SIMINA MISTREANU

Associated Press
Taiwan's new President Lai Ching-te, right, and former President Tsai Ing-wen wave during Lai's inauguration ceremonies in Taipei, Taiwan, Monday, May 20, 2024. Lai in his inauguration speech has urged China to stop its military intimidation against the self-governed island Beijing claims as its own territory. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
Taiwan’s new President Lai in his inauguration speech urges China to stop its military intimidation
Taiwan’s new president, Lai Ching-te, has said in his inauguration speech that he seeks peace with China and urged it to stop its military threats against the self-governed island that Beijing claims as its own territory.
 
FILE - Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te, also known as William Lai celebrates his victory after Taiwan's presidential election, in Taipei, Taiwan, Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024. Lai Ching-te is set to take office as Taiwan's new president on May 20. Building on the legacy of incumbent president Tsai, Ing-wen means aiming to strike a balance between cultivating Taiwan's unofficial alliance with the United States, and maintaining peace with China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be retaken by force if necessary. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File)
Taiwan’s new president inherits a strong foreign policy position but political gridlock at home
Taiwan’s new president takes office Monday. Lai Ching-te is expected to build on the legacy of incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen.
 
Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at his ministry in Taipei, Taiwan, Friday, May 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
Taiwan’s foreign minister says China and Russia are supporting each other’s ‘expansionism’
Russia and China helped each other expand their territorial reach, and democracies must push back against authoritarian states that threaten their rights and sovereignty, Taiwan’s outgoing foreign minister, Joseph Wu, said in an interview with The Associated Press.
 
A Long March rocket carrying a crew of Chinese astronauts in a Shenzhou-18 spaceship lifts off at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, Thursday, April 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
China launches 3-member crew to its space station as it seeks to put astronauts on the moon by 2030
China launched a three-member crew to its orbiting space station as part of its ambitious program that aims to put astronauts on the moon by 2030.
 
Chinese astronauts for the upcoming Shenzhou-18 mission Ye Guangfu, center, Li Guangsu, left, and Li Cong attend a meeting with the press at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
China to send three astronauts to Tiangong space station, part of its ambitious program
China’s space agency is making final preparations to send a new crew to its space station on Thursday as part of its ambitious program that aims to put people on the moon by 2030.
 
A man looks at the cordoned off site of a leaning building in the aftermath of an earthquake in Hualien, eastern Taiwan on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. Taiwan's strongest earthquake in a quarter century rocked the island during the morning rush hour Wednesday, damaging buildings and highways (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
Why is Taiwan so exposed to earthquakes and so well prepared to withstand them?
Taiwan was struck Wednesday by its most powerful earthquake in a quarter of a century. At least nine people were killed and hundreds injured, buildings and highways damaged and train service interrupted.
 
Rescue workers stand near the site of a leaning building in the aftermath of an earthquake in Hualien, Taiwan, on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. Taiwan's strongest earthquake in a quarter century rocked the island during the morning rush hour Wednesday. (AP Photo/Johnson Lai)
Fierce earthquake rattles Taiwan, killing 9 and injuring more than 1,000
The most powerful earthquake to rock Taiwan in a quarter-century killed nine people, stranded dozens of workers at quarries, and sent some residents scrambling out the windows of damaged buildings.
 
In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen, right, poses for photos with Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., in Taipei, Taiwan on Thursday, March 28, 2024. Bergman leads a bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation that pledged continued support for Taiwan on Thursday, days after Congress approved $300 million in military aid for the self-governed island that's claimed by China. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP)
US congressional delegation pledges continued defense support for Taiwan
A bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation has pledged continued support for Taiwan, days after Congress approved $300 million in military aid for the self-governed island that’s claimed by China.
 
Xie Yufeng, a 39-year-old cook, throws a bird up as he shoots a bead through a tube for it to catch in mid-air, practising a Beijing tradition that dates back to the Qing Dynasty, outside a stadium in Beijing, Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Today, only about 50-60 people in Beijing are believed to still practice it. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
AP PHOTOS: Beijingers play fetch with migratory birds in traditional game
BEIJING (AP) — Passersby in Beijing during winter or early spring might happen upon groups of residents playing fetch with birds.
 
Chinese security personnel attempt to push Chinese journalists from the scene of an explosion in Sanhe city in northern China's Hebei province on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. City officials in eastern China have apologized to local journalists after authorities were shown pushing them and trying to obstruct reporting from the site of a deadly explosion, in a rare acknowledgment of state aggression against journalists. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Chinese city officials issue a rare apology after authorities harass journalists on live TV
City officials in eastern China have apologized to local journalists after authorities were shown pushing them and trying to obstruct reporting from the site of a deadly explosion.
 
