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| South
China Sea Disputes and Other Regional Issues
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North Korea's Hydrogen Bomb Claim Strains Ties with
China (2016-01-07)
(New
York Times, By Javier C. Hernandez) By proceeding with its nuclear test about 50
miles from the Chinese border, North Korea took a gamble that China, its largest
trading partner and economic lifeline, would not react with austere sanctions,
as many countries have urged.
S Korea Seeking Strategic Arms from
Washington (2016-01-08)
(Reuters)
South Korea is in talks with the US to deploy US strategic weapons on the Korean
peninsula, a South Korean military official said, a day after North Korea said
it successfully tested a hydrogen nuclear device.
Where China and the United States Disagree on North
Korea (2016-01-09)
(The
Diplomat, By Scott A. Snyder) The recent nuclear test has exposed a deep
Sino-U.S. gap over North Korea in at least four critical
dimensions.
PRC Military Flights Seen As Likely to New Spratly
Sites (2016-01-06)
(Reuters)
China’s first landing of a plane on one of its new island runways in the South
China Sea shows Beijing’s facilities in the disputed region are being completed
on schedule and military flights will inevitably follow, foreign officials and
analysts said.
A Preview of China-Southeast Asia Relations in
2016 (2016-01-08)
(The
Diplomat, By Xue Li and Xu Yanzhuo) If Tsai Ing-wen, chairwoman of Taiwan’s
Democratic Progressive Party, is elected to be Taiwan’s leader in January, China
believes she will pursue de jure independence. In this case, China’s maritime
priority will shift to the East China Sea, especially the Taiwan Strait, which
means China will take on a more restrained approach in the South China
Sea.
Japan's Defense Minister to Visit Philippines to Boost Security
Ties (2016-01-08)
(The
Diplomat, By Prashanth Parameswaran) Japan’s defense minister Gen Nakatani could
visit the Philippines as early as April this year to beef up security ties
between the two nations as they celebrate the 60th anniversary of the
establishment of their diplomatic ties, Kyodo News reported January 5.
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| U.S.
“Pivot” to Asia and Sino-U.S. Engagement
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Rethinking US Asia Policy: 3 Options between Appeasement and
War (2016-01-06)
(The
Diplomat, By Van Jackson) The first option to shape better future conditions
without either appeasement or war is to significantly enhance the military
capabilities of China’s potential adversaries. The most likely conflict
scenarios with China run through a U.S. ally or partner — Japan, Taiwan,
Vietnam, or the Philippines, for example.
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| DPP
Searches for New China Stance; Cross-Strait Issues
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Beijing Offers a Limited Flight Transit Proposal (2016-01-06)
(Taipei
Times) China’s Taiwan Affairs Office announced that it would allow residents of
Chongqing, Kunming and Nanchang to transit at Taiwan Taoyuan International
Airport for flights to a third country, adding that the trial run is the result
of Chinese President Xi Jingping’s meeting with President Ma
Ying-jeou.
Tsai Urges MAC to Clarify Transit Offer (2016-01-07)
(Taipei
Times) DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen urged the Mainland Affairs
Council to provide a detailed explanation of China’s limited transit flight
proposal.
Preparatory Talks Held for Trade in Goods Pact Ahead of 2016
Election (2016-01-07)
(China
Post) A preparatory meeting between Taiwan and China was convened in Beijing for
the 13th round of negotiations on a cross-strait trade in goods pact. Officials
expected negotiations to take place after Taiwan's national election on Jan. 16,
but the opposition party argued that they should be delayed until after new
lawmakers take office.
Chinese 'Spend More in Taiwan Than
Japanese' (2016-01-05)
(CNA)
Tourists from mainland China spent an average of US$232.15 per day in Taiwan in
the first three quarters of 2015, surpassing spending by Japanese travelers for
the first time, according to statistics released by the Tourism
Bureau.
Taiwan's Election: What to Watch for (2016-01-06)
(The
Diplomat, By Shannon Tiezzi) Dr. Richard Bush, senior fellow for foreign policy
at the Brookings Institution, talks with The
Diplomat about
the potential implications a DPP victory could have for Taiwan, mainland China,
and the United States.
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| PLA
and Military Balance
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China Tests New Rail-Mobile Missile Capable of Hitting All of
US (2016-01-05)
(The
Diplomat, By Franz-Stefan Gady) The combination of high-speed mobility, launch
cars disguised as civilian passenger trains, tunnel protection and secure
reloading of missiles, coupled with multiple warheads, makes the system
extremely hard to regulate or verify the number of systems.
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| Taiwan's
Domestic Issues and Foreign Relations
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The Rise of Taiwan's ‘Third Force’ (2016-01-06)
(The
Diplomat, By Linda van der Horst) The NPP’s political rhetoric should be
interpreted as pro-Taiwan rather than anti-China. Their political agenda is
strongly focused on progressive social justice, human rights, and democratic
values. Their economic policy focuses on higher corporate and luxury taxes in
order to redress wealth inequality.
DPP Fears Growing Support for NPP, Other Third
Parties (2016-01-07)
(China
Post) The current elections are reportedly seeing a new trend, with the DPP
concerned that their votes are becoming diluted by the rise of smaller political
parties such as the New Power Party.
