Asia-pacific

  FILE - Taiwanese flags are seen at the Ministry of National Defence of Taiwan in Taipei, Taiwan, December 26, 2022. BEIJING — China has accused Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te of escalating "hostility" and pursuing independence, as the self-ruled island prepared to celebrate its National Day. China, which split with Taiwan at the end of a civil war in 1949, regards the island as part of its territory that must eventually be reunified, by force if necessary. Lai, who took power in May after his Democratic Progressive Party won a record third term, has been a vocal defender of Taiwan\'s sovereignty, angering Beijing. Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for a Chinese body in charge of Taiwan affairs, said Lai had "recycled the \'T...

  Hsu Ching-Kuang, head of Taiwanese company Gold Apollo, speaks to the media outside the company's office in New Taipei City on Sept. 18, 2024. The company denied that it produced hundreds of explosive-packed pagers used by Hezbollah members which simultaneously exploded. NEW TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan\'s Gold Apollo said on Wednesday the pagers that were used in the detonations in Lebanon on Tuesday were not made by it but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon on Tuesday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consisten...

  This recent handout photo released on Sept. 18, 2024 by Japan's Ministry of Defence Joint Staff Office Public Relations shows the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning at sea in waters near Japan's southern Okinawa region. TOKYO/TAIPEI — A Chinese aircraft carrier entered Japan\'s contiguous waters for the first time on Wednesday, Japan\'s defense ministry said, the latest in a string of military maneuvers that has ratcheted up tensions between the neighbors. The carrier, accompanied by two destroyers, sailed between Japan\'s southern Yonaguni and Iriomote islands, entering an area that extends up to 24 nautical miles from its coastline where Japan can exert some controls as defined by the United Nations. Japan\'s Deputy Chief Cab...

  This photo taken on December 22, 2023 shows a cyclist next to two Taiwanese national flags in Taipei. BEIJING/TAIPEI — China\'s national security ministry said on Monday a Taiwan military-backed hacking group called Anonymous 64 has been carrying out cyberattacks against targets in China, urging people to report "anti-propaganda sabotage." Taiwan\'s defense ministry denied the allegations, saying China was the real disturber of the peace with its cyber attacks and military harassment. Since the beginning of this year, Anonymous 64 - which China\'s national security ministry said belonged to Taiwan\'s cyber warfare wing - has sought to upload and broadcast "content that denigrates the mainland\'s political system and major...

  FILE - In this photo released by the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense, Taiwan guided missile destroyer Ma Kong DDG1805, left, monitors Chinese guided missile destroyer Xi'an DDG15, right, near Taiwan on May 23, 2024. state department — The United States has pledged to continue providing Taiwan with equipment and services essential for maintaining a self-defense capability in line with the threats it faces. This statement came as an annual U.S.-Taiwan defense industry conference kicked off Sunday in Philadelphia. In the lead-up to the event, the conference organizer — the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) — was targeted by a phishing cyberattack involving a forged registration form embedded with information-stealing malware. ...

  FILE - Vehicles carrying DF-17 ballistic missiles roll during a parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of Communist China in Beijing, Oct. 1, 2019. TAIPEI, Taiwan — China test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday in a rare occurrence, adding to tensions in the region where multiple countries have overlapping territorial claims and both Beijing and Washington seek to project their influence. The launch was part of routine training by the People\'s Liberation Army\'s Rocket Force, which is in charge of conventional and nuclear missile operations, and was not aimed at any country or target, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. The ICBM, carrying a dummy warhead, landed in ...

  FILE - In this photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, a Chinese service boat searches for giant clams in the Scarborough Shoal, in the disputed South China Sea, on April 22, 2019. Five nations held joint maritime exercises in the sea on Sept. 28, 2024. MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The armed forces of five countries conducted joint maritime exercises in a portion of the South China Sea on Saturday as China carried out its own military drills in the disputed waterway. The exercises involving the Philippines, United States, Australia, Japan and — for the first time — New Zealand took place in Manila\'s exclusive economic zone and sought to improve the militaries\' interoperability, the Philippine armed forces said in a statement. Saturday...

  Waves splash as Typhoon Krathon approaches in Kaohsiung KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan — Taiwan mobilized nearly 40,000 troops on Tuesday to be on standby for rescue efforts as powerful Typhoon Krathon approached its populous southwest coast, which is bracing for a storm surge. As the typhoon approached, helicopters lifted to safety 19 sailors forced to abandon ship when it took on water. Some flights were canceled, a rail line was closed and in the major port city of Kaohsiung, shops and restaurants shut and streets were mostly deserted. Taiwan regularly gets hit by typhoons, but they generally land along the mountainous and sparsely populated east coast facing the Pacific. This one will make landfall on the island\'s flat western plain. Krathon is...

  FILE - Chinese President Xi Jinping talks with U.S. President Joe Biden after meeting in Woodside, California, on Nov. 15, 2023. Rick Waters, former head of the Office of China Coordination at the State Department, tells VOA that conflict with China over Taiwan can be avoided. Washington — China has been one of the most-discussed international topics during the U.S. presidential campaign. VOA spoke with Rick Waters, former head of the Office of China Coordination at the State Department and deputy assistant secretary of state for China and Taiwan, about the Biden administration\'s China policy. Waters spoke about his experience dealing with his Chinese counterparts, and how he thinks Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Dona...

  FILE - U.S. President Joe Biden stands with Chinese President Xi Jinping before a meeting at the G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, on Nov. 14, 2022. Sources said on Oct. 2, 2024, to expect a call between the two world leaders sometime in the coming days. WASHINGTON — The United States and China are planning a call between President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping in the coming days, according to people familiar with the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity. This call would follow their last conversation in April 2024 and their face-to-face meeting in Woodside, California, in November 2023. After his talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that both si...