Taiwan and Japan work on trade pact akin to UK deal
Talks reported by Nikkei Asia aim at a broad framework drawn up to limit political sensitivity as Beijing presses Taipei over its trade diplomacy.
Taiwan and Japan are working on a broad economic cooperation pact, according to sources with direct knowledge of the talks cited by Nikkei Asia, a framework that could give Taipei a firm trade foothold in Asia and break a logjam in Taiwanese trade diplomacy.
The report, published on Monday, described the potential agreement as a strategic anchor between the two Asian technology economies. It said the arrangement would be similar in shape to the pact Taiwan reached with Britain, which it called the Taipei-London pact.
Nikkei Asia said the framework is being designed to "minimize political sensitivity" at a time of pressure from China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory and objects to other governments treating Taipei as a state. Japan does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
The sources were not named. The report did not say what the pact would cover, when the talks began or whether a signing date has been set, and it described the work as a broad framework rather than a concluded agreement. Neither government has announced the negotiations publicly.
For President Lai Ching-te, completing an economic cooperation pact with Japan would be a hard-won victory, according to the report, which said his administration has struggled to gain traction on trade agreements. Lai attended the Computex trade show in Taipei in June.
The report gave no timetable for the talks and did not say which agencies on either side are handling them.
Pakistan bars Taiwan carriers from its airspace under One-China policy
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Bloomberg that only mainland Chinese airlines are permitted to fly over Pakistan, as Taiwanese carriers re-route Europe-Asia flights.
China's robot makers shift spending from hardware to AI brains
Embodied AI startups in China raised 93.5 billion yuan in the first half of 2026, five times the year-earlier total, as the contest with US developers moves to software.
Sydney starts armed police patrols after Bondi Beach attack
New South Wales says the 250-officer Armed Response Command will guard events, tourist areas and places of worship with rifles, an Australian first.
China's Communist Party to monitor members' online activity for graft
A document adopted at a Central Committee plenum pledges digital discipline inspection and a crackdown on corruption linked to virtual currency and blockchain.
China's Communist Party expels record 33 members at plenum
The fifth plenum of the 20th Central Committee left more than a quarter of its seats empty as Xi Jinping defended the discipline campaign.
Binance resumes withdrawals as FBI blames North Korea for $6.3bn hack
The exchange says it has replaced 90 percent of the stolen tokens and that customers will not carry the loss from the largest crypto theft on record.
Marvell to buy Lumentum for $115bn in AI data-centre bet
Reuters gave the figure without terms or a closing date, as an LG CNS facility opened in Jakarta and Bank of America warned on the AI boom.
Government Proposes 10% LPG Quota for Gilgit-Baltistan, Remote Areas
Producers would sell a tenth of their output to state marketing companies at producer prices, with the other 90% going to OGRA-prequalified bottlers at monthly auctions.