Saturday Linkies

Building facades in Shiluo, Yunlin. I actually spent three days in Yunlin this week. It's so wonderful that some kind soul invented hard liquor....

Some links for you to survive the rain in:

• Commonwealth, always an excellent read, explains Why Hong Kong is Smitten with Taiwan. 
• J Michael says writes that China is buying Taiwan. Cole says that China wants to increase Chinese in positions of authority in Taiwan. Hey, we already have that, it's call the KMT. China's strategy is many pronged. More important than a few hundred executives is the coming financial tornado, the long-term strategy of hollowing out Taiwan's industries and stealing its technology, and using tourism to offer faux economic development while inserting itself into the local construction-industrial state and growing links to local patronage networks. 
• Michael Chase analyzes the DPP's defense White Paper over at the Jamestown Brief.
• WSJ on the fad for gua bao. 
• Also another good WSJ piece on how Taiwan is no longer so tightly coupled to the US economically. 
• Do you agree Taiwan offers a model for human rights?

Great quotes from China on the protests over the death of conscript soldier Hung (via China Reform Monitor):

Protests in Taiwan over Hung’s mistreatment and death have caused many mainland Chinese to ask online why such protests are allowed in Taiwan but not in China, the South China Morning Post reports. “If this sort of event occurred on the mainland, who would dare attend it? Even the petitioners themselves would get thrown into prison,” wrote one Sina Weibo user in response to the news. “Taiwan is a place where the people call the shots. National leaders there must make decisions that reflect the values of individuals in society, rather than simply corrupting and oppressing vulnerable groups. In Taiwan they’ve protected Chinese culture, human rights and freedom of speech,” wrote another user. “Why in the world would the Taiwanese people ever want to return to the motherland? The Chinese Dream is actually in Taiwan.”

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