Schedium

Taiwan's defensive capabilities continue to decline as China prepares for a possible conflict, according to the United States Department of Defense 2018 Annual Report to Congress on military and security developments involving the People's Republic of China (PRC).  The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is undergoing the most comprehensive reform in its history to become a force capable of conducting complex joint operations, the report says. The PLA aims at developing the capabilities to fight and win "informatized local wars" - regional conflicts based on data-networked command and control and precision strikes.  China's Taiwan strategy continues to incorporate elements of both persuasion and coercion to hinder the development of political attitudes in Taiwan favoring independence, the report says. Beijing attempts to restrict Taiwan's role in the international community and international organizations, and it seeks to woo Taiwan's few diplomati

85C store in Shanghai (by Tzuhsun Hsu , via Wikimedia Commons China said that private companies are not allowed to support Taiwan independence if they want to do business in the country.  On August 16 Long Mingbiao (龙明彪), deputy director of the  Taiwan Affairs Office , the Chinese agency tasked with implementing the Communist Party's Taiwan policy, slammed companies that support Taiwan independence .  "We welcome Taiwanese companies' investment and development on the mainland, but we will absolutely not allow any company to make money on the mainland while at the same time supporting Taiwan independence forces and activities," Long said. Those remarks came after Chinese netizens called for a boycott of the Taiwanese company 85C Bakery and Cafe, which they accused of supporting Taiwan independence.  On August 14 Taiwanese President Ts'ai Ing-wen had visited an 85C cafe in Los Angeles during her stopover in the United States en route to Parag

35C store in Songshan, Taipei (by 玄史生 via Wikimedia Commons ) Taiwan's 85°C Bakery Cafe was forced to apologize and state its adherence to the 'one-China principle' after a visit by Taiwanese President Ts'ai Ing-wen to a store in Los Angeles infuriated Chinese netizens. This week Taiwan's President Ts'ai Ing-wen made a trip to the United States en route to Paraguay. During her stopover Ts'ai met with US lawmakers and Taiwanese-Americans. She also gave a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, the first time in 15 years a Taiwanese leader has spoken publicly in the US.  Ts'ai's visit drew criticism from China, which regards Taiwan as part of its territory. Beijing has vowed to bring about "reunification" by force if all peaceful options were exhausted.  On August 14 Ts'ai went to a 85°C store in Los Angeles, where an employee gave her a gift package and asked her to sign a pillow.

The map of  China  on the website of the United States Department of State shows Taiwan as being part of Chinese territory.  Taiwan (officially Republic of China , ROC) has never been de facto or de jure controlled by the People's Republic of China (PRC). Nevertheless, Beijing insists that Taiwan is part of its territory and it has vowed to use force to achieve "reunification" if all peaceful options were exhausted.  China has oftentimes urged the Taiwanese government to adhere to the so-called " 1992 consensus ", according to which there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is part of it. But Taiwanese President Ts'ai Ing-wen has refused to endorse Beijing's position and is seeking to maintain the status quo of de facto independence.  During the Sino-American negotiations that took place in the 1970s, Beijing requested that the United States broke off diplomatic relations with the ROC. In August 1977 Cyrus Vance, Jimmy Carte

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan) (by Voice of America via Wikimedia Commons ) The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry has deleted from its official account a tweet that mocked China for blocking the release of Christopher Robin , a live-action drama about Winnie the Pooh . According to the Hollywood Reporter,  the Chinese government  has not allowed the Disney film to be screened in the country. The report cited Beijing's crackdown on images of the Winnie the Pooh character as the reason for the ban. On August 8 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan) posted on its official  Twitter  account a tweet mocking China's ban on Winnie the Pooh.  " Taiwan 's #OhBear is dismayed at the ban slapped on his cousin Winnie's latest film by censors in #China. Make no mistake: All bears are created equal in #Taiwan & @DisneyCRobin is screening nationwide," the tweet read.  OhBear  is a masco

