RG21管理者 | | RG21

China-Viet Nam Rev-Up Diplomacy in Summer 2013

Dinh The Huynh-Liu Qibao meet on July 26, 2013

by David Parmer

Summer 2013 has seen a series of high-level meetings between China and Viet Nam. China’s Xinhua New Agency reported on June 20 that Chinese President Xi Jinping in meetings with visiting Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang on June 19th said that China and Viet Nam should “unswervingly march together along the path of friendly cooperation.” Both presidents agreed to strengthen bilateral strategic cooperation by:

Maintaining high-level contacts
Promoting pragmatic cooperation in all fields
Strengthening economic developments
Making efforts to reach a goal of $60 billion in trade before 2015

A second round of high-level meetings was held in Beijing on July 26. Viet Nam News published a report on July 27 that the head of China’s Central Committee’s Propaganda Department Liu Qibao met with the head of the Communist Party of Viet Nam’s (CPV) Central Committee Commission for Popularization and Education Dinh The Huynh. Both parties agreed to work to “cement cooperation between the two sides to enhance understanding, mutual trust and friendship between the two peoples.

And finally, on August 6, 2013, a Than Nien News story said that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam, Mr. Pham Binh Minh met with his Chinese Counterpart Wang Yi in Hanoi on August 4. Minister Minh was quoted as saying both sides should persist in addressing disputes “on the basis of the Viet Nam- China agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues” and on international law.The report also said the two FMs also discussed measures to speed up the implementation of agreements, especially the action plan to realize a Viet Nam-China comprehensive strategic co-operative partnership.

Is it time to learn Chinese?

There is an ongoing worldwide boom in Chinese language learning. The emergence of China an an economic and political superpower in the late 20th and early 21st century has pushed having a knowledge of Chinese language and culture to the forefront. This century will see the facing off of two linguistic giants, English and Chinese. How this will play out is anyone’s guess. Perhaps English will become the de-facto language of business and diplomacy while Chinese will become the international languge of the arts and culture. This is not so far fetched if one considers the dominance of Chinese modern art. But truly, anything is possible. So what do you think, do you have any need or desire to learn Chinese? Please post your thoughts below.

Photo: Joseph Pitz via flickr

Diayou/Senkaku Question: Older and Wiser?

During his historic 1978 trip to Japan, Deng Xiaoping was asked about the question of the Daiyou/Senkaku islands. Deng replied that the question should be put aside so that later and wiser generations could solve this problem. Essentially the same answer was given a few years earlier by Premier Zhou Enlai to Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka during Tanaka’s China visit. So, 35 years have passed, and the question seems to be: while this is certainly a later generation, is it a wiser generation? Is the islands question being handled by those of vision and wisdom taking the long view of history? Or is it something else? What do you think of the way this question is being handled by both sides? Post your comments below.

Deng Xiaoping’s Visit to Japan+35 Years

Deng in Japan.jpg

(Photo: China Daily)

October 22, 2013 will mark the 35^th anniversary of then Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping’s historic visit to Japan. Deng was the first Chinese leader in history to set foot in Japan and the first to meet her emperor.

Deng’s visit was an official goodwill visit made at the request of the Japanese government. One of his first duties during this groundbreaking trip on October 23, 1978 was to attend the ceremony with Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda to exchange instruments of ratification for the Sino-Japanese Peace and Friendship Treaty. (See photo below)

Professor Ezra Vogel in his mammoth work, Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China (2011) states that many Japanese felt that helping China modernize was a way of apologizing for Japan’s past behavior. Throughout the trip many references were made to unfortunate 20^th century events, which meant the war-years period from 1937 until 1945. Deng Xiaoping emphasized the long view, noting that China and Japan had a 2000-year history of cultural relations that included shared linguist elements, architecture and the philosophy of Buddhism.

During his 1978 visit Deng met Japanese from all spheres from the emperor to private citizens, politicians and business leaders. He also rode aboard the Shinkansen and visited Kyoto and Nara. Among the business leaders he met were Konosuke Matsushita and the chairman of Nissan Motors, Kawamata Katsuji.

In Vogel’s book Deng is pictured as enthusiastic about Japan’s progress, the role of management in creating Japan’s postwar miracle and the benefits of capitalism as seen in the quality of life of ordinary Japanese citizens. Deng readily admitted that China had much of value to learn from postwar Japan.

At a press conference Deng was asked about the Diaoyu/Senkaku issue. He answered that the issue should be put aside so that later and wiser generations could solve the problem. It should be noted that a few years earlier, essentially the same answer was given by then Premier Zhou Enlai to Japan’s Prime Minister, Kakuei Tanaka.

Looking back 35 years, we can see a time when optimism and forward thinking characterized China-Japan relations. The question is now what will it take to get relations back on track? Nationalism and emotion-driven national policy was not what statesmen and leaders in both countries had in mind back in 1978.

Deng In Japan II.jpg

(Photo: China Daily)

Will China and Taiwan Become One In This Century?

How will the China-Taiwan question be resolved? Will the Hong Kong/Macau model become attractive to the people of Taiwan? Will China become so economically similar to Taiwan that few differences remain? Will a new a younger generation find a new model and new solutions? Will China and Taiwan move so close that they are “de facto” once country? What do you think? Please post your comments below.

Photo: hji via flickr

Person of Interest: Ma Ying-jeou, President of Taiwan

“Truth is paramount and triumphs over falsity. Guilelessness is paramount and triumphs over craftiness.”

