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Weekly Report from Taiwan Security Research (Apr. 26, 2009)
For full text, click on the title or visit the TSR web page at taiwansecurity.org
Cross-Strait Issues
and the Lead-up to the Third
Chiang-Chen Meeting
Taiwan and
China Meet for Closer Cooperation at
the Boao Forum
(CNA,
Apr. 19, 2009) The Taiwanese delegation
attending the 2009 Boao
Forum for Asia met with Chinese
Premier Wen Jiabao on the
sidelines of the event.
Majority
Favors ECFA: MAC Poll
(CNA,
Apr. 20, 2009) Some 70 percent of the
respondents to a recent government
survey are in favor of inking an
economic cooperation framework
agreement with China to deal with
two-way trade and investment issues.
MOU to Be
Signed in Nanjing
(CNA,
Apr. 20, 2009) Taiwan and China will sign
memorandums of understanding (MOUs) on banking,
securities and futures, and insurance
shortly after a third round of
cross-Taiwan Strait talks.
Taiwan, China
to Meet for Talks This Weekend By Jane Rickards
(Washington
Post, Apr. 24, 2009) Taiwanese and
Chinese negotiators will meet this
weekend to conclude agreements paving
the way for Taiwanese banks to operate
on the mainland and for an expansion of
direct flights between Taiwan and China.
Ma Wants ECFA
in Cross-Strait Talks
(Taipei Times, Apr. 25,
2009) President Ma Ying-jeou instructed the
head of the Straits Exchange Foundation
to discuss the government's proposed
economic cooperation framework
agreement with China during
cross-strait negotiations.
SEF Chair
Chiang Arrives in Nanjing for Cross-Strait
Signing
(China Post, Apr. 26,
2009) Taiwan's top envoy Chiang
Pin-kung arrived in China for a fresh round
of talks with his Chinese counterpart
Chen Yunlin,
with both sides expected to sign three
agreements to further boost
cross-strait exchange.
TRA and U.S.
Policy
Obama’s
Foreign Policy Challenge By Henry A. Kissinger
(Washington Post, Apr. 22,
2009) The strategic dialogue with China will help shape
the Korean negotiations. The
negotiations will also be affected by
perceptions of regional balances -- of
the key participants, for China and the United
States, this applies to
the political structure of Northeast
Asia and the Pacific
Rim.
Thoughts on
the Taiwan Relations Act By Richard C. Bush III
(Brookings,
Apr. 22, 2009) In making their
political commitment to Taiwan’s
security thirty years ago, the authors
of the TRA could not have imagined
today’s circumstances. Yet the genius
of their achievement was to create a
legislative framework in which the
essence of their political commitment
could be applied to a new context.
Ma Speaks in
Washington Via Teleconference on TRA
(Taipei Times, Apr. 23,
2009) Taiwan will not count on
a free ride from Washington for its security,
President Ma Ying-jeou
told China experts in Washington during a video
conference. The Taiwan
Relations Act: Turning a New Chapter
Friendship
with Taiwan Remains Strong, Paal Says
(Taipei
Times, Apr. 24, 2009) A major
Washington conference on US-Taiwan
relations has been told that friendship
remains strong, arms sales will
continue, a military cross-strait
confrontation is increasingly unlikely
and that unification with China is not
on the cards for the foreseeable
future.
US May Launch
Taiwan Policy Review By William Lowther
(Taipei Times, Apr. 24,
2009) Washington may soon launch a new
Taiwan Policy Review that could have an
enormous impact on bilateral relations.
Kurt Campbell
Nominated for Vice Secretary of State By William Lowther (Taipei Times, Apr. 25,
2009) Kurt Campbell, an Asia scholar
with a strong record on Taiwan, has been
nominated US assistant
secretary of state for East Asian and
Pacific affairs.
PLA and the International Naval
Review
Is Long Wait for China’s Aircraft Carrier Ending? By Christopher Bodeen (AP, Apr. 20, 2009) China's navy has added sophisticated nuclear
submarines, destroyers and missile systems, but the holy
grail of surface ships--an aircraft carrier--has stayed out
on the horizon. That may be about to change.
US: Chinese Aircraft Carrier May Worry Neighbors By Ken Teh
(AP, Apr. 21,
2009) A future Chinese aircraft carrier may worry
neighboring navies because Beijing has not specified what
role the warship would play in the region, the U.S. chief
of Naval Operations said.
