Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Monday, 30 June 2014

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2014-06-29 | NO.18(25) epaper |
South China Sea Disputes
US, Philippines Start Naval Drills near Waters Claimed by Chinese (2014-06-27)
(AFP) The United States and the Philippines kicked off joint naval exercises in the South China Sea near waters claimed by Beijing, amid tense territorial rows between China and its neighbors. 
Diaoyutai Disputes Resurface and Japan Policy
A Step Toward a Normal Japan (2014-06-22)
(Wall Street Journal) If Mr. Abe does secure the right to collective self-defense this year, the Chinese will no doubt aim a propaganda barrage at Tokyo denouncing its alleged return to militarism. But the Chinese have only themselves to blame for validating the security fears of Japan and the rest of East Asia. 
U.S. Pivot to Asia and Sino-U.S. Engagement
TPP Vital to US' Continued Involvement in Asia: Singapore PM (2014-06-26)
(AP) The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a vital component of the United States' continued involvement in a rapidly shifting Asia, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.

The Real Rebalance of Power (2014-06-13)
(PacNet #41A, Pacific Forum, CSIS, By Mr. Pacific) Washington has more than ample resources to shape the future. The problem is that the administration’s priorities lay elsewhere and, since Asia is not on fire, US political will is otherwise engaged.

China. There, I Said It (Part II) (2014-06-25)
(PacNet #47, Pacific Forum, CSIS, By J. Randy Forbes) China is competing today with the United States. We cannot afford to abide by the axiom that if we treat Beijing like a competitor they will become one or if we are critical of their behavior it will antagonize them and upset our best laid plans.
DPP Searches for New China Stance; Cross-Strait Issues
China Sends Minister to Taiwan for First Time (2014-06-25)
(AFP) China's most senior official ever to visit Taiwan arrived on the island Wednesday to discuss setting up liaison offices, sparking angry confrontations between pro-independence protesters and riot police.

DPP and Kaohsiung Mayor Express Welcome to Zhang
 (2014-06-25)
(China Post) DPP stated that it regards “normal interaction” between Taipei and Beijing in a positive light, hinting at the upcoming visit of Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun.
Zhang Urges ‘Peaceful’ Development of Ties (2014-06-26)
(Taipei Times) China’s top Taiwan policymaker said it was important that Beijing and Taipei address issues to “consolidate the political foundation” for the continued peaceful development of relations across the Taiwan Strait.
Formal Cross-Strait Channel Founded: Zhang (2014-06-26)
(China Post) Beijing was insistent about carrying out the meeting this year, as it would solidify the systemized meetings between the heads of the two “special” offices in Taiwan and China.
No Plan to Broach Topic of Ma-Xi Meet during Zhang Visit: MAC  (2014-06-26)
(China Post) MAC Minister Wang Yu-chi said that he will not initiate a discussion on the topic of a hypothetical “Ma-Xi meeting” with Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun during Zhang's visit in Taiwan.
Zhang Receptive to Rehashing Parts of Service Pact: Wang (2014-06-27)
(Taipei Times) MAC Minister Wang Yu-chi said his visiting Chinese counterpart has “responded positively” to his proposal to reopen negotiations on certain items in the cross-strait service trade agreement signed last year on the condition that it is first put into effect.
China Respect Taiwan's Choice: Zhang (2014-06-28)
(Taipei Times) China’s top Taiwan policymaker said that Beijing respects the “social system and lifestyle” that Taiwan has “chosen” as well as the “values and ideas” Taiwanese have embraced.
Protests against Official Turn Bloody (2014-06-28)
(Taipei Times) The protests against China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun in Greater Kaohsiung turned bloody.
Zhang-Chen Visit Boosts Mutual Understanding: Tsai (2014-06-28)
(CNA) -The head of DPP said that a meeting between the mayor of Taiwan's second most populous city and China's Taiwan affairs chief is an important first step toward a more extensive mutual understanding across the Taiwan Strait.
Tsai Urges Closer Look at China's ‘Good Will’ (2014-06-29)
(CNA) China's Taiwan affairs chief was friendly during his stay in Taiwan this week, but further observation is needed to see if it leads to any change in Beijing's policy toward Taiwan, opposition DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen said.
PRC Should Support Nation on World Stage: Official (2014-06-29)
(CNA) China should take the initiative in extending an olive branch to Taiwan by reducing its military threat and supporting Taiwan’s bid to join the international community, a Taiwanese official involved in China policy issues said.
US ‘Watching’ Zhang Visit with ‘Interest’ (2014-06-27)
(Taipei Times, By William Lowther) The US is “watching with interest” as China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun visits Taiwan for the first time this week, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Daniel Russel said.
In Taiwan, Chinese Official Confronted with Voices of Democracy (2014-06-27)
(Sinosphere, By Austin Ramzy) While the official meetings have been less confrontational, with talk of increasing trade and travel across the Taiwan Strait, some local leaders have also talked up Taiwan’s democratic values, a sharp contrast with Communist-ruled China, which considers Taiwan as part of its territory.
China Shifts Focus of Cross-Strait Ties to Public: Academic (2014-06-29)
(CNA) China’s policy toward Taiwan is to focus in the future on being “closer to the people” as evidenced by the tone of this week’s visit to Taiwan by China’s TAO Minister Zhang Zhijun, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of Taiwan Studies director Zhou Zhihuai said.
President Still Hopes to Schedule Talk with Xi for APEC Summit in Beijing (2014-06-26)
(China Post) President Ma Ying-jeou during the Kuomintang's Central Standing Committee meeting reiterated that he still sees the APEC meeting this coming November as the best opportunity for a potential meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Ma Slams Service Pact Critics, DPP in Interview (2014-06-27)
(Taipei Times) Those who oppose the cross-strait service trade agreement are in the minority, President Ma Ying-jeou said in an interview with English-language magazine Forbes Asia.

