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| South
China Sea Disputes
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Japan Signs Pact to Supply Defense Equipment to
Philippines (2016-02-29)
(AP,
By Jim Gomez) Japan signed an agreement to supply defense equipment to the
Philippines, the first such Japanese defense pact in a region where the U.S.
allies have been alarmed by China’s advance in disputed
territories.
China: Yes, We Sent Ships to Jackson Atoll in
Spratlys (2016-03-03)
(The
Diplomat, By Shannon Tiezzi) If China intends to permanently control access to
the fishing grounds at Jackson Atoll, it will mean Beijing has, for the second
time in four years, used coercion to increase its holdings in the South China
Sea at the Philippines’ expense.
US, China Trade Words Again Over South China Sea (2016-03-03)
(Reuters)
Ashton Carter said Beijing’s actions have fueled trilateral pacts that a few
years ago would have been ‘unthinkable,’ and that the US has
‘plans.’
US Navy Aircraft Carrier, Escorts Arrive in South China Sea for
‘Show of Force’ (2016-03-06)
(Taipei
Times, By William Lowther) Fox News said that “multiple defense officials” told
it the move was “a show of force” and a signal to China.
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| East
China Sea Disputes and Japan Policy
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ROC and Japan Set to Talk Fishing Regulations in Overlapping
Waters (2016-03-02)
(China
Post) Taiwan and Japan will engage in talks over fishing regulations in
overlapping waters in the East China Sea, at a meeting between fisheries
officials from both countries that will kick off today in
Taipei.
Taiwan Retains Its Fishing Rights North of
Yaeyama (2016-03-05)
(Taipei
Times) The fifth Taiwan-Japan meeting on fishing rights north of the Yaeyama
Islands concluded with Taiwan retaining its right to fish in the inverted
triangle zone north of the islands.
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| U.S.
“Pivot” to Asia and Sino-U.S. Engagement
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U.S. Proposes Reviving Naval Coalition to Balance China's
Expansion (2016-03-03)
(New
York Times, By Ellen Barry) The chief of the United States Pacific Command, Adm.
Harry B. Harris Jr., proposed reviving an informal strategic coalition made up
of the navies of Japan, Australia, India and the United States, an experiment
that collapsed a decade ago because of diplomatic protests from China.
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| DPP
Searches for New China Stance; Cross-Strait Issues
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Report on Taipei Forum's Visits to Mainland China (2016-03-06)
(Taipei
Forum) In the wake of the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) electoral
victories in Taiwan, focus is now on how the DPP and the Chinese Communist Party
might handle their potentially confrontational relations. To gain a deeper
understanding of mainland China's thinking, the Taipei Forum organized visits to
think tanks and Taiwan-affair institutions in Beijing and Shanghai between
February 23 and 27, 2016. Here is the report on the visits' outcomes (in
Chinese).
'Don't Misread' China External Affairs Head's Remarks on
the ROC (2016-03-02)
(CNA)
People should not misread the core message behind remarks in Washington by
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi when he talked about Taiwan's constitution,
said Zhang Zhijun.
China's Mention of ROC Constitution No Landmark:
Academic (2016-03-01)
(Taipei
Times) China is seeking to control how “maintaining the ‘status quo’” should be
interpreted and to confine the incoming administration’s ability to maneuver by
equating any move away from the “one China constitution” with breaking the
“status quo.”
Speech Shows Beijing Concerned Over DPP (2016-03-06)
(China
Post) Mainland China executive chief Li Keqiang reiterated mainland China's
stance against Taiwan's "separatist" movement, but observers said there were
some subtle changes to his rhetoric that reflected Beijing's concerns over the
election victories for Taiwan's pro-independence party.
‘Status Quo’ Backed As Beijing Postures (2016-03-06)
(Taipei
Times) Politicians in Taiwan backed the “status quo” after Beijing stepped up
its rhetoric against Taiwanese independence, with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang
warning against “separatist activities” and pledging to safeguard China’s
“territorial integrity.”
