A new article by former US assistant secretary of state for East Asian affairs Kurt Campbell might contain a veiled warning for Taiwan.
Writing in the Financial Times, Campbell said that until Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) came to power last year, the prevailing view was that Beijing was prepared to shelve hotly disputed issues for a later date and be content to maintain an ill-defined “status quo.”
However, now, China is no longer simply responding, but acting on its own initiative, Campbell said.
He said that by many accounts, Xi is the most powerful leader at this stage of his tenure of any previous Chinese Communist Party leader since Mao Zedong (毛澤東).
While Campbell — one of the most highly respected and knowledgeable US diplomats to specialize in China — does not actually mention Taiwan in the short article, the nation and its problems with Beijing, would seem to fit neatly into his theory about the new shape of China’s foreign policy.
In the past, Campbell said, China watchers saw its actions as “reactively assertive,” suggesting that Beijing’s rulers were simply taking the necessary steps in response to prodding or provocations from surrounding states.
However, the situation has changed with Xi in power, with “various military deployments, policy proclamations, provocative naval maneuvers and rhetorical stridency” in the East and South China seas.
Campbell said the conventional wisdom was that China was primarily focused on its domestic imperatives and “unanticipated accidents and incidents were the worry, not premeditated gambits.”
He said Xi’s ambitious economic reform and his much more robust rhetoric “all suggest that we are entering a new phase.”
Campbell said that, by all accounts, Xi plays a dominant role in the formulation and execution of “matters big and small.”
There is a much more concerted coordination at every level in the Chinese government and “the current set of provocations are not haphazard, they have been carefully choreographed,” Campbell added.
“Recent Chinese steps and the centrality of Xi’s role is yet another reminder of the importance of concentrated, regular, high level diplomacy with China to accurately gauge intent and to send consequential messages,” he said. “Perhaps nothing in the world is more important.”
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
The US Department of State on Monday reaffirmed that US policy on Taiwan remains unchanged, following US President Donald Trump’s use of the term “unification” while commenting on recent trade talks with China. Speaking at a wide-ranging press conference, Trump described what he viewed as progress in trade negotiations with China held in Geneva, Switzerland, over the weekend. “They’ve agreed to open China — fully open China, and I think it’s going to be fantastic for China. I think it’s going to be fantastic for us,” Trump said. “I think it’s going to be great for unification and peace.” Trump’s use of the
RSS