Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Sunday 27 October 2013

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2013-10-27 | NO.17(42) epaper |
South China Sea Disputes
MOFA Mum on Date of Next Philippines Fishery Meeting (2013-10-21)
(CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs would not provide details on the country's next fishery meeting with the Philippines and refused to comment on a media report that the meeting will take place this coming week in Taipei.

Taipei, Manila Set Up Fishery Hotline in Bilateral Talks: MOFA
 (2013-10-23)
(China Post) Taiwan and the Philippines have officially established a hotline to facilitate two-way communication in the event of future fishing incidents as both sides concluded a fresh round of bilateral fishery talks in Taipei yesterday, the MOFA said.

Manila Backtracks on South China Sea Accusation against China
 (2013-10-23)
(Reuters) Philippine President Benigno Aquino said the concrete blocks found on a disputed shoal in the South China Sea are "very old", backtracking on Manila's earlier accusation that China was building new structures in the area.
Beijing Unveils New Strategy for ASEAN-China Relations (2013-10-24)
(China Brief 13(21), Jamestown Foundation, By Prashanth Parameswaran) while Beijing’s diplomatic offensive provided a good window into the new leadership’s thinking about Southeast Asia and also produced some impressive initial results, there remain limits to ASEAN–China relations in both the economic and security dimensions that could continue to bedevil ties for years to come. 
Regional Issues
China, India Sign Border Cooperation Agreement (2013-10-23)
(AP) China and India signed a confidence-building accord Wednesday to cooperate on border defense following a standoff between armed forces of the two Asian giants in disputed Himalayan territory earlier this year.
India, China Agree to Ease Border Fray (2013-10-23)
(Wall Street Journal, By Niharika Mandhana) Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for China's Foreign Ministry, said the agreement shows that relations between the two countries have matured. But some analysts in India remain skeptical about how far it will go in soothing tensions.

Abe Says Japan Ready to Counter China's Power (2013-10-25)
(Wall Street Journal, By Gerard Baker and George Nishiyama) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he envisions a resurgent Japan taking a more assertive leadership role in Asia to counter China's power, making Tokyo a representative in the region for countries nervous about Beijing's military buildup and a possible U.S. pullback.
U.S. Pivot to Asia and Sino-U.S. Engagement
Visiting China, Pentagon Officials Step Up Dialogue (2013-10-22)
(New York Times, By Thom Shanker) Senior Pentagon officials have been accelerating a dialogue with China, carried out through personal visits with Chinese counterparts to establish and strengthen military-to-military relationships.

Cross-Strait Political Integration Must Be “Far-Off”: US Report
 (2013-10-25)
(Taipei Times, By William Lowther) The next president of the US should “do everything in his power” to ensure that political integration between Taiwan and China remains a “far-off prospect,” a new analysis says. 
Cross-Strait Issues
Over 60% Support Official Cross-Strait Contact (2013-10-22)
(Taipei Times) More than 60 percent of Taiwanese support official contact between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, the Mainland Affairs Council said, citing the results of a poll it commissioned.
Taiwan's President, Ma Ying-Jeou, Plans to Expand Relations with China (2013-10-25)
(Washington Post, By William Wan) Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou outlined plans to further improve ties with China and rebutted criticism that he is giving up too much in exchange for better economic relations with the island’s former foe. (Full transcript of the interview

Political Talks May Come Up: KMT's Wu
 (2013-10-27)
(Taipei Times) The former KMT chairman said political issues can crop up during economic exchanges with Beijing and should be discussed if the public agrees to it.

Taiwan Urges China to Allow Visits to Taiwanese Prisoners
 (2013-10-27)
(CNA) Taiwan's top official in charge of mainland China affairs said that in the negotiations on the establishment of reciprocal offices on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, Beijing should grant Taiwan personnel the right to visit Taiwanese prisoners in China. 
PLA and Military Balance
China Stages Exercise Simulating Attack on Taiwan: Scholar (2013-10-21)
(CNA) China's armed forces earlier this month launched a large-scale military exercise, mobilizing over 20,000 troops in maneuvers believed to simulate preparation for an incursion into Taiwan, according to a U.S.-based professor.

Mainland China Remains An Adversary to Taiwan: Defense Minister
 (2013-10-22)
(CNA) The relationship across the Taiwan Strait remains one between two adversaries, Minister of National Defense Yen Ming said.
MND Confirms Air Force Major Detained (2013-10-27)
(Taipei Times) MND confirmed a media report that said an air force major has been detained on suspicion of leaking confidential information gathered from E-2 Hawkeye early warning aircraft to Chinese nationals.

Include Taiwan in Drills: Members of US Congress
 (2013-10-23)
(Taipei Times, By William Lowther) Members of the US Congress have formally asked US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to invite Taiwan to join the Rim of Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise next year. 
Taiwan's Foreign Relations
More Agreements Forecast with Japan by Year's End (2013-10-23)
(CNA) Taiwan and Japan are expected to sign five more agreements by the end of this year to advance bilateral cooperation in various areas, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. 
China's Rise and Its Domestic Issues
Xi Sets Up Special Unit to Probe Zhou Yongkang, SCMP Reports (2013-10-21)
(Bloomberg, By Michael Forsythe) Chinese President Xi Jinping set up a special unit for a probe into former head of internal security Zhou Yongkang, the South China Morning Post reported, citing three people it didn’t identify.

Chinese Court Rejects Bo Xilai Appeal
 (2013-10-25)
(Wall Street Journal, By Jeremy Page) A Chinese court rejected an appeal by Bo Xilai against his conviction last month for bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power.
China's Coming Economic Slowdown (2013-10-25)
(Wall Street Journal, By Josef Joffe) Authoritarian or "guided" modernization plants the seeds of its own demise. It empowers vested interests that, like privileged players throughout history, first ignore and then resist change because it poses a mortal threat to their status and income.
How the Chinese Bureaucracy Decides (2013-10-23)
(The Diplomat, By J. M. Norton) The Chinese bureaucracy could best be described not as a hierarchical decision-making structure but rather as a series of concentric circles, with some circles overlapping. 
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