China’s military has warned it is ready to “smash” Taiwan's independence, as the US reportedly prepares to accelerate the sale of defensive weapons and other military assistance to the self-governing island. China claims the 23 million-person island as its own territory and is prepared to bring it under its control by force if necessary. While China's actions thus far, including daily air and sea incursions around Taiwan, have had limited effect, analysts have warned of the likelihood of a major conflict involving all three sides and possibly US allies including Japan.
China has called on the European Union and its members to avoid "bloc confrontations" while the Hungary's foreign affairs minister professed his support for China's peace plan in Ukraine, during an official visit to China this week. Beijing is willing to "jointly safeguard genuine multilateralism" and "push forward the process of democratisation of international relations" with Europe, said China's top diplomat Wang Yi. Hungary has shown the strongest pro-China stance of any EU member while Brussels is divided over relations with China.
Taiwan has amended a law to allow same-sex couples to adopt children not related to them, moving closer towards full marriage equality. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party hailed the change as a "milestone". In 2017, Taiwan's highest court ruled in favour of gay marriage, to come into effect from 2019. However, there is still no law allowing same-sex marriage, meaning couples must register as unmarried partners and do not enjoy the same legal protections as heterosexual married couples.
A group of US senators has proposed the Taiwan Tax Agreement Act of 2023 that would permit tax breaks for Taiwanese investors. The senators said that this will help to increase investment between the US and Taiwan by removing the double-taxation currently in place in relations between the countries. Offering tax relief could inspire further Taiwanese tech firms to move to the US to set up shop, including the construction of a TSMC $40bn plant in the state of Arizona. According to data from the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Taipei, Taiwan invested $23.73bn in the US between 1952 and 2022, the second highest amount after mainland China. Analysis from experts suggested that this move would increase economic, capital, and personnel mobility between the two countries, disrupting China's chip-making lithography machines and shifting the focus into tech collaboration and development based around US-led tax-friendly policies.
American jailed for spying by China is a veteran pro-Beijing advocate who rubbed shoulders with senior Chinese officials, CNN reporting shows
CNN
23-05-16 16:25
John Shing-Wan Leung, 78, an American citizen, has reportedly been sentenced to life in prison by a Chinese court. Leung was found guilty of spying, however, it was not known that he had been detained until the verdict was delivered. Searches on Chinese state media reports reveal that John Leung is the head of several pro-China groups in the US and has ties with senior Chinese officials. Leung is linked with the National Association for China’s Peaceful Unification (NACPU), Washington DC-based pro-China and Taiwan-focused lobby group, designated a foreign mission in 2020 by the Trump administration. China’s Foreign Ministry said the designation was unjustified.
China and Japan have stressed the importance of communication and mutual trust in a phone call held on Tuesday to discuss a new military hotline. The call came amid rising tensions between the two countries over territorial disputes in the East China Sea. The hotline was established in March as part of a defence liaison mechanism to help manage and control maritime and air crises. The countries hope it will help maintain peace and stability in the region.
Fujifilm Holdings is investing $110m in Taiwan to increase production of CMP slurry, a chip-polishing material that is used to planarise chip surfaces. The move comes in response to a rise in demand for semiconductors, fuelled by self-driving cars and 5G communication technology. The Japanese company said it would expand an existing production facility owned by subsidiary Fujifilm Electronic Materials Taiwan, as well as build a new plant in the country. The expansion is expected to increase the subsidiary's production capacity by 50%.
Biden, Modi Seek to Deepen Their Bonds, But Geopolitical Friendships Have Limits
Diplomat
23-05-16 14:53
US President Joe Biden is set to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the coming weeks as the allies focus on China’s growing economic and global influence. The leaders will attend several summits and meetings in Asia and the Pacific before Modi visits the US for a state occasion on 22 June. However, despite increasing contact, the two countries and their leaders differ in their approach to Russia and democratic ideals. Critics also accuse Modi of damaging democratic traditions India. Nonetheless, there are economic and political incentives on both sides for the countries to work together. For the US, the alliance offers a counterbalance to China in Asia and helps it expand its leverage against the superpower in a “long game of steady forward movement”. Meanwhile, India wishes to reduce its military dependence on Russia, while also working alongside the US to counteract China’s economic growth and global influence.
A Chinese native has been charged by the US Department of Justice with stealing trade secrets from Apple, including information on autonomous vehicle technology. Weibao Wang, a former software engineer accused of stealing thousands of documents, is one of five individuals to be pursued as part of a government task force created to combat the theft of critical technology by foreign countries. Wang, who told investigators he had no plans to travel to China, immediately flew to Guangzhou upon being questioned by law enforcement officers who discovered a large volume of Apple data at his California home in 2018.
Taiwanese same-sex couples have been given joint adoption rights under the 2019 same-sex marriage legislation. An amendment to the legislation, which had its third reading in the Legislative Yuan, means the adoption process is the same for same-sex couples as it is for heterosexual couples under the island's civil code. The move comes after a landmark court ruling earlier this year in Kaohsiung that allowed a man to become the legal guardian of his husband's adopted daughter. Taiwan remains the only jurisdiction in Asia to have legalised same-sex marriage.
Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss will say during her visit to Taiwan on August 18 that the West must stand firm against China and offer unwavering support to the independent state. This follows a period of strained relations between Britain and China in recent years, including the increasingly aggressive foreign policy stances taken by China's government. Truss disagrees with the engagement model currently favored by the UK's conservative government, which seeks to engage economically and avoid national security threats. The statement by Truss follows similar calls by the US government in light of China's human rights abuses in Hong Kong and its occupation of Taiwan.
