Taiwan Security Research

China Hits Back at U.S. on Yuan, Rights
(Wall Street Journal, Mar. 13, 2010) China responded sharply to U.S. criticism of its currency and human-rights practices, the newest indicator of testy relations between the two powers.

Taiwan Approves Plans to Let Chinese Banks Invest
(Bloomberg, Mar. 12, 2010) Taiwan’s Cabinet has approved plans to allow mainland Chinese companies to invest in domestic lenders, brokerages and insurers, paving the way for a broader economic accord as cross-strait relations improve.

Google Says It’s in Talks with China
(LA Times, Mar. 11, 2010) Google Inc. broke a long silence in its clash with China as its chief executive, Eric Schmidt, said that the Internet search giant was talking to Chinese officials and that he expected "something will happen soon."

China Warns U.S. against Selling F-16s to Taiwan
(AP, Mar. 10, 2010) China warned the United States against any future arms sales to Taiwan, including F-16 fighter jets the island has been pushing for in hopes of upgrading its air defense capabilities.

China Trade Surplus Falls As Import Surge Aids World
(Bloomberg, Mar. 10, 2010) China’s trade surplus shrank to the lowest level in a year in February as a surge in imports signaled the nation may start to outshine the U.S. as a destination for the world’s goods.

Climate Goal Is Supported by China and India
(New York Times, Mar. 10, 2010) China and India formally agreed Tuesday to join the international climate change agreement reached in December in Copenhagen, the last two major economies to sign up.

Gov’t Still Studying Steps to Woo Chinese Investment
(China Post, Mar. 9, 2010) The Ministry of Economic Affairs is still assessing the feasibility of further easing curbs on Chinese investment in Taiwan while Beijing authorities are more aggressively luring Taiwan capital by increasing lending to investors from the island.

Taiwan’s Exports Up 32.6 Percent in February
(AFP, Mar. 8, 2010) Taiwan's exports slowed from January but remained robust for a fourth-straight month, helped by strong demand for electronics products from China, the finance ministry said.

Absentee Voting May Be Implemented by 2012
(CNA, Mar. 8, 2010) The government is mulling the introduction of absentee voting in time for the 2012 presidential election, Interior Minister Jiang Yi-huah said.

Premier Hopes to Sign ECFA with Beijing Soon
(CNA, Mar. 7, 2010) Premier Wu Den-yih said that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait hope to sign a trade pact in May or June, depending on the progress of the negotiations.

ECFA Likely to Be Signed in May or June: ARATS
(CNA, Mar. 5, 2010) A proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) between China and Taiwan is likely to be signed in May or June, Beijing-based Association for the Relations Across the Taiwan Straits President Chen Yunlin said.

Ex-MAC Official Urges Ma to Rethink ECFA
(Taipei Times, Mar. 5, 2010) Tung Chen-yuan said the government’s strategy was unclear and it had failed to fully evaluate the impact of an ECFA and communicate with the public.

China-US Talks Fail to Heal Rift
(VoA, Mar. 4, 2010) Despite meetings this week in Beijing between senior American and Chinese officials, China is repeating its call to the United States to fix strained relations between the two countries.

China Says It’s Committed to Peace
(Reuters, Mar. 4, 2010) A top Chinese Communist Party official said that Beijing was firmly committed to developing peaceful relations with long-time rival Taiwan, despite recent tensions over U.S. arms sales to the island.

China Announces 7.5 Pct Jump in Defense Spending
(AP, Mar. 4, 2010) China announced a planned 7.5 percent boost in defense spending this year, a smaller increase than expected and the first time in more than two decades the jump has been less than double-digits.

Japan Offers New Plan in Okinawa Dispute
(New York Times, Mar. 4, 2010) The Japanese government has approached United States officials with a new proposal for resolving a festering dispute over an American air base in Okinawa, the Japanese news media reported.

China Holds Firm against Google, Says Firm Must Obey Its Law By John Pomfret (Washington Post, Mar. 13, 2010) China's top Internet regulator warned Google that it must obey Chinese laws or "pay the consequences."

Ma’s Puzzling Midterm Malaise By Shelley Rigger
(Brookings Northeast Asia Commentary #37, Mar. 12, 2010) If the process of cross-Strait engagement slows too much, PRC leaders may determine that no Taiwan leader, including Ma, is capable of delivering any of what Beijing is seeking and so lose patience. That would mean game over for the Ma Ying-jeou approach to cross-Strait rapprochement.

