A change to China’s export rules could give Beijing sign off on any deal that would force the internet giant ByteDance to give up TikTok.

China's tourism ministry said on Friday that it has begun preparations to resume group tours to Taiwan from Shanghai and Fujian province in the near future, with Taipei saying it welcomed the move.

Groups from Fujian and Shanghai are the first to be allowed to visit the island in a move Beijing says will help ‘strengthen exchanges’.

Taipei's top China affairs official warned that Taiwan's government "will not tolerate" Beijing's active engagement solely with opposition politicians while it refuses dialogue with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te's democratically elected administration,

Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China (ROC), is an island separated from China by the Taiwan Strait. Mainland China, officially the People’s Republic of China (PRC), is under Chinese Communist Party (CCP) rule and asserts that Taiwan is an integral part of its territory, though it has never governed the island.

Another U.S.-aligned democracy in Asia is mired in political gridlock, with Taiwan’s opposition challenging defense spending aimed at fending off China.

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday welcomed an announcement by Chinese authorities on their plan to resume group travel to Taiwan for residents of Shanghai and its Fujian Province. “The [Taiwanese] government welcomes Chinese tourists to visit Taiwan,” the MAC said in a statement.

China’s efforts to entice more Taiwanese people to get permits to live and work on the mainland is prompting concern in Taipei that Beijing could be laying the groundwork to justify intervention in the self-governing island’s affairs,

Former Lithuanian minister of foreign of affairs Gabrielius Landsbergis said it would be an “enormous mistake” if his country’s new government succumbed to Beijing’s pressure and changed the name of Taiwan’s representative office there.

Nvidia's chief executive Jensen Huang said on Friday he will not be attending U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, but will instead be "on the road" celebrating the Lunar New Year with employees and their families.

Jensen Huang is set to tour the mainland Chinese cities of Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing, before flying to Taipei later this week.

Taiwan mass-produced the Qingtian missile in late 2024 and it stands as a bold statement of the country's determination to safeguard its sovereignty.