The UK's newly-appointed foreign secretary, Liz Truss, will call on the country's Chancellor Rishi Sunak to designate China as a national security threat during a speech in Taiwan this Wednesday. Truss will also urge the government to 'urgently' close China's 30 Confucius Institutes in the UK. This marks a significant hardening of the UK's stance towards China, as prime minister Boris Johnson only last year described China as the "biggest long-term threat to Britain". Truss is the first former UK prime minister to visit Taiwan since Margaret Thatcher in the 1990s.
Taiwan has highlighted the support of Japan, South Korea and the Philippines in forming a "crescent of defense" alongside the US against China's growing presence in the Indo-Pacific region, according to You Si-kun, the speaker of Taiwan's parliament. The countries' opposition leaders have described Taiwan as a key global issue and an important buffer in the region. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr commented that granting the US access to Philippine military bases was a defensive measure that would be useful if China were to attack Taiwan. The speaker believes that with these countries and the US offering support, a key stabilizer of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region will be created.
China has been putting increasing pressure on Taiwan to try and force the democratically governed island to submit to Beijing’s sovereignty, with military activities notably on the rise. The speaker of parliament highlighted China’s CCP’s aim for global dominance, with Taiwan seen as simply a stepping stone. It is clear to Taiwanese politicians that being able to rely on external support for the country is critical; However, the article notes that the speaker, a member of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, doesn’t speak for President Tsai Ing-wen.
This commentary comes as the UK’s first warship (HMS Queen Elizabeth) sails through the contested South China Sea, following a UK official’s recent statement that British naval vessels would be seen more frequently in this region, prompting criticism from China, which claims most of the sea. The UK has declared that its presence is showing its support for international law and freedom of navigation and it will sail its warships where it sees fit, regardless of any objection from China.
US President Joe Biden is expected to emphasise unity and Washington's dedication to the Asia-Pacific during his planned trip for the G7 Summit in Japan whilst navigating a delicate balance between countering China's economic coercion and avoiding further division among US allies. Biden also seeks to build a "little Nato" in Asia to contain Russia and China. While the G7 is expected to outline proposals on countering China's "economic coercion", it is important to not inflame nationalistic tendencies or put smaller countries in a difficult position where they become the target of coercive activities. The trick, according to experts, is to build more robust trade agreements, maritime security measures, and reinforcing supply chains rather than setting up divisions. China carried out 73 incidents of economic coercion aimed at 19 countries between 2020 and 2022, including trade sanctions, investment restrictions, tourism bans and popular boycotts.
Tesla will launch advertising for its electric vehicles for the first time, said CEO Elon Musk at the company’s investor day. Tesla has previously relied on word of mouth and incentivised referrals for marketing. Musk said that the Tesla ads would be aesthetically pleasing and informative. In a follow-up interview with CNBC’s David Faber, Musk also stated that Tesla’s “full self-driving” technology will allow for vehicle leasing within a robotaxi fleet in 2021. The Tesla founder also argued that remote working was “morally wrong” and that China needed to be taken at its word that it views Taiwan as integral to the country. He suggested that if China took Taiwan, it would harm all international businesses and companies that rely on the nation for manufacturing. Musk also noted that Twitter, which he acquired last year, had recently experienced a $40m loss due to ads being checked for accuracy and subsequently labelled “misleading”.
Chinese companies are targeting South Korean talent as Beijing seeks to build up its technical abilities in key areas such as electric cars, semiconductors and exports including shipbuilding. The moves have reportedly intensified since Washington began restricting Chinese access to American technology and expertise. Strategies by Chinese firms have included both legal and illegal means of attracting skilled professionals including “tech leakage” and patent violations. Korea is creating a database of chip engineers at the country’s companies to monitor their travel in and out of the country, and has passed legislation to toughen punishments for leaks.
Taiwan's first landing platform dock, the locally built 10,600-tonne Yushan-class vessel, is expected to enter service next month to boost defences against potential PLA attacks on its offshore islets – including in the South China Sea. The Yushan-class warship will be used to transport landing craft such as amphibious vehicles, in wartime being an amphibious transport vessel for combat operations and will be able to transport several amphibious armoured personnel carriers along with some 670 soldiers, according to CSBC. It will also have the ability to serve as a hospital ship during natural disasters, providing humanitarian aid and being used for relief missions.
A Group of Seven summit is expected to face significant tensions on the issue of nuclear disarmament. Many atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima fear that the summit may be the last time that world leaders will call for disarmament. For those in the West, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has reminded them of the important role played by nuclear deterrence. The summit is also expected to discuss ways of curbing nuclear programmes in Iran and North Korea. Barack Obama, the last US President to visit Hiroshima, chose the city as an opportunity to express his hope for a world without nuclear weapons.
Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss has called China the “biggest long-term threat” to Britain while warning of its growing political and economic influence. Truss is the first former UK prime minister to visit self-ruled Taiwan since Margaret Thatcher's visit in 1990. She hailed the country as “an enduring rebuke to totalitarianism” whose fate was a “core interest” to Europe. China’s relations with Britain and other Western democracies remain in decline, as they dispute issues such as human rights, trade technology, China’s aggressive moves in the South China Sea and its crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong.
The G7 leaders are meeting in Hiroshima for their annual summit, which will focus heavily on the threat China’s economic coercion poses to the seven countries. The use of that coercion – punitive trade measures – has raised concern throughout Asia-Pacific and Europe, with some countries including Japan, Australia and South Korea having faced trade restrictions following disputes with Beijing over issues related to Taiwan and the origins of Covid-19. The G7 is reportedly preparing a statement of concern over such practices and may suggest ways to co-operate – but members are deeply divided over how to manage their business ties with China.