My Name My Right crowdfunding page, via Facebook  A group of Taiwanese exchange students in Norway have sued the Norwegian government, demanding that the nationality on their visas be changed from "China" to "Taiwan".  After Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2010, Beijing-Oslo relations froze. In 2016 the two sides normalized ties, but Norway had to pledge to adhere to the Communist regime's " one-China policy ".  China views Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to bring about "reunification" by force if all peaceful options are exhausted.    Taiwanese exchange students in Norway are protesting the fact that on Norwegian visas their nationality is listed as "China" and not as " Taiwan ".  Beijing often uses its diplomatic and economic influence to promote its "one-China" principle. For instance, it recently forced airlines to list Taiwan as part of China

On July 28 Taiwanese media reported that Vietnam had allowed the display of the Taiwanese flag in one of its industrial zones.  Kaiser 1 Furniture Industry, a Taiwanese-owned company based in My Phuoc industrial park , in southern Vietnam's Binh Duong province, had allegedly received permission from local authorities to fly the flag of the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan) to distinguish itself from Chinese businesses.  After violent anti-China protests broke out in Vietnam in 2014, Taiwanese businesses were attacked by demonstrators, who mistook them for Chinese. In order to protect themselves in case of riots, Taiwanese firms requested to be allowed to fly their own flag. Last month Luo Tzu-wen, chairman of Kaiser Furniture, told Taiwanese media that he had been permitted to fly the Taiwanese flag.  Embed from Getty Images At a press conference held on July 30 Geng Shuang, a spokesperson for China 's Foreign Ministry, objected to Vietnam's move. "Ther

(Image by DrRandomFactor via Wikimedia Commons ) On August 3rd the State Council of the People's Republic of China (PRC) announced the Communist government's decision to abolish the "Work Permit For Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau Employees On The Mainland" (台港澳人員在內地就業許可). Residents of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau will no longer be required to apply for permits to work in mainland China and will be able to seek employment without having to go through complex bureaucratic procedures. The move is part of China's carrot and stick approach towards Taiwan, which Beijing considers an integral part of its territory despite the fact that the PRC never exercised de jure or de facto control over the island. China claims that it will use force to bring about unification if all peaceful options are exhausted. At the same time, it tries to co-opt Taiwanese citizens using its status as an economic powerhouse. Taiwanese people working in China face pressur

Taiwanese actress Sung Yün-hua (宋芸樺) has apologized for calling Taiwan a "country" and said that China is her "motherland".  25-year-old Sung gained notoriety in mainland China with her role in the 2018 film Hello Mr. Billionaire (西虹市首富), but in recent days she has become the target of fierce criticism on the part of Chinese netizens for comments they deem unpatriotic.  In 2015 during an interviewed with Taiwan-based Ming Weekly  Sun was asked what her favourite country was. "My favourite country is Taiwan ," she replied. The video of that interview went viral days ago, causing an uproar among Chinese netizens.  宋芸樺為「最愛國家是台灣」道歉，滅火稱中國是我的祖國 #taiwan #宋芸樺 #Entertainment #china #中國 #台灣 →→ https://t.co/OuOQJUXQWk pic.twitter.com/P1Qm7WtyzY — 台灣蘋果日報 Taiwan News (@TW_nextmedia) August 2, 2018 China views Taiwan as part of its territory, and Beijing has not renounced the use of force to bring about " reunification ". Chinese c

On July 30 China's Foreign Ministry criticized the government in Taiwan denying entry an official Chinese delegation.  As Apple Daily reported, on July 19 a delegation from mainland China travelled to Taiwan  to attend the Digital Information Forum organized by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) on July 19-20 in Taipei.  Taiwan's immigration authorities denied entry to the Chinese delegation, claiming that Beijing had failed to provide timely all the necessary information about the delegation's members. On July 29 the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry explained that the information had been supplied by China only after the delegation had boarded their plane.  The Taiwanese government stated that the immigration authorities could have processed the paperwork within 15 minutes, yet the Chinese delegation were incensed and refused to wait, so they decided to return to China.  Geng Shuang, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, said at a press c

