Free Republic

The USS John S. McCain "broke into China's Xisha territorial waters without the permission of the Chinese government," Beijing's military said in a statement. Also, Taiwan sent fighter jets, broadcast radio warnings, deployed air defense missile systems to track PLAAF planes after breach of Taiwan's ADIZ (air defense identification zone). There is something unfolding which has “all the hallmarks of the world’s next major military drama.” “Well what a week it's been for this standoff between China and Taiwan, which we cannot ignore, and neither can the United States,” Mr Smith said. read more...

Taiwan said Tuesday a Russian bomber entered its airspace in January, amid anger that its air force did not intercept the plane, which could have dropped tonnes of explosives on the island. Taiwanese radars detected the aircraft, a Tupolev TU-95 long-range strategic bomber, 285 kilometres off the island's northeast coast early in the afternoon of January 28, the air force said. "It briefly entered our airspace," air force major general Wang Hsuan-chou told reporters. "Our judgment was that since the unidentified aircraft was harmless, we handled the incident according to the standard operation procedure. We demanded the aircraft leave immediately."...

Taiwan legislators from the DPP and Kuomintang fight in Parliament in Taipei. Lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties failed to agree on how an independent National Communications Commission, set up to monitor the media, should be formed.Lawmakers from Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party try to occupy a parliament speaker's seat in a bid to prevent the proceedings of an opposition bill.Taiwan's parliament is notorious for fistfights, with many lawmakers enjoying the media attention when brawls erupt.The Legislature reconvened after a holiday to consider the proposal put forward by the opposition Nationalist Party to set up the new media watchdog.But...