OPINION: In the run-up to last week’s elections in Taiwan, Chinese Communist Party Chairman Xi Jinping made repeated claims that the “reunification” of Taiwan with mainland China is a “historical inevitability.”
Mr. Xi would have the Taiwanese people believe that historical fact demands reunification and that its happening is inevitable. The truth is the exact opposite: “Reunification” is neither historical nor inevitable. Washington Times
Month: January 2024
China’s largest oil supplier in 2023… | Laura He, CNN
The world’s largest crude buyer imported a record amount of bargain-priced Russian oil last year, taking advantage of Moscow’s desperate search for new buyers amid Western sanctions following the Kremlin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. CNN
Donald Trump’s Taiwan Remarks Spark Fury | Thomas Kika, Newsweek
Former President Donald Trump’s comments suggesting the United States should not help Taiwan in the event of an invasion from China has sparked a new wave of anger and concern on social media. Newsweek
Economic Impact of China’s Declining Population | CNN
China’s population declines for a second straight year. The demographic crisis comes amid economic uncertainty and record-low birth rates. Xiujian Peng, Senior Research Fellow for Victoria University’s Center of Policy Studies, joins CNN’s Paula Newton to discuss the issue. CNN
Why people in China Don’t want Children | CNN
China’s population has decreased for the second year in a row. CNN’s Marc Stewart breaks down the impact. CNN
Taiwan envoy offers assurances to U.S. & China | Didi Tang, AP
WASHINGTON (AP) — Taiwan’s top diplomat in Washington has a message for both the island’s Chinese adversaries and its American friends: Don’t worry that Taiwan’s new president-elect will worsen relations with Beijing and possibly draw the U.S. into a conflict. Associated Press
A Peaceful Solution on Taiwan Is Slipping Away | M. Beckley, NY Times
Conflict between China and the United States just got a little more likely.
On Saturday, Taiwanese voters handed the Democratic Progressive Party, which asserts that Taiwan is already independent from China and should stay that way, an unprecedented third consecutive presidential victory… NY Times
On the Front Line Between Taiwan and China | K. Vaswani, Bloomberg
Kinmen is stuck in the middle of a geopolitical power struggle. Boosting defense capabilities to protect these vulnerable islands is vital for the new government. Bloomberg
China to sustain disinformation | Liu Tzu-hsuan, Taipei Times
China will continue to play up conflicts in Taiwan with more diverse tactics of information manipulation, Taipei-based think tank Doublethink Lab said in a report published yesterday. Taipei Times
Taiwan’s Doubts About America Are Growing. | Cave et al, NY Times
The collection of American memorabilia, vast and well-lit in a busy area of City Hall in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan, reflected decades of eager courtship. Maps highlighted sister cities in Ohio and Arizona. NY Times