Taiwan's High Court on Monday sentenced a former air force officer and instructor to 17 years in prison for "aiding the enemy" over espionage activities carried out on behalf of China.
Taiwan lashed out at China on Friday after the tiny island nation of Kiribati switched its recognition to Beijing, the second diplomatic defection in the strategically important Pacific in less than a week.
Taiwan said Monday it had detected 39 Chinese warplanes and an aircraft carrier near the island after a US destroyer and a Canadian frigate transited through the Taiwan Strait over the weekend.
Taiwan said Thursday that 43 Chinese aircraft and eight naval vessels were detected around the democratic island within a 24-hour period, movements that came as a Japanese warship cruised through the sensitive Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan told China on Monday to stop its "destructive unilateral actions" after more than 100 Chinese warplanes and nine navy ships were detected in areas around the self-ruled island.
Taiwan's defence ministry plans to seek up to a record $33 billion in special funding to upgrade the island's defences against a potential Chinese attack, a senior lawmaker told AFP.
A Taiwanese delegation of government officials and business people will visit Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Lithuania, officials said Tuesday, defying Beijing's opposition to any diplomatic ties with Taipei.
Taiwan severed ties with the Solomon Islands on Monday after learning the Pacific nation was switching diplomatic recognition to China, as Taipei accused Beijing of using "dollar diplomacy" to buy off its few remaining allies.
The crash of two Vietnam War-era jets in Taiwan that killed three sparked calls Wednesday for the US to sell the island new planes and save its pilots from "risking their lives" in old aircraft.
Schools and offices were closed in typhoon-hit parts of Taiwan on Monday as residents started clearing up after their homes were flooded by the storm which moved on to pummel southern China.
Taiwan condemned the "serious provocation" by China on Thursday after its military jets penetrated the island's air defence zone for two consecutive days this week.
Taiwan's opposition presidential candidate on Tuesday assured the United States she would not whip up tensions with China if elected but pledged to boost defense spending to counterbalance a rising Beijing.
Taiwan called Wednesday for expansion in cooperation on oil exploration and development with China amid warming ties between the two rivals.
Typhoon Chanthu weakened on Saturday as it approached Taiwan's eastern coast and was unlikely to make landfall, meteorologists said, but strong winds left more than 100 flights and ferries cancelled.
Taiwan's foreign minister Joseph Wu urged the international community Wednesday to help defend his country and region against "expansionist" Chinese moves, saying Taipei feared Beijing would resort to force.
Taiwan braced for approaching super typhoon Meranti on Tuesday, evacuating nearly 1,800 tourists from offshore islands and closing some schools and offices.