FILE - Chinese Literature Nobel Prize winner Mo Yan, center, leaves following a panel discussion at the Beijing International Book Fair in Beijing, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017. Mo Yan, one of China's most celebrated authors, who won the country's first Nobel Prize for literature and was once praised by top officials, is now at a center of a nationalist storm, indicating the shifting lines for freedom of expression under Chinese President Xi Jinping. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
Nobel Literature laureate Mo Yan is accused in patriotism lawsuit of insulting China’s heroes
His writing won China’s first Nobel Prize for Literature, but is it patriotic enough for Xi Jinping’s China? That’s the question at the center of a high-profile lawsuit that has driven a debate about nationalism in China in recent weeks.
 
A child watches a video depicting the science fiction universe from a trilogy by Chinese author Liu Cixin in Chengdu, Sichuan province on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. The series that began with "The Three-Body Problem" helped Chinese science fiction break through internationally, winning awards and making it onto the reading lists of the likes of former U.S. President Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
How Chinese science fiction went from underground magazines to Netflix extravaganza
For a few days in October 2023, the capital of the science fiction world was Chengdu, China. Fans traveled from around the world as Worldcon, sci-fi’s biggest annual event, was held in China for the first time.
 
FILE - Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang speaks during the forum titled Chinese Modernization and the World held at The Grand Halls in Shanghai on April 21, 2023. China’s former foreign minister, Qin Gang, who has been missing from public view since last June, resigned his seat in the national legislature, state media reported Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
China’s embattled former foreign minister steps down as member of the legislature
Chinese state media say former Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who has been missing from public view since last June, has resigned from the national legislature.
 
In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen, right, meets with Rep. Mike Gallagher, the Republican chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, center, and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D.-Ill., in Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. A group of United States Congress members met with Taiwan's president Thursday in a show of support that's certain to draw scrutiny from China, which opposes such visits and sees them as a challenge to its claim of sovereignty over the island. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP)
US Congress members praise Taiwan’s democracy in a visit that’s certain to draw China’s scrutiny
A group of United States Congress members are praising Taiwan’s democracy during a visit to the island.
 
FILE - An SAIC Volkswagen plant is seen in the outskirts of Urumqi in northwestern China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Thursday, April 22, 2021. A new report says automakers including Tesla, General Motors, Volkswagen and Toyota are failing to ensure they are not using forced labor as part of their China supply chains. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
Major automakers may be using Chinese aluminum produced with Uyghur forced labor, rights group says
A new report says automakers including Tesla, General Motors, Volkswagen and Toyota are failing to ensure they are not using forced labor as part of their China supply chains.
 
Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te, also known as William Lai, left, celebrates his victory with running mate Bi-khim Hsiao in Taipei, Taiwan, Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024. Lai Ching-te emerged victorious in Taiwan’s presidential election on Saturday and his opponents conceded, a result that will chart the trajectory of the self-ruled democracy’s relations with China over the next four years. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
Taiwan president-elect Lai Ching-te has steered the island toward democracy and away from China
Lai Ching-te is Taiwan’s president-elect who has vowed to safeguard the Asian island’s de-facto independence from China and further align it with other democracies.
 
Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te, also known as William Lai, left, celebrates his victory with running mate Bi-khim Hsiao in Taipei, Taiwan, Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024. The Ruling-party candidate has emerged victorious in Taiwan's presidential election and his opponents have conceded. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
The ruling-party candidate strongly opposed by China wins Taiwan’s presidential election
Ruling-party candidate Lai Ching-te has emerged victorious in Taiwan’s presidential election and his opponents have conceded. Beijing strongly opposes Lai and the result will determine the trajectory of relations with China over the next four years.
 
FILE - Taiwan Vice President and Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Lai Ching-te, who also goes by William, left, and his running mate Hsiao Bi-khim wave to the press during an international press conference in Taipei, Taiwan, on Jan. 9, 2024. Lai is currently Taiwan's vice president from the Democratic Progressive Party, which rejects China's sovereignty claims over the island. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File)
In Taiwan’s election Saturday, who are the 3 candidates trying to become president?
Three candidates are vying for Taiwan’s presidency in elections Saturday that are closely watched internationally.
 
Staff prepare materials for polling booth in New Taipei, Taiwan on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024 ahead of the presidential election on Saturday. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
Taiwan prepares to elect a president and legislature in what’s seen as a test of control with China
Taiwanese are preparing to elect a new president and legislature Saturday in what many see as a test of control with China which claims the self-governing island republic as its own.
 
Ko Wen-je, Taiwan People's Party (TPP) presidential candidate, take photos with young supporters outside a temple in New Taipei City, Taiwan on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. With Taiwan's high-stakes presidential election just days away, the nonconformist candidate has been resonating with the island's youth, seemingly more concerned with the dearth of good jobs and affordable housing than the looming threat from China. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
A non-traditional candidate resonates with Taiwan’s youth ahead of Saturday’s presidential election
A nonconformist candidate is resonating with Taiwan’s youth ahead of Saturday’s presidential election, with young and first-time voters apparently more concerned with the dearth of good jobs and affordable housing than the looming threat from China.
 
