Gary Sands

A White House fact sheet released Thursday said: "The two leaders committed to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of regional security and global prosperity, supported the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues through dialogue, and opposed any attempts to unilaterally change the status quo, including by force or coercion." asia.nikkei.com/politics/inter…

"[Japan's] public-private funds have suffered major losses on overseas infrastructure projects in the past," a senior economy ministry official told Nikkei. "I hope we don't see a repeat of that." asia.nikkei.com/politics/inter…

What me, worry?

The latest survey showed that investment and construction contracts for 2025 totaled $213.5 billion, (yet many of these projects may not come to fruition). asia.nikkei.com/spotlight/belt…

Wild pitch: "We are willing to provide Taiwan compatriots with stable and reliable energy and resource security, so that they may live better lives." asia.nikkei.com/politics/inter…

Taiwanese recorded a 36.7% increase in travel to Japan, stepping up to help offset the decline in Chinese visitors . asia.nikkei.com/business/trave…

"I explained in detail that there are things we can and cannot do under Japanese law." asia.nikkei.com/politics/inter…

@Birdyword @sstrangio If you were a risk-averse Chinese who knew your troops weren't ready for an amphibious invasion likely to fail...

I have no particular defence and intelligence insight here, I just always wonder: if you were a risk-averse Chinese policymaker who believed that the US was currently a decaying power, flailing both at home and abroad, would you lean towards rolling the dice, or waiting?

@TheEconomist I've witnessed more than one senior worker being assigned to "Special Projects."

Can anything truly replace the framework and buzz of being part of the action? Retirement is just not that fulfilling economist.com/business/2024/…

@TECRO_USA is pleased to announce that the 2027 Taiwan Fellowship will be accepting applications from May 1-June 30, 2026. For more information, click here: taiwanfellowship.ncl.edu.tw

There’s no question Trump has main character energy on the global stage. I am hearing the opposite of the conclusion of this piece, though. Beijing views Trump’s postponement as a sign that he has lost control of the plot on Iran, rather than dictating events there and globally.

New data on hardening Chinese views of the United States. "Two years ago more than half of Chinese opposed unifying China and Taiwan by military force. By late 2025, that figure had fallen to 38%" economist.com/china/2026/03/…

Forthcoming? "Private assurances that the United States will defend Taiwan would be a prerequisite for Tokyo to even consider such a proposal." foreignpolicy.com/2026/03/18/jap…

All 291 Anduril Altius-600M loitering munitions have arrived in Taiwan ahead of schedule, according to a Ministry of National Defense Report to the Legislative Yuan. (Liberty Times)

@Reuters @wjhurst I don't believe "US intelligence" factored in a prolonged quagmire in Iran.

US assesses China not planning to invade Taiwan in 2027 reut.rs/4ryc1fL reut.rs/4ryc1fL

@shashj @DickensianYouth The war in Iran can also teach Taiwan some tactics.

I wrote this week with @DickensianYouth on how the Iran war might affect US military power for years to come, depleting stockpiles & eroding naval readiness. The war is a testing ground for new technologies. But it could also reveal some tactics to China. economist.com/briefing/2026/…

Prime Minister Takaichi confidently insisted today that she will explain Japan's legal/constitutional limitations on the use of its Self-Defense Forces to President Trump. She almost seemed to laugh off the idea that Trump won't understand.

"I don't think we should be promising restraint on arms sales while Beijing continues its military buildup. That's just exacerbating the asymmetry that already exists between the two sides." asia.nikkei.com/politics/inter…

#PropagandaMonitor: After reporting on #China’s military parade and Beijing’s efforts to influence Western narratives about #Taiwan, Danish newspaper @berlingske came under scrutiny by the Chinese embassy in Copenhagen, which attempted to publicly discredit its work. rsf.org/en/press-freed…

There is anxiety in Tokyo that Trump might undermine Takaichi in his desperation for a trade deal when he meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing at the end of the month, possibly adopting China’s language on relations with Taiwan or its dispute with Japan. foreignaffairs.com/japan/how-taka…