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Taiwan Security Chief: China Deployed 'Over 100 Vessels' in Regional Waters

People walk past the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas at Lotus Pond in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, May 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang
People walk past the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas at Lotus Pond in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, May 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang
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Taiwan Security Chief: China Deployed 'Over 100 Vessels' in Regional Waters

People walk past the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas at Lotus Pond in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, May 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang
People walk past the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas at Lotus Pond in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, May 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang

Taiwan's security chief said Saturday that China has deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in regional waters stretching from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and Western Pacific.

The deployment happened in the past few days after US President Donald Trump's meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing, National Security Council chief Joseph Wu said on X.

"In this part of the world,#China is the one & only PROBLEM wrecking the #StatusQuo & threatening regional peace & stability," Wu said in the post.

China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to seize it.

Wu's remarks came after Trump on Wednesday referred to "the Taiwan problem" when asked if he would speak to Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te about arms sales to the democratic island.

"I'll speak to him. I speak to everybody," Trump said, adding that he had a great meeting with Xi during his state visit.

"We'll work on that, the Taiwan problem," Trump said.

A Taiwan security official told AFP on the condition of anonymity that Chinese vessels had been detected before the summit in Beijing, but that the numbers went above 100 in recent days.

Meanwhile, a source said US arms sales to Taiwan take years to process and are unrelated to the war with Iran, after a senior US official suggested there was a pause due to the need to have enough arms for the conflict.

Taiwan has been waiting for the US to approve an arms sale that Reuters reported could be worth up to $14 billion.

On Thursday, ⁠acting US Navy ⁠Secretary Hung Cao told a Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing that there was a pause on arms sales to Taiwan to make sure the US had the munitions needed for the Operation Epic Fury attack on Iran.

The source familiar with the matter noted that Trump has said he would decide on the Taiwan arms sales soon.

"These sales take years to process and are unrelated to Operation Epic Fury," the source ⁠said, referring to the war the US and Israel launched in February. "The United States military has more than enough munitions, ammo, and stockpiles to serve all of President Trump's strategic goals and beyond."

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World

Iran Urges US to Accept Proposal to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, October 2, 2026. (Reuters)
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, October 2, 2026. (Reuters)
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Iran Urges US to Accept Proposal to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, October 2, 2026. (Reuters)
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, October 2, 2026. (Reuters)

Iran's ‌offer to the United States to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days is still on the table, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Iranian media outlets on Sunday. 

Iran presented its proposal in mid-September after an interim ceasefire collapsed. Tehran later acknowledged receiving a US response, but Iran’s security chief said last week negotiations have stalled because Washington failed to address all seven conditions for ‌reopening the strait. 

"Our ‌situation is clear and based ‌on ⁠the seven-days proposal presented ⁠to the US. They shared comments which we are reviewing, but our proposal is still on the table and if there is any honesty on the US part, which there isn't, the way to reopening the Strait of Hormuz ⁠is obvious," Araghchi said while in Baghdad ‌for a meeting ‌of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. 

Iran's conditions include, among other ‌demands, the lifting of the US blockade on ‌its ports, the lifting of US sanctions on its oil exports as well as ending hostilities on all regional fronts. 

If Washington accepts Tehran's conditions, the strait ‌could reopen within six days, with talks resuming the following day, Araghchi said. 

A central ⁠point ⁠of disagreement has been Washington’s insistence on addressing Iran's nuclear program from the outset. 

US Vice President JD Vance said earlier this month that Iran must make a "meaningful" reduction in its uranium enrichment capacity to satisfy US demands and end the countries' eight-month war. 

Tehran says negotiations should initially focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which before the war carried about a fifth of the global trade in oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG), and restoring security in the waterway. 

World

Congo Confirms Ebola Outbreak Spreads to Eighth Province

Health workers and humanitarian responders on the front lines of the Ebola response gather to receive a vaccination due to their potential exposure to the virus as part of their work with suspected cases, including contacts, as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain, in the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, October 16, 2026. (Reuters)
Health workers and humanitarian responders on the front lines of the Ebola response gather to receive a vaccination due to their potential exposure to the virus as part of their work with suspected cases, including contacts, as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain, in the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, October 16, 2026. (Reuters)
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Congo Confirms Ebola Outbreak Spreads to Eighth Province

Health workers and humanitarian responders on the front lines of the Ebola response gather to receive a vaccination due to their potential exposure to the virus as part of their work with suspected cases, including contacts, as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain, in the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, October 16, 2026. (Reuters)
Health workers and humanitarian responders on the front lines of the Ebola response gather to receive a vaccination due to their potential exposure to the virus as part of their work with suspected cases, including contacts, as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain, in the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, October 16, 2026. (Reuters)

The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo has spread to an eighth province, North Ubangi, Congo's public health institute said on Sunday, confirming earlier Reuters reporting. 

The emergence of cases in the province, which borders Central African Republic, poses a new challenge for health authorities struggling ‌to contain ‌the outbreak. 

The National Institute ‌for ⁠Biomedical Research confirmed ⁠two cases - including one death - in North Ubangi. 

Reuters reported on Thursday that two cases were confirmed in the province, citing two health officials. At the time, there was no ⁠official statement by Congolese ‌authorities. 

North Ubangi ‌becomes the eighth province affected by the outbreak, ‌alongside North Kivu, Ituri, Haut-Uele, ‌Tshopo, Sud-Kivu, Bas-Uele and South Ubangi. 

The outbreak, the worst Ebola epidemic in Congo's history, has already spread beyond the country's ‌borders, with cases recorded in Uganda and seven infections confirmed ⁠in ⁠Kenya this month. 

Congo's latest situation report showed 67 new confirmed cases and 26 new deaths in the 24 hours to Oct.16, bringing the cumulative total to 9,415 cases and 4,536 deaths since the outbreak began. 

The outbreak remains concentrated in eastern Congo, with Ituri province reporting 44 of the 67 new cases. 

World

Iran’s New Defense Minister Threatens ‘Enormous Damage’ if US Attacks

Demonstrators wave Iranian flags during a pro-government gathering at a square in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP)
Demonstrators wave Iranian flags during a pro-government gathering at a square in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP)
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Iran’s New Defense Minister Threatens ‘Enormous Damage’ if US Attacks

Demonstrators wave Iranian flags during a pro-government gathering at a square in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP)
Demonstrators wave Iranian flags during a pro-government gathering at a square in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP)

Newly appointed Iranian defense minister Mehrdad Akhlaghi threatened on Sunday to inflict "enormous damage" on the United States and its allies in the Middle East if Washington resumes its military campaign against the country. 

"People can rest assured that they will most likely not dare to attack us," Akhlaghi told reporters shortly after securing parliament's vote of confidence. "If they (the US) do, they themselves and the region will suffer enormous damage." 

Iranian lawmakers had earlier approved Akhlaghi's appointment as the country's new defense minister, after his predecessor was killed on the first day of the war with the United States. 

"Members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (parliament) today gave a vote of confidence to Mehrdad Akhlaghi, the nominee for minister of defense and armed forces logistics," state television reported, nearly eight months after the initial US-Israeli strikes that sparked the conflict. 

According to the government website, Akhlaghi "was elected to the post with 237 votes in favor", out of a total of 277 votes cast. 

The veteran defense official replaces Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed in a US-Israeli attack on a leadership compound on February 28, alongside former supreme leader Ali Khamenei and senior military commanders. 

"If I receive parliament's vote of confidence, responsibility for the Ministry of Defense will fall to me at a sensitive juncture," Akhlaghi said before the vote, according to the ISNA news agency. 

"Under such circumstances, defending the country requires an accurate understanding of the environment, an understanding of the logic behind developments, the identification of influential trends, and preparedness to face different possible futures," he added. 

Although he does not hold a military rank, Akhlaghi has worked in the defense ministry for 42 years and has headed the Iranian Defense Industries Organization, the state's weapons manufacturer, since 2013. 

The United Nations sanctioned Akhlaghi in 2007 over his alleged involvement in nuclear or ballistic missile activities.