Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Tuesday 28 April 2015

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2015-04-27 | NO.19(17) epaper |
South China Sea Disputes
Philippines Voices China Alarm As US War Games Begin (2015-04-21)
(AP) The Philippines voiced concerns about Chinese “aggressiveness” in disputed regional waters as it launched giant war games with the US that were partly aimed as a warning shot to Beijing.

Southeast Asia Divided on Response to Chinese Reclamation in South China Sea (2015-04-26)
(Wall Street Journal, By Ben Otto and Jason Ng) The Philippines pushed Southeast Asian neighbors Sunday to take a stand against China’s expanding footprint in the South China Sea, but Malaysia downplayed the urgency at a summit of the region’s trade and security bloc.

Confirmed: Taiwan to Start New South China Sea Patrols (2015-04-22)
(The Diplomat, By Prashanth Parameswaran) On April 20, Taiwan’s defense ministry reportedly confirmed for the first time that the country will dispatch P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft on surveillance missions in its claimed territory within the disputed South China Sea.
A Big Deal: China Reveals Its South China Sea Strategy (2015-04-24)
(The National Interest, By Bonnie S. Glaser) For the first time, the Chinese government has officially acknowledged that its land reclamation activity is intended at least in part for military purposes.
Diaoyutai Disputes Resurface and Japan Policy
Xi Jinping of China and Shinzo Abe of Japan Meet amid Slight Thaw in Ties (2015-04-23)
(New York Times, By Jane Perlez) China’s president, Xi Jinping, and Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, met in Indonesia, a signal of a continued slight warming in relations that still remain frosty between Asia’s two biggest economies.

Japan Ministers Visit War Shrine (2015-04-24)
(AFP) Just hours after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sat down for his first substantial talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, three of his Cabinet ministers visited the war shrine that Beijing sees as a symbol of Tokyo’s violent past.
The Japan Dilemma: Asia's Next Geopolitical Nightmare? (2015-04-26)
(The National Interests, By Ted Galen Carpenter) Washington may end up with a more assertive ally that antagonizes China, South Korea, and perhaps other neighboring states but continues to depend on the United States to achieve its enhanced ambitions.
Where Does Obama Stand On Japan? (2015-04-27)
(Wall Street Journal, By Michael Auslin) Washington has yet to think about how it can both integrate its efforts into Japan’s and support Tokyo’s bid for regional leadership.
U.S. “Pivot” to Asia and Sino-U.S. Engagement
The New US Maritime Strategy--Implications for “Maritime Asia” (2015-04-14)
(PacNet #24, Pacific Forum, CSIS, By Abjijit Singh) It is Washington’s willingness to articulate a strategy that identifies Chinese assertiveness as a threat that is most refreshing, especially since earlier documents sought to tip-toe around the contentious subject.

Pentagon Announces New Strategy for Cyberwarfare
 (2015-04-24)
(New York Times, By David E. Sanger) The Pentagon took a major step designed to instill a measure of fear in potential cyberadversaries, releasing a new strategy that for the first time explicitly discusses the circumstances under which cyberweapons could be used against an attacker, and naming the countries it says present the greatest threat: China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.

US Seeks Access to Philippine Bases As Part of Asia ‘Pivot’
 (2015-04-27)
(Reuters) The US has asked for access to Philippine military bases in eight locations to rotate troops, aircraft and ships as Washington shifts its forces to Asia and China expands its military presence in the South China Sea. 
Cross-Strait Issues
Majority of Taiwanese Oppose “China Taiwan” and “China Taipei” (2015-04-13)
(TISR) According to the latest Taiwan Mood Barometer Survey (in Chinese), a majority of Taiwanese do not accept using "China Taiwan" (中國台灣) or "China Taipei" (中國台北) as names for Taiwan to enter international organizations.

ROC Banks' Exposure to Mainland China Declines
 (2015-04-20)
(CNA) Outstanding international claims by Taiwanese banks to China on a direct risk basis as of the end of December totaled US$49.14 billion (NT$1.53 trillion), down 4.3 percent from a quarter earlier.

KMT Hopeful Wants ‘Cross-Strait Peace’ Deal (2015-04-22)
(Taipei Times) Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu of the KMT called for a “cross-strait peace agreement” in an interview with the Hong Kong-based China Review News Agency.
China's President to Meet with Head of Taiwan's Governing Party Next Month (2015-04-25)
(New York Times, By Austin Ramzy) President Xi Jinping of China, who is also general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, will meet next month with the chairman of Taiwan’s governing party in Beijing, in what would be the first meeting of the two parties’ leaders since 2009.
‘1992 Consensus’ Is Foundation for Policy, Hsia Says (2015-04-26)
(Taipei Times) China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said the ‘consensus’ means agreement on ‘one China,’ but Hsia said the two sides’ interpretations of that differ.
Military Balance and Arms Sales
The Harsh Reality That Taiwan Faces (2015-04-15)
(Strait Times, By Hugh White) Taiwan and its friends and admirers everywhere have to think very carefully about how to handle the dangerous period that lies ahead and to consider what is ultimately in the best interest of the Taiwanese people, as well as the rest of us. The conclusions will be uncomfortable, but inescapable.

