On Wednesday, Zhang Mingqing (
Missile exercises during the 1996 campaign; saber-rattling comments by then-premier Zhu Rongji (
This year, enraged by President Chen Shui-bian's (
Then there is the fact that Beijing has turned a blind eye to the recent grand opening of a pan-blue campaign headquarters in Shanghai -- which, coincidentally, is right next to the Taiwan Affairs Office building. It is hard to believe that Beijing didn't know what was going on -- after all, Chinese authorities keep a tight leash on all political activities. How could Beijing not have realized that a group of Taiwanese businesspeople -- many of whom are not only wanted fugitives in Taiwan but are well connected with high-ranking Chinese officials -- were establishing a campaign office?
On Wednesday, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Wen-chung (
Even more interesting is the way the Taiwan Affairs Office was so quick to deny any attempt to meddle in the election, and the Shanghai authorities' ban on campaigning after the KMT came under attack in Taiwan for its election-related activities in China. Since when has Beijing ever cared about criticism from Taiwan? The only possible explanation is that it does not want to be seen to be doing anything that might negatively impact Lien's campaign. Under the circumstances, despite the pan-blue's denials, it is obvious that Beijing favors Lien.
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) were born under the sign of Gemini. Geminis are known for their intelligence, creativity, adaptability and flexibility. It is unlikely, then, that the trade conflict between the US and China would escalate into a catastrophic collision. It is more probable that both sides would seek a way to de-escalate, paving the way for a Trump-Xi summit that allows the global economy some breathing room. Practically speaking, China and the US have vulnerabilities, and a prolonged trade war would be damaging for both. In the US, the electoral system means that public opinion
In their recent op-ed “Trump Should Rein In Taiwan” in Foreign Policy magazine, Christopher Chivvis and Stephen Wertheim argued that the US should pressure President William Lai (賴清德) to “tone it down” to de-escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait — as if Taiwan’s words are more of a threat to peace than Beijing’s actions. It is an old argument dressed up in new concern: that Washington must rein in Taipei to avoid war. However, this narrative gets it backward. Taiwan is not the problem; China is. Calls for a so-called “grand bargain” with Beijing — where the US pressures Taiwan into concessions
The term “assassin’s mace” originates from Chinese folklore, describing a concealed weapon used by a weaker hero to defeat a stronger adversary with an unexpected strike. In more general military parlance, the concept refers to an asymmetric capability that targets a critical vulnerability of an adversary. China has found its modern equivalent of the assassin’s mace with its high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) weapons, which are nuclear warheads detonated at a high altitude, emitting intense electromagnetic radiation capable of disabling and destroying electronics. An assassin’s mace weapon possesses two essential characteristics: strategic surprise and the ability to neutralize a core dependency.
Chinese President and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Chairman Xi Jinping (習近平) said in a politburo speech late last month that his party must protect the “bottom line” to prevent systemic threats. The tone of his address was grave, revealing deep anxieties about China’s current state of affairs. Essentially, what he worries most about is systemic threats to China’s normal development as a country. The US-China trade war has turned white hot: China’s export orders have plummeted, Chinese firms and enterprises are shutting up shop, and local debt risks are mounting daily, causing China’s economy to flag externally and hemorrhage internally. China’s
RSS