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| South
China Sea Disputes
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China's Coast Guard Rams Fishing Boat to Free It from Indonesian
Authorities (2016-03-22)
(New
York Times, By Joe Cochrane) China’s Coast Guard rammed one of the country’s
fishing boats to pry it free from the Indonesian authorities who had seized it
over the weekend, angering the Indonesian government and heightening yet another
diplomatic dispute over the South China Sea.
The South China Sea's ‘White-Hull’ Warfare (2016-03-26)
(The
National Interest, By Koh Swee Lean Collin) Remember one of James Cable’s astute
observations in the seminal work Gunboat Diplomacy: sheer size matters. The side
with the larger fleet and superior vessels prevails. This is a sobering reality
played out in the South China Sea incidents: larger coast guard ships can
furnish Beijing a “stabilizing” and “defensive” veneer to justify its own
strategic narrative of being “victimized” in the disputes.
South China Sea: China Has Deployed Anti-Ship Missiles on Woody
Island (2016-03-26)
(The
Diplomat, By Ankit Panda) The YJ-62 ASCM would allow China to potentially target
any surface vessel within 400 kilometers of Woody Island.
Xi Jinping and Maritime Militarization (2016-03-23)
(The
Diplomat, By Greg Austin) Xi’s commitment in 2015 about the Spratly Islands
could not have meant China would not station soldiers or military equipment
there, or that other countries should not do so. It more likely meant that from
that point on, China would not be the first side to organize its armed forces
there for a military confrontation over the islands.
Taiwan Takes Media on Tour of South China Sea Island
Claim (2016-03-23)
(AP,
By Johnson Lai) Taiwan flew international media to its largest island holding in
the South China Sea on Wednesday in a bid to reinforce its territorial claims in
the disputed and increasingly tense region.
Foreign Reporters Visit Itu Aba Island (2016-03-24)
(Taipei
Times) President Ma Ying-jeou said that the trip was organized because he wanted
international journalists to witness firsthand that Itu Aba is an island, not a
rock.
Taiwan Argues Its South China Sea Case in the Court of Public
Opinion (2016-03-24)
(The
Diplomat, By Shannon Tiezzi) If Itu Aba is ruled an island – and thus is able to
generate a 200 nautical mile EEZ – the maritime entitlements associated with Itu
Aba would cover much of the rest of the Spratlys. And, because the tribunal
cannot decide questions of sovereignty, it would leave open the door for all
parties – including Beijing – to claim that EEZ.
Taiwan President on China, Disputed Islands (2016-03-27)
(CNN)
Christiane Amanpour speaks to the President of Taiwan Ma Ying-jeou about the
country's relations with China and the growing tensions in the South China
Sea.
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| East
China Sea Disputes and Japan Policy
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A
Pragmatic Public: Observations of Japan's 2016 Public Opinion Survey on
Diplomacy (2016-03-22)
(PacNet
#30, Pacific Forum, CSIS, By Brad Glosserman and Akira Igata) The slight
improvement in views of China suggests that the Japanese distinguish between
“distant” threats in the South China Sea and “real” threats closer to home, such
as the Senkakus, which have been relatively peaceful (in comparison).
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| U.S.
“Pivot” to Asia and Sino-U.S. Engagement
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Obama's Recent China Policy--More Resolve, Rising
Tension (2016-03-21)
(PacNet
#29, Pacific Forum, CSIS, By Robert Sutter) Rising tensions with China seem to
be accepted in Washington as unavoidable consequences of the US need to protect
important interests from negative Chinese practices.
Are China and the US Close to Sealing an Investment
Treaty? (2016-03-24)
(The
Diplomat, By Shannon Tiezzi) China and the United States are almost finished
with negotiations over a key investment treaty, former Chinese Commerce Minister
Chen Deming said. If successfully concluded, the bilateral investment treaty
could substantially increase Chinese and U.S. investments in each other’s
markets.
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| DPP
Searches for New China Stance; Cross-Strait Issues
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Xi Knows Unification Is Futile Now: Ma (2016-03-27)
(CNA)
President Ma Ying-jeou said in an interview that both he and Chinese President
Xi Jinping are well aware that the conditions for the unification of the two
sides of the Taiwan Strait are lacking at present.
Related:
-Taiwan
President on China, Disputed Islands
President-elect Tsai Ing-wen Hoping More Goodwill from Beijing in
China Times Interview (2016-03-21)
(China
Times) President-elect Tsai Ing-wen said in an interview with theChina
Times (in
Chinese) that the lead-up to her inauguration on May 20 represents a rare window
of opportunity for both sides of the Strait to exhibit goodwill and accumulate
mutual trust and she hopes the mainland will utilize the chance to show some
amity.
China's Gambia Gambit and What It Means for
Taiwan (2016-03-22)
(Brookings,
By Richard C Bush III) Technically, China was not "stealing" one of Taiwan's
diplomatic allies, but it could still signal that China would accommodate to a
Tsai presidency only on its own terms.
