Taiwan

Economics

Politics

Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai announced that he had refused to counter-sign a recent bill passed by the opposition-led legislature that would have reallocated significant funding from the central government to opposition-dominated local governments, Reuters reported on Dec. 15. 

Taiwan: Premier Blocks Funding Bill, Risking Snap Elections, Judicial Changes

Israel

China

Military & Security

Taiwan's Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu traveled to Israel on an unpublicized foreign trip earlier in December, according to Reuters sources on Dec. 11, though the sources declined to state with whom he met or what they discussed.

Taiwan, Israel: Taipei Likely Seeks Israeli Defense Support, Could Stir Chinese Retaliation 

Australia

Japan

Philippines

China's military seems to be conducting a major drill, slowly building since Nov. 14, with upward of 100 vessels and aircraft moving in the East and South China seas and in the West Pacific, according to defense representatives from China's regional neighbors cited by Reuters, but no Chinese military authorities have formally announced drills yet.

China: Cross-Pacific Military Drill To Deepen Regional Defense Pushback

United States

U.S.-China Relations

U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act after the bill passed the Senate and House, Bloomberg reported on Dec. 3. 

U.S. Taiwan: U.S. Bill To Facilitate Talks With Taiwan, Stir Chinese Retaliation

Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) decided not to move President William Lai's proposed $40 billion supplemental defense budget through committees for review, the South China Morning Post reported Dec. 2.

Taiwan: Legislature Rejects Lai's Defense Spending Plan

Global Trade

Taiwanese President William Lai published an opinion piece in the Washington Post on Nov. 26 in which he proposed a $40-billion supplemental defense budget to support U.S. arms procurement and domestic arms production over eight years from 2026-2033, effectively doubling the military's procurement budget, which was $4.28 billion in 2025.

Taiwan: Proposed $40 Billion Arms Budget Could Help Seal U.S. Trade Deal

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi confirmed that plans are "steadily moving forward" to deploy medium-range surface-to-air missiles on the island of Yonaguni, around 110 kilometers (70 miles) east of Taiwan, Bloomberg reported Nov. 24.

Japan: Yonaguni Missile Deployment Deepens Diplomatic Spat With China

China resumed a ban on seafood imports from Japan and paused talks to resume Japanese beef imports, according to Kyodo News on Nov. 19, while Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Nov. 19 noted that Beijing would retaliate further if Japan did not apologize for recent remarks about Taiwan.

China, Japan: Beijing Rapidly Expands Retaliations Over Taiwan Spat

Columns

On Geopolitics

Taiwanese President William Lai (center), flanked by other top officials in his government, discusses plans to propose a $40 billion supplemental defense budget during a news conference in Taipei on Nov. 26, 2025.

The 2025 Taiwan National Defense Report reflects Taipei's growing intent and tactical capabilities for deterrence by denial against a Chinese invasion, but it also highlights persistent challenges that contribute to a continually rising risk of conflict through 2028.

Taiwan Report Highlights Evolving Security Orientation

Assessments

Iran

South Korea

Thailand

Germany

France

United Kingdom

The Maanshan nuclear power plant is seen next to a beach in Pingtung, in southern Taiwan, on April 29, 2025.

Energy

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Iran Meets With European Powers, Taiwan Holds a Nuclear Referendum

Snapshots

A voter leaves a booth during voting for the recall election at a polling station in Taipei, Taiwan, on July 26, 2025. 

Its victory in the recall votes will embolden the opposition KMT to press on with controversial reforms and defense spending cuts, but it will also help prevent a near-term escalation of cross-strait tensions.

A Failed Recall Emboldens Taiwan's Opposition

Canada

Mexico

Cambodia

Europe

A Cambodian soldier stands on a truck with a rocket launcher in Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, which borders Thailand, on July 25, 2025. 

The Weekly Rundown: U.S. Tariff Deadline Passes, Thai-Cambodian Border Tensions Persist

A photo taken on Feb. 21, 2025, shows Subaru vehicles bound for shipment at a port in Yokohama, Japan. 

The deal is a win for Japan's economy and its ruling party, but it may hasten Prime Minister Ishiba's exit. It will also help South Korea and Taiwan secure their own U.S. trade deals.

U.S. Trade Deal Is a Mixed Victory for Japan, a Template for Regional Partners

Taiwanese lawmakers prepare to vote on reconsidering controversial bills in Taipei, Taiwan, on June 21, 2024. 

