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Switzerland · 1793 days ago

Fearing that it was an all-out invasion, France pre-emptively surrendered.

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Mr. Hu goes to Washington · 2109 days ago

Protocol mattered a lot to President Hu Jintao and the Chinese during this week’s visit to the United States. The Chinese delegations during past visits by Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin have both been grown in importance and pomp. President Hu expected to top both previous Presidents and, instead ended up with a reporter from the pro-Falun Gong Epoch Times interrupting him in the middle of his speech shouting “President Hu, your days are numbered” and “President Bush, make him stop persecuting Falun Gong.” To make matters even worse, it took security and the Secret Service several minutes to get to the woman and take her away. President Hu, visibly upset, was caught off guard and didn’t know how to react to the situation. Later, President Bush apologized for the gaffe.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the only mistake of the day. In what can only be described as a “terrible-dream” scenario for the US protocol teams involved in preparing for the Chinese visit, China’s national anthem was referred to as teh national anthem of the “Republic of China” as opposed to the “People’s Republic of China”. Unfortunately, that one word—“People’s”—makes all the difference because the Republic of China is…wait for it…Taiwan.

So, to sum up, the crack US security let in a reporter for the Epoch Times, a pro-Falun Gong/Very Anti-CCP newspaper, let her yell at President Hu for several minutes before taking her away, and then accidentally called China by the name of a breakaway island that wants it’s own independence.
Overall, the meetings between Bush and Hu were heavy on show but light on actual substance. What surprises me most of all is the fact that the Chinese are playing this game on their own terms. One of the themes I want to write about in depth on this blog centers around the fact that the Chinese have clear policy objectives in terms of trade, the development of oil/energy contacts throughout the world, and the balance between the CCP maintaining power and the granting of freedoms to the Chinese people. And while the Chinese have clear policy objectives and narratives, the US seems to be fumbling the ball every time.

From the Senate’s reaction with CNOOC and their attempted purchase of California-based UNOCAL, the public’s reaction to the US dealing with a Communist government, the government’s ambivalence on how to deal with the Yuan and the increasing trade gap, and the general fear that the US’s relative power to China in Asia is narrowing, we see nothing but an internal struggle within America in deciding how to even deal with China.
Currently both nations need each other very much. China has cheap labor that is integral for the business model of many American businesses such as big manufacturers of textiles, electronics, and automobiles. China is buying steel, copper, gold and American dollars at a rapid pace allowing the United States to grow economically. The US needs China’s support, in light of our long-term focus on Iraq, to deal with Iran and North Korea…

In short, we need China on our side…but we don’t want to need them. We want them to follow us and help us out. We’re ambivalent and torn on how to deal with China while the Chinese know what they want in the short, middle and long-term.

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Japan's Draft Charter · 2257 days ago

Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. 2) In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.

While I haven’t been able to get my hands on the draft itself, according to AP, The Washington Post and CNN,
Japan’s governing party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), has released a draft charter amending the constitution lifting restrictions on Japan’s Self-Defence Forces (SDF) for broader military use in foreign peacekeeping efforts and, more importantly, allowing for the concept of “collective self-defense”—coming to the military aid of other countries.

This language would, in effect, allow Japan to come to the United States’ aid should any military conflict take place in the Taiwan Straits. While the United States will be pleased with the proposed Constitutional Amendment, I’m pretty sure I can already hear the protesting from Beijing.

I cannot stress how much this would alter the already strained relations in this region. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Japanese relations with China (and South Korea) are the lowest that they have been in years. This proposed charter will make an already poor situation worse. China and other Asian nations still remember the atrocities that Japan committed during World War II. More recently, there have been territorial disputes between Japan and both countries, Tokyo’s bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and the March/April protests over Japanese school textbooks authored by rightwing scholars, as well as Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s repeated visits to Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo.

In February, the US and Japan agreed to strengthen security and defense cooperation by setting up “common strategic objectives” to deal with new threats. These threats not only consisted of terrorism and proliferation of WMDs, but also to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait – much to China’s protests.

On a broader level, the proposed changes also reflect a societal debate taking place within Japan. The growing nationalist themes, as presented in this recent NYT article show the growing distrust between Japan and its neighbors – specifically two growing economic and cultural powers: South Korea and China. This is all happening at a time in which there is an equally strong growing nationalistic pride in those countries as well. The growing clash on a number of fronts between Chinese, Koreans and Japanese seems to be becoming more and more inevitable.

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China, India and SAARC · 2266 days ago

India lost a big battle against China this weekend at the SAARC Summit. SAARC currently consists of seven nations: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. India has a very strong influence in the organization due to its relative economic size. Because of this, India has had a long-standing claim of an exclusive sphere of influence in the region and SAARC was one of the avenues in which India wielded power.

China, who not so long ago avoided becoming involved with International Organizations, has requested recognition as a member, dialogue partner, or observer status with SAARC. In order to be accepted into the organization, all member-countries must accept the proposal.

Of the seven member-countries, India was the only one to object to China’s entrance. According to this article, India protested quite loudly. Unfortunately for India, Afghanistan was applying at the same time as China and the two countries became linked with each other; why would India accept Afghanistan but not China? Or so asked the six other member-countries.

While the details still remain somewhat scarce, India’s long-standing ‘Monroe Doctrine’ is no longer as effective as it was just 5 days ago. China has effectively pulled the other nations to its side and India will be facing a powerful adversary in 2007 for the next SAARC meeting.

On a broader note, this is a great example of the rapidly changing process of Chinese integration into the region and world. Just 10 years ago we saw a China that was still somewhat skittish and hesitant about joining International Organizations and now we are presented with the present-day economic behemoth that is not only actively requesting engagement into SAARC, ASEAN and other organizations, but developing its own groupings as well. While this subject has been beaten to the ground in the past, China is using political, economic and cultural tools to establish deeper ties with its neighbors. However, the tension between India and China is notable and also should serve as an omen for future issues that will certainly arise as China attempts to establish a stronger position of influence in Asia.

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Senegal & Rome · 2284 days ago

Senegal has cut diplomatic ties with Taipei and has re-established ties with Beijing on Tuesday. This cuts down the number of countries that recognize Taiwan down to 25 nations – consisting mainly of small Central American or African nations.

In December of 2004, Vanuatu switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China and the Holy See is also in talks with Beijing about the conditions by which a diplomatic change would take place. The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, said:

...if we had contacts with Beijing, our charge d’affaires who is in Taiwan would go to Beijing, not tomorrow morning, but tonight.

The main issue straining relations between China and the Vatican essentially involve the authority of the Pope in what China considers to be ‘internal matters’. For example, China refuses to allow the Vatican to appoint bishops and refuses to allow Chinese Catholics to recognize the authority of the Pope – one of the most fundamental tenants of Catholicism. Instead, Chinese Catholics belong to a state-backed church – The Catholic Patriotic Association.

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