Beijing's Gambia Gambit Feeds Suspicion Across Taiwan
Strait (2016-03-22)
(Wall
Street Journal, By Andrew Browne) The bigger puzzle is why Taiwan cares as much
as it does about this diplomatic struggle with China, a legacy of their Cold War
hostility. Except for the Vatican, the island’s 22 diplomatic friends have
almost no global clout.
Ties with Sao Tome and Principe Deserve Attention:
MOFA (2016-03-22)
(China
Post, By Joseph Yeh) A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official issued a warning
that the nation's diplomatic relations with an African ally, Sao Tome and
Principe, need to be closely watched.
Taiwan 'Very Likely' to Lose 2/3 of Chinese Visitors within 4
Months: Bureau (2016-03-25)
(China
Post, By Christine Chou) The Ministry of Transportation and Communications'
Tourism Bureau Deputy Director General Chang Shi-chung said previous rumors,
which indicated that the number of Chinese visitors will drop by two-thirds
compared to last year, were very likely to be accurate.
President-Elect Urged to Specify Nature of Cross-Strait
Relations (2016-03-25)
(CNA)
The only answer China wants to hear from Tsai is to the question of "what is the
nature of cross-strait relations?" said Zhang Zhijun, head of China's Taiwan
Affairs Office, while answering reporters' questions before the opening ceremony
of the Boao Forum for Asia.
Chinese Premier Pushes Agenda (2016-03-26)
(CNA)
China plans to continue the peaceful development of bilateral ties based on the
“political foundation of the 1992 consensus,” Chinese Premier Li Keqiang
said.
Council Urges China to Face the Reality of Separate
Rule (2016-03-27)
(CNA)
The Mainland Affairs Council urged China to face the reality that both sides of
the Taiwan Strait have been under separate rule for the past 67
years.
Mainland China Mulling Name for Taiwan to Join AIIB: ARATS
President (2016-03-24)
(CNA)
Mainland China's top negotiator with Taiwan said that the issue of what name
should be used by Taiwan to participate in the Beijing-initiated Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank is now "under discussion."
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| Taiwan's
Domestic Issues and Foreign Relations
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Hung Elected KMT's First Chairwoman (2016-03-27)
(Taipei
Times) The KMT elected former deputy legislative speaker Hung Hsiu-chu as the
party’s first chairwoman in its more than 100-year history.
Central Bank Cuts Rates for a Third Time (2016-03-25)
(Taipei
Times) The bank lowered its key rates by 12.5 basis points in hopes of
maintaining financial stability while boosting confidence as exports
languish.
Nation ‘Stuck’ for Past 11 Years: Survey (2016-03-22)
(Taipei
Times) Eighty-six percent of respondents to a poll by the Chinese-language
United Daily News said they believe the nation has been “stuck” for the past 11
years.
Hsieh Likely Next Envoy to Japan (2016-03-22)
(CNA)
President-elect Tsai Ing-wen plans to appoint former premier Frank Hsieh as the
nation’s representative to Japan after she assumes office in May, a local news
report said.
Panama Invites Tsai to Canal Expansion Opening (2016-03-25)
(CNA)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Panama has issued an official
invitation to president-elect Tsai Ing-wen to attend the inauguration ceremony
of the newly expanded Panama Canal in June.
President-Elect to Give Panama Offer ‘Priority’ (2016-03-26)
(Taipei
Times) DPP and KMT officials expressed support for a potential meeting between
Tsai Ing-wen and Xi Jinping if she does accept the invitation.
US Economic Diplomat to Visit the Republic of
China (2016-03-26)
(CNA)
Kurt Tong, principal deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of Economic and
Business Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, will visit the R.O.C. from
March 28-30, the American Institute in Taiwan said.
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| China's
Rise and Its Domestic Issues
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Q. and A.: Jason Y. Ng on Aftermath of Hong Kong's Umbrella
Revolution (2016-03-25)
(Sinosphere,
By Didi Kristen Tatlow) Because of Occupy, politics is now on everyone’s mind
and lips, and social justice has replaced social status on our priority list. It
has also engendered the so-called Umbrella generation: youth who now spend their
time debating and scrutinizing every government policy on social
media.
Three Strikes: A Tipping Point for Hong
Kong? (2016-03-24)
(The
Diplomat, By Farzana Aslam) One of the reasons that Hong Kong is a location of
choice for multinationals in the region, and why many have chosen Hong Kong as
their regional headquarters, is not because Hong Kong offers greater economic
opportunities than a headquarters based on the mainland would afford. Rather, it
is to avoid the threat of the exercise of arbitrary power that living in a
jurisdiction with a weak rule of law poses to one of any company’s most
important assets, namely, its employees.
Contact:
Dalton Lin, Executive Editor
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