Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Monday 24 February 2014

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2014-02-23 | NO.18(7) epaper |
China, Taiwan Hold First Direct Talks Since 1949 Split
China Says Keen to Meeting with Taiwan President, but No Rush (2014-02-17)
(Reuters) China said it was keen on a meeting between President Xi Jinping and Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, but signaled it was in no rush to set a venue or timeframe for what would be a historic get-together.

Beijing Rejects Ma-Xi Meet at APEC, Boao Forum: Wang (2014-02-19)
(China Post) MAC Minister Wang Yu-chi gave a report on his visit to mainland China to the Legislature and said that the mainland Chinese authorities have rejected the idea of President Ma Ying-jeou and Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping meeting at either the APEC conference in Beijing or the Boao Forum for Asia.

Strait Ties to Move ‘Slowly’: MAC (2014-02-18)
(Taipei Times) MAC Minister Wang Yu-chi said that any further breakthroughs between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait will have to be achieved “slowly, one step at a time.”
Xi Jinping Calls Wang-Zhang Meet ‘Significant’ Development (2014-02-19)
(CNA) CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping made his first recorded comments Tuesday on last week's high-profile meeting between the top cross-strait policymakers from Taiwan and China, calling the event an “actively significant” development.

Taiwan and China Edge Ever Closer (2014-02-17)
(New York Times, By Jonathan Sullivan) The Taiwanese people desire the peace and prosperity that positive relations with China could bring, yet they do not want to give up their sovereignty or democracy to achieve it. But Beijing’s position is implacable, and its power and influence is inescapable.

Patience Must Follow First Meeting (2014-02-23)
(Taipei Times, By Hong Chi-chang)The Wang-Zhang meeting signifies that developments in cross-strait political relations have reached a new milestone. In the next stage, political negotiations will begin, which will pose an unavoidable challenge for all Taiwanese, from the public to the political leaders.
Diaoyutai Disputes Resurface and Japan Policy
PRC Trains for ‘War’ with Japan: Official (2014-02-21)
(Taipei Times, By William Lowther) A US naval officer said the People’s Liberation Army trained for taking over the disputed Diaoyutais during a large military exercise held recently.

In Japan's Drill with the United States, a Message for Beijing (2014-02-22)
(New York Times, By Helene Cooper) In the United States military, commanders are increasingly allied in alarm with Japan over China’s flexing of military muscle.

Nationalist Fuel for Japan's Revival Plan
 (2014-02-18)
(Wall Street Journal, By Andrew Browne) Beyond the imperative to raise wages and improve livelihoods, Etsuro Honda, a prominent adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on his program of economic revival, says Japan needs a strong economy so that it can build a more powerful military and stand up to China.
Abe Adviser's U.S. Remarks Stir Controversy (2014-02-19)
(Wall Street Journal, By Yuka Hayashi) In the latest indication of frustration among Japanese policy makers over Washington's handling of tensions in East Asia, Seiichi Eto, a member of parliament's upper house and a special aide to the premier, said he was "disappointed" by U.S. criticism of Mr. Abe's December visit to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine.
Japan's Provocative Moves (2014-02-17)
(Washington Post, By Jackson Diehl) Could Japan end up provoking the most serious national security crisis yet faced by President Obama?
Stand with Our Ally in Tokyo
 (2014-02-18)
(The Diplomat, By Rep. J. Randy Forbes) I view the relationship between the United States and China as an emerging peacetime competition that demands a strong U.S.-Japan alliance to shape PRC decision-making in ways that are amenable to the region’s rules-based order.
To Counter Beijing, Japan Moves Closer to Taiwan (2014-02-20)
(The Diplomat, By Shannon Tiezzi) A report from Kyodo News International says that lawmakers from Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party are trying to create a Japanese version of the Taiwan Relations Act.
China and Japan's Deteriorating Relationship (2014-02-13)
(The Diplomat, By Shannon Tiezzi) The Diplomat‘s Shannon Tiezzi talks with Michael Green, Senior Vice President for Asia at CSIS and a professor at Georgetown University, about the root cause of the Sino-Japanese tensions, the possibility for conflict, and strategies for repairing relations.
South China Sea Disputes and Other Regional Issues
Chinese Naval Patrol Prompts Conflicting Regional Response (2014-02-20)
(Wall Street Journal, By Trefor Moss and Rob Taylor) A three-week patrol by a Chinese naval flotilla in Southeast Asian waters has drawn conflicting responses from regional governments, exposing confusion over how to react to China's rising maritime power. 
U.S. Pivot to Asia and Sino-U.S. Engagement
Biden Defends Merits of Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Talks (2014-02-14)
(Wall Street Journal, By Michael Crittenden and William Mauldin) At a retreat of Democratic lawmakers, Mr. Biden said trade negotiations among 12 Pacific countries would bring economic and strategic value, according to attendees.

