Covering the shifting geopolitics of East Asia, with an emphasis on China and Taiwan
Yesterday, Taipei practiced how it would react to a Chinese missile attack as part of the annual Han Kuang exercises. Official guidance is to evacuate to one of the city’s approximately 24,000 air raid shelters for the duration of the 30-minute drill. But almost no one does that. Following the drill, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an [ ] The post Taipei Air Raid Drill More Performative Than Useful…
Jonathan Czin’s “China Against China,” in the May edition of Foreign Affairs, arrives with impeccable credentials, and that is precisely the problem. Czin was director for China at the National Security Council from 2021 to 2023, coordinating every one of Biden’s interactions with Xi Jinping (習近平). The Washington he now diagnoses from Brookings is the [ ] The post Grading Their Own Wreck appeared…
On the ninth day of Taiwan’s annual Han Kuang military exercises on Thursday, the government tested how hospitals would maintain essential services during a wartime emergency. At Shuang Ho Hospital in New Taipei’s Zhonghe District, medical professionals simulated converting a hospital’s underground parking garage into an emergency medical center as part of the Urban Resilience [ ] The post Taiwan…
China and Indonesia have confirmed the conclusion of a naval exercise in Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone, which Taipei condemned as trying to “create the illusion” in the international community that Beijing has jurisdiction over the waters east of Taiwan. Chinese media reported that the exercise took place yesterday morning, August 12, in the waters east [ ] The post China’s Naval Exercise With…
The mayor of a Seattle-area city praised China’s government for “safeguarding” religious liberty after she visited the country, in a private letter she addressed to Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) last year. In the missive, Victoria Woodards, then mayor of Tacoma, Washington, also revealed that during the May 2025 trip, which was likely funded by [ ] The post Tacoma Mayor’s Letter to Xi Praises…
China shocked many yesterday when it said its navy would conduct exercises with Indonesia in the waters east of Taiwan. Now, Indonesia has confirmed the plan. The exercise will involve the Chinese frigate Honghe and the Indonesian frigate KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai. China’s Ministry of National Defense said in a press release that the [ ] The post Indonesia Confirms Surprise Naval Exercise With China…
Semiconductors and Artificial Intelligence Taiwan’s economy has continued to ride the AI wave this past month, with outbound sales in July rising 32.9% year-on-year. Exports could reach over $850 billion in 2026, the Ministry of Finance said, surpassing 2025 numbers by more than 30%. The Ministry of Economic Affairs announced last month that the industrial [ ] The post Taiwan Tech Update: August…
The Taiwanese navy’s new Littoral Combat Command is having its first run out as part of the nation’s annual Han Kuang military exercises. The army is also showing off its capabilities. But more drones are still needed. Formed on July 3, the Littoral Combat Command brings together existing reconnaissance capabilities with coastal defense battalions equipped [ ] The post Taiwan Is Sharpening Its…
On Day 6 of the Han Kuang exercise, Taiwan’s largest annual military drills, the focus moved from the coastline to the heart of the island’s cities. Today marks a major expansion of the Urban Resilience exercises. Over the course of the week, Taiwan’s military will coordinate with local governments to prepare its military and civilian [ ] The post Taiwan Urban Resilience Drills Kick Off With…
Former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin gave a speech in Taipei on August 4. It was an explanation of what she had learned as leader of her country and how that should be applied to the current geopolitical reality. It wasn’t aimed at Taiwan in particular, but there was a heavy sprinkling of useful comparisons [ ] The post A Strong Start and a Tough Finish: Sanna Marin’s Speech in Taiwan…