Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Tuesday 24 December 2013

epaper_image
2013-12-23 | NO.17(50) epaper |
USS Cowpens Incident
USS Cowpens Incident Reveals Strategic Mistrust between U.S. and China (2013-12-17)
(The Diplomat, By Carl Thayer) The USS Cowpens incident reveals that after sixteen years of efforts to negotiate an agreement on maritime and air safety there is little evidence that Sino-U.S. military-to-military consultations and strategic dialogue have reduced strategic mistrust and raised transparency.

Hagel Criticizes Chinese Navy, Citing Near Miss (2013-12-20)
(New York Times, By Thom Shanker) The Chinese Navy has been “irresponsible,” and its actions risk escalating tensions with the United States, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in the highest-level rebuke of Beijing since a Chinese warship came dangerously close to an American guided missile cruiser this month.

Turbulence Ahead for U.S., China Ties (2013-12-17)
(Wall Street Journal, By Andrew Browne) China is demonstrating that its patient wait to assert itself on a global stage is drawing to a close: Its moment has arrived.
(The Diplomat, By James R. Holmes) So who won the December 5 encounter between the Aegis cruiser USS Cowpens and the ships escorting aircraft carrier Liaoning? Sad to say, methinks this round goes to China’s navy. 
U.S. Pivot to Asia and Sino-U.S. Engagement
US Takes Aim at China, Ups Aid to SE Asia (2013-12-17)
(AP) Taking clear aim at China’s growing aggressiveness in territorial disputes with its smaller neighbors, US Secretary of State John Kerry announced that Washington would boost maritime security assistance to Southeast Asian countries amid rising tensions with Beijing. 

China to Prioritize Great Power Relations in 2014 (2013-12-17)
(The Diplomat, By Zachery Keck) According to an English-language report on the speech carried by all of China’s major state media providers, Foreign Minister Wang Yi indicated that China will prioritize ties to great powers during 2014.
Baucus, Conflicted Architect of Health Overhaul, Is Obama's Pick for China (2013-12-19)
(New York Times, By Sheryl Gay Stolberg) Senator Max Baucus of Montana, soon to be nominated as President Obama’s next ambassador to China, is the powerful chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

Sen. Max Baucus, Nominee for China Ambassador, Steeped in Trade, Finance (2013-12-22)
(Wall Street Journal, Neil King Jr. and Ian Talley) In turning to Sen. Max Baucus as his next ambassador to China, President Barack Obama has picked a veteran lawmaker with long experience in China trade fights but scant exposure to the sort of national-security tensions that have recently roiled relations with Beijing.
Diaoyutai Disputes Resurface and Japan Policy
Japan Invests in New Military Kit As China Row Simmers (2013-12-17)
(AFP) Japan announced it will buy stealth fighters, drones and submarines as part of a splurge on military hardware that will beef up defence of far-flung islands amid a simmering territorial row with China. 

A Three-Pronged Approach to the ADIZ (2013-12-17)
(The Diplomat, By Amitai Etzioni) Beyond the specific disputes lies a more general question that the U.S. has not yet adequately addressed. What is the U.S. position toward China’s rising power?
Cross-Strait Issues
MND Rules out Spy Exchange Deal Involving Former General (2013-12-18)
(China Post) Taiwan will not free a Taiwanese general convicted of spying for China in exchange for Taiwanese spies currently jailed in Chinese prisons, the Ministry of National Defense said. 

Cross-Strait Review Pushed to March (2013-12-21)
(Taipei Times) KMT backed away from its plan to call an extra legislative session next month to push through the controversial cross-strait service trade agreement, meaning that the review process for the deal is not to begin until March next year.
Taiwan's Domestic Issues and Foreign Relations
MOFA Rejects Most Allies' Aid Projects (2013-12-17)
(Taipei Times) Taiwan’s diplomatic allies have applied for money to support a number of development projects, but most have been turned down due to a lack of funds. 

US Tries to Avoid Taiwan in S China Sea Dispute (2013-12-18)
(Taipei Times, By William Lowther) During a briefing about John Kerry’s current visit to Asia, a US Department of State official struggled to keep Taiwan out of the questions.

Beijing Could Hold Key to Taiwan's TPP Bid: Analysts (2013-12-16)
(Taipei Times, By Shih Hsiu-chuan) Taiwan’s prospect for entry into the US-led Trans Pacific Partnership hinges on China, and the process is likely to be delayed because China itself is unlikely to join the trading bloc in the near future, US analysts said.

Taiwan Eyeing Trade Pacts: Minister (2013-12-20)
(Taipei Times) Taiwan is aiming to be considered a second-round candidate for the TPP and to accede to the RCEP in the next two years, Council for Economic Planning and Development Minister Kuan Chung-ming said.

US Welcome Taiwan's Intent to Join Trade Bloc (2013-12-22)
(Taipei Times) Taiwan’s intent to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership has been welcomed by the Office of the US Trade Representative.
Party Identification Tracking Analysis in Taiwan, November 2013 (2013-12-05)
(TISR) For the first time since December 2003 when Taiwan Indicators Survey Research began tracking the Taiwanese public's party identities more respondents self-identified as supporters of the Pan-Green parties than as supporters of the Pan-Blue parties. 
China's Rise and Its Domestic Issues
China Focusing Graft Inquiry on Ex-Official (2013-12-16)
(New York Times, By Jonathan Ansfield and Chris Buckley) Sending tremors across China’s political landscape, President Xi Jinping and other party leaders have authorized a corruption inquiry against the powerful former head of the domestic security apparatus, Zhou Yongkang, according to sources with elite political ties.

Xi Weakens Role of Beijing's No. 2
 (2013-12-20)
(Wall Street Journal, By Jeremy Page, Bob Davis, and Lingling Wei) Mr. Xi is subverting a nearly two-decade-old division of power whereby the president, who is also party chief, handles politics, diplomacy and security, while the premier manages the economy.

Top Chinese Security Official Investigated in Corruption Inquiry
 (2013-12-21)
(New York Times, By Edward Wong) Xinhua reported that Li Dongsheng, a vice minister of public security, is the subject of an inquiry by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. 
Previous