Political infighting since the president's inauguration has impeded Taiwan's efforts to bolster military spending and has prompted Chinese military and economic retaliation, which could eventually imperil U.S. trade and arms deals.

After One Year Under Lai, Taiwan's Political Dysfunction Shows Little Sign of Easing

South Africa

Portugal

Poland

Romania

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on May 21 during an official trip to the United States.

The Weekly Rundown: South Africa's U.S. Reset, Three European Elections

Taiwan's President Lai inspects troops taking part in the Rapid Response Exercise at the Songshan military airbase in Taipei on March 21, 2025.

Lai's policies to defend sovereignty and curb Chinese influence are prompting greater coercive pressure from Beijing.

In Taiwan, President Lai's Actions Toward China Will Speak Louder Than His Words

Asia-Pacific

Indonesia

Malaysia

Vietnam

India

U.S. President Joe Biden gestures to reporters after landing on the South Lawn of the White House on Sept. 22, 2024, in Washington, D.C. 

Trump's more aggressive and transactional approach could deliver quick wins for the U.S.'s position in the region, though it could also strain ties with key partners. 

Trump's Asia-Pacific Approach Will Test Biden's Gains

Angola

Cote d'Ivoire

Ghana

Kenya

Nigeria

Argentina

Brazil

Ecuador

Algeria

Iraq

Jordan

Kuwait

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Tunisia

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

Ukraine

Belarus

Russia

Pakistan

World map on a dark digital background representing global communication and global finances.

Cyber

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2025 highlights high-impact, low-probability risks and trends from the annual forecast presented in more extreme terms.

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2025

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Tanzania

Zambia

Marshall Islands

Palau

Tuvalu

Sri Lanka

U.S. President Joe Biden and President Joao Lourenco of Angola on Nov. 30, 2023, at the White House. Biden on Dec. 2-4 will visit Angola, where he will focus on the Lobito Corridor project that aims to refurbish and expand railways connecting critical mineral-rich regions in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo with the Angolan port of Lobito.

The Weekly Rundown: Biden Visits Angola, von der Leyen's Second Term

The sample of an Intel chip is displayed during Computex 2024 in Taipei on June 4, 2024. 

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

If Intel's bold new business strategy fails, it would serve a painful blow to U.S. semiconductor ambitions and likely cement the global dominance of Taiwan's TSMC.

The U.S. Semiconductor Industry's Strategic Challenges

Taiwan is located along a sea lane in the West Pacific, with the East China Sea to the north, the Philippine Sea to the east and the South China Sea to the south. The island is 180 kilometers off the southeastern coast of mainland China, across the Taiwan Strait. The strait has allowed for communication with the mainland since ancient times, but has also forced the island to confront the mainland's unrelenting attempts to reclaim it.    Taiwan consists of two geographic and population cores. The first is the Chianan Plain in the southwestern region, home to Taiwan's earliest civilizations and the island's second-largest city, Kaohsiung. The second is Taipei Basin, home to the island's capital, Taipei. These two cores are separated by rugged mountains and over several centuries have developed their own distinct social patterns and economic structures. The presence of mainlanders, who have been crossing the strait since the 17th century, further compounds the island's socio-political divides.    Taiwan's crucial strategic position has put it at the center of regional geopolitical competition for centuries. In the 17th century it was controlled by various European colonial powers, and up until World War II, it switched hands between the Chinese empire and Japanese rulers. Taiwan was the extended battleground of the Chinese Civil War in the mid-1940s and only established itself as an independent, unified polity in 1945. Today, it remains a focal point of power struggles between China, Japan and the United States. The island's primary geographic challenge is to avoid being dominated by external powers while securing a maritime buffer. Both these goals are challenged by China, which is expanding its maritime ambitions in the East and South China seas and remains fixated on eventual national reunification.

SITUATION REPORTS

Taiwan: Premier Blocks Funding Bill, Risking Snap Elections, Judicial Changes

Taiwan, Israel: Taipei Likely Seeks Israeli Defense Support, Could Stir Chinese Retaliation

China: Cross-Pacific Military Drill To Deepen Regional Defense Pushback

U.S. Taiwan: U.S. Bill To Facilitate Talks With Taiwan, Stir Chinese Retaliation

Taiwan: Legislature Rejects Lai's Defense Spending Plan

Taiwan: Proposed $40 Billion Arms Budget Could Help Seal U.S. Trade Deal

Japan: Yonaguni Missile Deployment Deepens Diplomatic Spat With China

China, Japan: Beijing Rapidly Expands Retaliations Over Taiwan Spat

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