Despite improved cross-Strait relations, China is continuing massive spending to build up its military capability, with Taiwan remaining prominently in the PLA’s crosshairs. Can advanced weapons procurement and the implementation of “asymmetrical strategies” enable Taiwan to meet the challenge of providing sufficient defensive strength? On the face of it, Taiwan’s chances of prevailing in an…
China began trial runs of its controversial M503 flight path on March 15, according to an announcement by Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration. The flight path was criticized because as initially announced, it would run just 7.8 kilometers from the median line separating the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. The Taiwan government charged that Beijing…
The interplay of numerous factors influences who becomes a member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee. The New Emperors: Power and the Princelings in China, by Kerry Brown. I.B. Tauris, London and New York, 2014. 244 pp. ISBN 978 1 78076 910 3; eISBN 078 0 85773 383 2. At noon on November 15, 2012,…
Unemployment down, consumer confidence up. Low oil prices are spurring growth, but concerns for Taiwan economy arise due to China slowdown. Taiwan moved up three places in the annual world Economic Freedom Index [see the Editorial in this issue] by the Washington, D.C.-based Heritage Foundation, to be ranked the 14th freest economy in the…
