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| South
China Sea Disputes
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China Says Tsunami Alert Center Opened in South China
Sea (2016-03-17)
(Reuters)
China has set up a tsunami alert center in the South China Sea, the head of the
nation’s maritime regulator said yesterday, in Beijing’s latest effort to
bolster its jurisdiction in the disputed waters.
US Sees Chinese Activity Around S China Sea Reef (2016-03-19)
(Reuters)
The US has seen Chinese activity around a reef China seized from the Philippines
nearly four years ago that could be a precursor to more land reclamation in the
disputed South China Sea, the US Navy chief said.
Taipei, Manila Set to Work Together on Illegal
Fishing (2016-03-19)
(CNA)
Taiwan and the Philippines have agreed to set up a hotline on fishing disputes
and cooperate in cracking down on illegal fishing in their overlapping exclusive
economic zones, officials said.
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| East
China Sea Disputes and Japan Policy
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Japan's Declining Place in Chinese Diplomacy (2016-03-16)
(The
Diplomat, By Xue Li and Zheng Yuwen) When it comes to Northeast Asia, South
Korea has become China’s key sub-regional partner. Japan now has fallen behind
Russia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, ASEAN, and South Korea on China’s diplomatic
priority list. This situation will continue in the foreseeable future, thanks
mostly to Japan’s own foreign policy.
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| DPP
Searches for New China Stance; Cross-Strait Issues
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China Resumes Diplomatic Relations with Gambia, Shutting Out
Taiwan (2016-03-18)
(Sinosphere,
By Austin Ramzy) China announced on Thursday that it had resumed diplomatic
relations with Gambia, an African nation that had maintained ties with Taiwan
for nearly two decades.
Ma Condemns Gambia-China Ties (2016-03-18)
(China
Post, By Joseph Yeh) President Ma Ying-jeou expressed "strong dissatisfaction"
over Taiwan's former ally The Gambia's decision to resume diplomatic relations
with mainland China, two and a half years after it severed ties with
Taiwan.
DPP Condemns 'Purposeful Competition' on China-Gambia
Ties (2016-03-18)
(China
Post, By Stephanie Chao) The incoming Democratic Progressive Party condemned
what it regards as "purposeful competition" on the part of mainland China
regarding its resumed ties with The Gambia on Thursday, while the Mainland
Affairs Council expressed "extreme dissatisfaction."
Tsai Hopes Gambia Move Not Targeted at Taiwan (2016-03-19)
(CNA)
Tsai said there is no need for acts that hurt feelings on both sides of the
Strait. Beijing said that re-establishing ties with the Gambia ‘targets no
one.’
China's Gambia Gambit a Move to Force Tsai to Acknowledge
Consensus (2016-03-18)
(China
Post, By Yuan-Ming Chiao) The Gambia will remain a mere gambit if Tsai counters
with level-headedness and tact, by recognizing the current fragility of
cross-strait ties while at the same time consolidating support at home to build
the consensus needed to proceed in building something stronger.
Gambia Case Viewed As Geopolitical Warning to President-Elect:
MAC (2016-03-19)
(CNA)
The head of the Mainland Affairs Council said that many people regard China's
move to resume diplomatic relations with The Gambia as a warning to Taiwan's
President-elect Tsai Ing-wen.
China's Forceful 'Reminder' to Taiwan (2016-03-19)
(Strait
Times, By Li Xueying) The battle is likely to be not so much in the diplomatic
arena but in public opinion - convincing Taiwanese people who is at fault for
the deteriorating situation.
Decoding Xi Jinping's Latest Remarks on Taiwan (2016-03-17)
(Brookings,
By Richard C. Bush III) The key variable remains whether Xi and his subordinates
trust Tsai Ing-wen’s basic intentions. That is, will they accept her recent
formulations as a good-faith effort to avoid deterioration? The next milestone
will be May 20, when Tsai Ing-wen gives her inaugural address and may provide a
more detailed formulation of her approach to China.
US Think Tank Denies It Gave Inauguration
Help (2016-03-17)
(China
Post, By Stephanie Chao) DPP spokesman Ruan Jhao-syong stated that in Bonnie
Glaser's email sent to the DPP's International Affairs Department on March 16,
11:36 a.m., she clarified that U.S. scholars have not made any suggestions
during the meeting regarding Tsai's inauguration speech.
Beijing Unlikely to Ink Trade in Goods Agreement with Taiwan:
Ex-Official (2016-03-14)
(China
Post, By John Liu) China may have decided to ax the cross-strait trade in goods
pact, since Beijing now views the issue not as a purely "economic" agreement,
but a "political" and "national sovereignty" issue, according to former National
Security Council chief Su Chi.
Trade-in-Goods Pact Talks with China at Bottleneck:
MOEA (2016-03-15)
(China
Post, By Enru Lin) The Economics Ministry said that talks with Beijing over a
trade-in-goods pact have reached a bottleneck that is unlikely to be cleared up
in the short term.
