Taipei’s dilemma over its history during World War II appeared to deepen as Beijing and Washington looked to the Flying Tigers as a source of connection and goodwill during last month’s Xi–Trump summit. US President Donald Trump’s description of China as an American ally during the war has raised concerns in Taiwan that what could have been a valuable historical connection with the United States ended up benefiting Beijing’s ties with Washington. The dilemma resurfaced after Trump and Chinese...

Taiwanese officials and observers have reacted cautiously to the Washington summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, with uncertainty lingering over what the two leaders discussed about the island. The only public mention of Taiwan after Thursday’s closed-door talks between the pair came from Beijing’s official statement, which said Xi had urged Trump to “oppose ‘Taiwan independence’” and “handle the Taiwan question with caution”. The White House did not immediately give its own detailed...

Reports that Taiwanese officials have been asked to scale back visits to Washington have sparked debate over whether the island’s ties with the United States remain as “rock solid” as Taipei has maintained. The New York Times reported on Monday that some Taiwanese officials travelling to the US had been told by Trump administration officials to “curtail their visits to research groups in Washington”. The report came as US President Donald Trump prepared to host Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a...

Nearly half of Taiwanese lack confidence that Washington will continue military aid and arms sales to the island, a new survey shows. The results of the poll were released on Monday, ahead of this week’s summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The poll by Taiwan-based United Daily News found 47 per cent were not confident the United States would continue providing military assistance and selling weapons to Taiwan, slightly exceeding the 44 per cent who remained...

In a rare development, Taiwanese Labour Minister Hung Sun-han is expected to travel to Nanjing on Sunday, becoming the first cabinet-level official under William Lai Ching-te’s administration to visit mainland China. Hung will attend an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) ministerial meeting on Monday to discuss employment, vocational training, social security and the impact of artificial intelligence on jobs. Hung will be the most senior Taiwanese official to visit the mainland for Apec...