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- Asian Stocks Gain After US-China Announce Truce on Tariffs (2019-10-14)
(Associated Press, By Joe McDonald) Asian stock markets have risen after Washington and Beijing announced a truce on tariff hikes in a trade war. <Accessed 2019-10-14> - HK Protesters Erect Statue on Mountain (2019-10-14)
(Taipei Times, By Staff Writer) Pro-democracy protesters early yesterday hauled a 4m statue known as “Lady Liberty” to the top of a famous Hong Kong mountain, announcing the peak would be its “final resting place.” <Accessed 2019-10-14> - Han Wants to Debate President on Cross-Strait Issues (2019-10-14)
(Taipei Times, By Ann Mason) Kaoshiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) would like to have a debate with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on cross-strait policy as soon as possible, the Chinese National Party (KMT) presidential candidate’s advisory team said yesterday, but Tsai’s campaign office said the debates should cover more topics than just cross-strait affairs. <Accessed 2019-10-14> - Allies and Partners Support Taiwan Ahead of Interpol Gathering (2019-10-14)
(CNA, By Emerson Lim) International allies expressed support for Taiwan's participation in the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) ahead of its four-day General Assembly which will be held in Chile beginning Tuesday. <Accessed 2019-10-14> - TSU Calls on Taiwan to Ban Visits by HK Police (2019-10-14)
(CNA, By Huang Li-yun and Ko Lin) The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), a pro-Taiwan independence party, called Monday for the immigration agency to refuse entry to people from Hong Kong identified as police officers, following numerous accusations about their brutality toward pro-democracy demonstrators there <Accessed 2019-10-14> - Caribbean Ally to be an Advocate for Taiwan: Bowman (2019-10-13)
(Taipei Times/CNA, By Staff Writer) St Vincent and the Grenadines will have the ability to advocate more strongly for Taiwan to be recognized when it takes its seat on the UN Security Council early next year, St Vincent and the Grenadines Ambassador to Taiwan Andrea Bowman said last week in an interview with the Central News Agency. <Accessed 2019-10-13> - US Suspends Plans to Hike Tariffs on Chinese Imports in Partial Ceasefire (2019-10-13)
(Taipei Times, By Staff Writer) The administration of US President Donald Trump is suspending a tariff hike on US$250 billion in Chinese imports that was set to take effect on Tuesday, and China agreed to buy US$40 billion to US$50 billion in US farm products as the world’s two biggest economies reached a ceasefire in their 15-month trade dispute. <Accessed 2019-10-13> - UK, Italy lawmakers Urge Interpol to Invite Taiwan (2019-10-13)
(Taipei Times/CNA, By Staff Writer) Parliamentarians in the UK and Italy have called on the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to invite Taiwan to attend its general assembly as an observer so that Taiwan cam make concrete contributions. <Accessed 2019-10-13> - Chen Chien-jen Says Holy See Values Taiwan Ties (2019-10-13)
(Taipei Times/CNA, By Staff Writer) The Holy See attaches importance to its relations with Taiwan and an agreement between the Vatican and China on the appointment of bishops merely shows Pope Francis’ efforts to improve religious freedom there, Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said on Friday. <Accessed 2019-10-13> - Sweden to Continue Developing Relations with Taiwan: MOFA (2019-10-13)
(CNA, By Ku Chuan and Chiang Yi-ching) Sweden's government has stressed the importance of continuing to develop relations with Taiwan, and the two countries should seek to build cooperation in several areas to help safeguard democracy, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Sunday. <Accessed 2019-10-13> - Petition Calling for U.S. to Recognize Taiwan Passes Threshold (2019-10-13)
(CNA, By Stacy Hsu and Joseph Yeh) A petition submitted to a special American White House website, calling for the United States to recognize Taiwan as an independent country, passed the required threshold on Sunday, which means it now warrants an official response. <Accessed 2019-10-13> - Taiwan, U.S. Mulling Sharing Healthcare Big Data: Official (2019-10-13)
(CNA, By Stacy Hsu and Elizabeth Hsu) Washington, Oct. 12 (CNA) Taiwan and the United States are considering sharing big data related to healthcare, to help facilitate medical research on both sides, Lee Po-chang (李伯璋), the head of Taiwan's health insurance administration, said in Washington on Saturday. <Accessed 2019-10-13> - Japan Fully Supports Taiwan’s Accession to CPTPP: Japanese MP (2019-10-11)
