China is the real regional "troublemaker", a senior Taiwanese security official said on Friday, personally giving out copies of a new civil defence handbook the government is sending to every household on the island as China tensions rise.

That role also means a war over Taiwan could be "cataclysmic," the report warned, potentially "wiping out as much as 10 percent of global GDP"—an unprecedented economic hit in modern times. The authors said the ramifications of such a scenario could be "on par with the 2008 Global Financial Crisis."

PANAMA CITY -- A planned trip by some Panamanian lawmakers to Taiwan has unleashed the latest diplomatic spat with China as the Central American country tries to navigate the turbulent waters between the Asian superpower and the United States.

TAIPEI (Reuters) -China is rehearsing for a potential invasion of Taiwan using a shadow navy of civilian cargo ships and ferries, according to a Reuters investigation that tracked vessel movements and analyzed satellite imagery of military exercises conducted this summer.

Taiwan's president should take part in "rehearsals" focused on potential enemy movements in order to make more informed decisions during wartime, retired Ukrainian Air Force Colonel Andrii Ordynovych said in an interview with the Central News Agency, which is partially funded by Taiwan's government.

Beijing’s strategy, known as “the pen and the gun,” employs a domestic media campaign and aggressive rhetoric toward Taipei’s friends.

Tension between Japan and China has escalated over the new Japanese leader's suggestion Tokyo could intervene militarily if Beijing attacks Taiwan.