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Weekly Report from Taiwan Security Research (Apr. 19, 2009)
For full text, click on the title or visit the TSR web page at taiwansecurity.org
Cross-Strait Issues
Negotiations for
Cross-Strait Talks to Be Held in Taipei
(CNA,
Apr. 15, 2009) Preparatory cross-Taiwan
Strait negotiations for a third round of
talks between the chief negotiators for Taiwan and China will be held in Taipei April 18, the Mainland
Affairs Council head said.
ARATS Negotiators
Greeted by Protestors
(China
Post, Apr. 18, 2009) A delegation of Chinese
negotiators were greeted by pro-independence
protesters upon their arrival in Taiwan for a
round of talks about details of possible
agreements between Taiwan and China.
Details Finalized for
Cross-Strait Talks
(Taipei Times, Apr. 19, 2009)
The third round of cross-strait talks between
the Straits Exchange Foundation and China’s Association for
Relations Across the Taiwan Strait will be
held from April 25 to April 29 in Nanjing, China, a preparatory meeting
for the talks determined.
ECFA with China to Help
U.S. FTA: Yuan
(China
Post, Apr. 16, 2009) Taiwan's representative to
Washington Jason Yuan said that if Taiwan signs an Economic
Cooperation Framework Agreement with China, it will effectively
help push the signing of an Free Trade
Agreement between Taipei and Washington.
U.S. Policy and
U.S.-China Engagement
Ma Calls TRA a Positive
Force in U.S.-Taiwan-China Ties
(China
Post, Apr. 13, 2009) The Taiwan Relations Act
has not only symbolized the strong friendship
and trust over the past three decades, but
will continue to serve as a firm foundation
for stabilizing the ties among the U.S.,
Taiwan and China in the future, President Ma
Ying-jeou said.
US Marines Considering
Taiwan Post
(Taipei Times, Apr. 16, 2009)
The US Marine Corps is considering a
controversial plan to use a detachment of
Marine security guards to protect the new
American Institute in Taiwan headquarters that will
be built in Neihu
District, Taipei City.
China Slows Purchases of
U.S. and Other Bonds
By Keith Bradsher
(New
York Times, Apr. 14, 2009) Reversing its role
as the world’s fastest-growing buyer of
United States Treasuries and other foreign
bonds, the Chinese government actually sold
bonds heavily in January and February before
resuming purchases in March.
Geithner Refrains from
Labeling China a Manipulator
(Bloomberg,
Apr. 16, 2009) U.S. Treasury Secretary
Timothy Geithner
refrained from labeling China a manipulator of the yuan’s exchange rate,
backtracking from an assertion he made during
his confirmation hearings in January.
China, Friend or Foe?
By Andrew
Browne and Gordon Fairclough
(Wall
Street Journal, Apr. 18, 2009) China sends conflicting
messages about its desire for power and
influence in the world. It is the world's
third largest economy, and presses for a
greater say in international financial
institutions to match that status, yet
constantly sends reminders that in terms of
per capita income it remains a relatively
poor developing nation.
PLA and Military Balance
China
Says Domestic Armaments Are World-Class
(AP, Apr. 13, 2009) A government-backed
science group says many of China's homemade weapons systems are
world-class, reflecting the defense industry's new confidence and
underscoring its ambitions of becoming a major arms exporter.
China
Launches 2nd Satellite in GPS System
(AP, Apr. 14, 2009) China fired into orbit its second satellite in a
program to build an alternative to the global positioning system
based on U.S. satellites.
China’s
Navy to Build New Ships, Planes
(AP, Apr. 16, 2009) China's
navy will move faster to build large combat warships,
next-generation aircraft and sophisticated torpedoes in a
modernizing overhaul for fighting in an era of information
technology, its commander in chief said.
U.S.
Says Watching China’s Naval Expansion Closely
(Reuters, Apr. 18, 2009) The
United States would like to have a better idea about the
intentions behind China's naval build-up, a senior U.S. navy
officer said, but downplayed worries over Chinese plans for an
aircraft carrier.
Military
Parades Demonstrate Chinese Concept of Deterrence By Dennis J. Blasko (China Brief, Jamestown Foundation, Apr.
16, 2009) Unspoken by Beijing during the build up to this naval parade is
the parade’s contribution to China’s military strategy. The role of military
reviews and foreign visits is openly identified in PLA doctrine
as an important component of China’s strategic deterrence posture.