(Taiwan News, By Jo-Luen Liao) Japanese Diet member Keiji Furuya voiced Japan's full support for Taiwan’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) during a press conference following the Yushan Forum, a Taiwan-initiated platform for regional cooperation that took place at the Grand Hyatt Taipei on Wednesday (Oct. 9). <Accessed 2019-10-11> - Taiwan Scuppers PRC Sister City Deal (2019-10-11)
(Taipei Times, By Staff Writer) Prague and Beijing this week tore up a “sister city” agreement after the Czech capital backed out of a clause on the “one China” policy that denied the independence of Taiwan. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - Double Ten National Day: No to ‘One Country, Two Systems’: Tsai (2019-10-11)
(Taipei Times/CNA, By Sean Lin) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday in her Double Ten National Day address rejected the “one country, two systems” model proposed by Beijing as the future of cross-strait relations, while highlighting freedom, democracy and sovereignty. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - Double Ten National Day: Han Slams DPP in White Paper (2019-10-11)
(Taipei Times, By Ann Maxon) Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, yesterday unveiled a cross-strait policy white paper, saying he would try to restore cross-strait dialogue if elected president. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - Han Recall Petition Reaches Legal Threshold: Campaign Leader (2019-10-11)
(CNA, By Wang Shwu-fen and Matthew Mazzetta) A petition to recall Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) has reached 300,000 signatures, surpassing the estimated legal threshold, recall movement leader Aaron Yin (尹立) told CNA Friday. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - U.S. Congressmen Congratulate Taiwan on National Day (2019-10-11)
(CNA, By Stacy Hsu, Chiang Chin-yeh and Elizabeth Hsu) Several members of the United States Congress on Thursday issued congratulatory messages to Taiwan in celebration of the 108th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of China, lauding the U.S.-Taiwan friendship. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - Vice President to Again Invite Pope Francis to Visit Taiwan (2019-10-11)
(CNA, By Chiu Chun-chin and Chi Jo-yao) Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said he will again invite Pope Francis to visit Taiwan when he attends the canonization of late British Cardinal John Henry Newman and four others on Oct. 13 in Vatican City. <Accessed 2010-10-11> - Taiwan Must Focus on Cost-Effective Defense: U.S. Official (2019-10-10)
(Taipei Times, With CNA)
Taiwan needs to devote sufficient resources to its defense, especially in cost-effective systems that leverage its strengths and can help deter China, a US official said at the US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference in Ellicott City, Maryland, on Monday. <Accessed 2019-10-10> - Hong Kong Unrest an Ominous Lesson on Chinese Rule: Taiwan Leader (2019-10-10)
(Wall Street Journal, By Eva Dou)
In a fiery speech likely to upset Beijing, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen called on the island’s people to draw lessons from the violent protests in Hong Kong and pledged to defend Taiwan’s sovereignty. <Accessed 2019-10-10> - Both Taiwan Candidates Rule Out Moves Toward China Unification (2019-10-10)
(Bloomberg, By Miaojung Lin)
Beijing’s growing political problems in Taiwan were laid bare Thursday, as the island’s two main presidential contenders ruled out any move toward unification. <Accessed 2019-10-10> - Full Text of President Tsai Ing-wen’s National Day Address (2019-10-10)
(CNA)
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) delivered her National Day address Thursday, in which she pledged to safeguard the sovereignty of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the status quo across the Taiwan Strait amid Beijing's military threat. The following is the full text of her speech, titled "Nation of Resilience, Forward into the World". <Accessed 2019-10-10> - Tsai’s Address Draws Mixed Responses from Legislative Caucuses (2019-10-10)
(CNA, By Wang Yang-yu and Evelyn Kao)
President Tsai Ing-wen's (蔡英文) National Day address drew different reactions from the ruling and opposition legislative caucuses Thursday. While the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led pan-green camp lauded her clear statement reaffirming Taiwan's national sovereignty, the Kuomintang (KMT)-led pan-blue camp questioned the words "Republic of China (Taiwan)" that she used for Taiwan's national title. <Accessed 2019-10-10> - Netherlands No.1 Foreign Investor in Taiwan This Year: MOEA (2019-10-10)
(CNA, By Flor Wang and Wu Chia-jung)
In addition to consistently supporting Taiwan on the political front internationally, the Netherlands has also been the largest foreign investor in the country for the first eight months of this year, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said Thursday. <Accessed 2019-10-10> - Yushan Forum: Sanders Provides Glimpse into Trump’s Mind During Telephone Call with Tsai (2019-10-10)
(Taipei Times, With CNA)
Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday provided a glimpse into the mindset of US president-elect Donald Trump when he took a telephone call from President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in December 2016. <Accessed 2019-10-10> - Stephen Harper Makes Thinly Veiled Critique of China in Historic Visit to Taiwan (2019-10-09)
(The Globe and Mail, By Nathan VanderKlippe) Stephen Harper made a series of thinly veiled criticisms of China’s economic model in a visit to Taiwan Tuesday – the first by a former Canadian prime minister – warning that global trade tensions are likely to grow increasingly severe. <Accessed 2019-10-09> - Taiwan President Meets Guatemalan VP, Anticipates Future Collaboration (2019-10-09)
(Taiwan News, By Teng Pei-ju) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) met with Jafeth Cabrera, vice president of Taiwan’s Latin American ally Guatemala, on Wednesday (Oct. 9). Cabrera last traveled to Taiwan 24 year years ago, when he came as the head of a university. The Guatemalan vice president is visiting the island nation from Oct. 8-12 and will represent his government at the National Day celebration scheduled for Thursday. <Accessed 2019-10-09> - Taiwan-US Relations ‘Incredibly Important’: Cruz (2019-10-09)
(Taipei Times, By Lin Chia-nan) Taiwan-US relations are “incredibly important” in diplomatic, military and economic areas, as well as regarding efforts by the two sides to defend human rights and freedom, US Senator Ted Cruz said in Taipei yesterday. <Accessed 2019-10-09> - China Calls Prague Council's Move to Cancel Pact a 'Breach of Faith' (2019-10-09)
(Reuters, By Huizhong Wu) China hit back on Wednesday at a decision by the Prague city council to cancel a partnership agreement with Beijing that would have required it to commit to the “one China” principle affirming that Taiwan is a part of China. <Accessed 2019-10-09> - China, Solomon Islands Sign Deals Under New Diplomatic Ties (2019-10-09)
(Reuters, By Cate Cadell) Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare met Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing on Wednesday and signed several agreements in the first official visit since the two countries established diplomatic relations last month. <Accessed 2010-10-09> - Japan Will Seek Support for Taiwan's CPTPP Bid: Parliamentarian (2019-10-09)
(CNA, By William Yen) Japan will seek support from other countries for Taiwan's efforts to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a visiting Japanese parliamentarian said in Taipei Wednesday. <Accessed 2019-10-09> - Netherlands' House of Reps Passes Measure in Support of Taiwan (2019-10-09)
(CNA, By Tang Pei-chun and Matthew Mazzetta) The Netherlands' House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a motion Tuesday calling on the country's government to support Taiwan's participation in international organizations, the first such resolution in the body's history. <Accessed 2019-10-09> - Taiwan Shares Tumble on Pessimism Over U.S.-China Trade Talks (2019-10-09)
(CNA, By Frances Huang) Shares in Taiwan moved down more than 1 percent Wednesday as investors got jittery over the high-level trade talks taking place between the United States and China in the coming days, dealers said. <Accessed 2019-10-09>
- High Expectations as China's Xi Lands in Nepal (2019-10-15)
(The Diplomat, By Peter Gill) The large-scale, feverish preparations for Xi’s arrival indicate the importance the Nepali government has placed on the visit. Kathmandu hopes to sign a number of agreements to begin infrastructure projects funded under Xi’s signature Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). <Accessed 2019-10-15> - The Leaders of the World's Two Biggest Countries Meet - and Come Away with Little Progress (2019-10-15)
(Foreign Policy, By Sumit Ganguly) In the coming years, India will not be able to deal with China on equal terms. However, if it can deftly handle the delicate issue of the Tibetan diaspora in India and simultaneously fashion a closer, predictable security partnership with the United States, it may not have to simply exchange pleasantries and satisfy itself with hesitant progress at a future summit. <Accessed 2019-10-15> - Trade War Pauses Leaves Few Happy (2019-10-15)
(Foreign Policy, By Keith Johnson, James Palmer) U.S. President Donald Trump’s mini-deal with China to keep the trade war from spiraling further bucked up stock markets and will likely defer another tariff escalation—but it will also disappoint nearly everyone, including both U.S. businesses and consumers forced to pay billions more for imported goods and China hawks in his own administration who hoped to use U.S. leverage to force real changes to China’s economic model. <Accessed 2019-10-15> - Why Huawei Isn't So Scary (2019-10-15)