Don't Let China Swallow Taiwan
 (2015-04-23)
(The National Interest, By J. Michael Cole) Luckily for Taiwan, the virtues and defensibility of its democracy aren’t the only arguments in its favor. In the Realists’ playbook, there is every reason for making sure that Taiwan does not fall under Beijing’s—and PLA—control.

US Holds Key to Taiwan's Role in RIMPAC: Ministry
 (2015-04-21)
(Taipei Times) A Ministry of Defense official said talks are under way between the navy and its US counterpart on the use of the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea.

China's Russian Missiles Will Not Deter US: Analyst (2015-04-22)
(Taipei Times, By William Lowther) Russia’s S-400 system is not enough to stop the US from coming to Taiwan’s aid — if Washington makes that decision — and the US already has classified countermeasures for dealing with it, Global Security think tank director John Pike said.
Beijing ‘Too Passive’ Over Taiwan: Chinese Analysts (2015-04-25)
(Taipei Times, By William Lowther) Many Chinese foreign policy analysts now believe that Beijing has been too “accommodating and passive” in dealing with US support for Taiwan, a new Washington diplomatic study says.
Public Supports Compulsory Military Service: Survey (2015-04-21)
(Taipei Times) Most of the Taiwanese public favors a return to compulsory military service, said a recent opinion poll conducted by the Academia Sinica.
Taiwan's Domestic Issues and Foreign Relations
Taiwan Mood Barometer Survey, First Half of April 2015 (2015-04-13)
(TISR) President Ma Ying-jeou's approval rating fell 1.6 percentage points over the first ten days of April, according to the latest Taiwan Mood Barometer Survey (in Chinese).

Taiwan's Latest Bone of Contention: The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
 (2015-04-24)
(Foreign Policy Research Institute, By Shelley Rigger) Remaining outside the AIIB was likely not a viable choice for Taiwan, which seeks to participate in as many regional and international organizations as possible. Still, the way the decision was made and communicated reinforced the Ma administration’s reputation for hasty, top-down decision-making.
US Won't Poke Around in Next Ballot: Advisor (2015-04-24)
(Taipei Times, By William Lowther) It is “highly unlikely” that the US will favor a candidate in Taiwan’s presidential election next year, senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Bonnie Glaser told a Washington conference.

Students Query AIT Director on US Policy on China
 (2015-04-23)
(Taipei Times) AIT Director Christopher Marut reiterated Washington’s stand, but said the younger generation should not be discouraged and should look forward because “being part of the process of speaking out” brings about changes.

US Backs Taiwan in Interpo: Official (2015-04-25)
(Taipei Times) US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Daniel Russel said the US supports observer status. He said it was too soon to talk about TPP phase 2.
China's Rise and Its Domestic Issues
At Global Economic Gathering, U.S. Primacy Is Seen As Ebbing (2015-04-18)
(New York Times, By Jonathan Weisman) Economists and political leaders see an American government so bitterly divided that it is on the verge of deserting the global economic stage it has commanded since the end of World War II.
Japan Must Join China's Bank (2015-04-23)
(New York Times, By Yoichi Funabashi) The case for Japan joining the A.I.I.B. is simple and strong. By distributing financial assistance to states in the Asia-Pacific, the bank will inevitably help shape the region’s future economic architecture, as well as, implicitly, its security relations. Japan has a major strategic interest in participating.
Nearly Half of Taiwanese See China's Rise as Bad for Taiwan (2015-04-13)
(TISR) Nearly half of Taiwanese believe that China becoming a world power would be bad for the future of Taiwan's economy and for the country's future in general, according to the latest Taiwan Mood Barometer Survey (in Chinese).
IBM Venture with China Stirs Concerns (2015-04-20)
(New York Times, By Paul Mozur) IBM’s partnership with Teamsun, a Beijing company, to provide key technologies is similar to ones it has made elsewhere, but it has collided with political and trade issues.

Hong Kong Presents Plan for Elections, Offering Little to Democrats (2015-04-23)
(New York Times, By Chris Buckley and Alan Wong) The Hong Kong government offered only minor changes to an election overhaul plan that set off months of pro-democracy demonstrations last year.
Contact: Dalton Lin, Executive Editor
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