China
Mulls Military Contacts with Taiwan
(Reuters, Apr. 14, 2009) China denied that its military officers would meet
Taiwanese counterparts in Hawaii this summer, but suggested the two sides
could begin low-key defense contacts via retired personnel or
academics.
Taiwan
to Build Own Diesel Subs
(DefenseNews,
Apr. 13, 2009) Taiwan appears to have given up on a 2001 U.S.
offer of eight diesel submarines and instead will develop an
indigenous vessel. An announcement is expected in August, sources
here said.
An
Assessment of Tiawan’s Quadrennial Defense Review By Michael M. Tsai (China Brief, Jamestown Foundation, Apr.
16, 2009) The first ever published QDR by Taiwan’s MND may be
considered by many scholars and military experts as progressive
and innovative in its strategic and military planning and
build-up. These estimates, however, tend to underestimate
the PLA’s rapid military modernization and
intention.
Taiwan's Domestic Issues and Foreign
Relations
Ma,
Wu Shelves KMT Chairmanship Issue for Now
(China Post, Apr. 15, 2009) President Ma Ying-jeou and Chairman Wu Po-hsiung
of the ruling Kuomintang reached a consensus that they will not
talk about the issue concerning who will be the next party chief
before June.
US
Campaign to Get Taiwan WHA Seat
(Taipei Times, Apr. 13, 2009)
Sources in Washington
say the US administration is talking with Beijing about Taiwan's bid for observer status and it has a good
chance of succeeding.
MOFA
Guarded on WHA Talks
(Taipei Times, Apr. 15, 2009) The Ministry of
Foreign Affairs remained guarded on the status of cross-strait
negotiations over Taiwan’s participation in the World Health
Assembly, but insisted that no secret talks had been launched on
the matter.
As
Asia Builds Economic Ties, Taiwan Sidelined by China By Jonathan Adams (Christian Science Monitor, Apr. 12, 2009)
It's not just that this onetime economic "tiger" now
can't compete head-on with China in ports and other areas. Due to Beijing's political pressure, Taiwan is also the odd-man out amid the trend of
Asian economic integration.
China's Rise and Domestic Issues
China
Releases Human Rights Plan
(New York Times,
Apr. 14, 2009) China’s cabinet released what it called a human
rights action plan, a lengthy document promising to improve the
protection of civil liberties, which are often neglected and
sometimes systematically violated in China.
Beijing
Talks the Talk By Tina Wang
(Forbes, Apr. 14,
2009) Beijing's first-ever human rights action plan is
not a step forward in the country's promotion of human rights
so much as more sophisticated PR, some scholars say.
New
Branches of Nationalism in China By Stephanie Wang
(Asia Times, Apr.
15, 2009) Both discussions of the kimono incident and the book China Is Unhappy are
parts of the current nationwide debate over nationalism. It is
good to see that rational thinking against narrow-minded
nationalism or xenophobia is not lacking in the debate.
‘Beijing
Consensus’ in Ascendance By Jonathan Holslag
(Taipei Times, Apr.
19, 2009) What Obama’s trip
singularly failed to do was paper over a startling fact: The
“Washington Consensus” about how the global economy should be
run is now a thing of the past. The question now is what is
likely to replace it.
Regional Issues
Constructing
Asia’s Missing Links By Fidel Ramos
(Taipei Times,
Apr. 16, 2009) If Asia is to begin to build the type of dense
institutional infrastructure that has brought Europe peace
and prosperity, the flashpoint between China and Taiwan will need to be transformed into a
foundation stone of regional cooperation.
China
to Set Up US$10 Bil. ASEAN Fund
(Reuters, Apr. 19,
2009) China will set up a US$10 billion China-ASEAN
investment cooperation fund to support infrastructure
projects in the region, Chinese Premier Wen
Jiabao said.
Deals
Help China Expand Its Sway in Latin America By Simon Romero and Alexei Barrionuevo (New York Times, Apr. 16, 2009) As
Washington tries to rebuild its strained relationships in
Latin America, China is stepping in vigorously, offering
countries across the region large amounts of money while they
struggle with sharply slowing economies.
Russia,
China Stage War Games in Central Asia
(Reuters, Apr. 18,
2009) China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan took part in war games in the first such
exercise since Kyrgyzstan said in February it would shut the last U.S. air base in Central Asia.
Cash-Rich
China Courts the Caspian By M K Bhadrakumar
(Asia Times, Apr.
18, 2009) The global downturn is spreading to Central
Asia. It may
lead to a marked shift of fortune in the Great Game for
control of Caspian energy reserves.
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