DPP & Mainland Yet to Begin Deep Communications:
Scholar (2016-03-06)
(CNA)
"There is nothing new in terms of fresh ideas," indicating that the DPP and CCP
have yet to have a clear or deep dialogue, or even if they have, they have yet
to make positive progress, Chang Wu-yuch of Tamkang University said.
The
“1992 Consensus” – Adapting to the Future? (2016-03-01)
(China
Leadership Monitor #49, Hoover Institution, By Alan D. Romberg) One should not
expect PRC officials to express joy over Tsai’s positions in her Liberty Times
interview. She obviously did not repeat the mantra as Beijing would have
liked,and however far forward she in fact did lean, the fact is that she
remained somewhat vague about the exact wording. That said, one might hope that,
as many have urged, Beijing will be creative and flexible, and will reciprocate
what they must see as, if a small step for them, a significant step for her. But
the continuing references to uncertainty and the doubt hanging over the future
of the relationship merit close attention.
NPP Caucus Tables Bill on Monitoring Cross-Strait
Pact (2016-03-02)
(CNA)
The New Power Party caucus proposed its version of the draft act on an oversight
mechanism for cross-strait agreements, titling the draft “the act governing the
signing of agreements between this country and the People’s Republic of
China.”
Supervisory Law May 'Stop Cross-Strait
Negotiations' (2016-03-05)
(China
Post) Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Andrew Hsia expressed concern that
proposed supervisory laws for cross-strait agreements could bring negotiations
between Taiwan and China to a standstill.
Chang Denies Fall in Chinese Tourist Numbers (2016-03-02)
(Taipei
Times) While the past two months saw a drop in the number of Chinese group
travelers, the number of independent travelers increased, the premier
said.
China Preparing to Cut No. of Tourists to Taiwan on 'Implicit Gov't
Orders' (2016-03-05)
(China
Post) Taiwan's Travel Quality Assurance Association said Chinese travel agents
were preparing to cut the number of Taiwan-bound tourists on the basis of
implicit government orders.
Only 24 Mainlanders Transited Via Taiwan in First Month:
SEF (2016-03-03)
(China
Post) Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation said that only 24 mainland Chinese
passengers transited via Taiwan in the first month of a cross-strait pilot
program.
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| PLA
and Military Balance
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China's Defense Budget to Slow in Line with
Economy (2016-03-05)
(Reuters)
China’s defense budget this year is likely to rise at its slowest pace since
2010, in line with the decelerating economy and by a much lower figure than had
been expected in military and diplomatic circles.
China Military Budget to Rise Less Than 8%, Slower Than
Usual (2016-03-05)
(New
York Times, By Chris Buckley and Jane Perlez) Jin Canrong, a professor of
international relations at Renmin University in Beijing, said it was “very
possible” that the People’s Liberation Army would be disappointed in the
single-digit spending increase, but he noted that the military would continue to
see benefits from significant expenditures announced in recent years. “In the
coming two or three years China will get a lot of new equipment,” he said. “The
impact of this slowdown will be five years ahead.”
The PLA’s New Organizational Structure: What is Known, Unknown, and
Speculation (Part 2) (2016-02-23)
(China
Brief 16(4), Jamestown Foundation, By Kenneth Allen, Dennis J. Blasko, and John
F. Corbett) One of the biggest unanswered questions so far is who will be on the
“new” Central Military Commission and when will it reflect the new PLA force
structure.
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| Taiwan's
Domestic Issues and Foreign Relations
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Taiwan Mood Barometer
Survey, February 2016 (2016-02-25)
(TISR)
President Ma Ying-jeou's approval rating dropped 2.5 percentage points during
the month of February, according to the latest Taiwan Mood
Barometer Survey (in
Chinese).
Party
Identification Tracking Analysis in Taiwan, February 2016 (2016-03-05)
(TISR)
Taiwan Indicators Survey Research released its February survey results
(in Chinese) on the public's party identities. The percentage of Taiwanese who
expressed support for the KMT or other Pan-Blue parties fell 1 percentage point
to 28.2%.
