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Weekly Report from Taiwan Security Research (Apr. 5, 2009)
For full text, click on the title or visit the TSR web page at taiwansecurity.org
Cross-Strait Issues
‘Opt Out’ Clause Mulled
for ECFA: MOEA Chief
(Taipei
Times, Mar. 30, 2009) The government has been
in contact with China on the economic
cooperation framework agreement and is
considering the addition of an “opt out”
clause in the trade pact, Minister of
Economic Affairs Yiin
Chii-ming said.
Economic Zone with
Coastal China Recommended
(China
Post, Apr. 1, 2009) Taiwan needs to form a “common
economic zone” with the southeast coast of China to create tens of
thousands of job opportunities, the Council
for Industrial and Commercial Development
recommended.
MAC Acknowledges
Difficulties in Inking Accords with China
(Taipei Times, Apr. 3, 2009)
With the third round of high-level
cross-strait talks approaching, the Mainland
Affairs Council admitted there were
difficulties in signing four agreements with Beijing, including regular
aviation flights and financial cooperation.
U.S.-China Engagement
Presidents Looking for
Answers
By Shen Dingli
(Asia Times, Mar. 28, 2009)
The first Sino-US summit since Obama was sworn in will
not only address bilateral relations and
mutual concerns, but also provide an
opportunity for the leaders to build personal
trust and upgrade the countries' strategic
dialogue.
US Says It Will Cut
Frequency of China Talks
(AP,
Apr. 1, 2009) The Obama
administration said it will continue
high-level talks with China started under the
Bush administration, but will only hold one
per year while expanding the scope beyond
economics to foreign policy.
How a ‘G-2’ Would Hurt
By Dennis C. Wilder
(Washington Post, Apr. 2, 2009) China's neighbors would
interpret a U.S.-Chinese G-2 as the most
important strategic realignment since the end
of the Cold War, and it would jeopardize our
relationships with those countries.
First G-2 Summit Went
Well for Taiwan
(Editorial, China Post, Apr. 4, 2009)
There have been reports that the issue of Taiwan was briefly raised
during the discussion. However, it appears
that Hu and Obama merely repeated
each other's most basic positions regarding
Taiwan and moved on to other, more pressing
subjects.
PLA and Military Balance
China
Accused Over Global Computer Spy Ring By Dan Glaister
(Guardian, Mar. 30, 2009) An
enormous electronic espionage programme
run from servers in China has been used to spy on computers in
more than 100 countries, according to two reports published at
the weekend.
US
Cries Chinese Wolf By David Isenberg
(Asia Times, Mar. 31, 2009) As
a description of the ongoing development of China's military forces it is a reasonably
informative document. But if it was supposed to be an alarm about
the threat posed by Chinese military forces it failed badly.
China
General Tells Troops Party Trumps State
(Reuters, Apr. 1, 2009) China's
military must be loyal first and foremost to the ruling Communist
Party rather than the state, a senior general wrote in a piece
published in Party journal Seeking Truth, stressing politics even
as the armed forces seek to modernize.
2nd
Batch of Warships Head to Somali Seas
(China Daily, Apr. 3, 2009)
Naval commanders yesterday said the patrolling mission in Somali
waters had entered a "stage of orderly replacement and
normalization" as they flagged off the second batch of
Chinese warships to rotate the current anti-piracy fleet in the
Gulf of Aden.
Taiwan,
China Militaries to Meet
(AP, Mar. 31, 2009)
Representatives from the Taiwanese and Chinese militaries are
planning to meet this summer in Hawaii in their first formal exchange since the two
sides split amid civil war six decades ago, a Taiwanese newspaper
reported.
Taiwan-China
Mil-to-Mil Report False By Wendell Minnick
(DefenseNews,
Apr. 3, 2009) Media reports that the U.S. Pacific Command (PaCom) is sponsoring a military-to-military
dialogue between China and Taiwan for this summer appear to be incorrect.
Taiwan's Foreign Relations
Lawmakers
Urge Protest Over 2005 WHO-Beijing Deal
(Taipei Times, Apr. 2, 2009) A
parliamentary committee passed a resolution urging the government
to lodge a stern protest with the WHO regarding a 2005 MOU it
signed with China, which stipulates that all communications
between WHO and Taiwan must proceed via Beijing.
Ou
Met El Salvador President: MOFA
(Taipei Times, Apr. 5, 2009) While it would not mind
El Salvador having closer economic relations with China, MOFA said it would oppose any move toward
diplomatic ties.
China's Rise and Domestic Issues
China
Challenges US Global Financial Leadership By Elaine Kurtenbach (AP, Mar. 28, 2009) The only major economy still growing
at a fast clip, China is being unusually forthright in
challenging the U.S.-led global order ahead of an April 2
summit on the financial crisis.
China
Takes Stage as Global Economic Power By Michael Wines and Edward Wong (New York Times, Apr. 2, 2009) As
Presidents Hu Jintao
and Obama had their first meeting on
the sidelines of the summit proceedings, the Chinese appeared
torn between seizing their moment in the geopolitical spotlight
and shying from it.
China’s
Dollar Trap By Paul Krugman
(New York Times,
Apr. 3, 2009) Mr. Zhou’s speech was actually an admission of
weakness. In effect, he was saying that China had driven itself into a dollar trap, and
that it can neither get itself out nor change the policies that
put it in that trap in the first place.
China
Cracks Down in Muslim West By Alexa Olesen
(AP, Mar. 30, 2009)
An overseas rights activist said that authorities in China's
predominantly Muslim far west are closing unregistered Islamic
schools and conducting house-to-house searches in a new
security crackdown in the restive region.
CCPLA:
Tightening the CCP’s Rule Over Law By Willy Lam
(China Brief, Jamestown Foundation, Apr. 2, 2009) Beijing is beefing up its control apparatus to
counter unprecedented challenges to the Chinese Communist Party
administration this year.
Regional Issues and Japan
Policy
Asia
Split Over China’s “War of Nerves” with U.S. By Tetsushi Kajimoto and Yoo Choonsik (Reuters, Mar. 31, 2009)
Asian policymakers are preoccupied with China's "war of
nerves" over the U.S. dollar's global status rather than
the impact of the Fed's debt buying on their vast
dollar-linked savings, officials told Reuters.
Southeast
Asia Military Delegates Tour China Base
(AP, Mar. 31,
2009) Top Southeast Asian military brass toured a tank base
north of Beijing, highlighting China's growing engagement
with a region that has long felt neglected by the United
States.
Japan
Aims for Walking Robot on the Moon by 2020
(AP, Apr. 3, 2009)
Japan hopes to have a two-legged robot walk on the moon by
around 2020, with a joint mission involving astronauts and
robots to follow, according to a plan laid out by a
government group.
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