U.S. Seeks to Improve Links with China Navy By Loretta Chao
(Wall Street
Journal Asia, Apr. 20, 2009) The U.S. wants more
discussions on naval safety and communications with China,
following a recent confrontation between an American
surveillance ship and Chinese vessels in the South China
Sea, a senior U.S. navy officer said.
Naval Show to Feature Submarines from China
(New York Times,
Apr. 22, 2009) A senior Chinese naval officer said that
China would unveil its nuclear submarines to the public on
Thursday as part of an international review of the
country’s naval fleet “aimed at promoting understanding
about China’s military development.”
China Shows off Its Expanding, Modernizing Navy
(Reuters, Apr.
23, 2009) China celebrated its military confidence at
sea, when anniversary celebrations for the founding of its
navy climaxed with a show of the warships and submarines
projecting its spreading power.
Taiwan's Domestic Issues and Foreign
Relations
Survey on
Taiwan Relations Act, Arms Procurement, Participation in
WHA, and President Ma’s Approval Rating (GVSRC, Apr. 24, 2009)
48.3% of Taiwanese say the government should procure more
weapons to gain more ground with China; meanwhile, 32.8% of
Taiwanese approve of President Ma’s performance.
Joint Working Group Investigates Military
‘Promotion-Buying’
(China Post,
Apr. 21, 2009) Special Counsel prosecutors and Judge
Advocate General personnel form the group that will
investigate whether former President Chen Shui-bian may be involved in selling
promotion to generals and admirals.
Unemployment Rate Reaches Record High of 5.81% in
March
(China Post,
Apr. 23, 2009) Taiwan's jobless rate surged to a new high
of 5.81 percent in March, edging up 0.06 of a percentage
point from the February level of 5.75 percent and jumping
1.95 percentage points from a year earlier.
Taiwan to Test China by Meeting Allies
(Reuters, Apr.
21, 2009) Taiwan will lead a summit this year with six
diplomatic allies, officials said, a tough first for the
normally China-friendly president as Beijing claims the island and opposes its reach
overseas.
President Set to Visit Central America Twice
(CNA, Apr. 24,
2009) President Ma Ying-jeou will
visit Central America twice between late May and July to
attend presidential inaugurations in two of Taiwan's allies
in the region, political sources said.
China's Rise and Domestic Issues
China Launches New English-Language Newspaper
(AP, Apr. 20, 2009) A new English-language paper
published by China's Communist Party hit newsstands--part
of Beijing's efforts to raise its profile on the global
stage and find an international audience for the party
line.
Report Says China Facing Looming Aging Crisis By Christopher Bodeen (AP, Apr. 22, 2009) China's rapidly aging population threatens
the country's social and economic stability and could
affect the prospects of other countries around the world,
a U.S. study says.
China Uses Global Crisis to Assert Its Influence By Ariana Eunjung
Cha (Washington
Post, Apr. 23, 2009) Overseas aid and loans are just one
way China is asserting itself in its new role as a world
financial leader. While polishing China's own image, Premier Wen Jiabao
and other top leaders have blamed the West for the global
economic crisis.
China’s Rise is America’s Decline By Martin Jacques
(Guardian,
Apr. 23, 2009) Beijing is becoming increasingly assertive
on global finance and economics — and the US will be the loser.
China Continues Energy Shopping Spree with Joint
Purchase of Kazakh Oil Producer By Peter Leonard (AP, Apr. 24, 2009)
The rivalry between Russia and the West for Central Asia's energy resources has generated
headlines. But it's Chinese companies that have been
snapping up assets in the region.
China Steps Up to World Stage, Cautiously By Francois Godement
(YaleGlobal, Apr. 24, 2009) China acted in a manner which has become
hallmark of its behavior: guarded, pragmatic, and
ambiguous. Expecting anything different was a
miscalculation. And expecting a major change in China’s stance in the near term is likely
to be wrong too.
Regional Issues and Japan
Policy
China’s ‘Checkbook Diplomacy’ in Fiji under Fire
(Sydney
Morning Herald, Apr. 21, 2009) Australia has been pressing
China to curb its support for Fiji over concerns that
Beijing is propping up the military regime by supplying
hundreds of millions of dollars in aid.
China Announces Visit by Japanese Leader
(AP, Apr.
24, 2009) Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso will make an official visit to China next week, Beijing announced, a day after protesting
an offering given by the Japanese leader to a war
shrine.
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