Tsai to Stay on As DPP Leader (2016-03-03)
(Taipei
Times) President-elect Tsai Ing-wen confirmed that she is to double as
Democratic Progressive Party chairperson after she is inaugurated on May
20.
Legislators Agree on TV Broadcasts for
Transparency (2016-03-06)
(Taipei
Times) Lawmakers agreed to commission a TV station to broadcast legislative
proceedings, a move aimed at improving legislative transparency that is expected
to be carried out in the coming months, Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan
said.
Taiwan Cooperation Won't Change Despite China:
EBRD (2016-03-03)
(China
Post) Close cooperation with Taiwan won't change despite China's recent
membership to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a
visiting EBRD spokesman said.
Taiwan Can Help Solve Problems, US Official Says (2016-03-04)
(Taipei
Times, By William Lowther) “Taiwan has a lot to offer in the way of capacity,
expertise and resources and that is why we continue with our efforts to elevate
Taiwan’s international profile and dignity,” US Principal Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State Kurt Tong told a roundtable discussion on the Taiwan-US
Global Cooperation Training Framework agreement at the Sigur Center for Asian
Studies at George Washington University.
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| China's
Rise and Its Domestic Issues
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Xi Jinping's Remedy for China's Economic Gloom Has Echoes of
Reaganomics (2016-03-04)
(New
York Times, By Chris Buckley) With the world looking to China for assurance that
it can manage its slowing economy and tumultuous stock market, President Xi
Jinping has begun pushing a remedy that sounds less like Marx and Mao than
Reagan and Thatcher.
As Economy Slows, Experts Call on China to Drop Growth
Target (2016-03-05)
(New
York Times, By Edward Wong) China is the only major world economy to set a hard
annual growth target. The number has been critical to China’s economic planning
in the post-Mao years. Communist Party leaders believe that the nation’s
perceived ability to meet or exceed the annual number is an important element in
lending legitimacy to the party, which offers citizens economic opportunity in
exchange for their agreeing to the party’s monopolization of political
power.
In New Economic Plan, China Bets That Hard Choices Can Be
Avoided (2016-03-06)
(New
York Times, By Chris Buckley and Keith Bradsher) As economic growth has fallen
while debts and excess industrial output have risen, Chinese leaders have faced
growing questions about whether they will carry out the painful policy surgery
many experts say is needed to cut away the financial dead weight on the
economy.
China's National People's Congress: Key Points (2016-03-05)
(New
York Times, By Chris Buckley) The Chinese government laid out its priorities for
the year on Saturday, when Prime Minister Li Keqiang gave his annual
state-of-the-nation report to the legislature, the National People’s Congress.
Here are highlights from that report and other government documents released at
the legislative meeting in the Great Hall of the People.
Chinese Views on Global Governance Since 2008-9: Not Much
New (2016-03-01)
(China
Leadership Monitor #49, Hoover Institution, By Michael D. Swaine) Arguments
insisting that China since 2008–9 has adopted a new approach to global
governance, and that this approach involves the overturning of the LIO can find
almost no support among open Chinese sources of whatever
type.
China Deletes Microblog of Critic of President Xi
Jinping (2016-02-29)
(New
York Times, By Edward Wong) The microblog account of an outspoken property
tycoon and critic of President Xi Jinping, which had nearly 38 million
followers, was deleted by China’s Internet control bureau on
Sunday.
In Xi Jinping's Tears, a Message for China's
People (2016-03-04)
(Sinosphere.
By Austin Ramzy) It appears to be part of a broad effort to humanize Mr. Xi and
build a cult of personality around him, an endeavor that has gone beyond
anything dedicated to recent Chinese leaders.
Q. and A.: Minxin Pei on the Future of Communist Rule in
China (2016-03-01)
(Sinosphere,
By Michael Forsythe) Minxin Pei argues that the odds are high that by 2030,
China’s government will be quite different, pushed to change by the endemic
corruption of the current party system. In an interview, he discussed why he
believes one-party rule in China is unsustainable.
Contact:
Dalton Lin, Executive Editor
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