Taiwan's president-elect appoints new foreign, defense ministers as island faces continued threats

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan's president-elect has appointed new foreign and defense ministers to join his incoming administration as the island faces continuing military threats and diplomatic isolation from China. Lai Ching-te, who assumes the presidency on May 20, announced...

Editorial Roundup: Kansas

Kansas City Star. April 22, 2024. Editorial: These Missouri and Kansas Republicans in Congress finally did right by Ukraine We don’t get that many chances to say, “Well done, House Speaker Mike Johnson,” or “Yay you, some (but not others) of the Missouri and...

$8 billion US military aid package to Taiwan will 'boost confidence' in region: president-elect

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A $8 billion defense package approved by the U.S. House of Representatives over the weekend will “strengthen the deterrence against authoritarianism in the West Pacific ally chain,” Taiwan’s President-elect Lai Ching-te said Tuesday, in a reference to key rival China. ...

Chinese general takes a harsh line on Taiwan and other disputes at an international naval gathering

QINGDAO, China (AP) — One of China's top military leaders took a harsh line on regional territorial disputes, telling an international naval gathering in northeastern China on Monday that the country would strike back with force if its interests came under threat. The 19th biennial...

Chinese President Xi meets former Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou on pro-unification visit

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping met with former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou in Beijing Wednesday in a bid to promote unification between the sides that separated amid civil war in 1949. Ma stepped down as president in 2016 and was largely excluded from the...

Stock market today: Asia stocks are mostly lower after Wall St rebound led by Big Tech

HONG KONG (AP) — Asia stocks were mostly lower on Friday after gains for Big Tech shares helped U.S. stock indexes claw back much of their slide from the day before. U.S. futures and oil prices were higher. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index was up 0.4% at 39,609.60,...

China sanctions 2 US defense companies and says they support arms sales to Taiwan

BEIJING (AP) — China on Thursday announced rare sanctions against two U.S. defense companies over what it called their support for arms sales to Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy Beijing claims as its own territory to be recovered by force if necessary. The announcement...

Japanese leader visits new chip factory, stressing ties with Taiwan and support for key technology

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited a new semiconductor plant for which his government has pledged more than 1 trillion yen ($7 billion) of support to secure a steady supply of chips on Saturday. “I believe this project will have positive ripple effects...

Fierce earthquake rattles Taiwan, killing 9 and injuring more than 1,000

HUALIEN, Taiwan (AP) — The strongest earthquake in a quarter-century rocked Taiwan Wednesday morning, killing nine people, stranding dozens at quarries and a national park, and sending some residents scrambling out the windows of damaged buildings. The quake, which injured more...

Taiwanese authorities say they have lost contact with 50 people in minibuses after powerful quake downed phone networks