India-Taiwan relations: News & Analysis

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 05 Feb 2015 17:43

Via Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India%E2%8 ... _relations

The bilateral relations between India and Taiwan (Republic of China) have improved since the 1990s despite both nations not maintaining official diplomatic relations. India recognises only the People's Republic of China (in mainland China) and not the Republic of China's claims of being the legitimate government of Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau - a conflict that emerged after the Chinese Civil War (1945–49). However, India's economic & Commercial links as well as people-to-people contacts with Taiwan have expanded in recent years.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 05 Feb 2015 17:47

Summary of India-Taiwan relations (written 2012, I think):
http://www.india.org.tw/india_web_aspx/relations.aspx

Over the last decade, Taiwan has attracted Indian students especially in doctoral and post-doctoral research in basic and applied sciences. Presently, there are more than 500 Indian students in Taiwan with majority of students concentrated in Taipei-Hsinchu area.

I hope BRF hears from some of these students!

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 05 Feb 2015 17:52

Taiwanese view after Modi's victory:
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editori ... 2003591392

There are indications that India’s decisionmakers increasingly care about what is going on in Taiwan. Modi visited Taiwan in 1999 when he was an official of the BJP, and during his tenure as Gujarat’s chief minister, he often met with Taiwanese business leaders and government officials visiting his state. Likewise, more Indian officials and retired senior foreign and military officers, including former president Abdul Kalam, have visited Taiwan in recent years.

India now issues visas to most Taiwanese officials, with a few exceptions, such as the ministers of foreign affairs, national defense and heads of government and state. When President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) visited Africa in 2012, he was granted a 90-minute stopover at Mumbai airport. More recently, Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) was also allowed a transit stop at New Delhi airport on his way to Europe.

Ignoring China’s protest, India’s Ministry of External Affairs approved in December 2012 the opening of a branch office of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (Taiwan’s unofficial embassy) in Chennai. There is no mistaking that New Delhi and Taipei want to enhance their ties.

Both Taiwan and India were ruled by foreign powers, but have become vibrant democracies. As members of the community of democracies that share common values, they can use their experience to create dramatic synergy and assist reform and changes in China, and other developing nations and emerging democracies.

China continues to engage in aggressive espionage activities, including extensive cyberoperations, against Taiwan, and India has also suffered from China’s cyberattacks. Hence, Taiwan and India should engage in information-sharing as well as cooperation on the ways and means to resist Chinese aggression.

As Taiwan stands in the pathway between India and Japan, the stability and the freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea are closely related to the India-Japan trade and strategic partnership. Moreover, Taiwan exercises effective control over Itu Aba (Taiping Island, 太平島), the largest of the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) in the South China Sea, and would work with fellow democracies to safeguard the freedom of navigation and promote a peaceful solution to regional disputes.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 05 Feb 2015 17:53

http://thetechportal.in/2015/02/05/taiw ... ant-india/

Taiwan-based chip maker Inventec looks all set to rise to Narendra Modi’s call to Make In India. The company is reportedly in final stages to set up a production plant on a leased out Factory in Chennai.

Arihant · Post by **Arihant** » 05 Feb 2015 18:48

Why Taiwan is never going to be Chinese
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/ ... 2003610873

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 05 Feb 2015 20:10

India now issues visas to most Taiwanese officials, with a few exceptions, such as the ministers of foreign affairs, national defense and heads of government and state. When President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) visited Africa in 2012, he was granted a 90-minute stopover at Mumbai airport. More recently, Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) was also allowed a transit stop at New Delhi airport on his way to Europe.

Why does the MEA brown its pants at the thought of going against "one china" policy? Clearly, China has no such compulsions, crawling when asked to bend seems to be some sort of a tradition in the IFS crowd.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 06 Feb 2015 16:45

http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aipl/201502060023.aspx

Dalai Lama's envoy not aware of Taiwan's invitation
2015/02/06 18:13:51

New Delhi, Feb. 6 (CNA) Amid reports that Taiwan has invited the Dalai Lama for a visit, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader's office said they were not aware of any related matters.

Tempa Tsering, the Dalai Lama's envoy in New Delhi, told CNA over the phone Friday that he had not been informed of any invitation and therefore could not make any comments.

Taiwanese online media outlet Storm Media reported Friday that former National Security Bureau (國安局) Director-General Tsai De-sheng (蔡得勝) invited the Dalai Lama to visit Taoyuan in northern Taiwan this May.

