Territorial disputes
The 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty was signed by 48 countries, including Japan and the US, but excluding Taiwan and China.
Ambiguities in this peace treaty have caused international territorial disputes — even more so today — over Taiwan, the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台, or Senkaku in Japan) in the East China Sea and so on.
Japan gave up Taiwan and the Spratly Islands without specifying the beneficiaries, whereas Korea was allowed to be independent. Okinawa, presumably including the Senkaku, was placed under US trusteeship. In 1972, the US returned Okinawa to Japan.
China claims Taiwan as its territory and does not exclude the use of force to annex the country. Not surprisingly, about 88 percent of Taiwanese high-school and college students surveyed consider China the country the most unfriendly toward it.
Taiwan is an independent country, although the current administration considers Taiwan a part of China. Only 26 countries recognize Taiwan and the UN does not accept Taiwan as a member. The US has the Taiwan Relations Act to defend Taiwan if attacked, but some Americans have brought up the idea of “ditching” Taiwan to help the US’ economy or to please China.
The Spratlys consist of 75 isles and are claimed in part or whole by China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei. The South China Sea has become a hot-zone of territorial disputes recently.
The Diaoyutais are claimed by Japan and Taiwan, with China also staking a claim. Now China is negotiating with Japan, while the US acts as mediator — in the absence of Taiwan’s participation.
One way to solve these disputes is to let the long-term inhabitants of the islands decide their own future. Uninhabited islands shall be maintained as neutral.
Charles Hong
Columbus, Ohio
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
The past few months have seen tremendous strides in India’s journey to develop a vibrant semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. The nation’s established prowess in information technology (IT) has earned it much-needed revenue and prestige across the globe. Now, through the convergence of engineering talent, supportive government policies, an expanding market and technologically adaptive entrepreneurship, India is striving to become part of global electronics and semiconductor supply chains. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision of “Make in India” and “Design in India” has been the guiding force behind the government’s incentive schemes that span skilling, design, fabrication, assembly, testing and packaging, and
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.