(Photo: Office of the President, Republic of China, Taiwan)

by David Parmer

On July 20, 2013, Taiwan’s president, Ma Ying-jeou was re-elected as president of Taiwan’s ruling KMT (GuoMinDang) party. Ma ran un-opposed, but the heavy voter turnout was taken by some as a sign of approval for the job he is doing in his second term as president. Elected in 2008 and re-elected in 2012, Ma has had a steady and ever-advancing rise to power.

Some highlights:

Born in Hong Kong July 13, 1950
National Taiwan University 1972, B.A. Law
New York University 1976, L.L.M. (Masters in Law)
Harvard University 1981 S.J.D. (Doctor of Law)
Office of the President of Taiwan 1981
Minister of Justice 1993
Mayor of Taipei 1998
Chairman of KMT Party 2005
President of Taiwan 2008
President of Taiwan 2012 (Second Term)

President Ma is known, and will probably be remembered for his pragmatic handling of relations with the Beijing government. While standing his ground on areas where there are basic differences, he has taken a long-term and pragmatic approach toward relations with the mainland.

Since 2003 the mainland has been Taiwan’s chief trading partner. Bloomberg reported that Chinese tourists spent an estimated $9.8 billion from 2009 to the present. Direct flights which eliminated the necessity of circuitous routes required in the past have certainly positively impacted cross-strait relations and trade.

In a Foreign Press Center briefing on July 22, 2013 in Washington, U.S Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific Daniel Russel observed:

“…we respect and admire the progress that has been made in cross-straight relations under President Ma Ying-jeou’s tenure. We think that the dialog that he has fostered provides benefits to people on both sides of the strait as well as to the region and others in terms of promoting stability and promoting prosperity.”

When President Ma was re-elected to the KMT presidency last week, he was congratulated by Xi Jin Ping in his capacity as head of the Communist Party of China and not as her President. And this underlies the problem, for a meeting to take place between the two leaders, President Ma would have to be recognized as a head of state, and officially Beijing sees Taiwan not as a state, but as a breakaway province. Diplomats have artfully resolved more thorny issues than this with subtle artifice and carefully-worded statements, so maybe before his term is over in 2016, Ma Ying-jeou might meet the president of the PRC in Beijing.

Whatever the outcome, he will surely be remembered as the KMT leader who did the most in 60 years to bring Chinese on both sides of the strait closer together.

How should border disputes by arbitrated?

Border disputes on land and sea are common in almost all quarters of the globe. Countries large and small lay claims to territories that their neighbors also call their own. In an increasingly-complex and interdependent world, how do you think such disputes should be decided? Should the parties involved try to sort it out themselves, or should all such disputes be referred to a world body such as the International Court of Justice? Can such territorial disputes ever be settled, or will history be the ultimate arbiter? Please post your comments below.

India To Bolster China Border Defenses

( Photo: J.Singh Bawa/flickr)

(19 July 2013) The Hindustan Times reports that the Indian Army plans to create a 45,000-man mountain strike force along it northeast border. The strike force, to be based in West Bengal will take seven years to stand up. It will have the capability to mount incursions into the Tibet Autonomous Region. The Times says the force will be equipped with ultra-light howitzers, artillery pieces, unmanned aerial vehicles, radars and specialized mountain equipment.

The news comes after a three-week standoff in April this year in which a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) platoon-sized unit occupied disputed territory in the Ladakh region. The standoff was settled peacefully with both sides withdrawing, but clearly showed China’s advantage in the region, particularly in the area of infrastructure allowing rapid troop deployment.

Earlier this month, India’s Defense Minister, Mr. A.K. Antony paid a visit to China from July 4-7 at the invitation of China’s Defense Minister, Gen. Chang Wanquan. A joint statement issued by both parties to the meeting stressed the need for cooperation and the exchange of military personnel.

DPRK-ROK Talks Deadlock on Kaesong Zone

Meetings between the DPRK and ROK this month concerning re-opening the Kaesong economic complex ended without agreement. The Kaesong complex, 10km inside North Korea hosts 120 South Korean companies and employs 53,000 North Korean workers. Operations were suspended in April 2013 when cross-border tensions rose to a new high. In this latest round of meetings the only agreement was to hold further talks. So what will happen? Will Kaesong re-open any time soon? How does Kaesong figure in to the DPRK’s overall strategy? If this situation were seen from the perspective of a game of chess or Wei Qi (Igo), what would the next moves be? Post your thoughts here.

China-U.S. Meeting Ends on Positive Note

(Photo: U.S. Dept. of State)

The fifth round of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialog (S&ED) concluded this week in Washington D.C. The meeting which, has been held annually since 2009, ran from July 10-11. This year’s get-together could be seen as a follow-up to the Obama-Xi summit held last month in California.

The S&ED has a two-tract structure. This year the Economic Track was co-chaired by China’s Vice Premier Wang Yang, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew. The Strategic Track was co-chaired by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi.

A wide range of issues were discussed including:

Cyber security
Asia-Pacific cooperation
Climate change
Energy security
Economic cooperation
Iran
De-necularization of the Korean peninsula

The People’s Daily (China) reported on July 12 that Chinese concerns included access for Chinese investors to the U.S. market and less restrictions on hi-tech exports to China. Progress was also reported being made toward the formation of a Bi-Lateral Investment Treaty, (BIT) that would see greater U.S. access to the China market.