The role China plays in East Asia's security was highlighted at a forum yesterday, with experts at odds over whether China was playing a constructive or destabilizing role in the region.
The forum was held by the Taiwan-based Cross-Strait Interflow Prospect Foundation and the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) based in Beijing. The think tanks focused especially on security in the Taiwan Strait.
Speaking of the availability of energy resources, Li Ming-juinn (李明峻), deputy secretary of the Taiwan Society of International Law, said that China and Japan could bring war to the international community as they try to secure stable crude oil supplies.
The dispute over the rights to underwater energy reserves in the East China Sea proves that China's strategy to acquire foreign oil is seriously challenged by Japan, he said.
He added that the disputes lie not only in exploring for oil resources, but also in maintaining transport channels, as China has been trying to secure them against possible hazards.
Japan, on the other hand, also vies with China to acquire oil resources to restrain China's economic development and retain its position of leadership in the region, he said. He said that the countries would become natural opponents in the a war over oil.
Liou To-hai (劉德海), a professor at National Chengchi University's Department of Diplomacy, addressed the forum from the viewpoint of China's participation in the six-party talks, to check North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
He said that China, which has gradually played an important role in the six-party talks, has reaped considerable benefits so far with the goals it has set up.
"China wants to form the image of joint burden-sharing between China and the US in Asia, and to degrade Japan, as well as to rope in the US to cooperate on other issues which are vital to [Beijing]," he said.
Another goal is for China to enhance its relations with North Korea, he said, noting that should China become stronger in the future, Japan would be put into a disadvantageous position.
"China has shifted its diplomatic strategy to the aspect of shortening its economic ties with other countries, with the aim to countering the containment policy the US adopted against it. Its final goal is to form an economic region that can rival the EU and the US," Liou said.
Yang Wen-jing (
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS