Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Monday 27 January 2014

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2014-01-27 | NO.18(4) epaper |
Diaoyutai Disputes Resurface and Japan Policy
Ma Speaks Out against Japanese Prime Minister's Yasukuni Visit (2014-01-20)
(CNA) The Japanese government was rubbing salt in people's wounds when its leaders visited the Yasukuni Shrine last December, President Ma Ying-jeou said on his Facebook page. 

U.S, Seeks Abe Assurance He Won't Visit War Shrine
 (2014-01-23)
(Wall Street Journal, By Yuka Hayashi) U.S. officials say they are seeking assurances from Japan that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won't repeat a visit to a war shrine that angered China and South Korea and will ask Mr. Abe to consider reaffirming Tokyo's previous formal apologies over World War II in a bid to ease tensions in East Asia.
Tokyo's Moral Backsliding (2014-01-21)
(Wall Street Journal, By Kak-Soo Shin) Amid growing strategic instability, every nation should desist from acts that could aggravate tensions in the region. Along with reinforcing its alliance with the U.S., Japan should pursue regional security architecture.

Japan's Leader Compares Strains with China to Germany and Britain in 1914 (2014-01-24)
(New York Times, By Jane Perlez) Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan has escalated the war of words, telling an audience at the Davos conference in Switzerland that the increasing tensions between China and Japan were similar to the competition between Germany and Britain before World War I.
Abe Urges China Talks amid Bilateral Spat (2014-01-26)
(AFP) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that Japan and China are “inseparable” and urged Beijing to come to the table for “vital” summit talks.
The Dangerous China-Japan Face-Off (2014-01-21)
(Wall Street Journal, By Andrew Browne) Spurring the economic ambitions of both Mr. Xi and Mr. Abe is a nationalism that's rooted in their brutally contested recent past. What happens next? The future will be shaped in part by the success or otherwise of economic reform in both countries.
China Warns Foreign Planes Entering Its Air Defense Zone (2014-01-25)
(AP) China said it has begun issuing warnings to foreign military planes entering its self-declared air defense zone over the East China Sea.

Taiwan and Japan Strike Compromise in Fisheries Talks (2014-01-26)
(Taipei Times) Taiwan and Japan struck a compromise in talks in Taipei about allowing fishing boats from both sides to operate in overlapping waters in the East China Sea.
South China Sea Disputes
China to Start Regular Patrols from Island in South China Sea (2014-01-21)
(Reuters) China will base a 5,000-tonne civilian patrol ship on one of the main islands it controls in the disputed South China Sea and begin regular patrols, an official newspaper said.

Hainan Revises Fishing Regulations in South China Sea: New Language, Old Ambiguities (2014-01-24)
(China Brief 14(2), Jamestown Foundation, By Isaac Kardon) Analysis of the text of the new banfa in comparison to previous iterations of the provincial rules and the national fisheries law it implements reveals that these measures do not expand China’s claims to maritime jurisdiction, nor do they impose new restrictions on foreign fishing vessels.
Mixed Messaging Surrounds Latest South China Sea Moves (2014-01-24)
(China Brief 14(2), Jamestown Foundation, By David Cohen) It seems that China is trying to establish legal frameworks to be called upon later, either in justifying novel actions and practices, to defend the legitimacy of its actions in an unplanned incident, and to consolidate the changes in the status quo that have taken place over the past few years.

U.S. Pivot to Asia and Sino-U.S. Engagement
Roiling the Waters (2014-01-21)
(Foreign Policy, By Elbridge Colby and Ely Ratner) While preventing inadvertent war in Asia is obviously a worthy goal, it is just as important to discourage China from believing that it can employ economic, military, and diplomatic coercion to settle international disagreements without triggering a serious response.

Is US Pacific "Dominance" Up fro Grabs?
 (2014-01-22)
(The Diplomat, By Harry Kazianis) Admiral Locklear rightly raised alarm bells over America’s traditional regional dominance.

Understanding Security Competition in Asia (2014-01-24)
(The Diplomat, By Thomas Wright) The strategic challenge that the U.S., China, Japan, and others have is how to maintain or even increase the positive type of interdependence while reducing the negative type.

DPP Searches for New China Stance
‘Tsai's Delegation’ Visiting Beijing (2014-01-20)
(Taipei Times) The office of former DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen confirmed that it had sent a delegation to Beijing for an academic exchange on economic issues.

