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- Philippine Envoy’s China Trip Delayed Until ‘Proper Time’ (2016-09-28)
(Taipei Times/Reuters) A visit to China by a Philippine special envoy tasked with rebuilding tattered ties with Beijing has been canceled, his aides said yesterday, the latest turn in a foreign policy increasingly unpredictable under the Philippines’ new president. - Japanese Navy Chief Urges Resuming China Port Visits (2016-09-28)
(Taipei Times/Reuters) The head of Japan’s navy on Monday repeated criticisms of China’s pursuit of territorial claims in Asia, but called for a resumption of port and personnel visits suspended for several years amid rising tensions between the two Asian powers. - ICAO Exclusion Violates int'l Principles: Analyst (2016-09-28)
(China Post/CNA) The International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) decision to not invite Taiwan to its general assembly due to Chinese pressure is against international principles and the best interests of aviation safety, a Canadian analyst said. - UK Minister Eyes Lifting Of Taiwan Trade Barriers (2016-09-28)
(China Post, By Joseph Yeh) A visiting UK trade minister on Tuesday hailed Taiwan as a key trading partner but said some obstacles should be resolved to enable closer exchanges. - 'False and Unfounded': Singapore Envoy Rejects Chinese Report That South China Sea Dispute Raised at Recent Summit (2016-09-28)
(China Post, By Chong Koh Ping of The Straits Times/Asia) Singapore's ambassador to China, Stanley Loh, said that no dispute or arbitral tribunal ruling was raised at the Non-Aligned Movement Summit (NAM) and described a report by the Chinese edition of the Global Times as "replete with fabrications and unfounded allegations." - Despite UN Sanctions, China's Coal Imports From N. Korea Surge (2016-09-27)
(China Post/AFP) China's coal imports from North Korea have surged in recent months, government data showed Monday, raising questions about Beijing's commitment to international sanctions intended to curb Pyongyang's nuclear program. - Beijing Sends Military Planes Over Strait By Japan (2016-09-27)
(China Post/AFP) China has sent fighter planes for the first time over a strait near Japan, the two governments said Monday, after Tokyo announced it may patrol alongside the U.S. in the disputed South China Sea. - Japan Vows To Watch Chinese Warplane Activity Over East China Sea Closely (2016-09-27)
(Taipei Times/AP) Japan’s top government spokesman yesterday warned China against expanding its military activity to the skies over disputed East China Sea islands after eight Chinese warplanes flew near the area over the weekend. - Philippines, US To Conduct War Games As Duterte Softens (2016-09-26)
(Taipei Times/Bloomberg) The Philippines and the US have scheduled military drills next month in the Southeast Asian nation, the US embassy in Manila said, days after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte acknowledged that his country did need US troops in the South China Sea. - China Starts Up World’s Largest Radio Telescope (2016-09-26)
(Taipei Times/AP)The world’s largest radio telescope yesterday began searching for signals from stars and galaxies and, perhaps, extraterrestrial life in a project demonstrating China’s rising ambitions in space and its pursuit of international scientific prestige. - Delegation Leaves For ICAO Without Invite (2016-09-26)
(China Post/CNA) A Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) delegation departed Sunday for Montreal, where it hopes to hold talks with Taiwan-friendly countries outside the venue of the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO's) assembly. - China's Li Keqiang Seeks New Tack in Relations With Cuba (2016-09-26)
(China Post/AFP) Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday said it was time for a new direction in relations with Cuba, during a landmark visit to the Americas' lone communist-ruled state. - US Urges Taiwan and China to Engage With Dignity (2016-09-25)
(Taipei Times/CNA) Washington encourages the two sides of the Taiwan Strait to engage each other on the basis of dignity and respect, a senior US Department of State official said on Friday, after Taiwan was not invited to attend an upcoming International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) assembly, apparently due to China’s objections. - N. Korea Air Show Thumbs Nose At Sanctions (2016-09-25)
(China Post, By Giles Hewitt of AFP) Just weeks after carrying out its fifth nuclear test, North Korea put on an unprecedented civilian and military air force display Saturday at the country's first ever public aviation show. - Abe Seeks Cuba's Help Amid N. Korea Nuke 'Provocations' (2016-09-25)
(China Post/AFP) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe concluded a visit to Cuba Friday with condemnation of North Korea's nuclear "provocations" and a request for help from Pyongyang's ally Havana to pursue a "world without nuclear weapons." Abe, the first Japanese premier to visit Cuba, discussed the nuclear question in meetings with both Fidel and Raul Castro, the brothers who have ruled the communist island since 1959. - United States Replaces China As Taiwan's Largest Debtor (2016-09-25)
(China Post/CNA) The United States has replaced China to become Taiwan's largest debtor on the back of Taiwanese banks' efforts to tighten their control on lending to the Chinese mainland in a bid to lower possible risks down the road, according to the local central bank. - ICAO: US Backs Taiwan's 'Meaningful Participation' (2016-09-24)