(Foreign Policy, By Elsa B. Kania, Lindsey R. Sheppard) Although Huawei may assert that it has already taken an unbeatable lead in 5G infrastructure, judging who’s truly ahead in the field means looking at multiple criteria. Such indicators can include commercial contracts, deployed performance, integration with network infrastructure, and real technological innovation. <Accessed 2019-10-15> - The Pretend Trade Deal (2019-10-15)
(Foreign Policy, By Christopher Balding) The bigger problem is the United States and China agree on almost nothing. They do not agree on the problems, how to solve them, or even what the broad objectives should be. China does not accept the U.S. position that domestic subsidies and industrial policy are negotiable topics, while the United States does not accept the Chinese position that Huawei is a trade issue. <Accessed 2019-10-15> - From 'Land-Locked' to 'Land-Linked': China's Xi Goes to Nepal (2019-10-15)
(The Diplomat, By Eleanor Albert) Leaders from the two countries signed 20 agreements to boost connectivity, trade, economic assistance, and security relations. China and Nepal also agreed to upgrade their ties to a strategic partnership, with Xi vowing to “help Nepal realize its dream of becoming a land-linked country from a land-locked one.” <Accessed 2019-10-15> - China's Xi Visits Nepal, Elevating Ties to 'Strategic Partnership of Cooperation' (2019-10-15)
(The Diplomat, By Ankit Panda) China’s Xinhua state news agency underscored that the visit’s overarching purpose was the upgrading of the bilateral diplomatic relationship. China and Nepal agreed to regard their relationship as a “strategic partnership of cooperation.” <Accessed 2019-10-15> - Blizzard and Mei: Makings of Online Protest (2019-10-15)
(The Diplomat, By Layne Vandenberg) If Mei comes to widely symbolize revolution, freedom, and democracy, China’s censors may have no choice but to remove the game entirely to maintain control over the messages reaching its population. By hijacking Mei as a Chinese Overwatch “Hero,” users — both in Hong Kong and abroad — have made a fictional character a tangible part of the movement. <Accessed 2019-10-15> - Can the Chennai Connect Keep India-China Relations on Track? (2019-10-15)
(The Diplomat, By Vinay Kaura) Both leaders asserted that enhanced cooperation will reduce the trust deficit between them. But it is easier said than done. The two countries will need to move beyond just statements because there is a very little change in the language of the press statement from Wuhan. <Accessed 2019-10-15> - Why South Korea and Japan Fight So Much about Trade (2019-10-07)
(East Asia Forum, By Jung H Pak) While these scenarios do not provide long-term solutions that would resolve the sticky issue of history that plagues bilateral ties, they do offer a reminder that the two countries’ interests and futures are deeply intertwined. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - Does It Matter If Taiwan Loses Formal Recognition? (2019-10-09)
(East Asia Forum, By Timothy Rich) Even if all 15 diplomatic partners leave, the substantive impact on Taiwan may be small. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - South Korea’s US–China Conundrum (2019-10-10)
(East Asia Forum, By Jae Ho Chung) Seoul is being pulled back and forth between Beijing and Washington as the two compete for regional influence. South Korea must figure out how to navigate these choppy waters while putting its own interests first. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - Behind the Second Modi-Xi Informal Summit, the Wuhan Spirit is Fraying (2019-10-11)
(The Diplomat, By Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan) Clearly, Modi and Xi have a lot to discuss. But with new issues piling up, it is unclear if such ‘informal’ summits can do much to improve ties. Personal reassurances are unlikely to overcome growing real disagreements between the two sides, especially considering that the two sides do not seem to care very much to even hide their disagreements anymore. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - US Announces Visa Restrictions for Chinese Officials Involved in Xinjiang Abuses (2019-10-11)
(The Diplomat, By Ankit Panda) The U.S. Department of State, in a release attributed to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, said the restrictions will apply to “Chinese government and Communist Party officials who are believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, the detention or abuse of Uighurs, Kazakhs, or other members of Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang, China.” Family members of such officials would also be covered. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - The Trade War is Only Getting Worse (2019-10-11)
