:::
- Drought in Taiwan Pits Chip Makers Against Farmers (2021-04-08)
(New York Times, By Raymond Zhong and Amy Chang Chien) Officials are calling the drought Taiwan’s worst in more than half a century. And it is exposing the enormous challenges involved in hosting the island’s semiconductor industry, which is an increasingly indispensable node in the global supply chains for smartphones, cars and other keystones of modern life. - Biden Brushes Off China’s Complaints, Sends First Delegation to Taiwan (2021-04-14)
(Wall Street Journal, By Chao Deng) A U.S. official said that the delegation’s close personal relationship with President Biden underscores the strong signal of support Washington wanted to send. Mr. Dodd is a longtime friend of the president. - Manila Probes Chinese Ships Chasing TV Crew (2021-04-10)
(Taipei Times) The Philippines is investigating a report that Chinese military boats pursued a civilian vessel carrying Filipino journalists in the disputed South China Sea, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said yesterday. - Legislature Pans Myanmar Strife (2021-04-10)
(Taipei Times with CNA, By Chien Hui-ju and Jonathan Chin) The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed a resolution to support an effort by the international community to restore democracy and human rights in Myanmar, while urging the country’s military to end the violence against unarmed protesters. - Runway Upgrade at Taiwan-Held South China Sea Island Back on Track (2021-04-12)
(CNA, By Matt Yu and Joseph Yeh) A long-stalled runway upgrade project on a Taiwan-held island in the South China Sea has finally begun despite rising military threats from China and should be completed by February 2022, a Ministry of National Defense (MND) report said Monday. - 25 PLA Planes Fly Through Taiwan's ADIZ on Monday, Most This Year (2021-04-12)
(CNA, By Matt Yu and Emerson Lim) A total of 25 Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Monday, the most on any single day so far this year, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said the same day. - US Unveils New Rules for Government Contacts with Taiwan (2021-04-09)
(Associated Press, By Matthew Lee) The State Department on Friday unveiled new rules for U.S. government contacts with Taiwan that are likely to anger China but appear to reimpose some restrictions that had been lifted by the Trump administration. - 11 PLA Warplanes Enter Taiwan's ADIZ: Defense Ministry (2021-04-09)
(CNA, By Chung Yu-chen and Elizabeth Hsu) Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Friday for a seventh consecutive day, a continuation of maneuvers that Taiwan sees as provocations. - KMT Chair Says No Plans to Change Party Emblem (2021-04-09)
(CNA, By Liu Kuan-ting, Hsieh Chia-chen, and Matthew Mazzetta) Opposition Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) said Friday that the party will not change its official emblem, after the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) suggested the party alter the symbol due to its high degree of similarity with the national emblem. The recent debate on the issue dates back to January, when the Legislature passed a resolution requiring the MOI to evaluate the feasibility of changing the national emblem, which is based on that of the KMT. - US Sanctions Chinese Computer Makers in Widening Tech Fight (2021-04-09)
(Associated Press, By Joe McDonald) China’s government on Friday criticized the Biden administration’s curbs on access to U.S. technology for its supercomputer developers and said sanctions “only strengthen China’s determination” to invent its own. - No TSMC Chips in China Arms: MOEA (2021-04-09)
(Taipei Times, By Angelica Oung) A report in yesterday’s Washington Post alleged that a Chinese company named Phytium Technology Co (飛騰) used chips made by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), along with US software, in advanced Chinese military systems. - China Drills Deep in Disputed South China Sea (2021-04-08)
(Reuters) China has drilled deep in the South China Sea to retrieve sediment core from the seabed, state media reported on Thursday, amid tensions over disputed waters with rival claimants Taiwan and the Philippines, as well as with the United States. - China Says U.S. to Blame for Tensions Over Taiwan (2021-04-08)
(Reuters) Beijing blamed the United States on Thursday for tensions over Taiwan after a U.S. warship sailed close to the Chinese-claimed island, asking rhetorically whether China would sail in the Gulf of Mexico as a “show of strength”. - Alleged Chinese Spies Indicted in Taiwan for Money Laundering (2021-04-08)
(CNA, By Hsiao Po-wen and Matthew Mazzetta) Two executives from a Hong Kong company, who have been prevented from leaving Taiwan since they were accused in 2019 of conspiring with Chinese intelligence, were indicted on charges of money laundering Thursday by the Taipei District Prosecutors Office. - China Warns Japan to not Follow Suit After US Sanctions over Xinjiang, Hong Kong (2021-04-06)
(SCMP, By Eduardo Baptista) Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned Japan against sanctioning China over alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, ahead of a high-level meeting between Tokyo and Washington. - Military to Hold Emergency Jet Landing Drill on Pingtung Highway (2021-04-04)
(CNA, By Matt Yu and Joseph Yeh) Taiwan is scheduled to stage a series of emergency landings and takeoffs of its fighter jets, in its southernmost municipality in July, as part of this year's Han Kuang military exercises, sources told CNA Sunday. - Japan’s PM Aims to Calm China-Taiwan Tension on US Visit (2021-04-04)
(Associated Press, By Mari Yamaguchi) Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Sunday said Taiwan’s peace and stability is key to the region and that Japan will cooperate with the United States to calm rising tensions between China and Taiwan.
