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.

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

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te showed his support for Japan on Thursday with a lunch of Japanese-sourced sushi, after China indicated it would ban all imports of the country's seafood in an escalating dispute over the Chinese-claimed island.

Japan is mounting a broad diplomatic effort to ease tensions with China after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan sparked a sharp backlash from Beijing that raised fears of a breakdown in economic ties.

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

China may conquer Taiwan through energy blockade and gray-zone tactics rather than military invasion, new defense study reveals. Beijing's strategy targets fuel imports.

Taiwan will begin distributing millions of civil defence handbooks to households across the island this week, in an unprecedented effort to prepare residents for potential emergencies, including the possibility of a Chinese attack.