Taiwan

China’s Pacific ambitions go beyond isolating Taiwan

China’s objectives in strengthening ties with the Pacific island countries have gone beyond restricting Taiwan’s international space to more strategic considerations such as blunting US military power in the Indo-Pacific and projecting its own influence and power beyond the second island chain, observes ISEAS researcher Lye Liang Fook.

Lye Liang Fook

04 Sep 2026

[Video] Unapologetic and undeterred: Cheng Li-wun’s fight to remake the KMT

In an exclusive interview, KMT chair Cheng Li-wun lays out her vision for easing cross-strait tensions and reshaping Taiwan’s largest opposition party. Unfazed by criticism and determined to speak her mind, she is taking on entrenched party interests while walking a precarious line between Beijing and Washington. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Chuang Hui Liang and Taipei correspondent Lai Oi Lai find out.

Chuang Hui Liang, Lai Oi Lai

04 Sep 2026

Why city living starves the soul: I left Taipei to find the earth again

Chishang in Taitung county brought Taiwanese art historian Chiang Hsun back to the land. After decades of urban life, he rediscovers dawn, dusk and the seasons — and reflects on how reconnecting with the land might help us recover something we have lost.

Chiang Hsun

04 Sep 2026

Taiwan’s Lai Ching-te sends his first minister to APEC China: A thaw?

Taiwan’s labour minister will attend an APEC meeting in Nanjing this month, but the trip reflects a pragmatic approach to cross-strait engagement, not a breakthrough in ties. Lianhe Zaobao Taipei correspondent Lai Oi Lai speaks with academics to find out.

Lai Oi Lai

03 Sep 2026

Xi invokes Jiang Zemin’s legacy to chart China’s ‘new journey’

Marking the centenary of Jiang Zemin’s birth, Xi Jinping praised the former leader’s legacy of reform, opening up and crisis management while placing it firmly within the current Xi-era framework of Communist Party leadership, national security and reunification. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han tells us more.

Miao Zong-Han

18 Aug 2026

The Taiwan Strait needs circuit breakers, not just deterrence

Military and coast guard encounters are becoming more frequent in the Western Pacific and around Taiwan, raising the risk that a limited incident could spiral into wider conflict. Deterrence alone is not enough; the region needs safeguards to contain escalation and create off-ramps, says researcher Hao Nan.

Hao Nan

17 Aug 2026

How my Aquarian mother survived state-made absurdity [Part 2]

Taiwanese art historian Chiang Hsun’s mother fled bombings, displacement and political upheaval to keep the family alive through war, before rebuilding a life from scratch in Dalongdong, where survival slowly became home.

Chiang Hsun

14 Aug 2026

[Video] Zhu Rongji: The iron-fisted premier who reshaped China’s economy

Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji reshaped China’s economy through sweeping reforms that came at a heavy social cost. His forceful style earned him the “economic tsar” label, but his legacy also reflects the limits of his power. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han reports.

Miao Zong-Han

13 Aug 2026

[Big read] China’s multidimensional squeeze: ‘Governing’ Taiwan before reunification

Beijing is widening its Taiwan strategy, using diplomacy, law, maritime pressure and integration to gradually create conditions for reunification. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han speaks with experts to find out.

Miao Zong-Han

12 Aug 2026

[Video] Bilahari Kausikan: How to navigate the new world order

Bilahari Kausikan, in an interview with ThinkChina editor Chow Yian Ping, examines how US-China rivalry is reshaping the global order, why China’s “China dream” narrative of national rejuvenation remains powerful but limiting, and how a more fluid, multipolar Asia will test the nimbleness of smaller states such as Singapore.

Chow Yian Ping

12 Aug 2026

My Aquarian mother who ran with bound feet [Part 1]

Taiwanese art historian Chiang Hsun pieces together the life of the woman who raised him — a daughter of a fallen Manchu family whose memories survived revolution, war and displacement.

Chiang Hsun

07 Aug 2026

Is Taiwan’s proposed AI-powered T-Dome shield combat-ready?

Taiwan is leveraging AI to boost its defence capabilities, but it will still face challenges such as China’s robust electronic warfare and cybersecurity capabilities in the event of a Taiwan emergency, says academic Ghulam Ali.

Ghulam Ali

05 Aug 2026