Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/12/14
By: Elaine Hou and Sophia Yeh

Taipei, Dec. 14 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) was named one of the global thinkers of

2016 by the U.S.-based Foreign Policy magazine, an honor that Taiwan’s Presidential Office said was shared by the people of Taiwan.

Tsai was listed in the decision-makers category of the “100 Leading Global Thinkers of 2016” for not kowtowing to China, according to the magazine.

In its citation, Foreign Policy said that since Tsai took office in May as Taiwan’s first female president, she has made the island’s sovereignty a top, albeit controversial, priority.

“Distancing her administration from the pro-China stance of her predecessor, she has cozied up to Japan by brokering a mechanism to deal with maritime disputes, dropped charges against locals who protested against a Taipei-Beijing trade pact, and reversed school syllabus changes that emphasize links to the mainland,” the magazine said.    [FULL  STORY]

MISGUIDED:Many academics have misinterpreted the US policy as ‘recognition’ of the ‘one China’ principle, instead of a simple acknowledgement, an ex-minister said

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 15, 2016
By: Alison Hsiao / Staff reporter

Former minister of foreign affairs Mark Chen (陳唐山) yesterday engaged in a lively debate with a

US representative on whether Washington “recognizes” or simply “acknowledges” that Taiwan is part of China, urging her to have a good look at the Shanghai Communique after she opted for the former.

Speaking at the Taiwan-US-Japan and Asia-Pacific Regional Partners Security Dialogue in Taipei, Chen brought up the recently much-

discussed “one China” policy of the US, saying that while then-US president Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, the Shanghai Communique signed by then-US president Richard Nixon in 1972 does not indicate Washington “recognizes” that Taiwan is part of China.

“I have to bring this up because many scholars have misinterpreted the ‘one China’ policy,” said Chen, chairman of the Prospect Foundation, which cohosted the seminar.

The truth is the “US has to this point never recognized that Taiwan is part of China,” he said.

“In the Shanghai Communique, the Chinese side states that there is only one China and Taiwan is part of China, but when it comes to the American side, it simply says that [the US] ‘acknowledges’ [Beijing’s] position that there is one China and Taiwan is part of China,” Chen said, adding that the US did not include the word “recognize.”    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: December 15, 2016
By: Joseph Yeh

TAIPEI, Taiwan — A former senior U.S. official on Wednesday stressed the importance of

“continuity and consistency” in U.S. policy toward Taiwan in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s questioning of the “one China” policy.

“The United States and Taiwan have had a policy that has served us well for decades — (a policy) that any issues are resolved through mutual agreement, that we strive for peace and prosperity,” Wendy Sherman, former U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, told reporters in Taipei when asked to comment on the U.S.’ “one China” policy.

“It is very important to have continuity and consistency,” she said.

“The U.S. also believes it is very important that no country be intimidated or isolated, that no entity in the world face intimidation or isolation,” she added.    [FULL  STORY]

The News Lens
Date: 2016/12/13

Hong Kong National Party (HKNP) convenor Andy Chan Ho-Tin (陳浩天) and spokesperson Jason

Chow Ho-Fai (周浩輝) were assaulted in Taipei on the evening of Dec. 12. The two were attacked as they were leaving the restaurant after an interview with members of a pro-China group. According to a statement released o

n the HKNP Facebook page, the attackers chanted “Taiwanese and Hong Kongese secessionists” and “Han traitors to the state” as they splashed coffee and water on the two members
.
The two politicians and their attackers were taken to the police department, but as Chan and Chow had to catch a flight back to Hong Kong, charges have not been pressed yet, Liberty Times reports. The police have also recorded the names of the attackers for future reference if Chan and 1Chow want to press charges, Liberty Times reports.

Chan and Chow are members of Hong Kong’s first pro-independence political party and were in Taipei to attend the Human Rights Day parade on Dec. 10, the Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) reports. Speaking at the parade, they accused China of “colonizing” Hong Kong and Taiwan, HKFP reports, and they also spoke at a conference on human rights and self-determination in Asia.    [SOURCE]

‘As such, it may well ditch the mother of all diplomatic double-talk called ‘the One China policy.”

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/12/13
By: CHRISTOPHER BODEEN , Associated Press, Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s questioning of long-established U.S. policy

toward Taiwan is sparking a growing backlash in China and warnings about a potentially dangerous disruption in relations between the world’s two largest economies.

Trump broke diplomatic precedent by talking on the phone with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Dec. 2. Then, this past weekend, he said he might use America’s recognition of Beijing as leverage for gaining advantages in trade and other areas.

That is placing him perilously close to touching on China’s bottom line that brooks no formal recognition of Taiwan or challenge to its claim to sovereignty over the island.

