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South
China Sea Disputes and Other Regional Issues
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North Korea Plans Earth Observation Satellite Launch This Month:
Agency (2016-02-03) (AP)
An international agency says North Korea has declared plans to launch an Earth
observation satellite on a rocket later this month. China Struggles for Balance in Response to North Korea's
Boldness (2016-02-08) (New
York Times, By Jane Perlez) “The general relationship between the United States
and China is far from good, and I don’t think the U.S. has any real bargaining
chips with China over North Korea,” Shi Yinhong, a professor of international
relations at Renmin University, said. “The vital interest of the United States
is to reduce the nuclear weapons, and the vital interest of China is to keep a
minimum degree of stability and to keep North Korea a friend.”
Dialogue with US Works for Ma's Taiping Visit:
Minister (2016-02-02) (China
Post) - The United States is now issuing milder rhetoric over Taiwan's stance on
the South China Sea issue, proving effective bilateral communication between the
R.O.C. and the U.S. over President Ma Ying-jeou's visit to a Taiwan-controlled
island in the disputed seas last, Foreign Minister David Lin
said.
Taipei Concerned about Downgrading of Taiping (2016-02-04) (CNA)
The government is "highly concerned" about a case Philippines has brought
against China in an international court in which it argues that the land
features comprising the Spratly Islands in the disputed South China Sea are not
islands, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Why Islands Still Matter in Asia (2016-02-05) (The
National Interest, By Andrew S. Erickson and Joel Wuthnow) In theory, Taiwan is
not placed to expand China’s power projection capability significantly, but (by
virtue of geography) could offer a potent “springboard” for a foreign military
to attack mainland China. But this is certainly much less the case today given
the PLA’s ability to crater runways; attack command and control with precision
strike weapons; and use long-range SAMs to attack aircraft as soon as they are
airborne. In short, given today’s Chinese weapons, Taiwan is too close to
mainland China to have maximum “strategic value.”
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East
China Sea Disputes and Japan Policy
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Japan Forms New Air Wing to Fend Off China's Advances in East China
Sea (2016-02-01) (The
Diplomat, By Franz-Stefan Gady) For the first time in about 50 years, the Japan
Air Self-Defense Force has stood up a new air wing consisting of Mitsubishi
F-15J all-weather air superiority fighters at Naha Air Base, located in the
capital city of Okinawa, Japan’s most southern prefecture, according to local
media reports.
Japan's Emperor Visits the Philippines: Major
Takeaways (2016-02-06) (The
Diplomat, By Yuki Tatsumi) The imperial visit has attracted attention in the
context of growing security ties between Japan and the
Philippines.
Japan Ready to Help, Japan PM Shinzo Abe Says (2016-02-07) (CNA)
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that Japan is ready to assist Taiwan
after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit southern Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs said.
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U.S.
“Pivot” to Asia and Sino-U.S. Engagement
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Chinese Defector Reveals Beijing's Secrets (2016-02-03) (Washington
Free Beacon, By Bill Gertz) A defector from China has revealed some of the
innermost secrets of the Chinese government and military, including details of
its nuclear command and control system, according to American intelligence
officials. America Reveals 'Great Power' Plans Against Russia and
China (2016-02-03) (The
National Interest, By Dave Majumdar) Ultimately, the message from the Pentagon
is that while it will still keep an eye on lesser threats like ISIS and Al
Qaeda, the United States understands that other great powers are a real threat
to American security. Moving past the last fifteen years, the United States
military is once again focusing on great power conflict. What Does the Year 2016 Hold for China-U.S. Relations in
Cyberspace? (2016-02-04) (ChinaUSFocus,
By Franz-Stefan Gady) Sino-U.S. relations in cyberspace in 2016 will be defined
by three key policies: attribution, sanctions, and norms.
Concern Grows in U.S. Over China's Drive to Make
Chips (2016-02-05) (New
York Times, By Paul Mozur and Jane Perlez) Worries over China’s chip ambitions
were the main reason that United States officials blocked the proposed purchase
for as much as $2.9 billion of a controlling stake in a unit of the Dutch
electronics company Philips by Chinese investors, according to one expert and a
second person involved with the deal discussions.
