Another U.S.-aligned democracy in Asia is mired in political gridlock, with Taiwan’s opposition challenging defense spending aimed at fending off China.

China's tourism ministry said on Friday that it has begun preparations to resume group tours to Taiwan from Shanghai and Fujian province in the near future, with Taipei saying it welcomed the move.

The ministry said that preparations for the resumption of group tours are underway, and expressed hope that tourism industries on both sides of the Taiwan Strait will strengthen communication and collaboration to offer high-quality services and products for the Chinese mainland residents participating in these tours.

Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China (ROC), is an island separated from China by the Taiwan Strait. Mainland China, officially the People’s Republic of China (PRC), is under Chinese Communist Party (CCP) rule and asserts that Taiwan is an integral part of its territory, though it has never governed the island.

Former Vice President Mike Pence has urged Donald Trump to renew his commitment to support Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.

Days away from President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, a delegation headed by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute met with Taiwan's president and other senior officials in Taiwan.

Taiwan has taken another step in enhancing its key role in the production of advanced semiconductor chips used for artificial intelligence with the inauguration of a new plant by Siliconware Precision Industries Co.

The Taipei Department of Land Administration on Thursday released an anti-scam video, using material from a recently cracked case of real-estate fraud to urge the public to be on the lookout for similar scams.

Groups from Fujian and Shanghai are the first to be allowed to visit the island in a move Beijing says will help ‘strengthen exchanges’.

Virtually everyone assumes Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) will be the party’s presidential nominee in the January 2028 election. She will be term-limited out as Taichung mayor less than 13 months earlier in December next year.