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South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Taiwan's Lai does not have the cards with Washington or Beijing
Everyone knows Donald Trump is a taker, not a giver, except perhaps William Lai Ching-te. By fully aligning with Washington and effectively declaring Beijing as the enemy, the Taiwanese leader has boxed himself into a corner. He gets nothing but outdated and overpriced weapons from the United States, while giving away the island's tech jewel by transferring more of its most advanced chipmaking capacities to the US. So much for the so-called silicon shield, the idea that mainland China will not dare invade and destroy the world's most important supply chains for advanced computer chips, and that the US will be forced to protect the island to shield its essential tech industry that supplies such chips to the world. But this month, the US president had a slip of the tongue. 'I think it's going to be great for unification and peace,' he said. Trump was apparently pleased with the outcome of trade talks with Beijing that led to a 90-day pause on mutual tariffs. By now, everyone expects that sort of thing from his 'Make America Great Again' agenda.
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Why Taiwan's Lai Ching-te was silent on cross-strait relations
Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@ or filling in this Google form . Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification Many had watched to see if Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te would clarify his cross-strait policy in his speech last week marking his first anniversary in office. Yet in his remarks – his most internationally scrutinised speech to date – he made no mention of it. Some may see this as flexible de-escalation or a goodwill gesture. But in fact, Lai had little choice: constrained by US policy uncertainty and limited leverage over Beijing, he had to resort to evasion and strategic self-censorship. Seen as a proponent of Taiwanese independence, Lai has asserted the two sides are ' not subordinate to each other '. His administration has also tightened controls on cross-strait exchanges, from banning academic ties to regulating mainland Chinese spouses and drafting regulatory mechanisms to oversee Taiwanese residents in mainland China. These actions have raised concerns about the systematic dismantling of regular social and interpersonal ties across the Strait. Though Lai pushes rhetorical boundaries, his diplomatic doctrine remains simple. He has relinquished Taiwan's ability to manage cross-strait relations and instead pinned all hopes on a harder-line US posture towards Beijing. Yet such a strategy does not always guarantee returns.
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Aerial shots of Taiwan's key Hualien airbase spark concern after appearing on social media
Aerial shots and detailed analysis of a key Taiwanese military base on mainland Chinese social media have sparked security concerns on the self-ruled island, where officials are seeking to reassure the public. Advertisement The images of Hualien Air Base were part of a video lasting less than seven minutes that emerged last week on RedNote , or Xiaohongshu, the mainland-based lifestyle platform that is also popular in Taiwan, especially among young users. The video was uploaded by a military blogger from an IP address in Beijing on May 21 – one day after Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te made a speech to mark his first year in office. It was widely reposted and shared on other platforms, including WeChat and YouTube. While the original link on RedNote disappeared, the reposted video was still available on the other platforms. The video included close-ups of the base's 2,851 metre (9,353 feet) runway, with details of operating procedures, as well as its 46 hardened aircraft shelters, along with their size measurements. Advertisement It also gave deployment details of the three squadrons stationed in the airbase, the locations of its F-16V and F-5E fighters, as well as the base's sports facilities and even hotel buildings.
South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Mainland China accuses Taiwan of backing cyberattacks on 1,000 sensitive targets
Mainland Chinese authorities have accused a hacker group they allege is backed by Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of orchestrating cyberattacks on up to 1,000 sensitive mainland networks, including military, energy and government systems. The claim was made public on Monday by the Guangzhou city police, who said the group used 'rudimentary and crude' methods to launch widespread attacks from overseas IP addresses, including from the United States, France and Japan. The city's Tianhe district Public Security Bureau said the group was behind a recent incident in which a local tech company was targeted in Guangzhou, in the southern province of Guangdong. The bureau said technical analysis traced the attack to the alleged Taiwan-based group, according to Xinhua on Tuesday. 01:33 William Lai vows to protect Taiwan security and industry in speech marking year as leader William Lai vows to protect Taiwan security and industry in speech marking year as leader 'The hackers deployed phishing emails, exploited public vulnerabilities, conducted brute-force password attacks and used low-grade Trojan horse programs to carry out the attacks,' the police said. Police also said the group had ramped up its activity significantly over the past year, describing its actions as 'malicious sabotage' aimed at disrupting mainland security. Mainland cyber investigators said the group had scanned more than 1,000 key information systems across more than 10 provinces in recent years, according to the Xinhua report. Targets were reported to include military-industrial assets, power grids, water infrastructure, transport systems and government networks. They said the attackers tried to mask their origin by routing attacks through virtual private networks (VPNs), foreign cloud servers and 'zombie machines' to hide behind IP addresses from multiple countries.
South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Taiwan cracks down on public servants with mainland ID and residency
More than 370,000 personnel in sensitive and high-ranking posts were screened in the first phase of the wide-reaching investigation led by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC). A second phase, launched on Monday, 'will include local government officials and public-school teachers at all levels', deputy interior minister Ma Shih-yuan said. According to government data, Taiwan has 236,597 civil servants, 212,915 public-school teachers and administrators, and about 215,000 active-duty military personnel. The investigation was ordered in response to a directive from Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te during a national security meeting in March. The MAC – which charts cross-strait policy – has told various agencies, including the defence, interior, education and civil service ministries, to conduct comprehensive checks on personnel, especially those with access to sensitive information or influence.