He allegedly paid a visit to the Dalai Lama in India last October at the request of opposition Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文, no relation) to offer the invitation, Storm said.

But in addition to the New Dehli envoy, a receptionist who answered the phone at the Dalai Lama's office in Dharamshala calling himself Chhine also claimed no knowledge of the details of the report.

Taiwan's representative to India, James Tien (田中光), also expressed no knowledge of the matter and confirmed that he has so far not received any application from the Dalai Lama's office seeking a Taiwan visa for the spiritual leader.

In Taiwan, meanwhile, the DPP's spokesman Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬) dismissed the Storm report.

"The content of the report was based on nothing. None of it is true," Cheng said.

The Dalai Lama, who is now on a tour to the United States, had told CNA reporters several times that he is willing to visit Taiwan -- a move that would likely anger Beijing.

His office has stressed such visits would only be possible if they would not cause "inconvenience" and if the time is appropriate.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 08 Feb 2015 17:54

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/mediatek-kee ... 47-11.html

New Delhi: Taiwan-based electronic chip firm MediaTek's Chairman MK Tsai met Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and expressed keen interest in expanding presence in the country.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 21 Feb 2015 18:54

From December 2014, but relevant:
http://news.usni.org/2014/12/24/taiwan- ... r-corvette

The Republic of China Navy has taken delivery of what could be the first of a new class of stealth corvettes, according to local press reports.

The locally built 500-ton Tuo Jiang was delivered to the Taiwanese Navy from shipbuilder Lung Teh Shipbuilding at the harbor of Su-ao in a Tuesday ceremony.
...

“Armaments reportedly include the Hsiung Feng III (HF-3) ramjet-powered supersonic anti-ship missile,” reported Jane’s Defence Weekly in March.

“The HF-3, manufactured by the defence ministry’s Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), is touted as Taiwan’s most potent weapon against the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN’s) aircraft carrier.”

From January 2015: pooh-poohing the above development, from Nanyang University in Singapore:
http://thediplomat.com/2015/01/no-steal ... lp-taiwan/

The Taiwanese navy, officially the Republic of China Navy (ROCN), recently received its first Tuo Jiang-class missile corvette. However, this project may do little to shore up Taiwan’s deteriorating defense situation. Of course, the twin-hull structure, stealth appearance, and formidable firepower of 16 anti-ship missiles demonstrate the capability of Taiwan’s shipbuilding and defense industries, and provide some deterrence against the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)’s surface fleets. However, insufficient air defense capability, a highly exposed tactical environment, and the unlikely scenario of amphibious invasion may limit the strategic value of these new vessels.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 21 Feb 2015 19:01

More analysis of Taiwan's naval doctrine:
http://thinking-taiwan.com/the-new-miss ... -doctrine/

The New Missile Corvette and Taiwan’s Naval Doctrine
The Tuo Jiang is a step in the right direction. However, a 20-year modernization plan for Taiwan’s armed forces fails to recognize the need to switch from a sea-control to a sea-denial navy

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 04 Mar 2015 17:02

Book, free downloadable sample pages.
http://www.springer.com/us/book/9788132212775
The Economic Partnership Between India and Taiwan in a Post-ECFA Ecosystem
Authors: Karackattu, Joe Thomas
In-depth coverage of the political economy of two key relationships, namely India-Taiwan and Mainland China-Taiwan

About the book:

The partnership between India and Taiwan is situated in a virtual maze of complex political factors. Given the core issue of contestation of Taiwan’s political status in world affairs and India’s adherence to the “One China” policy, the relationship remains a fragile one for both partners. In recent years, Taiwan has signed the Cross-Strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) with Mainland China. Increasingly, its political and economic future (including its relationships with countries such as India) will continue to be linked with Mainland China.

This book closely examines the partnership between India and Taiwan within the new post-ECFA setting that Taiwan finds itself in. It explicates the shifts and continuities in Taiwan’s economic relationship with Mainland China, discusses how partnership with India could become a crucial pivot of Taiwan’s foreign policy in the coming years, and argues why this partnership is vital for the “take-off ” of India’s own economic growth targets. The book identifies specific avenues for India and Taiwan to benefit from the economic growth success stories that they have come to represent over these years and outlines policy realignments that could allow India and Taiwan to best realize their mutuality of interests.

