Taiwan

Nicaragua was one of the few states left internationally which had recognised the sovereignty of the democratic and self-governing island nation. Officials from Nicaragua, led by the authoritarian President Daniel Ortega, had signed a joint communique on December 10 on the resumption of diplomatic relations with China thereby ending its diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

Ma Xiaoguang said that a peaceful reunification with Taiwan can be made possible but China will take drastic measures if any red lines on independence were crossed. He also said that the provocation by pro-independence forces and intervention by external factors is expected to grow in the coming months. "Next year, the Taiwan Strait situation will become more complex and severe," he said.

“A military adventure would be the path to economic suicide, we must keep reiterating that peaceful ties between China and Taiwan are the only option,” Shinzo Abe said. Abe made these remarks while delivering a video speech at the Institute for National Policy Research, a think-tank in Taiwan.

"The PLA has already achieved the capabilities needed to conduct an air and naval blockade, cyberattacks, and missile strikes against Taiwan," according to a report from the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a Congressionally-appointed agency designated to provide national security adive to the Congress and the US President.

The 7-member European Union (EU) delegation, which is the first of its kind from EU to Taiwan has a special significance as the delegation members form part of the EU's Special Committee for Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes. The delegation interacted with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and Premier Su Tseng-chang besides other top leaders during the three-day visit.

According to the authority, face masks will not be required at karaoke bars, and eating and drinking at cinemas or on trains will be allowed, reports Xinhua news agency. Restrictions on the number of people at gatherings will also be lifted. After a major Covid-19 outbreak in May and June in Taiwan, the number of daily infections has dwindled, with only imported cases coming in recently.

Asked twice during CNN's Town Hall on Thursday whether the US would protect Taiwan if China attacked, Biden said it would. "Yes, we have a commitment to do that," he said. Biden has made similar statements in the past, only to have the White House say longstanding US policy had not changed toward the island.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has asserted that Taiwan must be annexed with the mainland, which Taiwanese leadership has opposed fiercely. With the people of Taiwan completely against the annexation, China has the only option of a military takeover. And Beijing has minced no word while expressing its intentions.

"The more we achieve, the greater the pressure we face from China," the BBC quoted Tsai as saying. Her speech on Taiwan's National Day came after China's President Xi Jinping vowed to "fulfil reunification". Taiwan considers itself a sovereign state, while China views it as a breakaway province.

About two dozen US special forces soldiers and an unspecified number of marines are now training Taiwanese forces, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. The trainers were first sent to Taiwan by the administration of former President Donald Trump but their presence had not been reported until now.