STORY: When Taiwan s new president Lai Ching-te takes office on Monday, he faces a China that calls him a dangerous separatist as well as a fractured parliament at home, where no party.
Officials from mainland China have proposed enhancing agricultural trade with Taiwan – a potential move greeted with interest by industry players – but doubts weigh heavy as overall relations move from bad to worse.
China has launched a third aircraft carrier, likely a way to upgrade overall defenses in the face of stronger navies rather than to target any specific future battleground, analysts believe.