America's Asia Policy Up in Smoke (2014-02-20)
(Wall Street Journal, By Michael Auslin) If America's commitments to Asia carry too heavy a price, then the White House owes it to the American people to change its policy. But if Asia is truly important to the American future, then Mr. Obama needs to back up his lofty words with serious policies for retaining his country's predominant influence in the Pacific.

U.S. Army Chief of Staff Meets Top Chinese Generals (2014-02-21)
(AP, By Christopher Bodeen) China and the United States share common objectives and should boost cooperation between their militaries, the U.S. Army chief said at the start of meetings with top Chinese generals aimed at building trust amid rising regional tensions.
U.S. Army to Increase Ties with China's Military, General Says (2014-02-22)
(New York Times, By Edward Wong and Andrew Jacobs) A top United States military commander said that the U.S. Army is working on starting a formal dialogue and exchange program with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army before the end of the year.
China Criticizes Obama Over Visit by Dalai Lama (2014-02-21)
(New York Times, By Mark Landler) President Obama welcomed the Dalai Lama to the White House, provoking a sharp rebuke from the Chinese government, which warned that the meeting would severely damage relations between Washington and Beijing.
How China and America See Each Other (2014-02-20)
(Foreign Affairs, By Minxin Pei) The real value of Debating China is the extent to which it reveals that the U.S.-Chinese relationship is heading in an increasingly competitive direction. If the countries stay on their present course, the old neither-friends-nor-foes label will become irrelevant, and the most important bilateral relationship in the world will no longer be defined by engagement; it will be characterized by managed rivalry.
DPP Searches for New China Stance; Cross-Strait Issues
Cross-Strait Relations Not Int'l: Lian Chan (2014-02-19)
(China Post) Kuomintang Honorary Chairman Lien Chan remarked that the relationship between Taiwan and China is not considered an international relationship during his meeting with Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinpingin Beijing this week.
‘ROC’ Comment Omitted in Chinese Reports on Lien-Xi Meeting (2014-02-20)
(CNA) Major Chinese media outlets avoided any mention of the Republic of China, Taiwan's official name, in reports on Tuesday's meeting in Beijing between Lien Chan, the honorary chairman of Taiwan's Kuomintang, and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Xi's Comments against Public Opinion: DPP (2014-02-20)
(Taipei Times) The Chinese president in meeting with former vice president Lien Chan again proposed ‘one country, two systems,’ but Taiwanese do not accept it, the DPP said.
DPP Argues Over Chinese Influence on Elections (2014-02-21)
(Taipei Times) DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang and former premier Frank Hsieh exchanged verbal jabs over reports of Chinese interference in the election.
Taiwan, China Reach Consensus on Nine Deals (2014-02-23)
(Taipei Times) Taiwan and China reached a consensus on proposals to improve the implementation of nine of 19 agreements they have signed to date.
Majority Reject Unification: TISR Poll (2014-02-23)
(Taipei Times) The survey found that although most respondents oppose eventual cross-strait unification, the majority also felt that regular MAC-TAO talks should be held.
PLA and Military Balance
PRC Aims to Foil US Intervention: Study (2014-02-22)
(Taipei Times, By William Lowther) China is developing a military “architecture” that could undermine US ability to intervene in an attack on Taiwan or Japan, according to a new study. 
Taiwan's Foreign Relations
Foreign Minister Says No Word on TPP (2014-02-19)
(Taipei Times) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has not been told by the US that Taiwan may become a member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership by the end of next year as a Japanese newspaper reported.

Taiwan Could Join TPP This Year: Minister (2014-02-20)
(China Post) As Taiwan strives to open up the local market, it may have a chance to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership as early as this year, National Development Council Minister Kuan Chung-ming said.
Visiting US Congressman Backs Taiwan's TPP Bid (2014-02-21)
(China Post) A visiting United States congressional delegation voiced their support for Taiwan's bid to join the Trans-Pacific partnership, a U.S.-led economic agreement in the Asian Pacific region.
China's Rise and Its Domestic Issues
Corruption Inquiry Focuses on China's Top Security Officials (2014-02-21)
(New York Times, By Chris Buckley and Jonathan Ansfield) A politically fraught Communist Party corruption investigation focusing on the former head of the domestic security apparatus, Zhou Yongkang, has reached into the sensitive realm of the Chinese intelligence services. 
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