Latest Taiwan Communique Out!

FAPA sent this around....

+++++++++++++

Hi TaiwanFocus friends,

We are pleased to announce that issue no. 116 of Taiwan Communiqué is off the press!! In this issue, we present an overview of recent political developments in Taiwan, such as Why the UN Referendum is necessary, in which we give a rebuttal to recent statements by the EU’s Xavier Solana, and Mr. Stephen Young of AIT in Taipei.

In a commentary which was published in the Taipei Times on 18 November 2007, I give an analysis on the origins of the “One China” policy and show how it has become an unwieldy concoction.

We then present an article on the upcoming Taiwan LY and Presidential elections, and discuss the heated debate on “one step” versus “two step” referendums.

Then there is an article about the Presbyterian Church and the courageous stance it took 30 years ago by issuing the 1977 Human Rights Declaration.

After our Report from Washington with updates on Legislation and actions on the Hill, we close with a book review of Prof. Alan Wachman’s new book “Why Taiwan? in which he describes why China is so interested in Taiwan. Prof. Don Rodgers of Austin college (whom you all know) did write the review. You might be interested to learn that in the 1920s both Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek advocated Taiwan independence ….!!

And finally, a focus of former US Senator Claiborne Pell, who played a crucial role in drafting the Taiwan Relations Act. It is written by the Senator’s longtime chief of staff Thomas Hughes.

Below you find the table of contents. The full publication is available on our websites at www.fapa.org and www. taiwandc.org The hardcopy will be sent out in about ten days to those who are on our mailing list.

We wish you happy reading. Do not miss the excellent cartoons, courtesy the Taipei Times. For earlier issues, check out our website at www.taiwandc.org/twcom/

Happy reading,

Gerrit van der Wees


CONTENTS Taiwan Communiqué no. 116

November / December 2007

Why the UN referendum is necessary

Countering Beijing's relentless pressure ........... 1

Concern about Mr. Solana's concern ................. 2

US opposition is undermining trust in US ........... 3

The "One China" policy: back to the basics

by Gerrit van der Wees...... 4

Taiwan's elections heating up

Legislative elections: all politics is local ....... 7

Presidential elections: Hsieh, Ma battling it out .. 9

Referendums: in "one step" or "two steps"? ........ 10

The Presbyterian Church commemorates

1977 Human Rights Declaration ..................... 12

Report from Washington

First Transatlantic Dialogue held in Washington ... 14

High-level visits resolution introduced in Senate . 15

House passes resolution on F-16 sale to Taiwan .... 16

Taiwan-into-the-UN resolution introduced .......... 17

Book Review

Why Taiwan? by Alan Wachman, Tufts University

reviewed by Prof. Don Rodgers, Austin College ..... 18

In the Limelight

Former Senator Claiborne Pell (D-RI)

by Thomas G. Hughes ....... 21