Joyu Wang
@joyuwang.bsky.social
480 followers 58 following 62 posts
Reporter @wsj.com, covering Taiwan and beyond https://www.wsj.com/news/author/joyu-wang
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joyuwang.bsky.social
🧵1/ It’s that time of year. As 2024 wraps up, let’s take a look back at some of Taiwan’s biggest moments covered by @wsj.com—plus a few highlighted features I was proud to deliver myself.
joyuwang.bsky.social
"This could be the Achilles’ heel of Taiwan." A Chinese blockade would quickly deplete resources on an island that depends on imported fuel. Here's a graphical look at why––and how: www.wsj.com/world/asia/c...
joyuwang.bsky.social
In years past, Taiwan’s annual Han Kuang exercises have been generally out of sight for the average resident. This year, the drills feel like something else entirely: They are twice as long, larger than ever in scale and far more visible in everyday life.

Read more: www.wsj.com/world/asia/t...
Taiwan’s Annual Military Drill Moves Out of the Shadows—and Into Everyday Life
Missile launchers on streets and tanks near a Costco aimed to bring home the threat of Chinese invasion, as exercises spilled into public areas on an unprecedented scale.
www.wsj.com
joyuwang.bsky.social
#Latest: Taiwan is demonstrating its fortitude against the Chinese threat with an annual defense exercise that is twice as long and far bigger than in the past. That includes: a record number of reservists, new weapons systems, and urban warfare scenarios.

Read more: www.wsj.com/world/asia/t...
Taiwan Resists China With Military Displays and History Lessons
Amped-up drills and new U.S. tanks have added bite to President Lai Ching-te’s Taiwan-is-a-country lecture tour.
www.wsj.com
joyuwang.bsky.social
🇹🇼 #HanKuang41: Taiwan’s annual military exercises have officially kicked off. Here at a middle school campus, more than a hundred reservists are getting a refresher, brushing up on their weapon skills, map reading and close-quarters battle.
joyuwang.bsky.social
#LATEST: Taiwan is accelerating efforts to develop a high-tech fleet of naval drones that military planners see as a potential game-changer in the island’s ability to fend off a possible Chinese invasion.

Read more on Taiwan's sea drone ambitions: www.wsj.com/world/asia/t...
Reposted by Joyu Wang
austinramzy.bsky.social
Taiwan has embarked on a mission to purge any allies of Beijing from its civil service—vetting hundreds of thousands of workers and threatening to revoke the citizenship of those found to be Chinese citizens

By @joyuwang.bsky.social

www.wsj.com/world/asia/t...
Taiwan Tries to Purge Its Ranks of China Sympathizers
The government is stepping up scrutiny of members of the civil service and military for signs of misplaced allegiances.
www.wsj.com
Reposted by Joyu Wang
austinramzy.bsky.social
Taiwan will commission its first-ever army drone units and introduce sea drones to its naval forces, part of efforts to modernize its arsenal to prepare for a potential Chinese invasion, Defense Minister Wellington Koo said in an interview.

By @joyuwang.bsky.social

www.wsj.com/world/asia/t...
Taiwan’s Military Plans New Drone Units in Preparation for Potential China Invasion
Taiwan is racing to overhaul its military in preparation for what it sees as a potential invasion by China as soon as 2027.
www.wsj.com
joyuwang.bsky.social
Also from Koo, Taiwan's defense minister: Support from Japan and the Philippines is crucial to deterring China, along with help from the U.S. “Such collective deterrence will force China to consider the military difficulty...when invading Taiwan.”

wsj.com/world/asia/t...

(📸 by me)
joyuwang.bsky.social
The move to add drone units is the newest in Taiwan's shift to asymmetric warfare. “When it comes to firepower, we just can’t compete with China...So we have to figure out how to strike in the most effective way possible,” said Cathy Fang of DSET, a Taiwanese think tank www.wsj.com/world/asia/t...
Taiwan’s Military Plans New Drone Units in Preparation for Potential China Invasion
Taiwan is racing to overhaul its military in preparation for what it sees as a potential invasion by China as soon as 2027.
wsj.com
joyuwang.bsky.social
NEW: Taiwan will commission its first-ever army drone units this year and introduce sea drones to its naval forces, part of its efforts to modernize its arsenal to prepare for a potential Chinese invasion, Defense Minister Wellington Koo said in an interview.

www.wsj.com/world/asia/t...
Taiwan’s Military Plans New Drone Units in Preparation for Potential China Invasion
Taiwan is racing to overhaul its military in preparation for what it sees as a potential invasion by China as soon as 2027.
www.wsj.com
Reposted by Joyu Wang
austinramzy.bsky.social
Taiwan is racing to build up new, asymmetric defenses aimed at making China’s much more powerful military think twice before attacking. Failing that, it aims to inflict enough pain to slow China while it seeks help from Washington.

