Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Wednesday, 24 February 2016

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2016-02-24 | NO.20(8) epaper |
South China Sea Disputes and Other Regional Issues
China Deployed Missiles on Disputed Islands, U.S. Says (2016-02-17)
(New York Times, By Michael Forsythe) The Pentagon has evidence that the Chinese military has deployed surface-to-air missiles on a disputed island in the South China Sea, a United States official has said.

China Foreign Minister Downplays Missile Deployment Reports
 (2016-02-18)
(AP, By Christopher Bodeen and Ralph Jennings) Foreign Minister Wang Yi sought to downplay reports that China had positioned anti-aircraft missiles on a disputed South China Sea island, accusing the media of hyping the issue and saying more attention should be paid to what he called "public goods and services" provided by China's development of its maritime claims.
Seeing the Forest Through the SAMs on Woody Island (2016-02-18)
(CSIS, By Michael Green, Bonnie Glaser, and Zack Cooper) The placement of SAMs at Woody Island is a noteworthy strategic development for two reasons. First, it shows that Chinese leaders are militarizing South China Sea features despite efforts to convince Beijing to do otherwise. Second, recent history suggests that Chinese developments on disputed features in the Spratly Islands often mimic those on Woody Island, indicating that similar steps may be ahead in the more strategically important Spratlys.

US Wants Expanded Naval Protocol Amid China's South China Sea Assertiveness
 (2016-02-18)
(The Diplomat, By Prashanth Parameswaran) The United States is pursuing the expansion of a key naval protocol amid China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea, a senior naval commander said this week.

Taiwan Won't Accept Court Ruling on Islands Disputes (2016-02-18)
(CNA) The Republic of China will not accept an imminent ruling on the sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea by The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
After Tests in the North, Conservatives in South Korea Call for a Nuclear Program (2016-02-20)
(New York Times, By Choe Sang-hun) In the wake of North Korea’s nuclear tests and satellite launches, some conservatives in South Korea are championing a strategy that was once seen as unthinkable: arming their own country with nuclear weapons.
East China Sea Disputes and Japan Policy
Tsai Ing-wen Reiterates DPP's Stance on Diaoyutais (2016-02-18)
(Taipei Times) President-elect Tsai Ing-wen reiterated the Democratic Progressive Party’s stance that Taiwan has sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islands, following former president Lee Teng-hui assertion in his new book that “the Diaoyutais do not belong to Taiwan.”

MOFA Vows to Defend Fishing Rights (2016-02-19)
(Taipei Times) MOFA pledged to safeguard Taiwanese fishermen’s interests at an upcoming meeting with Japan, amid demands by Japanese fishery associations that the boundaries set by a historic agreement between the two nations be narrowed.

Beijing Cautions Canberra about Japanese Subs (2016-02-18)
(Reuters) China called on Australia to take into account the feelings of Asian nations as Canberra contemplates buying a fleet of submarines from Japan.
U.S. “Pivot” to Asia and Sino-U.S. Engagement
An Asia Summit Meeting Is Overshadowed by Scalia (2016-02-16)
(New York Times, By Mark Landler) President Obama welcomed the leaders of 10 Southeast Asian countries to this desert oasis for a summit meeting on Monday, giving him another chance to shine a spotlight on one of his most ambitious geopolitical projects: the “pivot” to Asia.

Obama Unveils New ASEAN Economic Initiative at Sunnylands Summit
 (2016-02-18)
(The Diplomat, By Prashanth Parameswaran) U.S. President Barack Obama announced a new initiative at the historic U.S.-ASEAN Summit in Sunnylands to boost America’s economic engagement with the regional grouping.

Political Backlash Grows in Washington on Chinese Takeover (2016-02-18)
(New York Times, By Keith Bradsher and Paul Mozur) Recent Chinese moves in areas like heavy equipment, aerospace and financial services are also drawing attention from both ends of the American political spectrum.
Balancing Cooperation and Competition in U.S.-China Relations (2016-02-19)
(Brookings, By Zachary Balin) Panelists from both sides noted improvements in bilateral communication and emphasized that the United States and China continue to have ample cause to work together. But the discussion also underscored the complexity of certain regional issues and the associated risk that prolonged stalemate could give way to disillusionment.

Interview: Kevin Rudd (2016-02-18)
(The Diplomat, By Maurits Elen) The world in 2016 is moving toward greater multipolarity in international affairs. It is the role of every prudent state to ensure that the world order does not return to the bipolar structure and zero-sum logic of the Cold War.
DPP Searches for New China Stance; Cross-Strait Issues
China Calls to Sympathize Over Earthquake in South (2016-02-16)
(CNA) Zhang Zhijun, head of mainland China's Taiwan Affairs Office, called his Taiwan counterpart Monday on a telephone hotline between the two sides to convey condolences to the families of those killed in a Feb. 6 earthquake.
DPP to Redraft Bill on Monitoring Cross-Strait Pacts (2016-02-19)
(Taipei Times) The DPP caucus said it would redraft a proposed bill on monitoring cross-strait agreements in line with the Republic of China Constitution, meaning the terms “Taiwan” and “China” would be changed to “Taiwan Area” and “Mainland Area.”
MAC Chief Meets Visiting TAO Official Chen Briefly (2016-02-20)
(CNA) Mainland Affairs Council Minister Hsia Li-yan had a brief meeting on Thursday with Chen Yuanfeng, deputy minister of China's Taiwan Affairs Office, who is currently in Taiwan on a short visit, the MAC said. 
Taiwan's Domestic Issues and Foreign Relations
New Power Party States Legislative Agenda (2016-02-17)
(Taipei Times) The New Power Party announced its legislative agenda, which includes introducing bills to institutionalize the transition of governments, combat media monopolies and increase transparency in cross-strait negotiations, as well as amend disaster relief and compensation laws.