A look at the highly sensitive issue of Taiwan in China-U.S. relations:

WHERE THE U.S. STANDS    [FULL  STORY]

 

‘ONE CHINA’ POLICY?The White House said that Taiwan is a close partner of the US and not a bargaining chip to gain leverage with Beijing as Trump has implied

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 14, 2016
By Lu Yi-hsuan and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday welcomed the White House’s statement that Taiwan is not

a bargaining chip in its dealings with China, while the Presidential Office reiterated the government’s policy of establishing friendly relationships with the international community, including the US.

Speaking at a routine news conference at the ministry yesterday morning, Department of North American Affairs Deputy Director-General Hsu You-tien (徐佑典) said the ministry was happy to see the White House affirm Taiwan as a “close partner” of the US.

“The ministry welcomes the US statement, which affirms the partnership between the US and Taiwan. Forming concrete relations with Washington has always been a primary goal of the ministry,” Hsu said.

Hsu also expressed appreciation for US President Barack Obama’s administration for underscoring the value and importance of the two countries’ partnership on different levels.

He was responding to remarks by White House press secretary Josh Earnest on Monday that “Taiwan is not a source of leverage, it’s a close partner of the United States,” while warning that disrupting the US’ long-standing “one China” policy could “have a disruptive effect on our ability to work with China where our interests align.”    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: December 14, 2016
By: Joseph Yeh

“The Navy never sleeps” is the message featured in a video released Monday, which depicts Navy

personnel working around the clock.

The three-minute film posted on the Navy’s official Facebook page comes as military recruitment figures continue to lag amid what some say is a decline in the public’s appreciation and respect for armed forces personnel.

The video begins with a shot of an amphibious reconnaissance team undergoing rigorous training, which is labelled 00:19 a.m.

As the clock reaches 03:43 a.m., viewers get a rare glimpse at the locally-developed Hsiung Feng III (雄風三型飛彈) “Brave Wind” surface-to-surface supersonic anti-ship missiles, while Navy personnel are shown maintaining arms combat readiness.    [FULL  STORY]

An overview of the past week’s key developments in the South China Sea.

The News Lens
Date: 2016/12/12
By: Mo Tz-pin

Firearms ordered from China by the Philippines are ready to be shipped, GMA News reports. The firearms are payable in 25 years, according to President Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte did not immediately disclose the details of the deal, such as the value of the transaction and the number of firearms involved, but said that China is “practically giving” the weapons to the Philippines. He also said that the Philippines will also consider buying weapons from Russia. The deal was driven by the halt of a 26,000 rifles-sale from the U.S. which reportedly stopped the sale of rifles after opposition from U.S. senator amid alleged human rights violations in the Philippines.

China flew a long-range nuclear-capable bomber in South China Sea on Dec. 9, an act considered by U.S. officials to be sparked by the controversial call between U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Reuters reports. U.S. officials said that the action was meant to send a message to the Trump administration. It is the first time Beijing flew bombers outside of China since the call, and the second in the South China Sea since Trump’s election. U.S. officials are also concerned that China might be implementing its “militarization” of the South China Sea as U.S. intelligence satellites picked up evidence of China preparing to ship more advanced military equipment to the region.

Regarding his phone with the Taiwanese president on Dec. 2, Trump said on Fox News Sunday that the U.S. did not necessarily have to stick to its long-standing position that Taiwan is part of “one China.” In an interview on Dec. 11, Trump criticized China over its monetary policies, its activities in the South China Sea, where Trump said it was “building a massive fortress,” and its stance toward North Korea. Chinese officials are “seriously concerned” by Trump’s remarks, the Guardian reports. Beijing’s state media Global Times warns Trump in an editorial that “Beijing could offer support, even military assistance to U.S. foes” if the U.S. abandons the “one China” policy or supports Taiwan independence, adding that the U.S. should not use the policy to bargain for economy deals.   [FULL  STORY]

The defendant told the judges she neither committed the crime nor abandoned the baby on purpose

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/12/12
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Sentencing for a migrant worker that confessed to dumping her baby who died soon after birth in a

leftovers bin will take place on Dec 26, Taipei District Court said on Monday.

In August, a pig farmer’s son in Xinwu District, Taoyuan City, reported to police that he found a male newborn baby wrapped in plastic bags inside a leftovers bin. The leftovers were being used to feed the pigs. Police investigation found that the bin was shipped from Taipei City to the pig farm by a company.

Police investigation led to 30-year-old Indonesian migrant worker Titik Suryani. She told police she was pregnant when she came to Taiwan to work in February, and that she gave birth to the baby at her employer’s bathroom on the evening of Aug 26. She said the baby had no breath after he was born. Not knowing what to do, she wrapped the baby in trash bags and dumped him inside a leftovers bin in the basement at daybreak, she added.

Suryani ‘s trial on charges of involuntary manslaughter and abandoning a body took place on Monday. Judges asked Suryani whether she admitted to the charges against her, and she nodded her head.    [FULL  STORY]