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PLA
and Military Balance
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It's Official: China's Military Has 5 New Theater
Commands (2016-02-02) (The
Diplomat, By Shannon Tiezzi) China inaugurated five new theater commands of the
People’s Liberation Army on Monday, with Chinese President Xi Jinping presenting
flags to the new commanders during a ceremony in Beijing. The PLA's New Organizational Structure: What Is Known, Unknown and
Speculation (Part 1) (2016-02-04) (China
Brief 16(3), Jamestown Foundation, By Kenneth Allen, Dennis J. Blasko and John
F. Corbett) This article is part of a two-part series examining changes to
China’s Military organizational structure and personnel. Part 1 examines what is
known and unknown. Part 2 contains speculation as to changes that may occur in
the future. The Strategic Support Force: China's Information Warfare
Service (2016-02-04) (China
Brief 16(3), Jamestown Foundation, By John Costello) Consolidating and
restructuring China’s information forces is a key measure to enable a number of
other state goals of reform, including reducing the power of the army,
implementing joint operations, and increasing emphasis on high-tech
forces. Securing Taiwan Starts with Overhauling Its Navy (2016-02-05) (The
National Interest, By James Holmes) Tsai Ing-wen must make maritime-strategic
affairs a priority and impose her vision on the naval establishment. Otherwise
the ROCN will do what big, largely successful institutions do. It will revert to
time-honored habits and methods—methods that are increasingly, and dangerously,
out of step with the times.
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Taiwan's
Domestic Issues and Foreign Relations
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Taiwan Mood Barometer
Survey, Second Half of January 2016 (2016-01-28) (TISR)
President Ma Ying-jeou's approval rating rose 0.8 percentage point over
the latter part of January, according to the latest Taiwan Mood
Barometer Survey (in
Chinese). Party Identification
Tracking Analysis in Taiwan, January 2016 (2016-02-02) (TISR)
Taiwan Indicators Survey Research released its January
surveyresults
(in Chinese) on the public's party identities. The percentage of Taiwanese who
expressed support for the KMT or other Pan-Blue parties fell 0.1 percentage
points to 29.2%.
LY Elects First-ever Pan-green Leaders (2016-02-02) (China
Post) Su Jia-chyuan and Tsai Chi-chang of the Democratic Progressive Partywere
elected as legislative speaker and deputy speaker respectively on Monday, Feb. 1
in the first day of the newly sworn-in Legislature. AIT Director Congratulates New Legislative
Speaker (2016-02-05) (Taipei
Times) AIT Director Kin Moy visited Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan at the
Legislative Yuan in Taipei to congratulate him on his recent election, as both
parties expressed their desire for stronger US-Taiwan
ties. DPP-Dominated Taiwan Legislature Begins Session (2016-02-04) (China
Brief 16(3), Jamestown Foundation, By Jessica Drun and Fa-Shen Vincent Wang)
While the relationship between the new legislators and between the new
Legislature and president-elect Tsai is yet to be seen, their interaction will
ultimately shape Chinese perceptions of the new government. Nation's Economic Freedom Displays Great
Improvement (2016-02-03) (China
Post) Taiwan ranks No. 14 in the U.S.-released 2016 Index of Economic Freedom,
moving up 21 spots over the past eight years, the National Development Council
said.
Exports Shrink for 12th Straight Month: Minister (2016-02-05) (China
Post) Finance Minister Chang Sheng-ford said that Taiwan exports dropped in
double digits in January to mark their 12th straight month of
decline. Minister Downplays Concern Over Foreign White-Collar
Workers (2016-02-05) (Taipei
Times) Minister of Labor sought to allay concerns that opening the market to
more foreign white-collar workers might squeeze out their local peers, saying
that wages would not be what attract these foreign workers, let alone the
so-called “22K” jobs. Taiwan Has Full Grasp of Mainland-Vatican Dialogue:
MOFA (2016-02-06) (China
Post) The R.O.C. government has a full grasp on the dialogue between Mainland
China and the Holy See, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said, amid foreign
media reports that the two sides have made a major breakthrough on the bishop
appointment issue.
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China's
Rise and Its Domestic Issues
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Xi Jinping Assuming New Status As China's ‘Core’
Leader (2016-02-05) (New
York Times, By Chris Buckley) As Xi Jinping confronts economic challenges and
prepares to pick a fresh cohort of subordinates, he has demanded that Communist
Party officials close ranks around him more tightly than ever, and references to
Mr. Xi as the “core” leader have become a daily occurrence in China’s state-run
news media.
Why China Hacks the World (2016-01-31) (Christian
Science Monitor, By Adam Segal) The US Office of the National
Counterintelligence Executive places China in a category all its own: “Chinese
actors are the world’s most active and persistent perpetrators of economic
espionage.” Contact:
Dalton Lin, Executive Editor
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