
~1998
1999: Jan. - June, July - Dec.
2000: Jan. - Mar. , Apr. - June , July - Sept.
April - June 2000
China Will Be Cautious on
Taiwan By Ellis Joffe
(International
Herald Tribune, June 30, 2000) China
will attack the island it regards as a rebel province only if Taiwan's leaders formally declare independence
and separate irrevocably from China.
A number of compulsions drive China's
leaders: nationalism, the linkage between Taiwan and their political
legitimacy, the state of relations between conservatives and reformers in the
Chinese leadership and the stand of the military.
China Now Has a Role Model to Follow Toward
Peace--the Koreas By Joseph A. Bosco
(LA Times, June 27, 2000) Will
China follow North Korea
as willingly on its path to peace today as it did on the road to war 50 years
ago? In 1950, Beijing joined its "little
communist brother" in an ill-fated war to unify the Korean peninsula
under Pyongyang's "one Korea" system, just as China claimed the right to forcibly
incorporate Taiwan
under its rule.
China Pop De-Fizzed By Charles Lane
(Washington
Post, June 22, 2000) In a time of tension between China
and Taiwan,
Zhang Huimei brought people together. The diminutive
Taiwanese pop singer, who goes by the stage name Ah-mei,
sells millions of CD's on both sides of the Taiwan
Strait.
Strike Now to Prevent War in
the Taiwan Strait By Richard H. Solomon and Patrick M. Cronin
(LA Times, June 19, 2000)
Three decades of relative calm across the Taiwan Strait
now may be coming to an end. We are rapidly approaching a decision period in
which choices made in Beijing, Taipei and Washington
will shape the nature of cross-strait relations--and the security environment
in East Asia--for decades to come.
Challenges as China's
Communist Leaders Ride the Tiger of Liberalization By Larry M. Wortzel
(Heritage
Foundation, June 13, 2000) The People's Republic of China has more than 20
nuclear warheads capable of hitting the United States today, making this
country a major concern for many Americans. Furthermore, Chinese military
officers have made veiled threats against the United
States if America
were to intervene should China
use military force against Taiwan.
Beijing's
threats are indeed serious.
Beidaihe's Triple Cocktail Dilemma By Willy Wo-Lap Lam
(South China
Morning Post, June 7, 2000) Every summer, the eyes of China watchers are glued to a choice strip of
sand in the Bohai
Sea called Beidaihe, where Communist Party leaders hold a series of
informal meetings on matters of state. Seldom, however, does the agenda mean
so much for the nation - and carry such long-term significance - than this
year.
New Foreign Policy Fails
First Test
(Taipei
Times, June 8, 2000) The new government has made a big deal about how it
would revamp Taiwan's
diplomacy. "Human rights" and "NGOs" were to be the new
touchstones of Taiwan's
efforts overseas, in contrast to "money diplomacy" and
"international vote-buying."
Taiwan Democracy Provides Glimmer of Hope for
Mainland Activists
(Agence France Presse, Jun 1,
2000) The Chinese democracy movement has faced a punishing 11 years since the
Tiananmen Square massacre, but activists this year have found a glimmer of
hope in the blossoming of democracy on Taiwan. ... while
democracy has been pushed into the shadows on the mainland, it has thrived in
Taiwan
to the delight of Chinese dissidents.
What China and Taiwan Should
Do By Steve Tsang
(International
Herald Tribune, May 18, 2000) China's
hardened policy towards Taiwan
has turned an inherently delicate and strained situation across the Taiwan Strait into a potentially explosive one. Yet as
the former opposition leader Chen Shui-bian
prepares to become president of Taiwan on Saturday, there could
be a formula for maintaining peace if both sides are pragmatic.
Chen's Dilemma By Julian Baum
(Far Eastern
Economic Review, May 25, 2000 ) When Chen Shui-bian
is inaugurated as the 10th president of the Republic of China on May 20, his
frequent and persistent statements of goodwill toward Beijing will reach a climax. From the time
he began his presidential campaign last year, Chen has raised expectations in
Taipei and around the world that under his
leadership there will be some kind of a breakthrough in the half-century-old
deadlock across the Taiwan Strait.