(Foreign Policy, By Keith Johnson) This week’s meeting was meant to be a chance for both sides to recapture the momentum they had earlier this year, before talks broke down over what the United States called backtracking by China in terms of concessions it was willing to make. But Chinese officials have made clear in recent days that they are unwilling to quit using government subsidies for state firms or to abandon its state-run industrial policy—the very reforms that the Trump administration has sought to wrest out of China by steadily increasing tariffs on Chinese exports. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - Belt and Road Tests China's Image in Pakistan (2019-10-11)
(Foreign Policy, By Daud Khattak) The new Pakistani government does not seem as enthusiastic about CPEC as its predecessor. “Chinese companies received tax breaks, many breaks and have an undue advantage in Pakistan; this is one of the things we’re looking at because it’s not fair that Pakistan companies should be disadvantaged,” Abdul Razak Dawood, Pakistan’s minister for commerce, industry, and investment, told the Financial Times last year. (Dawood later retracted the statement.) <Accessed 2019-10-11> - Australia Carefully Watching Unrest in Hong Kong Unfold (2019-10-11)
(The Diplomat, By Grant Wyeth) At the core of Australia’s approach to the situation is guarded affinity with the aims of the protest movement. While Australians in general are wary of protests, the values that the protesters are seeking to maintain (and strive toward) align well with Australia’s own approach to political organization. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - Prague vs. Beijing: Estranged Sister Cities (2019-10-11)
(The Diplomat, By Manuel Eckert and Richard Q. Turcsányi) Obviously, the global context of growing U.S.-China tensions is another supporting factor behind growing anti-China sentiments among significant parts of Czech society. Moreover, the Czech Republic is not so directly linked to China economically as to be easily punished; so being tough on China is a relatively easy thing to do politically. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - They Run the World’s Biggest Countries. Their Talk Won’t Be Easy. (2019-10-11)
(New York Times, By Jeffrey Gettleman) The two giant countries are neighbors and strategic rivals. They’re nuclear-armed, and their relationship is as complicated as ever. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - Chinese Media’s Attacks on Apple and N.B.A. Help Inflame Nationalism (2019-10-09)
(New York Times, By Javier C. Hernández) Analysts say the increasingly tough tone of the Chinese media is part of Beijing’s efforts to inflame nationalism at home and intimidate multinational companies into toeing the party line. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - North Korea Rules Out Quick Resumption of ‘Sickening’ Talks with U.S. (2019-10-06)
(New York Times, By Choe Sang-Hun) North Korea said on Sunday that it had no desire to engage in “sickening negotiations” with the United States anymore, rejecting Washington’s suggestion that negotiators from both countries meet again in Stockholm in two weeks. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - Hong Kong Rallies Turn Violent After Thousands Defy Face Mask Ban (2019-10-06)
(New York Times, By Mike Ives and Edward Wong) A jittery Hong Kong was again engulfed by clashes between protesters and the police on Sunday, hours after tens of thousands of people marched in a largely peaceful show of force against a contentious ban on face masks. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - Donald Trump Says ‘Substantial Phase-one Deal’ Reached in China Trade Talks, New Tariffs Delayed (2019-10-11)
(South China Morning Post, By Robert Delaney, Mark Magnier, Owen Churchill, and Lee Jeong-ho) US President Donald Trump said his negotiators have reached a “substantial phase-one deal” that will delay the implementation of more US tariffs on Chinese imports after two days of high-level trade negotiations that aimed to move the two countries closer to a conclusion of a bruising bilateral trade war. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - Amid Headwinds, Greece Gives Cosco Green Light for Partial Piraeus Port Upgrade (2019-10-11)
(South China Morning Post, By Stuart Lau) Greece’s new government has rejected nearly a third of Chinese shipping giant Cosco’s planned upgrade for the Port of Piraeus, a project that Beijing sees as one of the biggest Chinese-managed infrastructure successes in Europe. But in its announcement on Thursday, the Greek administration – which came to power in July – said it had approved the rest of Cosco’s port plans. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - New Philippines Military Chief Sees No ‘Shooting War’ in South China Sea Despite Disputes (2019-10-11)