- U.S.-Chinese Rivalry Is a Battle Over Values (2021-03-16)
(Foreign Affairs, By Hal Brands and Zack Cooper) Emphasizing the ideological nature of the contest is critical to giving many countries reason to support the United States. For if the U.S.-Chinese competition was only about power, then why would countries that are not directly threatened by China’s military care whether Beijing or Washington comes out on top? - How to Craft a Durable China Strategy (2021-03-17)
(Foreign Affairs, By Evan Medeiros) For years if not decades, U.S. policy focused on risk mitigation—adopting policies that sought to downplay disagreement, minimize friction, reduce competition, and expand cooperation. New times, however, call for new thinking. Washington now needs to shift to a framework predicated on risk management. - Biden Backs Taiwan, but Some Call for a Clearer Warning to China (2021-04-08)
(New York Times, By Michael Crowley) As China’s power and ambition grow, however, and Beijing assesses Washington to be weakened and distracted, a debate is underway whether the United States should make a clearer commitment to the island’s defense, in part to reduce the risk of a miscalculation by China that could lead to unwanted war. - There Will Not Be a New Cold War: The Limits of U.S.-Chinese Competition (2021-03-24)
(Foreign Affairs, By Thomas Christensen) Although China’s rise carries real challenges for the United States, its allies, and its partners, the threat should not be misconstrued. The voices calling for a cold war containment strategy toward China misunderstand the nature of the China challenge and therefore prescribe responses that will only weaken the United States. - Biden’s China Rhetoric Makes Japan Uneasy (2021-04-14)
(Wall Street Journal, By Peter Landers) When the American secretaries of state and defense met their Japanese counterparts in Tokyo in March, the two sides issued a statement saying they “underscored the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.” If Messrs. Biden and Suga follow with similar language, which diplomats said was being studied, it would be the first mention of Taiwan in a U.S.-Japan leaders’ statement since 1969, before either recognized the government in Beijing. - Sanctioning India Would Spoil the Quad (2021-04-13)
(Foreign Policy, By Todd Young) Let India buy its weapons from Moscow. The real strategic threat is Beijing. - Yes, You Can Use the T-Word to Describe China (2021-04-13)
(Foreign Policy, By Salvatore Babones) China is governed by a totalitarian regime. Why is that so hard to say? - Sanctions Won’t Stop Nord Stream 2. Diplomacy Will. (2021-04-13)
(Foreign Policy, By Edward Fishman) Quiet negotiations with Berlin can do what economic coercion can’t. - Myanmar Is on the Precipice of Civil War (2021-04-13)
(Foreign Policy, By Lucas Myers) Existing conflicts with ethnic groups add fuel to the fire. - Japan Toughens on China as Beijing Issues Threats (2021-04-13)
(Foreign Policy, By William Sposato) Pro-engagement politicians are aging out of the Liberal Democratic Party. - Malaysian FM’s ‘Big Brother’ China Gaffe: Faux Pas or Freudian Slip? (2021-04-13)
(The Diplomat, By James Chin) The comments by the country’s top diplomat touched on a number of core Malaysian anxieties about China. - Taiwan Picks Up the Pieces in Aftermath of Deadly Train Crash (2021-04-13)
(The Diplomat, By Nick Aspinwall) Authorities are investigating after a crane truck slid and fell in front of a passenger train, leading to a crash that killed 50 people. - Chinese Navy Harasses Boat Carrying Filipino Journalists: Report (2021-04-13)