Sunflowers Altered Dynamics: Schriver (2014-06-29)
(Taipei Times, By William Lowther) The Chinese president is creating a new agenda and set of activities leading to unification, a former US deputy assistant secretary of state for Asia said.
Act on Chinese Hacking: Academics, Activists (2014-06-23)
(Taipei Times) In light of recent incidents in which Chinese-language Apple Daily’s Web sites were paralyzed by massive hacker attacks earlier last week, Taiwanese academics and social activists urged the government to prioritize information security. 

Reliance on China Makes Taiwan Vulnerable: Clinton
 (2014-06-25)
(Taipei Times) Former US secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton said the government’s push for closer cross-strait ties could lead to Taiwan losing its economic and political independence and becoming vulnerable to over-reliance on China, according to an interview in the next edition of the Chinese-language magazine Business Weekly. (Audio of Business Weekly's Interview with Clinton)
Taiwan's Domestic Issues and Foreign Relations
Taipei Forum's Su Chi Denounces ‘Weak, Lazy, Ineffective’ Legislature at US Forum (2014-06-25)
(Taipei Times, By William Lowther) Su did not mince his words as he detailed what he called the legislature’s litany of flaws, saying it riled him so much as to make any fallout at home worth it.
Taiwan's Democracy in Trouble, Su Chi Says (2014-06-26)
(Taipei Times, By William Lowther) Taiwan’s democracy is still valuable, but it is in trouble, Taipei Forum chairman Su Chi told a Washington audience.

Lieutenant Governors of 3 US States Promote Trade in ROC
 (2014-06-25)
(CNA) The lieutenant governors of Indiana, Washington and Missouri are in Taiwan to advance trade ties between their states and Taiwan, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

American Chamber of Commerce Urges US to Launch into Pact Talks with Taiwan (2014-06-28)
(CNA) The American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei said that it has urged the U.S. government to start negotiations with Taiwan on a bilateral investment agreement.
Time for Taiwan to Rethink Its Diplomacy (2014-06-25)
(The Diplomat, By Joel Atkinson) China’s plan for unification is so unpalatable to the vast majority of Taiwan’s people that a break down in the diplomatic truce at some point seems quite likely. If or when it does break down, the Taiwan government of the day will be presented with a flood of defections, and there is the very strong possibility that Taiwan will be worse off than it was before.
China's Rise and Its Domestic Issues
The Illusion of Chinese Power (2014-06-25)
(National Interest, By David Shambaugh) Conventional wisdom has it that the China juggernaut is unstoppable and that the world must adjust to the reality of the Asian giant as a—perhaps the—major global power. This belief is understandable and widespread—but wrong.

China's Growing Hegemonic Bent
 (2014-06-26)
(The Diplomat, By Zachary Keck) More and more, China is engaging in the same kind of hegemonic actions it has always denounced in others.

Q & A: William C. Kirby on ‘Can China Lead?’ (2014-06-26)
(Sinosphere, By Didi Kirsten Tatlow) As China returns to a historical position of strength and centrality, the question is: Are China’s current political and economic structures models for others? Can China once again set global standards in values and education that are emulated elsewhere?
China to Set Yuan Clearing Banks in Luxembourg, Paris (2014-06-29)
(Wall Street Journal, By Laurence Norman and Lingling Wei) In its continued push to make the yuan a global currency, China's central bank said it plans to designate clearing banks for its currency in Paris and Luxembourg, as the two financial centers battle with London to become the leading European offshore yuan-trading city.
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