Taiwan's Nationalist Party presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih answers to a question during an international press conference in New Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. Taiwan will hold its presidential election on Jan. 13. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
Taiwan presidential hopeful Hou promises to boost island’s defense and restart talks with China
One of Taiwan’s leading opposition party candidates in Saturday’s presidential election has promised to boost the island’s defense capabilities while restarting dialogue with Beijing. Taiwan has never been governed by the People’s Republic of China.
 
A TV monitor in Taipei, Taiwan flashes news that a satellite launched from China passed over southern Taiwan, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. Taiwan’s defense ministry issued an alert Tuesday saying China has launched a satellite and urging caution days before the island's elections. (Kyodo News via AP)
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry mistranslates an alert, erroneously saying China launched a missile
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry has mistranslated an alert into English, saying China had launched a missile instead of a satellite and urging caution days before the island’s elections.
 
Taiwan President and Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate William Lai, from left, shakes hands with Taiwan's Nationalist Party presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih while Taiwan's Taiwan People's Party (TPP) presidential candidate Ko Wen-je stands by before the presidential debates at Taiwan Public Television Service in Taipei, Taiwan, Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023. Taiwan will hold its presidential election on Jan. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Pei Chen, Pool)
Taiwan’s presidential candidates emphasize peace in relations with Beijing
Taiwan’s presidential candidates have expressed a desire for peaceful relations with Beijing. China has described Jan. 13 elections on the self-ruled island as a choice between war and peace and stepped up harassment of the territory it claims as its own.
 
FILE - AIDS activist Gao Yaojie checks in to a ticket counter at the Beijing Capital airport as she prepares to leave China for the U.S. in Beijing, China, Monday, Feb. 26, 2007. Gao, a Chinese doctor who embarrassed the government by exposing the AIDS epidemic in rural China in the 1990s and spent her last decade in exile in the United States, died Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, at her home in Manhattan. She was 95. (AP Photo/Elizabeth Dalziel, File)
Doctor and self-exiled activist Gao Yaojie who exposed the AIDS epidemic in rural China dies at 95
Renowned Chinese doctor and activist Gao Yaojie who exposed the AIDS virus epidemic in rural China in the 1990s, has died at the age of 95 at her home in the United States.
 
FILE - A Chinese Hui Muslim looks at a scale model of Mecca set up at a mosque in the town of Yichuan during Ramadan in Ningxia province, China, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2006. The Chinese government has expanded its campaign of shuttering mosques to provinces other than Xinjiang, where Beijing has for years been blamed of persecuting Muslim minorities, according to a report released Wednesday by Human Rights Watch. (AP Photo/Elizabeth Dalziel, File)
China is expanding its crackdown on mosques to regions outside Xinjiang, Human Rights Watch says
A report by Human Rights Watch says the Chinese government has expanded its campaign of closing mosques to regions other than Xinjiang, where for years it has been blamed for persecuting Muslim minorities.
 
American Ballet Theater's ballerina Devon Teuscher rehearses for a performance at the Shanghai Grand Theater in Shanghai, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023. The American national ballet company is returning to China for the first time in a decade for shows in Shanghai and Beijing in the latest sign strained relations between the United States and China are beginning to thaw. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
American Ballet Theatre returns to China after a decade as US-China ties show signs of improving
American Ballet Theatre has returned to China for the first time in a decade, the latest sign that strained U.S.-China relations are beginning to improve.
 
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, center, takes a seat for the opening ceremony of the 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, Monday, Oct. 30, 2023. Defense Minister Shoigu said Monday the United States is fueling geopolitical tensions to uphold its "hegemony" and warned of the risk of confrontation between major countries. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Russia’s envoy uses the stage at a military forum in China to accuse the US of fueling tensions
Russia’s defense minister says the United States is fueling geopolitical tensions to uphold its “global dominance by any means.”
 
This image released by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, shows a Chinese militia vessel, top, and Philippine coast guard vessel BRP Cabra as they approach Second Thomas Shoal, locally called Ayungin Shoal, at the disputed South China Sea on Sunday Oct. 22, 2023. (Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP)
US renews warning it will defend Philippines after incidents with Chinese vessels in South China Sea
The United States has renewed a warning that it would defend the Philippines in case of an armed attack after Chinese ships blocked and collided with two Filipino vessels in the South China Sea.
 
Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for a photo prior to their talks on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. (Sergei Guneyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
China’s Xi promises open markets and billions in new investments for ‘Belt and Road’ projects
Chinese President Xi Jinping is promising foreign companies more access to China’s huge market and more than $100 billion in new financing for other developing economies.
 
FILE - Russia's President Vladimir Putin arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport to attend the third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. Putin landed in Beijing on Tuesday, on his first trip outside the former Soviet Union since the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for him in March over his alleged involvement in the mass abduction of children from Ukraine (Parker Song/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Here are the key leaders joining the Belt and Road forum and their wish lists to Beijing
China is hosting its third international forum centered around President Xi Jinping’s signature policy, the Belt and Road Initiative, which over the past 10 years has built infrastructure across continents, burdening some smaller countries with debt.
 
Load More