No Place for Egos in Cross-Strait Ties: Tsai  (2014-01-21)
(Taipei Times) Tsai said exchanges across the Taiwan Strait should not be dominated by specific political parties and individuals.
Poll Shows Strong Support for Frank Hsieh Initiative (2014-01-23)
(Taipei Times) An opinion poll released yesterday showed that former premier Frank Hsieh’s initiative of “two constitutions, different interpretations” has stronger support than the so-called “1992 consensus” advocated by the Chinese Nationalist Party and Beijing.
Relations between China and Taiwan Important but Complicated: DPP Chiar (2014-01-26)
(CNA) The relationship between Taiwan and China is important, complicated and sensitive, said Su, who is on a week-long long visit to Europe with the aim of establishing contact between his party and European countries.
No Independent Clause Revision: Su (2014-01-26)
(Taipei Times) The DPP will not revise the “Taiwan independence clause” in its party charter, DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang said while reiterating that Taiwan’s democracy will remain a beacon of hope for the people of Hong Kong and China.

PLA and Military Balance
China's Building Second Aircraft Carrier (2014-01-20)
(The Diplomat, By Zachary Keck) China has begun building its second aircraft carrier and will eventually build four of them, a provincial Party leader said, according to local media.

Military to be Cut to Under 200,000 (2014-01-22)
(Taipei Times) The government is planning to reduce the size of the nation’s military to below 200,000 members by the end of 2019 as part of efforts to streamline it, Minister of National Defense Yen Ming said.
Taiwan's Domestic Issues and Foreign Relations
President Urges Canada to Help Taiwan Join TPP (2014-01-21)
(China Post) President Ma Ying-jeou said that the government hopes to sign a foreign investment promotion and protection agreement as well as an avoidance of double taxation agreement with Canada.

Diplomats to Return in Feb. for TPP Preparation (2014-01-23)
(China Post) The Executive Yuan said in order to boost Taiwan's TPP and RCEP bids, the government plans to ask diplomats who are stationed in TPP or RCEP member-countries to participate a four-day training in Taiwan next month.
President Begin Tours to African Allies, Hondurus (2014-01-24)
(China Post) President Ma Ying-jeou departed Taiwan to begin his eight-day diplomatic tour that will take him to African allies Burkina Faso and Sao Tome and Principe, as well as to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Honduran president-elect.
German Officials Meet President during Stop (2014-01-25)
(China Post) President Ma Ying-jeou arrived in Frankfurt, Germany early Friday for a refueling stop on a visit that will take him to the nation's two allies in Africa and to attend the inauguration ceremony of Honduras' new president.
Truck Crashes into Presidential Office (2014-01-26)
(Taipei Times) A driver rammed a large truck into the main gate of the Presidential Office yesterday morning, in what police have initially determined was an intentional act.
Taiwan Mood Barometer Survey, First Half of January 2014 (2014-01-14)
(TISR) According to the latest Taiwan Mood Barometer Survey (in Chinese), President Ma Ying-jeou's approval and disapproval numbers moved in opposite directions over the first 10 days of January. The president's approval rating dropped 0.9 percentage point bringing it to 13.1 percent. Meanwhile, his disapproval rating increased by 0.4 percentage point to 76.6 percent.
China's Rise and Its Domestic Issues
China Reveals Members of New Leading Group on Reform (2014-01-24)
(The Diplomat, By Zachary Keck) The fact that the meeting was so widely publicized, and many of its members were identified in Chinese-language media reports, is somewhat unusual and suggests that the Party intends for the leading group to play a prominent role in China’s economic rebalance.

China's President Takes Bigger Security Role (2014-01-24)
(Wall Street Journal, By Jeremy Page) China announced that President Xi Jinping will head a new National Security Commission that analysts say will tighten his control of the military, domestic security and foreign policy, and attempt to enhance coordination over sometimes competing bureaucracies.

China's Unprecedented Political Reforms (2014-01-19)
(The Diplomat, By Elizabeth C. Economy) President Xi’s brand of political reform may represent Eric Li’s personal China dream but he should allow that for millions of other Chinese, political reform has little to do with more power to the Party and everything to do with more power to the people.

Yuan Continues Its Rise As a Global Payment Currency  (2014-01-23)
(Wall Street Journal, By Erin McCarthy) The yuan, officially known as the renminbi, was the eighth most-used currency for global payments in December, after breaking into the top 10 the previous month.
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