Washington's Role in Cross-Strait Relations
(China Post,
May 17, 2000) Recent press reports have said that both Beijing and Taipei have
asked the United States to intervene in their long-running political
confrontation. Washington,
however, moved quickly to state its position: It does not want to assume such
a role.
The Taiwan
Dilemma: Time for a Change in the U.S. Approach? By Robert L. Suettinger
(Brookings Institution, May 2000) The point is that the United States cannot fix the
deeply-rooted antagonisms, differences of political viewpoint and variant
interpretations of history that lie at the core of Taiwan-PRC tensions.
US-China Relations: Final Deadline By Nayan Chanda
and Susan V. Lawrence
(Far Eastern
Economic Review, May 18, 2000) A time bomb is ticking in U.S.-China
relations. It isn't Taiwan.
And it isn't the forthcoming congressional vote on granting permanent normal
trading relations to China.
If it explodes, it could badly damage trade relations and poison political
ties.
China is Stuck in Its Own
Trap By Bruce Dickson
(Taipei
Times, May 11, 2000) With its increasingly inflexible approach to
cross-strait relations, China
has painted itself into a corner. The repeated use of military threats,
increased missile deployments, insistence on its definition of the "one China" principle and talk of imposing a
deadline for reunification are designed to threaten and intimidate Taiwan, and to warn other countries of China's resolve on the Taiwan issue.
Permanent Normal Trade
Relations for China By Nicholas Lardy
(Brookings
Institute, May 2000) In what has been described as its most important vote
this year, the U.S. Congress will soon decide whether to provide permanent
normal trade relations to China. A vote is required because, after 14 years
of negotiations, China
is poised to enter the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Containment Under Fire By Willy Wo-Lap Lam
(South
China Morning Post, April 26, 2000) The Chinese Communist Party's (CCP)
anti-containment policy is simple. Firstly, improve relations with its neighbours. Secondly, form strategic alliances with America's erstwhile foes, such as Russia.
Thirdly, expand its own global influence by reclaiming the leadership of the Third World.
Convergence on One China Policy? The Democracy
Factor By Michael J. Fonte
(Formosan
Association for Public Affairs, April 2000) If you listened carefully to
statements made by U.S. policy makers over the past two weeks, you would have
heard one message about the U.S. "one-China policy" - democracy in
Taiwan has dramatically changed the issue.
Korean Summit Will Impact
Cross-Strait Ties
(The China
Post (Taipei), April 13, 2000) The news that
North and South Korea are about
to hold an historic summit has attracted attention from around the world in
general and from people in eastern Asia in
particular. Above all, it has aroused deep concern among the people on the
two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Turbulence Ahead in the
Beijing-Taipei-Washington Triangle By Douglas H. Paal
(International
Herald Tribune, April 12, 2000) The election of Chen Shui-bian
as Taiwan's new president
has created hopes in Washington for reduced
tensions across the Taiwan Strait. But this
view is not shared by China's
leadership.
Stand by Taiwan
(Editorial,
Washington Post, April 10, 2000) NO peaceful solution to the conflict over Taiwan is possible unless China is deterred from attempting
to take the democratic island by force. One critical element in deterring China is the United
States' implicit commitment to defend Taiwan from
aggression.
Pacific
Forum, CSIS
Taiwan Tops the Bilateral
Agenda By Bonnie Glaser
(Comparative
Connection, Pacific Forum, CSIS, April 2000) The year 2000 opened with a
flurry of contacts between American and Chinese officials. The bilateral
military relationship, suspended since the U.S.
accidental bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, resumed and an agenda for
dialogue and exchanges between the two militaries was agreed upon and set in
motion.
