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| South
China Sea Disputes and Other Regional Issues
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China Deployed Missiles on Disputed Islands, U.S.
Says (2016-02-17)
(New
York Times, By Michael Forsythe) The Pentagon has evidence that the Chinese
military has deployed surface-to-air missiles on a disputed island in the South
China Sea, a United States official has said.
China Foreign Minister Downplays Missile Deployment
Reports (2016-02-18)
(AP,
By Christopher Bodeen and Ralph Jennings) Foreign Minister Wang Yi sought to
downplay reports that China had positioned anti-aircraft missiles on a disputed
South China Sea island, accusing the media of hyping the issue and saying more
attention should be paid to what he called "public goods and services" provided
by China's development of its maritime claims.
Seeing the Forest Through the SAMs on Woody
Island (2016-02-18)
(CSIS,
By Michael Green, Bonnie Glaser, and Zack Cooper) The placement of SAMs at Woody
Island is a noteworthy strategic development for two reasons. First, it shows
that Chinese leaders are militarizing South China Sea features despite efforts
to convince Beijing to do otherwise. Second, recent history suggests that
Chinese developments on disputed features in the Spratly Islands often mimic
those on Woody Island, indicating that similar steps may be ahead in the more
strategically important Spratlys.
US Wants Expanded Naval Protocol Amid China's South China
Sea Assertiveness (2016-02-18)
(The
Diplomat, By Prashanth Parameswaran) The United States is pursuing the expansion
of a key naval protocol amid China’s growing assertiveness in the South China
Sea, a senior naval commander said this week.
Taiwan Won't Accept Court Ruling on Islands
Disputes (2016-02-18)
(CNA)
The Republic of China will not accept an imminent ruling on the sovereignty
disputes in the South China Sea by The Hague-based Permanent Court of
Arbitration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
After Tests in the North, Conservatives in South Korea Call for a
Nuclear Program (2016-02-20)
(New
York Times, By Choe Sang-hun) In the wake of North Korea’s nuclear tests and
satellite launches, some conservatives in South Korea are championing a strategy
that was once seen as unthinkable: arming their own country with nuclear
weapons.
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| East
China Sea Disputes and Japan Policy
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Tsai Ing-wen Reiterates DPP's Stance on
Diaoyutais (2016-02-18)
(Taipei
Times) President-elect Tsai Ing-wen reiterated the Democratic Progressive
Party’s stance that Taiwan has sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islands, following
former president Lee Teng-hui assertion in his new book that “the Diaoyutais do
not belong to Taiwan.”
MOFA Vows to Defend Fishing Rights (2016-02-19)
(Taipei
Times) MOFA pledged to safeguard Taiwanese fishermen’s interests at an upcoming
meeting with Japan, amid demands by Japanese fishery associations that the
boundaries set by a historic agreement between the two nations be
narrowed.
Beijing Cautions Canberra about Japanese Subs (2016-02-18)
(Reuters)
China called on Australia to take into account the feelings of Asian nations as
Canberra contemplates buying a fleet of submarines from Japan.
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| U.S.
“Pivot” to Asia and Sino-U.S. Engagement
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An Asia Summit Meeting Is Overshadowed by Scalia (2016-02-16)
(New
York Times, By Mark Landler) President Obama welcomed the leaders of 10
Southeast Asian countries to this desert oasis for a summit meeting on Monday,
giving him another chance to shine a spotlight on one of his most ambitious
geopolitical projects: the “pivot” to Asia.
Obama Unveils New ASEAN Economic Initiative at Sunnylands
Summit (2016-02-18)
(The
Diplomat, By Prashanth Parameswaran) U.S. President Barack Obama announced a new
initiative at the historic U.S.-ASEAN Summit in Sunnylands to boost America’s
economic engagement with the regional grouping.
Political Backlash Grows in Washington on Chinese
Takeover (2016-02-18)
(New
York Times, By Keith Bradsher and Paul Mozur) Recent Chinese moves in areas like
heavy equipment, aerospace and financial services are also drawing attention
from both ends of the American political spectrum.
Balancing Cooperation and Competition in U.S.-China
Relations (2016-02-19)
(Brookings,
By Zachary Balin) Panelists from both sides noted improvements in bilateral
communication and emphasized that the United States and China continue to have
ample cause to work together. But the discussion also underscored the complexity
of certain regional issues and the associated risk that prolonged stalemate
could give way to disillusionment.
Interview: Kevin Rudd (2016-02-18)
(The
Diplomat, By Maurits Elen) The world in 2016 is moving toward greater
multipolarity in international affairs. It is the role of every prudent state to
ensure that the world order does not return to the bipolar structure and
zero-sum logic of the Cold War.
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| DPP
Searches for New China Stance; Cross-Strait Issues
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China Calls to Sympathize Over Earthquake in
South (2016-02-16)
(CNA)
Zhang Zhijun, head of mainland China's Taiwan Affairs Office, called his Taiwan
counterpart Monday on a telephone hotline between the two sides to convey
condolences to the families of those killed in a Feb. 6
earthquake.
DPP to Redraft Bill on Monitoring Cross-Strait
Pacts (2016-02-19)
(Taipei
Times) The DPP caucus said it would redraft a proposed bill on monitoring
cross-strait agreements in line with the Republic of China Constitution, meaning
the terms “Taiwan” and “China” would be changed to “Taiwan Area” and “Mainland
Area.”
