The likeliest scenario for 2026 is not a full-fledged conflict, but an increase in China’s political, economic and military pressure against Taiwan

Heavyweights clash as election of hawkish PM Sanae Takaichi and US policy unpredictability change calculus in region

The diplomatic row comes after Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi said Japan may intervene if China blockades Taiwan.

The Japanese prime minister’s comments about military intervention were unusually direct for such a sensitive topic.

With a clear view of China's skyscraper-studded coastline, Taiwanese coastguard captain Huang Heng-chun steers his patrol boat through choppy waters around a group of islands controlled by Taipei.The Taiwanese boats also have water cannon and a 20-millimetre static machine gun,

China said it complained to Europe’s legislature over a speech Taiwanese Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim gave to a group of its members, a spat that comes with tensions already heightened over trade and other issues.

Former president and foreign ministers have made trips to Europe as other nations handle contacts more flexibly

A Taiwanese delegation attended a conference in the Philippines on concerns over the South China Sea. It signals closer cooperation between the two countries despite pressure from China. TaiwanPlus spoke to Renato Cruz de Castro of Manila's De La Salle University to learn more.