Pro-DPP Businesses Must Suffer in China: Academic (2016-03-16)
(Taipei
Times) At a joint meeting of the Chinese National People’s Congress and Chinese
People’s Political Consultative Conference, Peking University’s institute of
Taiwan studies head Li Yihu said China should punish “two-faced Taiwanese
businesspeople” for activities or statements supporting the
DPP.
If Unhappy with Tsai, China May End Talks (2016-03-18)
(China
Post, By Joseph Yeh) If China is unsatisfied with President-elect Tsai Ing-wen's
inauguration speech, it could stop bilateral negotiation, prevent Chinese
tourists from visiting Taiwan and push to further isolate or pressure Taiwan on
the global stage,Taiwan's top intelligence chief said.
Most Reject Idea of ‘one China’: Survey (2016-03-15)
(Taipei
Times) Despite China’s repeated attempts to force Taiwan’s incoming
administration to accept the idea that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to
“one China,” a survey showed that most people reject the
construction.
Hong Kong and Taiwan: The Future of Chinese
Deomcracy (2016-03-16)
(The
Diplomat, By Mercy A. Kuo and Angelica O. Tang) Hong Kong and Taiwan’s strategic
value to the U.S. lies in their democratic or semi-democratic systems, which
stand in juxtaposition to China’s hardening authoritarianism. Citizens in both
territories have strengthened their identities as “Taiwanese” or “Hong Kongers,”
eschewing their identity as “Chinese.” Mainland pressure backfired, as many
people in these two territories see their business elites getting rich, while
their own salaries stagnate, housing prices become unaffordable, and media
freedoms deteriorate.
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| PLA
and Military Balance
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China Sees Taiwan As Key Security Threat: US
Report (2016-03-17)
(Taipei
Times, By William Lowther) China now believes that the most important threat to
its security interests might come from Taiwan, a new US congressional report
said.
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| Taiwan's
Domestic Issues and Foreign Relations
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Taiwan Mood Barometer
Survey, First Half of March 2016 (2016-03-14)
(TISR)
President Ma Ying-jeou's approval rating rose 2.7 percentage points over the
first ten days of March, according to the latest Taiwan Mood
Barometer Survey (in
Chinese).
Tsai Names Lin Chuan As Her Premier (2016-03-16)
(Taipei
Times) Lin Chuan has served as minister of finance and has a doctorate in
economics, but Tsai said the Cabinet is to be focused on reform and
communication.
Ma Receives Warm Welcome during Stopover in
Taxes (2016-03-16)
(CNA)
President Ma Ying-jeou was warmly welcomed by US officials during a visit to a
Taiwanese ethylene manufacturing plant in Point Comfort, Texas, during a
stopover in Houston en route to Guatemala .
Ma Talks Power Transition with US Officials on Los Angeles
Stopover (2016-03-20)
(China
Post) President Ma spoke with Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Gina
McCarthy, administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency, according to
the Central News Agency.
Obama Inks Taiwan INTERPOL Bid Bill (2016-03-20)
(CNA)
U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday signed a bill which requires the U.S.
secretary of state to develop a strategy to obtain observer status for Taiwan in
the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and other
international groups.
President-Elect Hopes for Early Talk with Japan on Trans Pacific
Partnership Participation Bid (2016-03-17)
(CNA)
President-elect Tsai Ing-wen said that she hopes to communicate with Japan soon
on issues related to Taiwan's bid to join the Trans Pacific Partnership free
trade bloc and establish a free trade agreement with
Japan.
Taiwan Agrees to Begin Direct Flights to Spain (2016-03-17)
(Taipei
Times) Taiwan is to begin operating direct flights to Madrid and Barcelona as
the nation has completed negotiations on an aviation pact with Spain, a source
within the Ministry of Transportation and Communications
said.
Taiwan-Nicaragua Air Services Deal Goes into Effect After Inked by
Salazar (2016-03-19)
(CNA)
The bilateral aviation services agreement is the result of a series of
negotiations between the two nations over the past two years, according to a
statement issued by the Republic of China Embassy in Nicaragua.
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| China's
Rise and Its Domestic Issues
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Labor Protests Multiply in China As Economy Slow, Worrying
Leaders (2016-03-15)
(New
York Times, By Javier C. Hernandez) The tide of protests appears to be cresting
as Mr. Xi contemplates an enormous downsizing of China’s bloated state
industries, which are producing much more steel, cement and other goods than the
market needs.
Chinese Tycoon Criticizes Leader, and Wins Surprising
Support (2016-03-19)
(New
York Times, By Chris Buckley) The unexpected backlash sent a shiver through the
political landscape here, exposing deepening unease about the adulatory
promotion of Mr. Xi and his demands for unquestioning public
obedience.
Does China Need More Friends in Asia? (2016-03-20)
(The
National Interest, By Ali Wyne) Alliances are a key to Beijing's future success,
says Yan Xuetong.
Contact:
Dalton Lin, Executive Editor
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