forum, despite restrictions imposed by Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party. The forum, Beijing's main platform for cross-strait people-to-people engagement, featured 58 events in Fujian province.
Beijing's 18th Straits Forum, a platform for cross-strait engagement, is being held in Xiamen amid tightened restrictions by Taiwan's ruling DPP. For the first time, the DPP has explicitly banned Taiwan's municipal and county government officials from participating.
The Progressive Party celebrated a significant achievement in the recent local elections, securing a local council seat in Busan for the first time in 12 years. Despite some close calls, the party sees this as a strong foundation for future political growth in the region.
In Ulsan's local elections, the People Power Party secured four district mayor seats, while the Democratic Party won one. The Progressive Party lost its sole district mayor position in Dong District, a seat it uniquely held nationwide.
Cai Qi met with a Serbian delegation led by Progressive Party Chairman Vučević in Beijing. Both sides agreed to strengthen party-to-party exchanges, support each other on core interests, and deepen cooperation, aiming to build a China-Serbia community of shared future.
Progressive Party's Ulsan mayoral candidate Kim Jong-hoon demanded an apology from rival Kim Sang-wook for the collapse of their unified primary and an explanation for alleged interference in the opinion poll, setting a deadline for today.
The Progressive Party has requested an investigation into the failed Ulsan mayoral candidate unification, blaming Democratic Party's Kim Sang-wook for halting the process. While calling for accountability, they stressed the electoral alliance must continue under Kim's leadership.
Cai Qi met with a delegation led by Serbian Progressive Party Chairman Vučević in Beijing. Cai emphasized deepening China-Serbia relations and mutual support on core interests, while Vučević praised China's development and the Serbian Progressive Party's willingness to learn from the CPC's governance experience.
The People Power Party criticized the failed unification between the Democratic Party and the Progressive Party for the Ulju mayoral election, calling it a "political collusion" and "deception of citizens."
The Democratic Party and the Progressive Party have started a joint primary poll to select a single candidate for the Ulsan mayoral election. The poll, conducted via phone, will conclude on May 24th, with results expected as early as the night of the 24th.
The Yeonje-gu mayor election in Busan is now a two-way race between People Power's Ju Seok-soo and Progressive Party's Noh Jeong-hyun following the unification of the Democratic and Progressive candidates. Both candidates have presented distinct policy proposals for the district.
Internal splits over defence spending are widening within Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang, ahead of this year’s local elections. The party is facing growing pressure from the United States over its response to a proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special defence budget put forward by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party to fund the purchase of arms from the US and the development of domestic weapons. Washington’s de facto ambassador in Taipei, Raymond Greene, last week...
A Taiwanese army battalion commander has been punished for screening The Eight Hundred, a Chinese war film depicting KMT forces fighting Japanese troops in WWII. DPP lawmaker Wang Ting-yu revealed the screening by the 153rd Brigade in Yilan, prompting defence minister Wellington Koo Li-hsiung to confirm it was directed at battalion level. The controversy has ignited debate over Beijing's state-led messaging targeting Taiwan and questions about historical interpretation and military education on the island.
Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te has cancelled a planned visit to eSwatini, the island's last remaining African diplomatic ally. The visit was intended to celebrate King Mswati III's 40th anniversary of accession to the throne and his 58th birthday. eSwatini is one of only 12 nations that still recognize Taiwan, a group that includes small Caribbean and Pacific island states, many of which maintain ties partly due to pressure from Washington.
The chairman of Taiwan's General Chamber of Commerce says business associations received no pressure from Beijing, but did receive calls from Taiwan's government. Hsu Shu-po stated authorities should not obstruct business associations from expressing their views in a democratic society.