Cross-Strait Cross-Fire By Gerrit Gong
(Comparative Connection, Pacific Forum, CSIS, April
2000) Chen Shui-bian's victory on March 18, 2000 to
become Taiwan's president-elect with 39.3 percent of the vote dramatically
changes Taiwan's domestic political topology and thereby the assumptions and
framework for China-Taiwan cross-Strait relations.
Taipei Times
Taiwan's Democratization
Dilemma By Arthur Waldron
(Taipei
Times, May 2, 2000) From a medium- to long-term perspective, Taiwan's democratization greatly contributes
to the resolution of issues between Taipei and
Beijing, but in the short run it has completely
upset the calculations, not only of China
but also of the US.
Taiwan the Anchor to
US-China Relations By Lin Chong-Pin
(Taipei
Times, April 27, 2000) Scholars, analysts and government officials are all
debating the relationship that revolves around the axis of Taiwan, China
and the US.
The interdependence of China
and Taiwan
is a fact that is not only important to any consideration of the issue, it is
really the cornerstone.
Beijing Should Abandon
Deadlines By Lee Ying-yuan
(Taipei
Times, April 21, 2000) In contrast to Mao's pragmatism, today's Beijing leadership
appears overly anxious. The leadership has repeatedly set a timetable which
has only served to limit real positive interaction between the two sides of
the Strait. Expand and explore a consensus in order to strengthen the
foundation for trust.
Charting a Course for
Relations with the Middle Kingdom By Ted Galen Carpenter
and James A. Dorn
(Taipei
Times, April 18, 2000) The only true indicator of China's foreign relations policy
is found domestically, in the tug-of-war between the emergence of liberalism
and the survival of nationalism. Whichever wins will determine China's
future relations with both its Asian neighbors and the West.
Lessons for China from
Taiwan's Democratization By Bruce Dickson
(Taipei
Times, April 17, 2000) As the KMT lost the presidency, so China's Communist Party lost its
hope of surviving an eventual mainland democratization. Economic success, it
would seem, is not enough to win elections. Ironically, Chen's victory may
reduce the support for political reform in China within the CCP and delay
meaningful democratization.
`One China' Holds Too Few
Solutions By Lo Chih-Cheng
(Taipei
Times, April 11, 2000) In response to President-elect Chen's urging for the
resumption of talks between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, China has
thus far taken a "wait and see" policy. Beijing
has stated clearly that the door for cross-strait talks will remain closed
unless Taiwan returns to
the so-called "one China"
principle.
LA Times
There Is Common Ground on
Taiwan By Marvin Ott
(LA Times, May 8, 2000) There
has been much recent reporting and commentary--fully justified--about the
growing dangers in the Taiwan Strait. But in
all the talk of arms sales and possible military confrontation, almost no
attention has been given to a possible diplomatic solution.
Beijing's 'Salesman' Makes a Pitch to Taiwan By Tom Plate
(LA Times, May 3, 2000) Tea
leaves can be hard to read, especially when they come from a mainland Chinese
garden. Since the March election of the former Taipei
mayor Chen Shui-bian as president of Taiwan, worried China-watchers have been
looking for the faintest signal from Beijing,
even a twitch, that China
really isn't prepared to go on the warpath over Taiwan's status.
China Has a Chilling Moment By Tom Plate
(LA Times, April 26, 2000)
These days, China is
flexing its inflexibility on Taiwan;
the authorities are starting to squeeze out any whiff of dissent. True, Beijing hasn't ordered
any out-and-out Maoist purge, but something akin to a subtle mass dampening
of critics and cynics seems to be underway.
China Has Its Own Version of
Business-Versus-Beltway Conflict By Tom Plate
(LA Times,
April 19, 2000) Yet China is conflicted, almost like two nations. The smart
one concentrates on China's
capacity for greatness. The other concentrates on blaming outsiders,
especially Western ones, for its problems, which leads to China's
historical penchant for shooting itself in the foot. And it may be starting
to put powder in its musket now. That's the gruesome and worrisome bottom
line.
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