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News on China-Taiwan Relations

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Don’t bet on it

Taiwan can have Fujian’s water but not a casino
Jun 12, 2015 (WiC 285)

Kinmen, a cluster of tiny Taiwanese islands two kilometres off the coast of mainland China’s Fujian province, has always occupied a unique position in cross-straits relations. Chiang Kai-shek used the archipelago to cover his retreat after the ...

Caught in a tailspin

Trouble in Taiwan after top-secret helicopter tour
Apr 17, 2015 (WiC 277)

In the 1983 film War Games Matthew Broderick plays a computer geek who changes a girl’s biology grade from an F to an A in a bid to impress her. The junior-high hacker soon finds himself in much bigger trouble after stumbling into the ...

Not playing it straight?

Relations with Taipei wane as envoy alleged to be spying for Beijing
Sep 5, 2014 (WiC 251)

On August 28 Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou compared the relationship between his island and mainland China to a “big tree”. “If a pest is discovered we need to find it and remove it so the tree can develop normally. One pest won’t ...

Ma in university challenge

Why has a trade pact with Beijing led to demonstrations in Taiwan?
Mar 28, 2014 (WiC 231)

Ma Ying-jeou is going through a bad patch. In fact, his approval ratings slipped to an all-time low of about 9% at the end of last year. The Taiwanese president is so unpopular that he is scoring lower than former leader Chen Shui-bian, who ...

China is in dispute with many neighbours, but Taiwan relations improve
Feb 21, 2014 (WiC 226)

A decade and a half ago the Taiwan Strait was regarded as one of the world’s most dangerous potential flashpoints. Today, it looks like a calmer spot, albeit in a region seething with diplomatic tension. The latest evidence was two ...

Gambia ends diplomatic relations with Taiwan
Nov 22, 2013 (WiC 217)

The last time Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou visited Gambia in 2012, his counterpart Yahya Jammeh challenged him to a press-up contest. Jammeh won, but it seems his strong-arm tactics did not end there. Last Thursday Gambia announced ...

President Xi says he’s willing to engage more with Taipei
Oct 18, 2013 (WiC 212)

When President Obama no-showed at the APEC meeting earlier this month (see Talking Point), he left much of the spotlight at the gathering of Asian leaders to Chinese president Xi Jinping. And with Taiwan’s major backer absent, Xi took the ...

New balls, please

How a tennis victory led to a cross-strait row
Jul 19, 2013 (WiC 202)

We’ve mentioned ping-pong diplomacy a few times before, following a celebrated tour in the early 1970s when Mao Zedong invited the American table tennis team to China. During the visit the US lifted its 20-year trade embargo, and in February ...

Lot of hang ups

China Mobile gives up Taiwanese acquisition
Apr 26, 2013 (WiC 190)

Back in 2010, the Hong Kong-listed battery maker China Strategic led a consortium hoping to acquire Nan Shan, one of Taiwan’s largest life insurers, from an ailing AIG. But the $2.5 billion deal soon flashed up red on the radar of Taiwanese ...

Taiwanese banks for sale, but not newspapers
Apr 12, 2013 (WiC 188)

You can own a little more of our banks, but stay away from our newspapers. That was the message for mainland China this month, as the Taiwanese sent conflicting indicators across the Strait. First the more welcoming step, with Taiwan’s ...

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