On September 24, 2017, scuffles erupted between pro-independence and pro-China demonstrators on the campus of National Taiwan University (NTU) during the Sing! China: Shanghai-Taipei Music Festival .  The event, co-sponsored by a mainland Chinese reality show and the Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs, was part of the memorandums of understanding on cultural and arts events signed by Shanghai and Taipei.  Pro-independence supporters viewed the music festival as a covert tactic by the Chinese Communist regime to promote their " reunification " political agenda. Students organized protests against the event, but pro-China groups intervened and clashes broke out between the two sides.  Members of the Party for the Promotion of Chinese Unification (中華統一促進黨, PPCU),  founded by the notorious Taiwanese gangster Chang An-lo, attacked pro-independence students. Three people were injured.  Embed from Getty Images In December of last year the Taipei District Prosecu

In 2014 anti-China riots erupted in Vietnam , resulting in over a dozen casualties. Thousands of demonstrators burnt and ransacked factories which they believed to be Chinese property.  The protests were sparked by a diplomatic incident following Beijing 's announcement on May 3 that it was planning to move its first deep-water drilling rig into a location 240 kilometers (150 miles) off Vietnam’s coast, an area which both countries claim as part of their territory. On May 4 a spokesperson for Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry criticized the move, saying that the oil rig was within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. “All activities of foreign countries in Vietnam’s waters without Vietnam’s permission are illegal and worthless," he stated.  Embed from Getty Images Many Vietnamese were furious about what they perceived as Chinese aggression. Both China and Vietnam are Communist dictatorships. However, in the wake of market-oriented reforms nation

The government in Taipei has expressed its determination to stand up to China after 44 airlines  bowed to pressure from Beijing and stopped listing Taiwan as a separate country.  On July 25 Chinese Communist Party (CCP) newspaper  People's Daily announced that American Airlines, United, Delta, Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific as well as forty other airlines had complied with a request filed by the Civil Aviation Administration of China  on April 25 to list Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau as part of Chinese territory.    Embed from Getty Images American Airlines spokeswoman Shannon Gilson told the BBC that the company was implementing changes to address China 's request. "Air travel is global business, and we abide by the rules in countries where we operate," she stated. In a written statement Cathay Pacific explained that as an airline registered and based in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China (PRC) it

Taiwan Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office via Wikimedia Commons A Taiwanese businessman named Lin Weilin (林偉琳) has been accused of spying on behalf of China's government in order to pay off his debt.  According to Taiwanese media reports, the 39-year-old Lin served as a petty officer in Taiwan's marine corps, but he resigned his post in 2000 and moved to mainland China . In Suzhou, a major city in southeastern Jiangsu Province, he pursued a career in business and cultivated ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).  Lin joined various Communist organizations aimed at promoting Beijing's goal of unification with Taiwan. He became president of the Suzhou-Taiwan Youth Association, vice president of the Suzhou-Taiwan Investment Association, and committee member of the Youth Federation. He also took part in a training course organized by the Communist Youth League of China .  Lin established two businesses, one in 2011 and another one in 2016. But he amassed

Taiwan may ban the public display of the Five-star Red Flag of the People's Republic of China  (PRC). In recent months a number of Taiwanese organizations such as the Taiwan Society (台灣社),  the Taiwan Society North (台灣北社), and the Taiwan Constitutional Society (台灣憲法協會), have called on the Taiwanese government to outlaw the public display of the PRC flag on grounds of national security. Embed from Getty Images China views Taiwan as part of its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to achieve "reunification." Beijing has urged the Taiwanese government to acknowledge the so-called " 1992 consensus ," yet Taipei has refused to yield to pressure from the Communist regime. In October 2017 a petition to ban the public display of the Chinese flag garnered over 7,000 signatures, surpassing the 5,000 signature threshold that requires Taiwan's Ministry of Justice to issue a response. The petition requested that the Criminal Code b