German freelance journalist based in Taipei | @TaiwanFCC VP | Field producer for @DasErste ARD public television | Words in @TableBriefings, @tagesspiegel, etc.
Nach fast zwei Jahren Arbeit ist unser Taiwan-Band für die @bpb_de endlich da!
Auf 190 Seiten haben mein Co-Autor Frédéric Krumbein und ich versucht, Taiwans bewegte Geschichte, geopolitische Lage und nationale Identität für ein breites Publikum verständlich zusammenzufassen.
From @Reuters: Taiwan will sharply increase its arsenal of powerful anti-ship missiles to more than 1,800 by early 2029, as it seeks to enhance its capacity to counter a mounting threat of blockade or invasion by China, according to a Reuters calculation.
This expanding arsenal of weapons that can be fired from aircraft, ships and ground-based launchers is part of Taiwan’s shift towards a so-called asymmetric strategy. These also include shorter-range missiles and swarms of surface and aerial drones, say current and former Taiwan military officers.
https://t.co/4ugsUFBB2z
Comes just after China expels a New York Times journalist, because the paper interviewed Taiwan's president.
China is no doubt escalating its attempts to isolate Taiwan internationally.
👀 Quite the development.
At 120m, I'd be very surprised if this new Chinese submarine isn't ANOTHER new class of nuclear-powered boats.
https://t.co/gaKWGCHxBn
Beijing is squeezing the space for other countries to engage with Taiwan by imposing bans on foreign lawmakers who visit Taipei through the model of parliamentary engagement. The goal is to create a chilling precedent and send a warning to lawmakers in other democratic countries, forcing them to have to factor in potential repercussions from China whenever they consider a potential visit to Taiwan.
https://t.co/M7gS9MtYd8
When 60 Minutes is in trouble, we are all in trouble. When Pelley says CBS is meddling in his reporting for political reasons, believe it. https://t.co/lWpjdv1Unm
So, is this unprecedented? I think the answer is basically: yes. The PRC has sanctioned lawmakers before for visiting Taiwan but they've either made repeated visits (eg Japan's Keiji Furuya) or occupied senior positions (Michael McCaul, chair of House foreign affairs committee)
On June 8, the Taiwan Foreign Correspondents’ Club will organize a book talk with journalist Jon Mitchell about his book “Why Are We in Okinawa? A History of Violence”.
For more details and how to register, please visit https://t.co/YFW6xblbyF
In 1889 the "Yellow Dragon Flag" 黃龍旗 became the first official national flag in China's history, after diplomat Li Hongzhang petitioned Empress Dowager Cixi for one to represent Qing
📸Late-Qing (1909) elementary school textbook: National Flag Song 國旗歌
This week is the 37th anniversary of the June 4 crackdown in Beijing.
We had a big development in the available evidence on the violence since last year: the trial video of General Xu Qinxian leaked.
I wrote about the video for @WarOnTheRocks here:
https://t.co/hQ3o0WmwbE
Truly morally sickening: that anyone should wish all of Ukraine to suffer the fate of Mariupol or Bucha. Russian occupation of Ukraine means random arrests, executions, concentration camps; the destruction of language and culture; mass kidnapping of children. All of these things have been documented in the occupied territories and continue to go on.
The Taiwan military's top weapons development institute showed off on Tuesday three robot patrol dogs that could one day be used on Taiwan's islands in the disputed South China Sea.
https://t.co/KNCbeU3bmL
China's defense minister skipped the Shangri-La Dialogue for the 2nd year running.
If securing access to top figures in Beijing was IISS's rationale for not inviting Taiwanese speakers before, it now seems that self-imposed constraint is pointless. https://t.co/h2wS8gmbR0
BTS fans in Taiwan are turning to Yue Lao, the Taoist God of love and marriage in the hope that divine matchmaking will connect them with seats for the world-renowned South Korean boy band's upcoming Kaohsiung shows
Erfolgreicher Start unserer neuen DTG Live-Webcast-Reihe „Taiwan im Fokus“
Drei ausgewiesene Expert:innen – Dr. Angela Stanzel (SWP Berlin), David Demes (TFCC, Taipei) und @Andrew_Yeh_ (China Strategic Risks Institute, London) – analysierten die aktuellen Entwicklungen…
Beijing's pattern is clear: silence independent reporting, control the narrative. But here's the irony-kicking out American journalists doesn't make China look strong. It makes it look afraid. https://t.co/eWxYdKHtC1
On China: “We respect their ambitions.”
On Arms Sale: No answer when asked whether Taiwans weapons sales are paused.
On Taiwan Policy: “Position hasn’t changed.”
U.S. President Trump is no longer expected to speak with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te before Chinese President Xi Jinping's potential trip to the United States this fall, multiple sources familiar with the discussions told CBS News.
While no call with Taipei has been planned, two sources indicated that Mr. Trump always likes to keep options open.
https://t.co/hk6ekrnuGw