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- Japan, US, France Hold Military Drill Eyeing China Presence (2021-05-15)
(Associated Press, By Richard Colombo and Mari Yamaguchi) The three nations’ first joint drills on Japanese soil — dubbed “ARC21” and which began Tuesday — come as they seek step up military ties amid growing Chinese assertiveness in the region. - Taiwan’s Security Important: Japan Defense Paper (2021-05-15)
(Taipei Times, By Lin Chia-nan) Japan’s draft defense white paper for this year, which was released on Thursday, underscores the importance of Taiwan’s security for Japan and the international community, while highlighting the military threat posed by China. - Taiwan-Hong Kong Ties in Jeopardy Over Work Permits (2021-05-15)
(SCMP, By Lawrence Chung) Ties were further strained this week when Taipei accused Hong Kong of ignoring its requests to renew the work permits of staff at Taiwan’s de facto consulate in the city. Eight workers will be unable to stay in Hong Kong after their permits expire at the end of the year, according to the Mainland Affairs Council, which handles Taiwan’s dealings with mainland China. - Australia Will Maintain Its Taiwan Policy, Prime Minister Scott Morrison Says (2021-05-07)
(South China Morning Post, By Sarah Zheng) Asked about Australian support for Taiwan on Thursday, Morrison said his government had “always honoured all of our arrangements in the Indo-Pacific.” - Scott Morrison Draws Fire for 'One Country Two Systems' Comment in Relations to China and Taiwan (2021-05-14)
(ABC, By Stephen Dziedzic) Australia maintains a one-China policy on Taiwan, which means it does not recognise the self-governing island as a state. But it only "acknowledges" Beijing's position that Taiwan is merely a rebellious province of the People's Republic of China, and still supports Taiwan's participation in international organisations. - Taiwan Says Will Work with EU, Other Democracies on Chips (2021-05-10)
(Reuters) Taiwan will work with the European Union and other democracies to ensure a more "resilient supply" of crucial goods like semiconductors, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Monday, amid a chip shortage that has snarled the auto and other industries. - Two on Trial as China Enforces Online Control Amid Pandemic (2021-05-10)
(Associated Press, By Huizhong Wu) Two amateur computer coders taken by police from their Beijing homes last year were standing trial Tuesday in a case that illustrates the Chinese government’s growing online censorship and heightened sensitivity to any deviation from the official narrative on its COVID-19 response. - Ministry Vows to Help Honduras Battle Pandemic (2021-05-12)
(Taipei Times, By Lin Chia-nan) The government is to work with like-minded nations to help Honduras combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, after the Central American nation said that it would purchase vaccines from China. - Taiwan Says Ties with Honduras Strong Despite Its Chinese Office Plan (2021-05-12)
(CNA, By Chung Yu-chen and Joseph Yeh) Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Wednesday it has been given assurance by the Honduran foreign minister that bilateral diplomatic ties with the Central American ally remain strong despite the Honduran President floating the possibility of opening a trade office in China in a bid to acquire COVID-19 vaccines. - US-China Tech War: Taiwan’s TSMC Joins American Chip Coalition in Another Blow to China’s Self-Sufficiency Drive (2021-05-12)
(SCMP, By Masha Borak) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Co (TSMC), the world’s biggest chip foundry, has joined a new lobbying group dominated by top American chip developers and users, in a move that may make it harder for China to wean itself off a US-led global semiconductor supply chain. - Taiwan to Put Pork Additive and Energy to the Vote in August Referendums (2021-05-14)
(SCMP/Reuters) Taiwan’s election commission approved on Friday the holding of three referendums in late August that could affect both the island’s relations with the United States and its energy security if they are passed. Electoral commission says public can have their say on whether meat containing ractopamine should be banned from the island. - Taiwan Signs NT$291 Million Missile Maintenance Deal with U.S. (2021-05-13)
(CNA, By Matt Yu and Teng Pei-ju) Taiwan's Air Force recently signed a deal worth NT$291 million with the U.S. in order to continue the maintenance of armaments relating to its F-16 fighter jets, an Air Force official said Wednesday. - Chinese Military Turboprop Enters Taiwan’s ADIZ (2021-05-13)
(Taiwan News, By Eric Chang) A Chinese military plane entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Wednesday (May 12), marking the seventh intrusion this month.