MAC Chief Meets Visiting TAO Official Chen
Briefly (2016-02-20)
(CNA)
Mainland Affairs Council Minister Hsia Li-yan had a brief meeting on Thursday
with Chen Yuanfeng, deputy minister of China's Taiwan Affairs Office, who is
currently in Taiwan on a short visit, the MAC said.
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| Taiwan's
Domestic Issues and Foreign Relations
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New Power Party States Legislative Agenda (2016-02-17)
(Taipei
Times) The New Power Party announced its legislative agenda, which includes
introducing bills to institutionalize the transition of governments, combat
media monopolies and increase transparency in cross-strait negotiations, as well
as amend disaster relief and compensation laws.
Nat'l Security Files to Transfer to New Gov't (2016-02-20)
(China
Post) National security documents will be fully transferred to the incoming
government following agreements reached by representatives of the Presidential
Office and President-elect Tsai Ing-wen.
January Exports Plunge 13% (2016-02-17)
(China
Post) Taiwan's exports marked their 12th month of contraction in January,
falling 13 percent to US$22.2 billion year-on-year on weak demand from the
global semiconductor industry.
Government Slashes GDP Growth Forecast to 1.47% (2016-02-18)
(Taipei
Times) The government cut its economic growth forecast for this year to 1.47
percent, from the 2.32 percent it projected in November last year, as the
nation’s heavy dependence on exports and a few industries grows increasingly
unsustainable amid a global slowdown and ever-shifting technology
trends.
US EPA Official Set to Visit to Launch a Kids
Program (2016-02-17)
(China
Post) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Acting Assistant Administrator for
International and Tribal Affairs Jane Nishida will visit Taiwan on February 19
to promote U.S.-Taiwan cooperation through the International Environmental
Partnership, a joint multi-year effort of the U.S. EPA and Taiwan's
Environmental Protection Administration, according to a press release from the
AIT.
Taiwan, Italy Sign Agreement to Avoid Double Taxation and Tax
Evasion, According to MOFA (2016-02-17)
(CNA)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Taiwan and Italy have completed an
agreement to avoid double taxation and tax evasion.
Presidential Office Defends Allies Trip (2016-02-19)
(Taipei
Times) The Presidential Office downplayed criticism over a report that President
Ma Ying-jeou is to visit some of the nation’s diplomatic allies next month,
saying a nation’s diplomacy should always be
uninterrupted.
Taiwan's Democratic Elections and Canada's
Response (2016-02-17)
(The
Diplomat, By Hugh Stephens) Canada supports and appreciates the development of
Taiwan’s democratic institutions, but Tsai Ing-wen’s election, while
significant, does not mean that a carefully balanced policy of unofficial
relations that has worked for both countries for a number of years is no longer
valid.
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| China's
Rise and Its Domestic Issues
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China Spurs Yuan Rally (2016-02-16)
(Bloomberg)
China’s central bank handed investors a confidence booster, strengthening the
yuan’s fixing by the most in three months and talking up the currency as markets
reopened after the week-long Lunar New Year break.
China's Foreign Exchange Reserves Dwindling
Rapidly (2016-02-19)
(New
York Times, By Keith Bradsher) A year and a half ago, China held as much as $4
trillion in foreign exchange reserves, but the country’s reserves have shrunk by
nearly a fifth since the summer of 2014 — and more than a third of the shrinkage
has been in the last three months.
Chinese Securities Regulator Is Out, but Little May
Change (2016-02-21)
(New
York Times, By Michael Forsythe, Keith Bradsher and Chris Buckley) The dismissal
of Xiao Gang, coming in the form of a terse statement from state-run news media,
represents a rare public reversal for the Communist Party — and a gamble by its
leader, Xi Jinping, whose management of the economy has come under growing
scrutiny.
Hong Kong Students Who Protested Government Now Seek to Take Part
in It (2016-02-17)
(New
York Times, By Alan Wong) A group of young students seeking greater autonomy for
Hong Kong is forming a political party to participate in local elections this
year, a move that is likely to unnerve Chinese leadership.
China Labels Protesters ‘Radical Separatists,’ and They
Agree (2016-02-21)
(New
York Times, By Alan Wong) The violence in the bustling Mong Kok district, which
left more than 80 police officers and scores of protesters injured, was the most
startling sign yet of the rise of a local movement with an appetite for
confrontation — and the unlikely goal of a Hong Kong independent of
China.
China's Leadership Fault Lines: Progressive vs.
Power (2016-02-15)
(The
Diplomat, By Mercy A. Kuo and Angelica O. Tang) The most significant fault lines
fall along three different areas of contention. The first is between so-called
reformers and conservative elements; the second is Xi’s efforts to deal with the
still powerful Jiang faction; the third is within the PLA.
Xi Wants Chinese Media to Be 'Publicity Fronts' for the
CCP (2016-02-20)
(The
Diplomat, By Shannon Tiezzi) Speaking at a symposium, Xi reminded listeners that
government-run media outlets are the “publicity fronts” for the CCP and the
government. “All news media run by the Party must work to speak for the Party’s
will and its propositions and protect the Party’s authority and unity,” Xinhua
paraphrased Xi as saying.
Contact:
Dalton Lin, Executive Editor
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