About the author:

Dr. Joe Thomas Karackattu is presently a Research Fellow at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) in New Delhi. He is a former Fox Fellow (2008-09) at Yale University, USA, a recipient of the “President’s Award” for 2010-11 at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) in India, and of the “Taiwan Fellowship” award in 2012 (National Chengchi University, Taipei). His academic background is in Economics (BA (Hons); St. Stephen’s College, Delhi) and International Relations (MA, MPhil and PhD; Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi). His chief research interests include China’s foreign and economic policy, Cross-Strait ties, democratization and economic development in Taiwan, and Sino-Indian relations. He has presented his research on these domains at Oxford University (UK), East-West Center (USA), The Graduate Institute (Switzerland), mainland China (The University of Nottingham Ningbo, Xiamen University, Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences, Jinan University, among others), Taiwan (National Chung Cheng University; National Dong Hwa University; National Chung Hsing University, National Cheng Kung University & Institute of International Relations (IIR), National Chengchi University (NCCU)). His research can be found in Journal of Contemporary China, Issues and Studies, China Public Administration Review, South Asian Journal, Biosecurity and Bioterrorism, South Asian Studies Quarterly and China Report, among others. Apart from working in an academic/policy-research setting, he has also worked with both development and mainstream media in South Asia [print and television].

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 04 Mar 2015 17:03

http://www.roc-taiwan.org/IN/ct.asp?xIt ... 059&mp=277

Taiwan donates US$50,000 to Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), a non-government organization, founded by 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mr. Kailash Satyarthi, as a gesture to strengthen cooperation and provide humanitarian support, during Mr. Satyarthi’s visit to Taiwan.

Mr and Mrs. Satyarthi together with staff of BBA were invited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ROC) to visit Taiwan in January 2015. Mr. Satyarthi received an overwhelming welcome by the people of Taiwan. During his meeting with President Ma Ying-jeou, Mr. Satyarthi appreciated President Ma’s remarks that Taiwan has become a country from “receiving love to exporting love.”

President Ma expressed hope that in the future Taiwan will be able to strengthen its cooperation with Mr. Satyarthi and that the two sides can work together to support and protect children around the world.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 19 Mar 2015 18:07

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/912987.shtml

Taiwan is willing to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) if invited, Taiwan's finance chief Chang Sheng-ford said Thursday.

When asked by lawmakers on Thursday, Chang said the participation would open up a good channel for Taiwan's investment.

His remarks came after three large eurozone economies -- France, Germany and Italy -- announced their intention to become prospective founding members of the AIIB.

Britain last week announced its own decision to join the AIIB.

The US really screwed up here.
http://blogs.cfr.org/asia/2015/03/16/th ... ld-do-now/

It is time for Washington to take a step back and regroup. Its Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) strategy, ill-considered from the get-go, has now taken a major hit with the announcement this past week by the United Kingdom that it plans to join the Chinese-led AIIB. Washington’s concerns over the AIIB are well-established: the competition the AIIB poses to pre-existing development institutions such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank; concern over the potential for weak environmental standards and social safeguards within the AIIB; and the opportunity for China to use AIIB-financed infrastructure for greater leverage in the region. From all accounts, the Obama administration has expended serious energy trying to dissuade its allies from joining the bank at least until greater clarity is offered as to the decision-making structure of the institution. With the defection of the UK, however, it appears likely that Washington’s carefully constructed coalition will gradually unravel—both Australia and South Korea are apparently reconsidering their earlier reluctance to join the bank and could well use the UK’s decision as political cover for deciding to join the bank.

At this point, therefore, Washington has three choices:

1) Continue to press its allies not to join the AIIB until governance procedures for the bank are assured;

2) Join the AIIB itself; or

3) Drop the issue.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 21 Mar 2015 16:16

http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aeco/201503210011.aspx

Taipei, March 21 (CNA) The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) has hailed a ruling from the high court in Delhi in favor of Taiwan's USB flash drive exporters.

The MOEA said that the high court's decision, issued earlier this week, effectively reversed a recommendation by the Indian Designated Authority (DA), working under the Directorate-General of Anti-dumping and Allied Duties at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, to tax USB flash drive makers from Taiwan and China amid ongoing anti-dumping efforts.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 24 Mar 2015 17:37

http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/03/2 ... AK20150324

(Reuters) - Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou flew to Singapore on Tuesday to pay his respects after the death of the city-state's first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, a diplomatically sensitive visit given China's stance that Taiwan is a renegade province.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 29 Mar 2015 19:46

http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/tai ... 69796.html

Taipei: Taiwanese demonstrators threw eggs and slippers to protest against China's launch of a controversial new flight route on Sunday, accusing the government of failing to stand up to Beijing.

