President Biden leaves Thursday for a series of major summits with foreign leaders. And in Bali, he'll meet face-to-face with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
President Xi Jinping kicked off the twice-a-decade summit with remarks that touched on COVID, Taiwan, economic policy and more. It is widely expected his rule will be extended beyond two terms.
A strong earthquake shook much of Taiwan on Sunday, toppling a three-story building, stranding about 400 tourists on a mountainside, and knocking part of a passenger train off its tracks.
The U.S. Navy sailed two warships through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, in the first such transit publicized since U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan earlier in August.
The visit comes less than two weeks after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, which prompted days of threatening military exercises by China.
Tensions are rising rapidly as China retaliates against Nancy Pelosi's visit. The White House summoned China's ambassador to protest what it called China's "irresponsible" actions since the visit.
Japan's westernmost island lies in sight of Taiwan, less than 70 miles away. On Thursday, a Chinese missile landed near Yonaguni. Japan has been strengthening defenses across its southwest islands.
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.
