One China

Trump-Xi summit leaves Taiwan independence camp on edge

Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is reeling after US President Donald Trump, following his summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, bluntly warned against any push for independence. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Chuang Hui Liang notes that this signals a potential shift in US policy, forcing Taipei to urgently redefine its cross-strait strategy.

Chuang Hui Liang

19 May 2026

Trump-Xi summit delivers deals — and exposes fault lines

At the US-China Summit in Beijing, while China focused on pushing a “constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability”, the US looked to advance business deals and kept the Taiwan card close to its chest. While both sides want some kind of stability, it is anyone’s guess when the house of cards would topple. Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong weighs in on the issue.

Han Yong Hong

15 May 2026

Is Taiwan’s autonomy on the table at the Trump-Xi Beijing summit?

With US President Trump’s visit to China coming up, Taiwan is left especially vulnerable, fearing it will be used in the game of smoke and mirrors between the US and China. With the Democratic Progressive Party putting all its eggs in the US’s basket, Taiwan’s strategic autonomy is all but lost, says US academic Zhiqun Zhu.

Zhiqun Zhu

07 May 2026

Can India-Taiwan ties withstand backlash over Indian migrant workers?

While Taiwan looks for ways to diversify its labour pool with Indian workers high on that list, civil society and the opposition have come in with scaremongering tactics that may jeopardise Taiwan’s steady relations with India. Academic Ghulam Ali weighs in on the issue. 

Ghulam Ali

06 May 2026

ThinkCartoon (30 April 2026)

Heng Kim Song has been the freelance editorial cartoonist for Lianhe Zaobao since 1984. His cartoons are also featured in many major international publications including The New York Times, Asahi Shimbun, JoongAng Ilbo, South China Morning Post and Yazhou Zhoukan. His many awards include the Top Award in United Nations ESCAP’s Cartoon Competition and the Grafica Internazionale Award presented by Italian Museum of Political Satire and Caricature. Heng has also participated in many international exhibitions and events, including the World Economic Forum Annual Meetings held in Davos, Switzerland.

Heng Kim Song

30 Apr 2026

From airspace to sea lanes: A new front in US-China rivalry

From the skies over Africa to the strategic waters of the Middle East, the world’s vital transit nodes are being transformed into tools of statecraft. As major powers move beyond traditional warfare to weaponising global infrastructure, smaller nations find themselves navigating a high-stakes era of chokepoint diplomacy and economic coercion. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han finds out more.

Miao Zong-Han

24 Apr 2026

Grounded: Taiwan President Lai Ching-te has nowhere to fly

With Beijing applying pressure to block overseas trips by Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, it is difficult for him to pursue any diplomacy as he has his hands tied with little to no room to manoeuvre, while Beijing continues with business as usual. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei tells us more.

Sim Tze Wei

23 Apr 2026

Cheng Li-wun’s China visit: A test of the KMT itself

Observers are carefully watching the potential meeting between the leaders of the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party not only for its impact on cross-strait relations, but also the implications for the KMT’s internal power structure. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han takes a look at the significance of this meeting.

Miao Zong-Han

07 Apr 2026

Honesty is never a virtue on the Taiwan Strait

Japan’s recent remarks nudged Tokyo towards conditional clarity, puncturing deliberate vagueness. Washington and Beijing may need a fourth communique to keep strategic ambiguity intact, says academic Hao Nan.

Hao Nan

06 Jan 2026

Why 2026 won’t be a reset year for US-China relations

China’s live-fire drills around Taiwan at the end of 2025 were a statement of jurisdiction, a way for Beijing to reaffirm that deterrence is not passive — it is applied. Commentator Deng Yuwen analyses how China sees the Taiwan Strait as the architecture of US-China relations, and why dialogue should not be mistaken for progress.

Deng Yuwen

05 Jan 2026

What will 2026 bring for the Taiwan Strait?

China’s live-fire drills around Taiwan at the end of December 2025 pushed the scope of its military exercises closer toward Taiwan than before — and showed that it could do so without warning at any time. But this does not mean that a reunification by force is imminent. Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong explains.

Han Yong Hong

02 Jan 2026

Japanese academic: What the 1972 Japan-China Joint Communique really means

The carefully worded 1972 Japan-China Joint Communique has long been the basis of Japan-China relations, but as regional tensions mount, inherent contradictions and interpretations of the text may become more problematic, opines Japanese academic Shin Kawashima.

Shin Kawashima

29 Dec 2025