Thirty-odd members from the radical anti-China opposition party Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) attempted to push their way through a police line that guarded the entrance of a shrine where President Ma Ying-jeou was visiting.

After chanting slogans like "Ma Ying-jeou betraying, humiliating country" and a series of tussles with police, several of the demonstrators broke through the line but were blocked from going further.

"People of Taiwan by no means accept M503," a protest leader said, referring to the new route near the middle of the Taiwan Strait which separates the island from mainland China.

"Ma is a coward. He dares not say 'No' to China."

Holding protest signs, the crowd angrily pelted eggs and slippers at Ma's motorcade, but the projectiles fell short.

No one was injured or arrested in the clash.

M503 is one of four routes which would take planes over the Taiwan Strait from China's coastal province of Zhejiang and the cities of Fuzhou and Xiamen in Fujian province.

Beijing says they are necessary to ease congestion on an existing flightpath.

But Taiwan's authorities have slammed the unilateral move and said it poses a potential air defence threat, prompting China to postpone the inauguration of M503 and move it slightly closer to the mainland.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 13 Apr 2015 20:08

http://www.indiagazette.com/index.php/sid/231899045

BEIJING/TAIPEI - Taiwan expressed regret on Monday after China rejected its bid to become a founding member of the Beijing-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), though China said Taiwan is welcome to join as an ordinary member in the future.

In a statement carried by the official Xinhua news agency, China's Taiwan Affairs Office said it confirmed what it said was a Hong Kong media report about the rejection of Taiwan. While the office provided no explanation, it repeated that Taiwan would be welcome to join if it used an appropriate name.

"The mainland will consider opinions from all sides to properly address the issue of Taiwan's membership," the statement said. "The related departments will consider Taiwan's membership when making the constitution for the AIIB."

China views Taiwan as a renegade province. Most countries, including the United States, do not recognize Taiwan as a nation due to pressure from China. Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations, the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund. It is a member of the Asian Development Bank, though under the name of Taipei, China, not Taiwan.

Taiwan's government said it regretted the initial rejection, but maintained the island was keen to join the bank as long as its dignity was not harmed and it received equal treatment as other members.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 20 Apr 2015 21:43

http://www.hindustantimes.com/business- ... 38977.aspx

China may be the global electronics factory, but it is neighbouring Taiwan that India is increasingly looking at to drive its ‘Make in India’ initiative.

A team led by secretary electronics and information technology RS Sharma went to Taiwan in March, and met a few major companies. The delegation will soon undertake a follow-up visit.

“A number of proposals have been given final shape. We hope to firm up a few contracts with Taiwanese companies for setting up telecom and electronic manufacturing units in India,” a top official in communications ministry told HT.

India currently imports electronic products worth $100 billion annually, setting of concerns among policymakers that the digital inclusion plans may have to be aided entirely by imported devices. Last year, the government launched the plan to set up clusters for manufacturing of electronics goods with an incentive scheme: the government would add Rs 25 to every Rs 100 that an electronic producer invested in these clusters.

Taiwan has also expressed interest in setting up units in the country.

“India is strong in information technology (IT). Taiwan is strong in hardware production. We can collaborate in manufacturing of the best hardware and software platforms,” Chung Kwang Tien, representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in India said recently.

However, the cost of production of most electronic goods in India is at least 8 to 10% higher than in other countries of South East Asia and China.

“A team from our ministry is closely working with commerce, home and finance ministry officials to address these issues. It will not be a hindrance except for security, and Taiwanese companies are not a threat,” the communications ministry official added.

India and Taiwan have already signed various trade facilitation agreements such as bilateral investment protection agreement (BIPA), double-taxation avoidance agreement and common market access agreement.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 08 May 2015 16:44

China-Taiwan
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2015/05 ... w-m08.html

The leaders of China’s and Taiwan’s ruling parties met in Beijing on May 4. Xi Jinping and Eric Chu held an approximately one-hour discussion, during which the two expressed support for continued economic cooperation as well as for the 1992 agreement that established the “One China” policy.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 13 May 2015 16:19

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan-busi ... shifts.htm

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA, 經濟部) yesterday called India an emerging market for Taiwan investors due to an increasingly business-friendly climate under India Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Historically a difficult place for Taiwanese companies, India has seen a major effort to attract new manufacturers and investors since Modi's ascension last May, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Bill Cho (卓士昭) said in Taipei yesterday.

