Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Monday, 28 July 2014

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2014-07-27 | NO.18(29) epaper |
South China Sea Disputes and Other Regional Issues
Chinese Challenge: Australia's Japan Choice (2014-07-17)
(YaleGlobal, By Evelyn Goh) Most Asian nations do not see any option other than a closely entwined future with China and criticize Beijing with caution. Australia under conservative Prime Minister Tony Abbott, in advancing defense cooperation with Japan, is bucking that trend, a stance that poses long-term strategic challenges.

Fisheries Accord with Manila to be Inked Soon: Official
 (2014-07-25)
(Taipei Times) An agreement between Taiwan and the Philippines on law enforcement cooperation on fishery matters in their overlapping economic waters is expected to be inked “soon,” a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said. 
Diaoyutai Disputes Resurface
Look Who's Not Talking (2014-07-25)
(Foreign Policy, By Ziad Haider) Behind the scenes, the Chinese and Japanese governments are barely communicating. That should worry us all. 
U.S. Pivot to Asia and Sino-U.S. Engagement
US Needs Pro-active Policy Over China (2014-07-23)
(Taipei Times) George Washington University international affairs professor Robert Sutter called for a more pro-active US policy to deal with the stepped-up Chinese hegemony threat in Asia in a recent article. (Dealing with America's China Problem in Asia: Targetting China's Vulnerability, by Robert Sutter)
No Shift in Washington's Arms Sales to Taiwan Policy (2014-07-24)
(Taipei Times, By William Lowther) Sources close to the administration of US President Barack Obama told the Taipei Timesthat it was not considering a change in policy and moving closer to Taiwan.

China Pushes Limits to Closer Ties with U.S. Military
 (2014-07-21)
(Wall Street Journal, By Jeremy Page) China is seeking greater access to U.S. aircraft carriers and guidance on how to operate its own first carrier, the Liaoning, testing the limits of a newly cooperative military relationship the two sides have tried to cultivate in the past year.

Japan to Join U.S.-India Military Exercises (2014-07-22)
(Wall Street Journal, By Niharika Mandhana) Warships from India, Japan and the U.S. will participate in joint exercises in the Pacific Ocean near Japan starting Thursday—a sign of greater maritime cooperation among nations in Asia as they face a more assertive China.
DPP Searches for New China Stance; Cross-Strait Issues
DPP's Tsai Evades Charter Clause Fight (2014-07-21)
(Taipei Times) Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen headed off contentious debate by pushing a raft of policy proposals to a committee.

Beijing Won't Agree with DPP's Ideal of Independence: TAO (2014-07-22)
(China Post) China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Ma Xiaoguang declared Beijing's determined opposition against Taiwan's independence in regard to recent remarks from Taiwan's main opposition party that cited otherwise.
Independence Clause Freeze Will Help DPP: Kuo (2014-07-23)
(Taipei Times) Julian Kuo said freezing the clause would help the DPP preserve the ‘status quo,’ which is what the US wants, and would keep the US neutral.
Taiwan Should Seize on China's Rise: Siew (2014-07-27)
(China Post) Former Vice President Vincent Siew said that China's ascent is inevitable and Taiwan should try to take advantage of that rise as a stepping stone for development.
US Analysis of China May Have Warning for Taiwan (2014-07-27)
(Taipei Times, By William Lowther) China is no longer simply responding, but acting on its own initiative, former US assistant secretary of state for East Asian affairs Kurt Campbell said.
PLA and Military Balance
Quality Over Quantity: A New PLA Modernization Methodology? (2014-07-17)
(China Brief 14(14), Jamestown Foundation, By Kevin McCauley) Transformation of generating mode of combat effectiveness represents a more focused modernization effort to implement the key warfighting capabilities of system of systems operational capability and integrated joint operations viewed by the PLA as critical to winning future wars.
Breaking Western Monopolies: Chinese Military Innovation Bearing Fruit (2014-07-17)
(China Brief 14(14), Jamestown Foundation, By Duncan Rogers)China has undertaken a major overhaul of its entire military industrial base over the past 20 years, the results of which have been a quantum shift in quality production, approaching world-class standards in a multitude of arenas.
New US Drones to Counter China Threat (2014-07-26)
(Taipei Times, By William Lowther) The weapons system involves heavily armed surveillance drones that would fly from aircraft carriers to counter Chinese anti-ship missiles, a US officer said.
Taiwan's Foreign Relations
Ally Reassure Taiwan on Ties After Xi Meeting (2014-07-23)
(Taipei Times) Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes has reassured Taiwan that his country will continue to maintain cordial and stable diplomatic relations with Taiwan after he shared a stage with Chinese President Xi Jinping at an international event.

Pilot Zone to Help Nation, Japan Versus China: Jiang (2014-07-25)
(Taipei Times) A government proposal to establish free economic pilot zones is aimed at facilitating economic liberalization and consolidating the nation’s economic alliance with Japan to counter competition from China, Premier Jiang Yi-huah said.
China's Rise and Its Domestic Issues
Beijing's Real Anticorruption Goal (2014-07-23)
(Wall Street Journal, By Joseph Sternberg) Mr. Xi's anticorruption drive almost certainly will fail to reduce endemic graft. That degree of progress waits on the development of a free press, democratic accountability and an independent judiciary—in other words, the end of the Communist Party regime. 
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