We are pleased to let you know that the new issue of Taiwan Communiqué is hot off the press. This issue starts with an overview of the rising tensions surrounding the Senkaku Islands, particularly from the Taiwan perspective, and describes how current President Ma Ying-jeou– while proclaiming Taiwan sovereignty -- has been leaning towards China on this issue....
We then discuss the recent Cabinet reshuffle and several policy decisions and draw some conclusions on what this may indicate about Ma’s policies for the second term. We focus in particular on the re-sinicization of the Overseas Affairs Commission and the fact the Ma government is allowing Want Want / China Times to gain a virtual monopoly in the news media by taking over a cable TV network, and conclude that this reinforces Ma’s drift towards China.
The next item is an analysis by former AIT Chairman Nat Bellocchi about the recent events in Corvallis OR, where the mayor did an excellent job in protecting freedom of expression, when she rejected Chinese efforts to take down a mural in the town which supported freedom and democracy in Taiwan and Tibet.
We then present an update on the health and prison conditions of former President Chen Shui-bian, whose physical and mental health have deteriorated seriously during the past two months, requiring hospitalization and psychiatric care. We also summarize the observations of yet another foreign delegation that visited him, as well as the growing chorus of appeals in Taiwan itself for his release on medical parole.
In the Report from Washington we report on a proposal by New Jersey Democrat Robert Andrews to the US Institute of Peace to set up a Center for Taiwan Security Analysis, and a statement by New Jersey Republican Scott Garrett, calling for and end to Taiwan’s international diplomatic isolation, and inclusion of Taiwan into the United Nations.
We close this issue with a Book Review of a new book on Taiwan’s history, Tonio Andrade’s Lost Colony, the untold Story, which gives a fascinating account of events in and around Taiwan in the Seventeenth Century.
Below you find the table of contents. The electronic version will be uploaded to our websites www.fapa.org and http://www.taiwandc.org/twcom/index.html The hardcopy will be sent out to those who are on our mailing list next week.
Best regards,
Gerrit van der Wees
Editor, Taiwan Communiqué
Formosan Association for Public Affairs
CONTENTS Taiwan Communiqué no 138
October 2012
Rising tensions surrounding Senkakus
Three-way tug for island group ................... 1
Japan-bashing flares in China .................... 2
Mixed signals from Taiwan ........................ 3
The war of ads ................................... 4
The way forward in the Senkaku altercation
by Mei-chin Chen .................... 5
What policies for the second term?
Cabinet reshuffle: old wine in new bottles ....... 7
Overseas Affairs Commission covertly re-sinicized 9
Want Want takeover of cable TV network .......... 10
Ma's popularity sinks to new lows ............... 12
Taiwan mural in Oregon
Corvallis mayor stands up to Chinese pressure
by Ambassador Nat Bellocchi ........ 13
Former President Chen's health deteriorating
Chen Shui-bian hospitalized again ............... 15
Foreign delegation pleads for medical parole .... 16
Report from Washington
Andrews proposes Center for Security Analysis ... 18
Garrett calls for Taiwan's inclusion in the UN .. 19
Book Review
Lost Colony; The untold story by Tonio Andrade
reviewed by Gerrit van der Wees ........ 20
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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! Delenda est, baby.
Thanks for posting - I'm excited to read about Tonio Andrade's latest volume on Taiwanese history. I skimmed and scanned through his previous book while I was at college and I considerred it to be excellent work. Next time I'm at the New York Public Library, I'll make a point of finding Andrade's books.
ReplyDeleteA little background on myself..... I'm a Taiwanese American in my twenties and I've been trying, on and off, to read more about Taiwanese and Chinese history while also developing my "working knowledge" level literacy in Mandarin Chinese (while also trying to learn more Taiwanese - I only know a few phrases and words and I have some listening comprehension). I should also add that your blog is one of my favorites in terms of English-language web sources on contemporary Taiwan.