The prime minister's “Digital India” and “Make In India” — two top-down campaigns to boost the manufacturing industry to 25 percent of GDP by 2025 — have created unprecedented ease in doing business for foreign investors.

“Over the next 10 years, India could replace mainland China as the manufacturing center of the world,” Cho said in a report to the Taiwan India Business Association in Taipei.

“Since Modi's ascension, India has wanted to work with Taiwan more, and on our part we are interested in pursuing the new opportunities.”

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 24 May 2015 04:52

http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/chi ... 00317.html
"China-Taiwan talks seek to maintain momentum for closer ties".

Taipei: Negotiators from Taiwan and China have met for talks on a range of issues in an attempt to maintain momentum for the forging of closer ties in the face of a skeptical Taiwanese public.

Today's talks resulted in no firm agreements but underscored Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou's determination to prove that engagement with China can help the local economy.

Ministerial-level officials from both sides met on the tiny Taiwan-controlled island of Kinmen, just off the Chinese coast, where the rivals fought bloody military battles in the 1950s and 1960s.

Taiwan's Cabinet-level negotiating body, the Mainland Affairs Council, said topics discussed included controlling the illegal excavation of sand from the ocean floor, opening outlying Taiwanese islets to more China-based tourism and letting Chinese tourists make transit stops in Taiwan.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 26 May 2015 16:37

"Foxconn targets 10-12 facilities in India by 2020, chairman says"
http://townhall.com/news/politics-elect ... s-n2003818

Taiwan's Foxconn Technology Group, the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer, is aiming to develop 10-12 facilities in India, including factories and data centers, by 2020, company Chairman Terry Gou said on Tuesday.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 02 Jun 2015 16:22

"Start-ups key as Taiwan seeks new tech identity"
http://zeenews.india.com/business/news/ ... 27829.html

As the Computex trade show opens its doors Tuesday in Taiwan it is putting a new focus on start-ups to boost the island`s tech credentials in the face of intense competition from rival China.

Taiwan has hosted Asia`s biggest tech trade show for 35 years and made its name as a hub of innovation and engineering in the age of the PC, manufacturing components and assembling computers.

More recently it has benefited from Apple`s new iPhone6, launched last year, with a number of leading Taiwanese firms such as Foxconn and TSMC reportedly among Apple`s suppliers.

The island is also one of the world`s biggest suppliers of semi-conductors and is home to well-known industry players, from computer maker Asus to smartphone brand HTC.

But as China pushes to grow its own tech industry with the development of domestic smartphone brands and homegrown hardware, including chips, Taiwan is looking to smaller niche firms with new ideas.

Nine start-ups which Computex organisers say have potential to tap international markets will be given a special exhibition area at the show this year for the first time in a bid to raise their profile.

Multatuli · Post by **Multatuli** » 01 Jul 2015 11:03

Taiwan youth to China: Treat us like a country

Young Taiwan activists have tied themselves up in chains, blocked mountain roads, scaled fences and thrown red paint balloons in a wave of anti-China sentiment likely to turn the island's politics on its head in January's presidential election.

An energetic and fast-growing youth movement, united in suspicion of economic and cultural dependence on China, is expected to sweep in a president from a party which favors independence from China, something Communist Party rulers across the narrow Taiwan Strait will never allow.

"When my generation comes of age, Taiwan's cross-strait attitude is going to be very different," said student movement leader Huang Yen-ju. "We want China to treat us like a country."

Read further: http://news.yahoo.com/taiwan-youth-chin ... 32211.html

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 12 Jul 2015 21:32

http://www.teleanalysis.com/analysis/wh ... 16206.html
Why Foxconn is Looking at India as its Next Manufacturing Hub?

Foxconn is looking at India for four reasons – Chinese economy, India opportunity, government support, building complete eco-system and export market.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 19 Jul 2015 05:56

http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report-so ... nd-2105704
"South China Sea dispute: Now Taiwan promotes its claim on island"

As China builds artificial islands in a vast resource-rich South China Sea and neighbors in Southeast Asia brace for possible conflict, Taiwan is cutting carbon emissions and offering a hospital for humanitarian aid on the sea's largest natural islet to seek international approval for easing tension. Taiwan's unusual use of Taiping Island in the heavily contested Spratly archipelago may appeal particularly to the United States, a staunch, long-time informal ally that has at least scrutinized the legal basis for Taiwan's maritime claims.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 19 Jul 2015 18:08

http://www.newser.com/article/ab6d07869 ... issue.html
"2 women to vie for Taiwan presidency for 1st time; ties with China an early campaign issue"

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 22 Jul 2015 07:52

"Taiwan, India to promote 10 science technology cooperation projects"
http://focustaiwan.tw/news/ast/201507210021.aspx

New Delhi, July 21 (CNA) Science and technology officials of Taiwan and India agreed at a meeting in New Delhi Monday to promote 10 cooperation projects in research and exchanges of graduate students.