China’s Midterm Jockeying: Gearing Up for 2012 By Cheng Li
(China Leadership Monitor, Hoover Institution, Winter 2010) China is set to experience a major leadership turnover at the 18th National Congress of the CCP in 2012. Who are the most promising candidates for these supreme leadership bodies? This essay aims to shed light on the question and others by studying the 62 provincial chiefs.

The Trouble with China’s Economic Bubble By David Ignatius
(Washington Post, Mar. 11, 2010) For a country addicted to export-led growth, transitioning to a sustainable economy won't be easy. People who assume that an ever-expanding China will inexorably replace America as the world economic superpower should take a close look at the numbers.

The PLA Raises Its Voice By Peter J Brown
(Asia Times, Mar. 9, 2010) A growing number of senior officers in the different branches of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) are becoming outspoken. But why they have chosen now to raise their voices is subject to debate.

China’s Military Bluster Camouflages Toothless Bite By Ben Blanchard (Reuters, Mar. 8, 2010) Big on spit and polish and parades but short on experience, new technology and force coordination, China’s military has far to go before its bite begins to approach its increasingly loud sound.

U.S. Reaches Out to Tokyo’s Real Power By Martin Fackler
(New York Times, Mar. 8, 2010) At a time of turmoil in Washington’s ties with Tokyo, American officials are reaching out directly to that power behind the throne.

Bo Xilai’s Charm Offensive Is Paying off Politically in China By Ariana Eunjung Cha (Washington Post, Mar. 8, 2010) Of the nearly 3,000 members of China's ruling elite in the country's capital this weekend to kick off the biggest political gathering of the year, only one has the state media and online commentators abuzz: Bo Xilai.

China Signals Defiance on U.S. Relations By Andrew Batson, Terence Poon and Shai Oster (Wall Street Journal, Mar. 7, 2010) China gave little hope that it would accommodate Washington on Iran and other thorny foreign-policy issues, despite the first real sign of flexibility in years over its exchange rate.

Addressing the Military Imbalance By Nat Bellocchi
(Taipei Times, Mar. 7, 2010) The recent assessment by the US Defense Intelligence Agency of Taiwan’s air defense status, which was delivered to Congress on Feb. 16, requires serious reflection and action, both in Taiwan and the US.

Party Identification Tracking Analysis in Taiwan: February 2010
(GVSRC, Mar. 2010) 30.9% of people say they are KMT supporters while 20.0% DPP; meanwhile, 37.6% identify themselves as independent.

China Faces New Pressure to Let Currency Rise By Joe McDonald
(AP, Mar. 6, 2010) China faces mounting pressure from trading partners to loosen currency controls and is giving signs it might raise the value of the yuan to ease strains on its fast-growing economy.

China Premier Details Economic Plan By Michael Wines
(New York Times, Mar. 6, 2010) Prime Minister Wen Jiabao told his nation’s unelected legislature that the government could expand social spending, increase lending, pour money into strategic industries and still meet its traditional 8 percent economic growth target in 2010.

The Role of U.S. Arms Sales in Taiwan’s Defense Transformation By Michael S. Chase (China Brief, Jamestown Foundation, Mar. 5, 2010) Assessments of the motives underlying China’s reaction to the arms sales announcement and its potential ramifications for U.S.-China relations have dominated media coverage and online punditry, but an equally important question is that of Taiwan’s future approach to defense transformation and arms procurements from the United States.

China Says It Is Slowing Down Military Spending By Michael Wines
(New York Times, Mar. 5, 2010) China’s official military budget will rise by just 7.5 percent in 2010, a government spokesman said Thursday, a rate that is about half the official increase in recent years and the first to fall below 10 percent since 1989.

Trial of American Puts Spotlight on the Business of ‘State Secret’ in China By Ariana Eunjung Cha (Washington Post, Mar. 4, 2010) Company executives, trade groups and diplomats said Xue's case and two similar ones appear to be part of a broader effort by China over the past few years to use everything at its disposal to promote its own "national champions."

U.S. Floats Plan to Lift Ban on Training Indonesia’s Kopassus Unit By John Pomfret (Washington Post, Mar. 3, 2010) The Obama administration's move reflects a desire to improve ties with Indonesia and other countries in Southeast Asia as part of efforts to counter China's rise.

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