BLOGS
- Sincocentric asks: Can China rise peacefully? My answer: nope. But way too many commentators assign all the agency to the United States. You know, China's rise is like gravity, China doesn't make choices. Sigh. Isn't it time for commentators to start trying to change China's behavior?
- Drew off-roads through the Taichung mountain jungles and cops buy bike for thief.
- Rethinking the US commitment to Taiwan from Atlantic Sentinel
- Why Taiwanese don't like China (audio). Survey also discussed here.
- Long overview of Taiwan's dollar diplomacy in the Carribean.
- Cycling Balaka Road, a great favorite of Taipei cyclists.
- The Foreigner on the Senkakus.
- Laowiseass muses on how close culturally Taiwan is to China. Lots of people focus on the surface level of behavior that Laowiseass identifies.
- India's Taiwan Card -- man I've been saying this for years.
MEDIA
- China and the challenge to American power: the end of US supremacy.
- Chinese media expands globally
- Minimum wage to rise 3.47%. Labor groups wanted 30%.
- Right-wing loons from Hong Kong and Macau abandon Diaoyutai trip
- First Taiwan Cycling festival set for October. W00t!
- ECFA takes effect!
- China, Taiwan Coast Guard stage joint drills.
- DPP asks MAC head Lai why she apologized for complaining about Chinese missiles pointed at Taiwan during US trip. Disgusting.
- KMT denies rift between Chu in New Taipei City and Hau in Taipei
- Volkswagon said to still be thinking about buildinig factory here.
- What Asian debates about US hegemony mean.
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[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!
Micheal, what would the PRC gain by reenacting the 3rd Reich or Imperial Japan?
ReplyDeleteThe post WWII setup made it pretty obvious that the side that operates in (comparatively) friendly competition gains much more in the long run.
It would gain nothing. But these things are driven by internal political considerations and the ruling party might gain quite a bit. That is why I always laugh at those commentators who argue that the PRC has nothing to gain from conflict. The PRC is not the actor we have to concern ourselves with; it's the CCP that scares me. In WWII Germany and Japan acted the way they did out of domestic considerations -- especially Japan. China reminds me a lot of Japan circa 1930 right now...
ReplyDeleteMichael
You got a point, in so far as you can never be quite certain how moderate and sensible the _next_ leader(ship) will be, especially in a dictatorship.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, the (mental) state of the republican party in the US is quite scary too, isn't it?
"rethinking US commitment to taiwan" link had this to say right in th intrduction. "America’s support for what Beijing continues to regard as a renegade province is still likeliest to cause a future confrontation between the two greater powers."
ReplyDeleteIt lost my attention right there. I was surprised Turton didn't point out the insanity of blaming US supply of defensive weapons for a Chinese decision to start a war.