(South China Morning Post, By Raissa Robles) The new head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines has said he does not expect a “shooting war” to occur in the South China Sea, despite Manila’s diplomatic protests against China’s intrusions into its territorial waters. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - China Slimming Down Belt and Road Initiative as New Project Value Plunges in Last 18 Months, Report Shows (2019-10-10)
(South China Morning Post, By Cissy Zhou) The growth of China’s Belt and Road Initiative slowed significantly over the last 18 months as Beijing’s overseas lending flattened out and the value of new overseas construction projects declined, new private-sector research showed, supporting existing theories about the decline of Xi Jinping’s signature plan. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - Taiwan or the Republic of China? Island Grapples with Question of Identity as Double Tenth Celebrations Play Down Nationalism (2019-10-10)
(South China Morning Post, By Lawrence Chung) Taiwan celebrates its 108th birthday as the Republic of China on Thursday, but the scale of both the festivities and displays of nationalism have dwindled over the years as the island struggles to stop itself from becoming isolated from the rest of the world while its people increasingly cast doubts over their official identity. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - EU Cybersecurity Report Says Members Can Ban Firms from 5G Networks – but Declines to Name China or Huawei (2019-10-10)
(South China Morning Post, By Stuart Lau) The European Union’s latest 5G risk assessment report has said member countries can exclude certain companies for national security reasons – but it shied away from naming China or Huawei directly. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - European Commission’s Next Leaders Take Tough Tone on China (2019-10-09)
(South China Morning Post, By Stuart Lau) Three of the most powerful members of the incoming European Commission have taken a swipe at China during their confirmation hearings, again suggesting Brussels’ readiness to take a tough line on Beijing’s geopolitical and economic ambitions in the next five years. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - Risking China Backlash, Taiwan and Britain Push Ahead with Free Trade Talks (2019-10-09)
(South China Morning Post, By Ralph Jennings) Taiwan and Britain are pushing ahead with trade negotiations as Taipei looks to reduce its reliance on China and Britain seeks to secure post-Brexit trade deals. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - Prospects Are Bright, China Tells New Pacific Partner Solomon Islands (2019-10-09)
(South China Morning Post, By Liu Zhen) Chinese President Xi Jinping has hailed the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Solomon Islands as “conforming to the trends of the times” and urged the Pacific nation to seize the opportunities of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - Beijing Protests over US Visa Sanction on Chinese Officials over Xinjiang (2019-10-09)
(South China Morning Post, By Teddy Ng and Shi Jiangtao) Beijing has lodged a protest against Washington’s visa restrictions on Chinese officials and blacklisting of entities over the treatment of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, saying the US should stay out of China’s affairs. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - China Rejects Donald Trump’s Call to Investigate Democrat Rival Joe Biden and Son (2019-10-08)
(South China Morning Post, By Teddy Ng) China has rejected US President Donald Trump’s call to investigate his Democrat rival Joe Biden and Biden’s son, saying Beijing had no intention of intervening in US domestic affairs. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - Taiwan’s KMT Opposition Tries to Reassure US over Defence Policies It Will Adopt If It Wins Next Year’s Presidential Election (2019-10-08)
(South China Morning Post, By Lawrence Chung) Taiwan’s main opposition party Kuomintang has sent a high-profile delegation to the US-Taiwan Defence Industry Conference to try to reassure the Americans about the party’s security and defence policies if its presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu wins the upcoming election. <Accessed 2019-10-11> - Seoul Fears US Is Delaying Envoy’s Approval in Retaliation for Scrapping of Security Pact, Sources Say (2019-10-07)
(South China Morning Post, By Lee Jeong-ho) South Korea has waited two months for the US government's approval of its appointed ambassador to Washington, raising concern that the US is delaying its nod in retaliation for Seoul's abandonment of a security pact with Japan. <Accessed 2019-10-11>
