President Xi Jinping warned against meddling in China's dealings with Taiwan during a phone call with his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, that gave no indication of progress on diplomatic relations.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had stressed the need for multilateral partnerships in the Indo-Pacific, which China's defense minister suggested was an attempt to back his country into a corner.
A White House official said Biden's comments did not reflect a policy shift, even though the U.S. traditionally has avoided making such an explicit security guarantee to Taiwan.
U.S. lawmakers visiting Taiwan on Friday made a pointed and public declaration of their support for the self-governing island democracy while also issuing a warning to China.
The Chinese leader says a "peaceful reunification," rather than one through military force, would benefit both China and Taiwan. Tensions between the two are the highest in decades.
No shots have been fired, but Taiwan says nearly 150 Chinese military aircraft have entered its air defense zone in a four-day period. The U.S. calls China's sorties "provocative military activity."
The microchips used in cars are in short supply. Taiwanese Economy Minister Wang Mei-hua tells NPR that Taiwan's cutting-edge chipmakers have ramped up production to meet auto industry demand.
"Hyping the threat that China poses to Taiwan does Beijing's work for it," write Richard Bush and Ryan Hass of Brookings and Bonnie Glaser of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The express passenger train partially derailed inside a mountain tunnel on Friday after reportedly hitting a truck that had slid from a hillside onto the track.
Palau has seen no COVID-19 cases and Taiwan has kept the virus in check. Taiwan's first tourist flight to Palau during the pandemic era landed Thursday. Travelers do not need to quarantine on arrival.
