Institute for Taiwanese Studies

News & Events

In this section you will find current News & Events from ITS & other organization.

4 articles in total

Title:	China looks across the Strait
	By:	ITS
	Posted:	2008-08-19.11:56
“China looks across the Strait” is an article printed in The Weekly Standard on August 25 Issue, 2008. Christopher Griffin and Dan Blumenthal, AEI, are the co-author of this article. The article comments on recent Russia’s invasion of Georgia. The article opened with a statement “The consequences of Russian aggression against Georgia, and Washington’s lack of response, will not be limited to the Caucasus. China has received a clear signal that the United States lacks the will to stand by its allies in times of trouble, and Taiwan’s security is suddenly more precarious.” They further said “the West dithered during the invasion of an upstart democracy must provided comfort to those in China who want to settle the Taiwan issue by force.” The followings are the additional comments made by the authors. For years China has been selling the argument that Taiwan is a provocateur. Beijing argued throughout the administration of independence-leaning Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian that “separatists” in Taipei had hijacked Chinese “compatriots” on the island who really want unification with the Chinese motherland. Remove the separatists, China’s rhetoric went, and Taiwan will return to the motherland-allow them to govern, and China will one day have to attack. As China grows stronger it is no longer fanciful to imagine it pulling a Putin, trumping up any number of Taiwanese “provocations” as a pretext to attack. Beijing must wonder if the United States would do anything for isolated Taiwan. Unlike Georgia, Taiwan is a pariah in the international community. Washington’s complicity in Taiwan’s isolation only tempts Chinese aggression.

Title:	U.S. Policy in Asia: Meeting Opportunities and Challenges
	By:	ITS
	Posted:	2008-08-17.16:27
Deputy secretary of State, John Negroponte delivered a speech “U.S. policy in Asia: Opportunities and challenges” at The Brookings Institution on July 28. He said “Asia has avoided military conflict for nearly three decades, and relations among its major powers have never been better. Nearly all of Asia’s economies are dynamic and market-based, and robust democratic systems are flourishing throughout the region. Our alliances with Japan, Korea, Australia, the Philippines, and Thailand remain the foundation of peace and security in Asia”. In regard to China’s rise, He said “Our objective is to integrate China into East Asia and the global community as a responsible, constructive power. This administration has made good progress toward that goal, but the task will be the work of a generation.” Negroponte cited steps and progress such as Senior Dialogue, Strategic Economic Dialogue and Six-party Talk. He did not see the rise of China caused the decline of U.S. influence in Asia. However, he mentioned that large majorities in Japan and South Korea expressed discomfort with the prospect that China could become Asia’s dominant power. In conclusion, he said “I want to conclude by stressing that America’s commitment to strong relations with the rising powers of Asia is bipartisan, and that our interests in the region are enduring. The United States is a Pacific nation, and our prosperity and security are increasingly tied to Asia’s”

Title:	Taiwan’s “Unsettled” International Status: Preserving U.S. Options in the Pacific
	By:	ITS
	Posted:	2008-07-20.12:01
Recently John J. Tkacik, Jr., Senior Research Fellow, Heritage Foundation, wrote an article entitled “Taiwan’s “Unsettled” international status: Preserving U.S. options in the Pacific”. There are nine subtitles in the report. These are: Taiwan’s unsettled status, Nudging Taiwan closer to China, The status quote for six decades, Leaving the United Nations, the Shanghai Communique and beyond, The U.N. and Taiwan, Resurrecting Taiwan’s “Unsettled” status, What the administration and congress should do, and Conclusion. Tkacik states “Over the past six years, America diplomats and national security officials have lost sight of Taiwan’s unsettled status and have focused instead on assuaging China’s angry outbursts regarding Taiwan. Only in 2007, after the United Nations issued a quite declaration that it considers “Taiwan for all purposes to be an integral part of the People’s Republic of China,” did American diplomats start becoming nervous”. He further states “Yet U.S. policy toward Taiwan seems to lack coherence-a lack brought on by the absence of a conceptual context for understanding America’s interest in Asia, where China’s rise is rapid and assertive. The Bush Administration should reeducate itself on Taiwan’s unsettled international status if it intends to preserve America’s broad strategic options in Asia for the next Administration.” The article also included the “U.S. non-paper on the status of Taiwan”, a nine-point demarche presented to the U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs by the United States last July. This demarche clearly states the United States’ position on the status of Taiwan. It emphasized three main points: U.S. takes no position on the status of Taiwan. It should be resolved peacefully. There is no mention in Resolution 2758 of China’s claim of sovereignty over Taiwan.

Title:	Taiwan ranked 21 in the world Economic Forum Enabling Trade Index (ETI) 2008
	By:	ITS
	Posted:	2008-07-17.12:27
On June 18, 2008, the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Switzerland, published the Global Enabling Trade Report. 118 countries were ranked based on the scores on the Enabling Trade Index (ETI). ETI was developed by WEF to measure the factors, policies, and services facilitating the free flow of goods over borders and to destination. Taiwan scored 5.15 and ranked 21. In the overall ranking, Hong Kong ranks first (6.04), followed by Singapore, Sweden, Norway, Canada. In Asia, only Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan (5.43) are ahead of Taiwan. China scored 4.25 (48 place). The United States ranked 14 with scoring of 5.42. The index breaks the enables into four overall subindexes: 1. market access, 2. border administration, 3. transport and communications infrastructure, and 4. the business environment. Taiwan scored 4.83 and ranked 38 on the first subindex. Taiwan ranked 22,15 and 22 on other three subindexes (scoring 5.27,5.37, and 5.13 respectively). The market access is composed of two pillars (tariffs and non-tariff barriers, and proclivity to trade). The boarder administration is composed of efficiency of customs administration, efficiency of import-export procedures, and transparency of boarder administration. The transport and communications infrastructure is composed of availability and quality of transport infrastructure, availability and quality of transport services and availability and use of ICTs. Finally the business environment is composed of regulatory environment and physical security. As commented by WEF, Taiwan boasts very good infrastructure. Infrastructure-related services are efficient and widely available, and the use of ICTs is widespread.