Staś Butler | 貝德旭

Asia correspondent for @SkyNewsAust based in Taipei.

[Staś Butler | 貝德旭 @stasbutler]

One of the more bizarre moments I've covered in Taiwanese politics: On National Day, Taiwan's most powerful opposition figures are greeted a llama (??) before breaking into a coordinated dance

[Staś Butler | 貝德旭 @stasbutler]

"The U.S. Treasury receives the revenue from most of Venezuela’s exports, then disburses it to Venezuela through the country’s banking system, a relationship akin to parents handing out allowances to children." https://t.co/jxJiIbxijK

[Staś Butler | 貝德旭 @stasbutler]

Sad to hear about the death of veteran BBC Vatican correspondent David Willey. We spoke over the phone during Pope Francis's hospitalization last year and he was kind, funny and full of knowledge about Vatican affairs. He will be missed. https://t.co/OX5jAAJ8XC

[Staś Butler | 貝德旭 @stasbutler]

That missile has now been fired. https://t.co/Hq4TX981lA

[Global Times @globaltimesnews]

The PLA Navy on Monday successfully conducted the test launch of a strategic missile by a submarine, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
The missile test was a routine annual military training exercise conducted by the Chinese side, which had notified relevant countries in advance. The test is in line with international law and established international practices, and is not targeted at any specific country or target, said Xinhua.

[Staś Butler | 貝德旭 @stasbutler]

Unclear right now which missile might be tested, but China's last test of an intercontinental ballistic missile was nearly two years ago, in Sept. 2024.

Russia, for its part, tested its RS-28 Sarmat ICBM this past May, the same month the U.S. launched a Minuteman III.

[The Australian @australian]

China is posed to fire a nuclear-capable missile with a dummy warhead in the South Pacific in the next 24 hours, according to briefings by Chinese embassies to regional governments. Read the full story: https://t.co/7JYKy08Bqh

[Staś Butler | 貝德旭 @stasbutler]

@colmflynnire hi Colm, would you mind following back so I can DM? Cheers

[Jaime Ocon 歐海美 @JaimeOcon1]

As per rules set by the @MoNDefense, I can now say that I was part of a group of journalists that met with Taiwan's Defense Minister, Wellington Koo... and here's what we talked about:

[Sky News @SkyNews]

"Authorities say hundreds of people were injured"

Sky News Australia's Asia Correspondent, @stasbutler has the latest from Taiwan as Typhoon Gaemi has now passed the country and heading towards China

More ➡️ https://t.co/PAiZ4D1jU3

📺 Sky 501 and YouTube

[Staś Butler | 貝德旭 @stasbutler]

Air raid sirens go off across Taipei as part of yearly drills aimed at readying people to take shelter if #Taiwan comes under attack. Traffic is halted, streets emptied. For 30 minutes the city mostly comes to a stop.

[Staś Butler | 貝德旭 @stasbutler]

Taiwan has escaped the worst of the global cyber outage, according to @TAIWANmoda:

"The government's important and critical information systems are operating normally and have not been affected by this crash."

[Ben Lewis 🇺🇦 @OfficialBen_L]

Tie for the highest single-day total of ADIZ violations on record.

MND report states that 66x PLA aircraft and 7x PLAN vessels were tracked around Taiwan today. 56 of the aircraft entered the de facto ADIZ.

Tied with 56 aircraft on 4 Oct 2021.

[ogasawara_yoshiyuki @ogasawara_yoshi]

New British PM Keir Starmer has visited Taiwan twice in 2016 & 2018. The topic he raised in Taiwan was the death penalty, not Taiwan-China relations. Anyway, it’s very rare that the UK PM has an experience of Taiwan.
Photo credit: ROC Presidential Office, Oct 1, 2018

[Staś Butler | 貝德旭 @stasbutler]

BREAKING: Judge sentences Julian Assange to "time served" in prison in Belmarsh. He'll walk free.

[Staś Butler | 貝德旭 @stasbutler]

In the court room where Assange's case is being heard. Now that the guilty plea has been entered and accepted, sentencing will begin very shortly.

[Staś Butler | 貝德旭 @stasbutler]

Julian Assange arrives for his plea hearing in Saipan, bringing him one step closer to a return to Australia.

[Staś Butler | 貝德旭 @stasbutler]

Waiting for Julian

[國防部 Ministry of National Defense, ROC(Taiwan) 🇹🇼 @MoNDefense]

49 PLA aircraft, 19 PLAN vessels, and 7 CCG vessels operating around #Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. today. 35 of the aircraft crossed the median line of #Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's SW ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded accordingly.

[Will Ripley @willripleyCNN]

#breaking First video of China military exercises around Taiwan via CCTV/Weibo.

PLA statement: "Taiwan independence”and peace across the Taiwan Strait are incompatible

The Eastern Theater Command launches the "Joint Sword-2024A" exercise. It is a powerful punishment for the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces seeking “independence”

A serious warning against interference and provocation by external forces

The weapon aimed at "Taiwan independence" to kill "independence" is already in place

Relying on outsiders is an evil path

Seeking "independence" is a dead end

Promoting reunification is the way out

The motherland must be reunified and will inevitably be reunified

[Staś Butler | 貝德旭 @stasbutler]

Mocked up more clearly by Taiwan's Central News Agency, along with the 2022 post-Pelosi drills. https://t.co/5DJvNBVbtd

[Marcin Jerzewski 葉皓勤 @yehaoqin]

From #Taiwan's Central News Agency: a comparison of
【RED】the current Joint Sword-2024A #PLA exercises and
【GRAY】 the drills that followed Pelosi's visit in August 2022.
The ongoing exercises are taking place near the outlying islands.

[Staś Butler | 貝德旭 @stasbutler]

🚨China's military has announced 2 days of drills surrounding Taiwan. Here's a very hasty overlay showing where the PLA says they'll be (light red boxes), compared to Taiwan's air defense identification zone (black lines).

[Staś Butler | 貝德旭 @stasbutler]

Sources: @MoNDefense for Taiwan's ADIZ and 东部战区 on Weibo for the drills. Combination my own (thanks, Microsoft Word and Paint).