Tsai Promises Power Transition Task Force (2016-01-09)
(China
Post) Tsai Ing-wen said that she "did not deny" the existence of a meeting
between cross-strait negotiators that led to a future agreement termed the "1992
Consensus." She reiterated that the core of her future cross-strait policy would
adhere to the Constitution of the R.O.C.
Economic Issues Are Driving Taiwan's Elections: US
Report (2016-01-08)
(Taipei
Times, By William Lowther) Taiwan's economy is suffering from the looming threat
of an energy shortage, low domestic investment and overdependence on China, and
the economic problems are expected to be deciding factors in the elections, said
a US-China Economic and Security Review Commission report.
Tsai Seeks to Maintain Cross-Strait Status Quo (2016-01-10)
(CNA,
By Lilian Wu) Tsai Ing-wen said that she will abide by the Republic of China
constitutional system and rely on democratic principles and the greatest
possible public consensus to promote her China policy.
Chu Vows to 'Turn Taiwan Around' (2016-01-10)
(CNA,
Elizabeth Hsu and Y.F. Low) KMT presidential candidate and Chairman Eric Chu has
pledged to "turn Taiwan around" via three strategies — raising the minimum wage,
narrowing the rich-poor gap, and achieving consensus on efforts to strive for
Taiwan's international space, if he wins the Jan. 16
election.
Over 30% Confident in Tsai Leadership: Survey (2016-01-06)
(CNA)
More than 30 percent of Taiwanese people have confidence in opposition
Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen's ability to
address the urgent problems facing Taiwan, including a slow economy and the
bitter competition between political parties, a survey has found.
Exports Fall by 14% in 11th Month of Decline (2016-01-09)
(China
Post) Taiwan exports tumbled 13.9 percent year-on-year in December to US$22.06
billion to mark their 11th straight month of decline, the Ministry of Finance
said.
Currency Devaluations by Asian Tigers Could Hinder Global
Growth (2016-01-09)
(New
York Times, By Landon Thomas Jr.) China’s decision to push the value of its
currency lower has opened a new front of worry for global investors: a potential
wave of currency devaluations among the so-called Asian tigers — South Korea,
Singapore and Taiwan.
Evaluating Taiwan's National Power (2016-01-06)
(The
Diplomat, By David Gitter and Robert Sutter) An analysis conducted by the
authors in a recently published NBR report finds that Taiwan has played a weak
hand well in the face of a massive external threat, but its policies have not
been optimal due to a lack of cooperation between Taiwan’s two main political
parties.
-Taiwan's
Strong but Stifled Foundation of National Power
ROC the Most Optimistic about the Future, Says
Poll (2016-01-06)
(CNA)
In terms of overall levels of well-being for the next generation, people in
Taiwan (80.0) were the most optimistic, followed by Korea (71.8) and Hong Kong
(69.3), according to MasterCard's first Next Generation Well-Being
Index.
Gov't to Ask Japan to Say Sorry to 'Comfort
Women' (2016-01-06)
(China
Post) Taiwan is officially to ask Japan to apologize and compensate Taiwanese
"comfort women" who were forced into sexual slavery during World War II, the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs said after consensus was reached during a
cross-agency task force meeting held the same day.
MOFA Summons Japan Envoy Over 'Comfort Women' (2016-01-07)
(China
Post) Foreign Minister David Lin summoned Japan's top envoy to Taiwan to make
clear the R.O.C.'s stance in demanding an official apology and compensation from
the Japanese government for Taiwanese "comfort women."
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| China's
Rise and Its Domestic Issues
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Dow Plunges 276 Points in First Trading Day of
2016 (2016-01-04)
(Wall
Street Journal, By Dan Strumpf and Christopher Whittall) Global stocks kicked
off 2016 with a stumble, as a disappointing report on China’s economy rekindled
concerns over slowing global growth and tempered hopes for a better
year.
China Stock: Trading Called Off for Second Time This
Week (2016-01-07)
(Wall
Street Journal, By Shen Hong) China’s stock market tumbled and scored its
shortest trading day in its 25-year history on Thursday, as Beijing’s growing
tolerance of a weaker currency intensified concerns about capital flight and the
health of the world’s No. 2 economy.
A New Economic Era for China Goes Off the Rails (2016-01-08)
(New
York Times, By Keith Bradsher) Less than three weeks after a highly publicized
meeting, President Xi's plans have been derailed as China’s stock market and
currency once again rattle investors around the world. The latest rout sets up a
challenge for Mr. Xi, who has positioned himself as the master of the country’s
economy.
Many in Hong Kong Fear Beijing's Reach After Editor and Colleagues
Disappear (2016-01-08)
(New
York Times, By Michael Forsythe) Mr. Lee’s case, and those of his four
colleagues at the publishing house Mighty Current Media, is the latest example
of the ever-lengthening arm of the Chinese state, which, as its economy grows,
appears to be increasingly willing to reach beyond its own legal jurisdiction to
apprehend people.
Contact:
Dalton Lin, Executive Editor
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