:::
- Air Force Showcases Taiwan-Made Long-Range Cruise Missile in Drill (2021-01-26)
(CNA, By Matt Yu and Joseph Yeh) Taiwan's Air Force on Tuesday conducted a rare public drill of loading a type of locally made cruise missiles that reportedly has a range within reach of coastal Chinese provinces to one of its fighters, amid increasing military threats from the other side of the Taiwan Strait. - Germany Urges Taiwan to Help Ease Auto Chip Shortage (2021-01-24)
(Reuters, By Michael Nienaber) Germany has asked Taiwan to persuade Taiwanese manufacturers to help ease a shortage of semiconductor chips in the auto sector which is hampering its fledgling economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. - US Carrier Group Enters South China Sea (2021-01-25)
(Taipei Times/Reuters, By Ben Blanchard) A US aircraft carrier group led by the USS Theodore Roosevelt has entered the South China Sea to promote “freedom of the seas,” the US military said yesterday, as tensions between China and Taiwan raise concerns in Washington. - U.S. Blocks Hong Kong's Escalation of WTO Trade Dispute (2021-01-25)
(Reuters) The United States on Monday blocked a decision by Hong Kong to escalate a Trump-era trade disagreement at the World Trade Organization, in its first meeting on disputes at the Geneva-based body since U.S. President Joe Biden’s inauguration. - Taiwan Says Realistic About U.S. Trade Deal, But One Will Happen Eventually (2021-01-22)
(Reuters, By Jeanny Kao, Ben Blanchard) Taiwan is under no illusions it can quickly sign a long hoped for free trade deal with the United States but feels when the time is right “success will flow naturally”, the island’s chief trade negotiator said on Friday. - Domestic Pork Prices Up Due to US Imports: KMT (2021-01-22)
(Taipei Times, By Sherry Hsiao) The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday said that the lifting of a ban on the importation of US pork containing traces of ractopamine has led to higher prices for domestic pork. - 15 Chinese Military Planes Enter Taiwan's ADIZ (2021-01-24)
(CNA, By Matt Yu and Evelyn Kao) China sent 15 military airplanes of five types into Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Sunday but they did not cross the median line that divides the Taiwan Strait, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. - US Reaffirms Taiwan Support After China Sends Warplanes (2021-01-24)
(Associated Press) The U.S. has reaffirmed its support for Taiwan following China’s dispatch of warplanes near the island in an apparent attempt to intimidate its democratic government and test the resolve of the new American presidential administration. - Alliance Formed to Draft Taiwanese Constitution (2021-01-24)
(Taipei Times, By Jason Pan) Independence advocates yesterday launched the Taiwan New Constitution Alliance to promote drafting a new, localized constitution. A new constitution would better reflect reality, as the current one was drafted ‘in and for China,’ without the consent of Taiwanese, advocates said. - China Law Empowers Coast Guard to Use Force Amid Disputes (2021-01-23)
(Associated Press) China has authorized its coast guard to fire on foreign vessels and destroy structures on features it claims, potentially raising the possibility of clashes with regional maritime rivals. - 13 Chinese Warplanes Intrude into Taiwan's ADIZ in Single Day (2021-01-23)
(CNA, By Matt Yu and Ko Lin) Taiwan's Air Force scrambled fighter jets as 13 Chinese warplanes intruded into Taiwan's southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Saturday, the highest number observed in a single day this year, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND). - China Pushes for High-Level Meeting to Ease Tension With U.S. (2021-01-23)
(WSJ, By Lingling Wei and Bob Davis) Looking to reset the troubled U.S.-China relationship, Beijing is pressing for a meeting of its top diplomat with senior aides to President Biden to explore a summit between the two nations’ leaders, according to people with knowledge of the initiative. - China Bids Good Riddance to Trump (2021-01-20)
(WSJ, By Chun Han Wong and James T. Areddy) Leading the list of sanctioned officials was former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, followed by trade-policy hawk Peter Navarro and Robert O’Brien, who led Mr. Trump’s national-security team. Former deputies on the list included the East Asia chief at the State Department, David R. Stilwell, and Matthew Pottinger on the National Security Council. - Foreign Minister Arrives in Palau for Inauguration (2021-01-21)
(Taipei Times, By Lin Chia-nan) Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) yesterday arrived in Palau to attend Palauan president-elect Surangel Whipps’ inauguration today. He was accompanied by tourism operators to evaluate possible itineraries if a “travel bubble” is created amid the COVID-19 pandemic. - EU Passes Resolutions Containing Pro-Taiwan Clauses (2021-01-21)
(CNA, By Joseph Yeh) The European Parliament on Wednesday passed two resolutions bearing content supporting Taiwan's democracy and for the first time encourage European Union (EU) members to "revisit their engagement policies with Taiwan," for which Taiwan's government expressed its gratitude. - Taiwan, U.S. Expected to Hold Talks on Supply Chains Next Month (2021-01-21)
(CNA, By Liang Pei-chi and Evelyn Kao) A working group set up by Taiwan through the U.S.-Taiwan Economic Prosperity Partnership (EPP) dialogue is expected to meet with its American counterpart in early February to discuss economic cooperation in supply chains, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said Thursday. - China Hopes for Cooperation, Better Relations Under Biden (2021-01-21)
(Associated Press) China on Thursday expressed hope the Biden administration will improve prospects for people of both countries and give a boost to relations after an especially rocky patch, while getting in a few final digs at former Trump officials.
- Want US-China Nuclear Arms Control? Start With the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. (2021-01-27)
(The Diplomat, By Jonathan Stutte) Neither China nor the U.S. has ratified the treaty banning nuclear tests. It’s a great place to start talks on nuclear arms control. - Is the China-India Border Dispute Shifting East? (2021-01-27)
(The Diplomat, By Bérénice Guyot-Réchard and Kyle Gardner) In the larger scheme of things, the eastern segment of the Line of Actual Control and Arunachal Pradesh are more consequential for both Asian giants than Ladakh. - China’s Xi Champions Multilateralism at Davos, Again (2021-01-27)
(The Diplomat, By Eleanor Albert) Once again, China’s leader addressed the World Economic Forum to outline his vision for global governance. - Hong Kong’s Present Echoes Tibet’s Past (2021-01-27)
(The Diplomat, By Simon Shen) In both 1959 Tibet and 2019 Hong Kong, popular dissent became a flashpoint for the end of meaningful autonomy – just as Beijing had planned. - The Role of Political Culture in Taiwan’s COVID-19 Success (2021-01-27)
(The Diplomat, By Marc Marmino and Layne Vandenberg) Taiwan’s political culture is the unexpected key to public compliance with COVID-19 digital surveillance. - China’s ‘Vaccine Diplomacy’ Leaves its Mark on ASEAN (2021-01-27)
(The Diplomat, By Luke Hunt) Most Southeast Asian governments are looking to China for help in combating COVID-19. - The Trump Administration’s Final China Push (2021-01-27)
(The Diplomat, By Ben Lowsen) The Trump administration in its waning hours took more aggressive measures against Beijing. Has it locked new President Biden into a needlessly hostile policy? - What’s Ahead for China’s Space Program in 2021? (2021-01-27)
(The Diplomat, By Namrata Goswami) From a Mars mission to the beginnings of a new space station, this year will be full of milestones for China. - Artificial Intelligence Collaboration in Asia’s Security Landscape (2021-01-27)
(The Diplomat, By Prashanth Parameswaran) AI represents an emerging area of regional security collaboration in spite of its inherent challenges. - China’s Ocean Policy Specialist to Miss Out on 20th Central Committee (2021-01-27)
(The Diplomat, By Tristan Kenderdine) Liu Cigui’s promotion from Hainan party secretary effectively takes him out of the running for the ultimate prize: membership in the CCP Politburo. - The Pitfalls of the China-EU Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (2021-01-27)
(The Diplomat, By Dr. James Carafano, Dr. Arvind Gupta, Jeff M. Smith) Two of Europe’s important partners, India and the U.S., share concerns about the new deal. - Biden to Face Realities Domestic and Foreign (2021-01-17)
(Taipei Forum, By Su Chi) Even with its vigilance towards Beijing, the Biden administration must first take care of American health, national unity and economy before it can map out responses to external challenges. The Tsai administration must not continue to engage in wishful thinking and put Taiwan in grave danger. - China Sends Warplanes to Taiwan Strait in a Show of Force to Biden (2021-01-24)
(New York Times, By Austin Ramzy) China sent warplanes into the Taiwan Strait over the weekend, a show of force to the Biden administration that signals Beijing’s plans to maintain pressure on Taiwan even as it calls for a reset with the United States. - How Space Became the Next ‘Great Power’ Contest Between the U.S. and China (2021-01-24)
(New York Times, By William J. Broad) Among the most important national security issues now facing President Biden is how to contend with the threat that China poses to the American military in space and, by extension, terrestrial forces that rely on the overhead platforms. - How Beijing Turned China’s Covid-19 Tragedy to Its Advantage (2021-01-22)
(New York Times, ) Anyone looking for lessons about China in the coming years needs to understand the consequences of what happened in 2020. The tragedy showed Beijing has the ability to control what people in China see, hear and think to a degree that surpasses even what pessimists believed. During the next crisis — whether it be disaster, war or financial crisis — the party has shown it has the tools to rally the people, no matter how ham-handedly Beijing deals with it. - China’s College Graduates Can’t Find Jobs. The Solution: Grad School. (2021-01-18)
(New York Times, By Vivian Wang) With the encouragement of the government, many students are turning to a stopgap solution: staying in school. China’s Ministry of Education announced at the height of the outbreak that it would order universities to expand the number of master’s candidates by 189,000, a nearly 25 percent increase, to ease unemployment. Undergraduate slots would also increase by more than 300,000. - U.S. Says China’s Repression of Uighurs Is ‘Genocide’ (2021-01-19)
(New York Times, By Edward Wong and Chris Buckley) The determination of atrocities is a rare action on the part of the State Department and could lead the United States to impose more sanctions against China under the new Biden administration. President-elect Joseph R. Biden said last year through a spokesman that the policies by Beijing amounted to “genocide.” - Biden Sends Important Foreign-Policy Signal With Taiwan Inauguration Invite (2021-01-21)
(WSJ, By Chao Deng and Chun Han Wong) Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the U.S. overcame four decades of precedent when she accepted a formal invitation to attend President Joe Biden’s inauguration, calming fears on the self-ruled island that U.S. support would erode in the post-Trump era.