- China Proposing to Host ASEAN Ministers Next Month (2021-05-16)
(The Diplomat, By Sebastian Strangio) The proposed meeting follows a flurry of Chinese engagements with Southeast Asia in recent months. - Colombia: China’s New Amigo? (2021-05-16)
(The Diplomat, By David Castrillon) As Colombia grows closer to China, will it end up giving the U.S. a cold shoulder? - Taiwan at the Nexus of Technology and Geopolitics (2021-05-16)
(The Diplomat, By Ian Bremmer and Ali Wyne) The tightening nexus of geopolitics and geotechnology will make U.S.-China competition increasingly fraught. But Taiwan’s core challenge is not a near-term crisis. - Death of Student in China Triggers Questions, ProtestsDeath of Student in China Triggers Questions, Protests (2021-05-16)
(The Diplomat, By Huizhong Wu) A student’s death and his mother’s online posts have stirred controversy and questions. - US Army Tests New Missile with Pacific Threat in Mind (2021-05-16)
(The Diplomat, By Steven Stashwick) The Precision Strike Missile will give the U.S. Army a long-range anti-ship weapon. - Myanmar’s Human Rights Violations and ASEAN’s Response (2021-05-16)
(The Diplomat, By OBA Mie) The recent measures may be less significant than they seem. - India-France Naval Exercise: Growing Strategic Synergy (2021-05-16)
(The Diplomat, By Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan) France has emerged as one of India’s closest strategic partners and the relationship is likely to bloom further in the coming years. - Reversing the Coup is No Solution for Myanmar (2021-05-16)
(The Diplomat, By Michelle Onello and Akila Radhakrishnan) A return to the pre-coup status quo is not politically sustainable. What Myanmar needs is a more fundamental shift. - Biden’s First 100 Days and India-U.S. Relations (2021-05-16)
(The Diplomat, By Monish Tourangbam and Priyanjali Simon) Policy mandarins in New Delhi need to pay attention to the shifting domestic and foreign imperatives that are shaping Washington’s foreign policy. - Japan, US, France hold 1st Joint Drills on Japanese Land (2021-05-16)
(The Diplomat, By Mari Yamaguchi) Japan is seeking to expand its military ties beyond its alliance with the United States to include “like-minded” countries such as France. - North Korea Leaves Room to Renew Dialogue with the US (2021-05-16)
(The Diplomat, By Mitch Shin) According to local news reports, after being ignored for months Washington finally got through to Pyongyang to explain U.S. policy. - Stoking Fears of War Could Serve China's Goal. Australian Policy Needs Rethinking (2021-05-03)
(The Guardian, By Natasha Kassam and Mark Harrison) The messages from Beijing are deliberately mixed, by hysteria-couched in terms of preparing Australians for coming challenges-actually works in Beijing's favour. It allows the threat of war itself to be used as political tactic. Creating conditions of fear around large-scale conflict divides the international community, isolates Taiwan and creates conditions for striking a grand bargain on Beijing's terms. - Beijing's 'Two Sessions' Give No Hint of Compromise on Taiwan (2021-03-18)
(The Strategies, By Mark Harrison) That the two sessions offered established positions on Taiwan says that Beijing hasn’t made fundamental changes to its Taiwan policy but for now is still working within the existing framework. That there are no significant changes this year places the recent military activity as a tactical move within the existing framework rather than as part of a fundamental strategic shift or CCP ideological reassessment. - Pineapple Ban Another Prickle in Cross-Strait Relations (2021-04-15)
(East Asia Forum, By Dalton Lin) The pineapple ban might not actually be premeditated and China’s phytosanitary concerns could be real. But by choosing not to talk to Taipei to resolve the issue, Beijing’s message has been delivered: Taiwan cannot circumvent China and, without a common political understanding, breaking the cross-Strait impasse will remain wishful thinking. - Australia Draws a Line on China (2021-05-04)
(Foreign Policy, By Keith Johnson and Jack Detsch) “It’s kind of like the canary in the coal mine,” said Heino Klinck, who was the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia until January. “The Chinese have made it clear that they are going to pull out all of the stops to try and put Australia in a box. It’s not just about Australia. It’s just that the Chinese have decided if they can put the Aussies back into a box, that sends a message to everyone else.” - Abandoning Taiwan Makes Zero Moral or Strategic Sense (2021-05-03)
(Foreign Policy, By Blake Herzinger) In an essay last week, Charles Glaser set out a case for abandoning any U.S. commitment to defending Taiwan, the small island democracy China routinely threatens with invasion. Central to Glaser’s argument is the idea that U.S. policymakers have not sufficiently debated whether the United States should “trim its East Asian commitments to reduce the odds of going to war with China.” But the idea the United States can casually shed its commitments to Taiwan is inconsistent with the values that should be central to U.S. foreign policy. It would cede authority over Taiwan to a totalitarian state committed to crushing free expression and driving U.S. influence from Asia for a purely imaginary gain. - “Trends” Matter More Than “Events” in Cross-Strait Relations (2021-04-11)
(United Daily News, By Su Chi) Great powers care more about the “trends” rather than any particular “events.” Regarding Taiwan, Mainland China focuses not so much on individual events than the trend of Taiwan's separation from China. The authoritarian China oftentimes sought to rely on “surprise attacks” in dealing with their perceived adverse trends. This has been true for each of the last three Taiwan Strait crises. - China Has Lost the Philippines Despite Duterte’s Best Efforts (2021-05-03)
(Foreign Policy, By Derek Grossman) Locsin’s Twitter storm is only the latest indication that Beijing’s rising assertiveness—especially its challenge to the Philippines’ internationally recognized maritime claims—has finally forced Manila’s hand. Duterte now recognizes, in spite of his continued rhetoric to the contrary, that China is no friend, and the Philippines needs its long-standing security ally—the United States—after all.