(China Post/CNA) The U.S. State Department on Thursday expressed support for Taiwan's meaningful participation in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a U.N. specialized agency, as Taiwan seeks to take part in the ICAO meeting for a second time in recent years. - Canada, China Agree To Start Talks On Free-Trade Agreement (2016-09-24)
(China Post, By Michel Comte of AFP) Canada and China have agreed to begin talks for a possible free-trade accord with an aim of doubling bilateral commerce by 2025, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday. - Coast Guard Ships Are Not Show of Force: Tsai (2016-09-23)
President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday said that Taiwan’s efforts to build its own military vessels are intended to ensure sustainable maritime development and an ability to participate in maritime rescue missions, rather than as a show of force. - Heed South Asian Tensions: Pakistan (2016-09-23)
(Taipei Times/Reuters) Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday accused nuclear-armed rival India of putting unacceptable conditions on dialogue and said the world would ignore rising tension in South Asia at its peril. - Gov't Confirms Taiwan Won't Get ICAO Invite (2016-09-23)
(China Post, By Stephanie Chao) The government expressed regret and dissatisfaction Friday after it was confirmed that Taiwan would not receive an invitation to attend next week's International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) assembly. - Japan Prime Minister Demands World Find 'New Means' To Stop North Korea (2016-09-23)
(China Post, By Shaun Tandon of AFP) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday demanded that the world find a new way to halt the threat from North Korea after the long-sanctioned regime's nuclear and missile tests.
- 3 Labor Activists in China Get Suspended Prison Terms (2016-09-27)
(New York Times, By Michael Forsythe) The organizers’ activities had long been tolerated, but the prosecution and sentences suggested a tougher government line now that growth is slowing. - Hong Kong and the Realities of China’s Rise (2016-09-27)
(New York Times, By Yuen Ying Chan) My students will have to be prepared to tell stories of Hong Kong that have become darker and more complicated. They will have to navigate the tangled relations among Hong Kong, mainland China and the rest of the world. As citizens, they will have to struggle with the fact that Hong Kong might just be a pawn in the big global game among corporate interests and the great powers. - Assessing U.S.-China Relations Under the Obama Administration (2016-08-30)
(China-US Focus, By Cheng Li) Containing China is no easy task. The United States is a global power with unique norms, perspectives, and strategies, and China should not interpret every U.S. action as an effort at containment. By the same measure, it is misguided for the United States to consider every Chinese action as a challenge to its preeminent position. The two sides should avoid making assumptions and policies based on extreme views and misguided conspiracy theories. - Prospect of Philippine Thaw Slows China’s Plans in South China Sea (2016-09-25)
(New York Times, By Jane Perlez) China’s next big target for construction of an artificial island in the South China Sea has long been assumed to be the Scarborough Shoal, but the election last spring of President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines, who has since showered threats and epithets on the United States, has changed China’s calculation. - For Taiwan, Google Images of Disputed Island Are Too Clear (2016-09-24)
(New York Times, By Christopher Mele) Taiwan has asked Google to blur satellite images of the disputed island — Itu Aba, also known as Taiping Island — that show what appear to be new military installations. - Sidelined at the U.N., a Frustrated Taiwan Presses On (2016-09-23)
(New York Times, By Andrew Jacobs) China has for decades chipped away at Taiwan’s global standing, but now the island is pushing back with behind-the-scenes diplomacy and soft power. - Canada Agrees to Talks on Extradition Treaty With China (2016-09-21)
(New York Times, By Dan Levin) Canada has agreed to negotiate a bilateral extradition treaty with China, breaking with a longstanding opposition over concerns about China’s lack of due process and other human rights violations, according to a joint communiqué quietly posted on the website of the Canadian prime minister’s office. - Canada and China Will Enter Trade Talks, Justin Trudeau Says (2016-09-23)
(New York Times, By Ian Austen) Canada and China will begin talks that may lead to a free-trade agreement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday.
- Chinese Politics, Economy, and Rule of Law (2016-09-20)
(Asia Focus, By Cheng Li) I think China’s collective leadership model, which emphasizes deal making and compromise over zero-sum elite competition, is alive and well. It is more enduring and sustainable than most people believe. Regional interests play a key role in China's balance of power. Xi Jinping derives his influence from the coastal and inland regions, but there are still the northeastern, central, and southern parts of China, where coalitions have formed to compete with and constrain Xi’s power. So the Chinese system of checks and balances still works.
