Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai said on Tuesday that a "return" to China is not an option for the island's 23 million people, after Chinese President Xi Jinping pressed his country's sovereignty claims in a call with U.

Chinese ships and aircraft monitored the Aotearoa, with Chinese jets carrying out simulated attacks. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

President Trump spoke with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week, and the Chinese government said Xi outlined what it called China’s "principled" position on Taiwan. The self-governing democracy of 23 million has never been part of Communist China,

China's defence ministry said on Thursday that Japan will have to pay a "painful price" if it steps out of line over Taiwan, responding to Japanese plans to deploy missiles on an island some 100 km (62 miles) from Taiwan's coast.

That role also means a war over Taiwan could be "cataclysmic," the report warned, potentially "wiping out as much as 10 percent of global GDP"—an unprecedented economic hit in modern times. The authors said the ramifications of such a scenario could be "on par with the 2008 Global Financial Crisis."

Largest special defence budget in 30 years aims to persuade Donald Trump of willingness to pay more for security

Multiple Japanese media outlets reported that when asked whether she had discussed the Taiwan question with US President Donald Trump during their recent call, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dodged the question.

China imposes travel bans & economic pressure on Japan over Taiwan remarks. See the impact on tourism & trade. Japan holds firm. Click to learn more about this escalating dispute.