Japan will suffer a "crushing defeat" by the Chinese military if it tries to use force to intervene over Taiwan, China's defence ministry said on Friday, ramping up the rhetoric over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks about the island.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi isn't shying away from the hot button issue of Taiwan that her predecessors tread lightly on, citing a condition for Japan to provide support in exercising its right of collective self-defense.

Navy personnel waded through waist-deep floodwaters to help evacuate resident from Suao Township in Yilan County as Tropical Storm Fung-Wong brought heavy rain and flooding to Taiwan on Wednesday.Footage shared by the Taiwan Military News Agency shows service members dragging a dinghy through submerged streets to reach stranded locals.

As anxiety over Donald Trump’s commitment to protecting Taiwan from Chinese military aggression lingers in Taipei, the island’s officials are fanning out across Europe to shore up friendships.

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence reported detecting 8 Chinese military aircraft and 3 naval vessels around the island on Tuesday. One aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, entering Taiwan's northern ADIZ.