(The Diplomat, By Sebastian Strangio) This incident is perhaps the first in which a Chinese navy vessel has harassed a civilian boat inside another nation’s Exclusive Economic Zone. - Chinese Aircraft Carrier Conducts ‘Routine’ Drills Near Taiwan (2021-04-13)
(The Diplomat, By Steven Stashwick) Six warships pass through the Ryukyus to exercise east of Taiwan. - The Japan-US Alliance During the Biden Administration (2021-04-13)
(The Diplomat, By KAWASHIMA Shin) One way of looking at the 2+2 meeting is that a selection of items for future consideration was put on the table. What becomes of these items going forward is now the critical question. - What the China-Iran Strategic Cooperation Pact Means for India (2021-04-13)
(The Diplomat, By Mahima Duggal) New Delhi must revisit its approach to Tehran, especially if it wishes to limit China’s growing influence within Iran. - China’s Hard and Soft Lines on Xinjiang (2021-04-13)
(The Diplomat, By Eleanor Albert) Beijing’s softer messaging efforts on Xinjiang collide with its harsher tactics at home and abroad. - US Destroyer Carries Out FONOP in Indian EEZ (2021-04-13)
(The Diplomat, By Abhijnan Rej) The move to publicly challenge India’s “excessive maritime claims” is sure to irk New Delhi privately. - Japan Regulator Bans Nuke Plant Restart Over Lax Safeguards (2021-04-13)
(The Diplomat, By Mari Yamaguchi) Of the 54 nuclear reactors Japan used to have, nine have been restarted under tougher post-Fukushima safety standards and four are currently operating. - Taiwan Will Fight ‘to the Very Last Day’ If China Attacks (2021-04-13)
(The Diplomat, By Associated Press) Amid growing worries that China is preparing for military action, Taiwan’s foreign minister affirms Taiwanese “are willing to defend ourselves.” - Yes, China Has the World’s Largest Navy. That Matters Less Than You Might Think. (2021-04-13)
(The Diplomat, By Benjamin Mainardi) China’s fleet relies disproportionately on smaller classes of ships – and U.S. capabilities are bolstered by its allies’ navies. - 2022 Watch: Chen Yixin Likely to Become China’s Internal Security Commissar (2021-04-13)
(The Diplomat, By Tristan Kenderdine) Chen, the head of Xi’s rectification campaign, is likely to ascend through a restrengthened Politics and Legal Affairs Commission. - Don't Help China By Hyping Risk Of War Over Taiwan (2021-04-08)
(NPR, By Richard Bush, Bonnie Glaser, and Ryan Hass) Beijing's goal is to constantly remind Taiwan's people of its growing power, induce pessimism about Taiwan's future, deepen splits within the island's political system and show that outside powers are impotent to counter its flexes. - Faced with sanctions and condemnation from the West, China becomes bedfellows with Russia (2021-03-29)
(Washington Post, By Gerry Shih) Two months into the Biden presidency, the administration’s strategy of rallying U.S. allies to pressure China is already yielding visible results. But the tactic is pushing Beijing to cement ties with its own partners, which represent some of the most vexing geopolitical regions facing successive U.S. presidents: Russia, North Korea, Iran. - China's Shifting Attitude on the Indo-Pacific Quad (2021-04-07)
(War on the Rocks, By Joel Wuthnow) The Chinese government likely believes that it can limit the Quad’s prospects by leveraging its status as a top trade partner for many in the region and, if necessary, funnel massive investments to the region in ways that elude the United States and its counterparts. The final test for the Quad, as implied in these Chinese perspectives, will be whether it can move beyond summitry and deliver tangible results — through alternative infrastructure financing, access to critical technology, vaccine distribution, or other means — that reduce reliance on China and serve the bottom-line interests of the wider region.