Nat'l Security Files to Transfer to New Gov't (2016-02-20)
(China Post) National security documents will be fully transferred to the incoming government following agreements reached by representatives of the Presidential Office and President-elect Tsai Ing-wen.

January Exports Plunge 13% (2016-02-17)
(China Post) Taiwan's exports marked their 12th month of contraction in January, falling 13 percent to US$22.2 billion year-on-year on weak demand from the global semiconductor industry.
Government Slashes GDP Growth Forecast to 1.47% (2016-02-18)
(Taipei Times) The government cut its economic growth forecast for this year to 1.47 percent, from the 2.32 percent it projected in November last year, as the nation’s heavy dependence on exports and a few industries grows increasingly unsustainable amid a global slowdown and ever-shifting technology trends.
US EPA Official Set to Visit to Launch a Kids Program (2016-02-17)
(China Post) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Acting Assistant Administrator for International and Tribal Affairs Jane Nishida will visit Taiwan on February 19 to promote U.S.-Taiwan cooperation through the International Environmental Partnership, a joint multi-year effort of the U.S. EPA and Taiwan's Environmental Protection Administration, according to a press release from the AIT.

Taiwan, Italy Sign Agreement to Avoid Double Taxation and Tax Evasion, According to MOFA (2016-02-17)
(CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Taiwan and Italy have completed an agreement to avoid double taxation and tax evasion.
Presidential Office Defends Allies Trip (2016-02-19)
(Taipei Times) The Presidential Office downplayed criticism over a report that President Ma Ying-jeou is to visit some of the nation’s diplomatic allies next month, saying a nation’s diplomacy should always be uninterrupted.
Taiwan's Democratic Elections and Canada's Response (2016-02-17)
(The Diplomat, By Hugh Stephens) Canada supports and appreciates the development of Taiwan’s democratic institutions, but Tsai Ing-wen’s election, while significant, does not mean that a carefully balanced policy of unofficial relations that has worked for both countries for a number of years is no longer valid.
China's Rise and Its Domestic Issues
China Spurs Yuan Rally  (2016-02-16)
(Bloomberg) China’s central bank handed investors a confidence booster, strengthening the yuan’s fixing by the most in three months and talking up the currency as markets reopened after the week-long Lunar New Year break.

China's Foreign Exchange Reserves Dwindling Rapidly (2016-02-19)
(New York Times, By Keith Bradsher) A year and a half ago, China held as much as $4 trillion in foreign exchange reserves, but the country’s reserves have shrunk by nearly a fifth since the summer of 2014 — and more than a third of the shrinkage has been in the last three months.
Chinese Securities Regulator Is Out, but Little May Change (2016-02-21)
(New York Times, By Michael Forsythe, Keith Bradsher and Chris Buckley) The dismissal of Xiao Gang, coming in the form of a terse statement from state-run news media, represents a rare public reversal for the Communist Party — and a gamble by its leader, Xi Jinping, whose management of the economy has come under growing scrutiny.

Hong Kong Students Who Protested Government Now Seek to Take Part in It (2016-02-17)
(New York Times, By Alan Wong) A group of young students seeking greater autonomy for Hong Kong is forming a political party to participate in local elections this year, a move that is likely to unnerve Chinese leadership.
China Labels Protesters ‘Radical Separatists,’ and They Agree (2016-02-21)
(New York Times, By Alan Wong) The violence in the bustling Mong Kok district, which left more than 80 police officers and scores of protesters injured, was the most startling sign yet of the rise of a local movement with an appetite for confrontation — and the unlikely goal of a Hong Kong independent of China.
China's Leadership Fault Lines: Progressive vs. Power (2016-02-15)
(The Diplomat, By Mercy A. Kuo and Angelica O. Tang) The most significant fault lines fall along three different areas of contention. The first is between so-called reformers and conservative elements; the second is Xi’s efforts to deal with the still powerful Jiang faction; the third is within the PLA.
Xi Wants Chinese Media to Be 'Publicity Fronts' for the CCP (2016-02-20)
(The Diplomat, By Shannon Tiezzi) Speaking at a symposium, Xi reminded listeners that government-run media outlets are the “publicity fronts” for the CCP and the government. “All news media run by the Party must work to speak for the Party’s will and its propositions and protect the Party’s authority and unity,” Xinhua paraphrased Xi as saying.
Contact: Dalton Lin, Executive Editor
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