Taiwan ‘determined’ to play international role, despite Chinese pressure

A German parliamentary inquiry is seeking "lessons from Afghanistan" after the two-decade mission that ended with a rapid Taliban return. Joschka Fischer said participating was crucial to Germany's place in NATO.

As the US tries to halt the slide in relations with China, Beijing’s determination to "reunify" Taiwan with the mainland is still the sticking point. Taiwan's foreign minister, Joseph Wu, talks to DW's Tim Sebastian from Taipei.

China's mass military exercises near Taiwan come at a time when NATO is holding a summit where leaders have called China as an opposing force with its "ambitions and coercive policies."

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said that Taiwan welcomed the final communiqué of the NATO summit, which criticised China's "stated ambitions and coercive policies". He stressed that NATO had "stated the truth" and that Taiwan appreciated that NATO was "paying attention" to the threat posed by Beijing in the Indo-Pacific region.

Qin Gang has not been seen at any diplomatic events for over three weeks, just months after taking on the role. His mysterious absence has underlined the secrecy of Beijing’s top-level politics.

The Chinese fleet of warplanes marked a forceful display just as Taiwan prepares to conduct an anti-invasion military exercise.

China has sacked Qin Gang as foreign minister and appointed his predecessor, Wang Yi, to the post. Qin has not been seen in public since June 25, triggering widespread speculation about his whereabouts.

Taiwan held drills at its main international airport in Taipei amid concerns over Chinese aggression towards the island. Taiwan's president said the exercises are necessary in order to protect critical infrastructure.

To prepare for a potential invasion from mainland China, Taiwan updated its annual war games with strategies used by Ukrainians against the Russian military.

The chipmaking giant has said it approved a $3.8 billion plan to build a factory in the German city of Dresden.

Taiwanese Vice President William Lai is on a brief visit to the US before heading to Paraguay. China has condemned this action, and called him a "troublemaker."

On tonight's show we bring you an exclusive interview with Niger's exiled Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massaoudou, who maintained that the situation following the July 26 coup d'état was "reversible". Massaoudou condemned the putschists' announcement on Monday that they would prosecute ousted President Mohamed Bazoum for treason, saying the junta had "no legitimacy to try anyone".