By @joyuwang.bsky.social

www.wsj.com/world/asia/t...
Taiwan’s New Strategy: Make China Fear the Pain of an Invasion
Taiwan’s so-called porcupine strategy aims to deter a Chinese invasion—or at least stall it until U.S. support arrives.
www.wsj.com
joyuwang.bsky.social
Taiwan wants to scrap a longtime focus on equipping the island for a conventional war. Instead, it is racing to build up new, asymmetric defenses aimed at deterring China. Our latest deep dive into the Taiwanese efforts––and the hurdles: www.wsj.com/world/asia/t...
Taiwan’s New Strategy: Make China Fear the Pain of an Invasion
Taiwan’s so-called porcupine strategy aims to deter a Chinese invasion—or at least stall it until U.S. support arrives.
www.wsj.com
joyuwang.bsky.social
The atmosphere around U.S.-Taiwan relations has improved markedly in recent weeks, a senior Taiwanese official said this week. “There is no reason for complacency,” he added, but “there’s a good environment that makes it easier for future cooperation.” www.wsj.com/world/asia/t...
Taiwan Dares to Hope Trump Will Back It Against Beijing
The White House’s push to confront Beijing reassured officials in Taipei, who watched President Trump’s shift on Ukraine with alarm.
www.wsj.com
joyuwang.bsky.social
Latest: After weeks in which Trump’s pullback of support for Ukraine awakened fears of U.S. abandonment of Taiwan, officials in Taipei are increasingly confident that they have Trump’s backing as Beijing steps up its efforts to subdue the island. www.wsj.com/world/asia/t...
Taiwan Dares to Hope Trump Will Back It Against Beijing
The White House’s push to confront Beijing reassured officials in Taipei, who watched President Trump’s shift on Ukraine with alarm.
www.wsj.com
Reposted by Joyu Wang
austinramzy.bsky.social
China is still developing its capacity to invade Taiwan, but analysts say it is now able to carry out a blockade or quarantine. @joyuwang.bsky.social and I take a look at how that might unfold

Gift link: www.wsj.com/world/china/...
China Is Ready to Blockade Taiwan. Here’s How.
China’s military, in increasingly complex exercises, have encircled Taiwan and simulated blockades.
www.wsj.com
joyuwang.bsky.social
Taiwan, the U.S. and other allies carried out over 500 visits last year involving areas such as defense policy, arms sales, intelligence and defense research and development, according to an unpublished report by the Defense Ministry to be sent to Taiwan’s legislature.
www.wsj.com/world/asia/t...
Taiwan’s Military Says It Needs the U.S. to Deter China
The island’s latest security blueprint sends message that Taipei depends on a stable partnership at time of uncertainty about the U.S. president’s stance.
www.wsj.com
joyuwang.bsky.social
U.S. training and cooperation with Taiwan’s forces, for many years kept under wraps to avoid antagonizing Beijing, has evolved from open secret to no secret at all. Recent examples include a two-year pact to train Taiwanese naval forces in Kaohsiung. www.wsj.com/world/asia/t...
Taiwan’s Military Says It Needs the U.S. to Deter China
The island’s latest security blueprint sends message that Taipei depends on a stable partnership at time of uncertainty about the U.S. president’s stance.
www.wsj.com
joyuwang.bsky.social
The 2025 Quadrennial Defense Review was the first in which the defense ministry devoted an entire section to Taiwan’s relationship with the U.S. military. In the last edition in 2021, U.S. exchanges were mentioned for the first time, with only a single bullet point. www.wsj.com/world/asia/t...
Taiwan’s Military Says It Needs the U.S. to Deter China
The island’s latest security blueprint sends message that Taipei depends on a stable partnership at time of uncertainty about the U.S. president’s stance.
www.wsj.com
joyuwang.bsky.social
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, in a security road map released Tuesday, emphasized the usefulness of U.S. support. "The U.S. is a crucial strategic partner, working closely with us on military cooperation and helping to boost our self-defense capabilities." www.wsj.com/world/asia/t...
Taiwan’s Military Says It Needs the U.S. to Deter China
The island’s latest security blueprint sends message that Taipei depends on a stable partnership at time of uncertainty about the U.S. president’s stance.
www.wsj.com
joyuwang.bsky.social
The measures are the result of a monthslong review of what the government needs to do to close the legal gaps when dealing with hybrid warfare from China, said a senior security official.

“Even the best weapons won’t help if you’ve lost the support of your own people.”

www.wsj.com/world/asia/t...
Taiwan Cracks Down on Chinese ‘Gray Zone’ Espionage
Taiwan’s president described Beijing as a ‘foreign adversary’ that is exploiting democracy to sow division, create unrest and destabilize the island.
www.wsj.com
joyuwang.bsky.social
Taiwan plans to step up efforts to combat Chinese espionage and influence, including by reinstating military courts to handle spy cases and scrutinizing the activities of Chinese citizens www.wsj.com/world/asia/t...
Taiwan Cracks Down on Chinese ‘Gray Zone’ Espionage
Taiwan’s president described Beijing as a ‘foreign adversary’ that is exploiting democracy to sow division, create unrest and destabilize the island.
www.wsj.com
Reposted by Joyu Wang
austinramzy.bsky.social
Taiwan detained a cargo ship and its eight Chinese crew after an undersea fiber-optic cable was severed, in a stepped-up effort to police such incidents, which are often seen as part of China’s pressure campaign targeting the self-ruled island.

By @joyuwang.bsky.social

www.wsj.com/world/asia/t...
Taiwan Detains Ship and Chinese Crew After Undersea Cable Severed
The island’s coast guard said the incident is a national-security matter and possible case of Chinese sabotage.
www.wsj.com
joyuwang.bsky.social
A “democratic supply chain” starring Taiwanese drone makers is an inevitability, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun told @wsj.com. But examples of China punishing companies for their ties to Taiwan have made U.S. businesses cautious.

Our latest: on.wsj.com/40EOsaX with Heather Somervill

(📸 by me)
joyuwang.bsky.social
Earlier, a statement from Taiwan's McDonald's: www.mcdonalds.com/tw/zh-tw/new...