Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Weekly Report from Taiwan Security Research (Aug. 1, 2010)

For full text, click on the title or visit the TSR web page at taiwansecurity.org

Sino-U.S. South China Sea Squabble

China: US Comments on S China Sea Are An ‘Attack’
(AP, Jul. 25, 2010) The Chinese foreign ministry accused U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of an "attack" on China for her recent comments that competing claims over South China Sea island chains should be resolved without coercion or threat.
China Warns U.S. to Stay Out of Islands Dispute By Andrew Jacobs
(New York Times, Jul. 27, 2010) The Chinese government reacted angrily to an announcement by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton that Washington might step into a long-simmering territorial dispute between China and its smaller neighbors in the South China Sea.
U.S. Takes a Tougher Tone with China By John Pomfret(Washington Post, Jul. 30, 2010) The Obama administration has adopted a tougher tone with China in recent weeks as part of a diplomatic balancing act in which the United States welcomes China's rise in some areas but also confronts Beijing when it butts up against American interests.
Beijing Claims ‘Indisputable Sovereignty’ Over South China Sea By John Pomfret (Washington Post, Jul. 31, 2010) The Chinese military declared that China had "indisputable sovereignty" over the South China Sea but insisted it would continue to allow others to freely navigate one of the busiest waterways in the world.

ECFA and Cross-Strait Issues

DPP to Look at ECFA from New Angle, but Keep Fighting
(China Post, Jul. 28, 2010) Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen of DPP said she is now looking at the trade pact reached between Taiwan and China from a different perspective. But she denied that she has given up a fight against the agreement.
China Wouldn’t Scuttle Trade Pacts: Academic
(Taipei Times, Jul. 29, 2010) Charles Freeman, an academic at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said that authorities at “the highest levels within China” had assured him that Taiwan would be free to enter into whatever free-trade agreements it wanted. Beijing Adopting Two-pronged Policy toward Taiwan: MAC
(CNA, Jul. 26, 2010) Mainland Affairs Council said that China is still applying a two-pronged policy toward Taiwan by claiming to expand cross-strait exchanges while trying to isolate Taiwan internationally.

U.S.-China Engagement

U.S. Hopes to Revive Stalled Military Ties with China
(Reuters, Jul. 28, 2010) The lack of sustained military ties between the United States and China is a key challenge for the two countries at a time of tensions in Asia, James Steinberg said.

China Missile-Removal Offer, Military Balance and Arms Sales

China Missile-Removal Offer Goes Unanswered
(China Post, Jul. 31, 2010) Taipei's China policymakers declined to comment on Beijing's latest overture hinting at the possibility of removing missiles targeting Taiwan.
Taiwan Rejected Beijing Plan for Missile Talks
(DPA, Aug. 1, 2010) Taiwan has rejected China's call to hold talks on China removing missiles facing Taiwan, but asked China to remove the missiles on its own initiative instead.
In War We Trust By Jens Kastner(Asia Times, Jul. 30, 2010) All recent signs show that closer economic ties and improvements in the Taiwan government's relations with Beijing are of little help in reducing military hostility across the strait.
Experts See No Big U.S. Arms Sales to Taiwan in 2010 By Ralph Jennings (Reuters, Jul. 29, 2010) U.S. officials will defer any major new arms sales to Taiwan until at least 2011 as Beijing steps up pressure on Washington, where mending Sino-U.S. ties is a priority, defense analysts say. Boeing to Build Missiles for Taiwan: US DoD
(CNA, Jul. 31, 2010) The Defense Department approved in 2008 Taiwan's request for the missiles which are reportedly to be used to arm Taiwan's two submarines.

  

Taiwan's Domestic Issues and Foreign Relations

Survey on Signed Cross-Strait Economic Cooperation Agreement, People’s Views on Unification-Independence Issue and President Ma Ying-jeou’s Approval Rating (GVSRC, Jul. 28, 2010) 47.1% of people were supportive of ECFA;  51.2% preferred to maintain status quo on the unification-independence issue; and 32.3% were content with President Ma’s performance.
Israel Would Object to Closer Taiwan-Iran Ties
(CNA, Jul. 26, 2010) Israel has no objection to Taiwan fostering a better relationship with the Arab world but will frown on closer Taiwan-Iran ties, the top Israeli envoy to Taiwan said.
US, Taiwan Still Far from Resolving Beef Row: MOEA
(CNA, Jul. 30, 2010) The Ministry of Economic Affairs said that big differences still remain in the dispute between Taiwan and the United States over U.S. beef imports, but both sides are in discussions on the issue at a technical level.

China's Rise and Domestic Issues

China Invest Heavily in Brazil, Elsewhere in Pursuit of Political Heft By John Pomfret (Washington Post, Jul. 26, 2010) The investments in Brazil reflect China's "going out" strategy, which seeks to guarantee natural resources for development purposes and to shield the country's state-owned enterprises from slower growth at home.
China Setting Milestones As Economy Passes Japan’s By Joe McDonald (AP, Jul. 31, 2010) China is set to overtake Japan as the world's second-largest economy in a resurgence that is changing everything from the global balance of military and financial power to how cars are designed.

Regional Issues and Japan Policy

South Korea and U.S. Send Message to North Korea with Drills in Sea of Japan (Washington Post, Jul. 26, 2010) The United States and South Korea on Sunday began a massive joint military exercise designed to show off power and solidarity in a region divided by tensions.
U.S.-South Korea War Games Raise China’s Hackles By Barbara Demick and John M. Glionna (LA Times, Jul. 28, 2010) China views the military exercises in the Sea of Japan as a threat to its territorial integrity. Beijing's indignation appears calibrated to push back at U.S. dominance in the region.
India Digs Under Top of the World to Match Rival By Lydia Polgreen(New York Times, Aug. 1, 2010) India is racing to match China for regional and global power, building and bolstering airstrips and army outposts, shoring up neglected roads and building a tunnel to bypass the deadly Rohtang Pass. Japan Panel Moots Major Defense Policy Shift
(AFP, Jul. 26, 2010) A government panel will recommend that Japan relax longstanding defense guidelines to prepare for "contingencies" in the Korean Peninsula and Taiwan Strait, reports said.

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