Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Monday 29 December 2014

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2014-12-29 | NO.18(51) epaper |
South China Sea Disputes and Other Regional Issues
Threat to Spratlys Outposts ‘Growing’ (2014-12-26)
(Taipei Times) The nation’s military outpost on the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea is being threatened by the latest deployment of mobile missiles and artillery guns on nearby islands held by China and Vietnam, according to a new report submitted to the Control Yuan.

New ‘Tuo Jiang’ Corvette Beefs Up Naval Firepower (2014-12-27)
(Taipei Times) Senior naval officials hinted earlier this week that the new-generation Tuo Jiang-class corvette could be dispatched to beef up security measures around the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea if the need arises.
Time to End the North Korean Threat (2014-12-23)
(Wall Street Journal, By Richard N. Haass) What needs doing? The priority must be to persuade China that the demise of North Korea need not be something to fear. Washington and Beijing should convene talks about how they could manage scenarios, including North Korean collapse and aggression.
Diaoyutai Disputes Resurface
China Building a Military Base near Diaoyutais (2014-12-23)
(Bloomberg) Kyodo News reported that several landing strips have been paved on the main Nanji Island, about 300km from the Diaoyutai Islands.

The China-Japan Detente Examined Through the Soviet Prism (2014-12-26)
(The Diplomat, By Miguel Oropeza De Cortéz-Caballero) Xi and his inner circle may view last month’s shift not as stemming from the realities of economic interdependence and skillful diplomacy but from a Japanese realization that accommodations are needed for a rapidly growing China.
DPP Searches for New China Stance; Cross-Strait Issues
MAC Says No Big Changes in Cross-Strait Policy (2014-12-23)
(CNA) The general direction for Taiwan's policies on China will remain unchanged despite the ruling party's devastating loss in last month's elections, according to the head of the Mainland Affairs Council.

Council Rebuts Ko's Criticism of ‘1992 Consensus’ (2014-12-25)
(Taipei Times) MAC Minister Wang Yu-chi lashed out at Taipei mayor-elect Ko Wen-je for saying that the “1992 consensus” is outdated and that new ideas are needed to conduct cross-strait exchanges.
Ma Blames China for FTA Gap (2014-12-28)
(Taipei Times) President Ma Ying-jeou attributed the nation’s lagging behind South Korea and Singapore in signing free-trade agreements to obstruction from China.
Loss by Taiwan's Governing Party Raises Fears That Ties with China Will Sour (2014-12-27)
(New York Times, By Austin Ramzy) A recent defeat of Taiwan’s pro-China governing party in local elections has raised expectations that the pro-independence opposition could win the next national election, increasing concerns about a return to the bitterness that previously defined the cross-strait relationship.
Military Balance and Arms Sales
New Corvette Joins the ROC Navy (2014-12-24)
(China Post) Taiwan's defense minister announced that the R.O.C. Navy has entered a new page in self-defense capability as it welcomes the nation's first locally built stealth missile corvette, the Tuo Chiang.

US Moots ‘Guerrilla’ Defense Strategy (2014-12-24)
(Taipei Times, By William Lowther) A Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments report said the nation would be better served buying miniature submarines rather than diesel-electric subs.
Taiwan's Domestic Issues and Foreign Relations
Taiwan Mood Barometer Survey, Second Half of December 2014 (2014-12-26)
(TISR) President Ma Ying-jeou's approval rating dropped 1.2 percentage points during the second half of December, according to the latestTaiwan Mood Barometer Survey (in Chinese).

Chu Proposes Referendum on Constitution in 2016
 (2014-12-22)
(CNA) New Taipei Mayor Eric Chu reiterated a proposal that would put a possible constitutional amendment on improving government accountability to a referendum in 2016 in tandem with a national election.

Challenges Ahead for All: Ko, the DPP, the KMT, the US, and China (2014-12-22)
(PacNet #90, Pacific Forum, CSIS, By Bill Sharp) To capture the presidency in 2016, the DPP not only needs to govern at the local level, but it also must create an economic policy that will pump life back into the hollowed out Taiwan economy created by the KMT.

US Praises Taiwan Success in '14 (2014-12-24)
(China Post) The United States government praised Taiwan's major contributions to the international community over the past year, adding that it is looking forward to continued bilateral relations on various fronts in 2015.
China's Rise and Its Domestic Issues
China's Big Diplomacy Shift (2014-12-22)
(The Diplomat, By Timothy Heath) China’s decision to elevate in priority its relationship with its neighbors over that with the United States and other great powers suggests that over time, China may grow even less tolerant of Western interference in PRC interests and more confident in consolidating control of its core interests and pressing demands to reform the international order.

Party Opens an Inquiry into a Onetime Aide to China's Ex-Leader
 (2014-12-23)
(New York Times, By Andrew Jacobs, Chris Buckley, and Michael Forsythe) The Communist Party has begun an investigation of a top aide to former President Hu Jintao, demonstrating the lengths to which President Xi Jinping is willing to go in his campaign to root out official corruption in China.

Executive Editor: Dalton Lin
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