China has fired several waves of missiles, hitting targets in the waters that encircle the island of Taiwan, after a visit from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi triggered a tense military standoff.

From the Philippines to Singapore, countries are worried the status quo could turn from tension to conflict. Southeast Asia especially feels the strain of living in the shadow of U.S.-China rivalry.

Both the U.S. and China stepped up military activity in the region ahead of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan visit. Here's what is different now from crises in the Taiwan Strait decades ago.

Pelosi's trip has heightened U.S.-China tensions more than visits by other members of Congress because of her high-level position as leader of the House of Representatives.

Local media in Taiwan reported the U.S. House speaker will arrive in Taipei on Tuesday night, becoming the highest-ranking elected U.S. official to visit in more than 25 years.

China said it was conducting military exercises off its coast after warning U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to scrap possible plans to visit Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory.

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.

The leader of the self-governing East Asian island condemned violence following the deadly attack against a Taiwanese congregation in California.

The leader of the self-governing East Asian island condemned violence following the deadly attack against a Taiwanese congregation in California.

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.

President Biden has said the U.S. is committed to defending Taiwan, but Washington has traditionally stayed strategically ambiguous. Here's why.

An independent commission was set up Friday to investigate the conditions at the run-down building in the port city of Kaohsiung that caught fire.

Neighborhood residents say the 13-story building was home to many poor, elderly and disabled people. The cause of the fire is still unclear.