At the eighth Taiwan-India Science and Technology Cooperation Conference, delegates headed by Chien Chung-liang, vice minister of science and technology of the Republic of China, and Ashutoch Sharma, India's vice science and technology minister, reached agreement on cooperation projects for the coming year.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 08 Aug 2015 16:30

http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Compani ... n-facility

Taiwan's Foxconn plans $5 bln investment over 5 yrs in Indian facility

MUMBAI (Reuters) -- Taiwan's Foxconn, the trade name for Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, on Saturday signed a pact with India's Maharashtra state to invest $5 billion over five years on a new electronic manufacturing facility.

The announcement was made by Foxconn founder Terry Gou and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis after the signing of an accord between the two in the state capital, Mumbai.

Gou said the company, the world's largest contract maker of electronic products and counts Apple, Blackberry , Xiaomi and Amazon among clients, was looking for local partners for the planned facility in the western Indian state.

On Tuesday, Gou said in New Delhi he was looking at setting up manufacturing units in various Indian states and possible partnerships in the world's fastest growing smartphone market.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 10 Aug 2015 16:53

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subc ... 0810000111
"India includes Taiwan in its e-Tourist Visa program"

Taiwanese citizens will soon have an easier time traveling to India after the Indian government decided to include Taiwan in its electronic tourist visa program.

The holders of passports from Taiwan and other 35 nations can use the new service beginning on Aug. 15, the Indian government announced Saturday on its official website for the e-Tourist Visa Facility at https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html.

That will bring the total number of countries covered by the visa program to 113 countries, and it is expected to be available to 150 countries by the end of the year, the Indian government said.

The program, launched on Nov. 27, 2014, is designed to streamline visa application procedures and boost tourist visits to India.

Seven more airports in India will also be added on Aug. 15 to the list of designated airports permitting entry on an e-Tourist Visa. The airports are in Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Gaya, Jaipur, Lucknow, Tirchy and Varanasi.

There are currently nine airports designated for entry on an e-Tourist Visa.

Over 200,000 electronic visas have been issued since the new visa scheme was launched.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 17 Aug 2015 00:17

Lessons for India in how Taiwan grew from an agricultural economy:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/new ... 496780.cms

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 06 Sep 2015 08:22

"Taiwan comes calling, land acquired for industrial park in Ahmedabad"
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/busi ... 831219.cms

AHMEDABAD: Taiwan will soon set up an industrial park near Ahmedabad with focus on automotive parts, textile and ICT sectors. Speaking at an interactive meeting with industry members at the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) here on Friday, James Chen, member of advisory committee of TAITRA (Taiwan External Trade Development Council) said that land for Taiwan industrial park has been identified and acquired as well.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 14 Sep 2015 19:55

The KMT looks headed for a heavy defeat in the upcoming elections in Taiwan. As a refresher, the KMT is the more 'China friendly' party recently. They're historically Chiang Kai Shek's party, but have lately been in favour of closer ties to the mainland, something their opponents and a significant part of the population opposes, wishing to retain Taiwan's sovereignty.
Taiwan's Nationalist Party looks to be heading toward a historic defeat

With autumn arriving, the establishment party's campaign machinery had hoped at this point to be shifting into high gear, riding on its longtime dominance and the accomplishments of President Ma Ying-jeou, who's termed out after eight years in office.

Instead, the KMT looks to be heading toward a historic defeat come voting Jan. 16.

The party of Gen. Chiang Kai-shek appears on track to lose not just Taiwan's presidency, which has happened only once before, but is also in danger of forfeiting control of parliament. That would be unprecedented since Chiang and millions of his supporters lost China's civil war in 1949 and set up a completely separate government on the island, 100 miles off the mainland's southeastern coast.

Despite the KMT's longtime anti-Communist stance, Ma has pursued closer economic ties with mainland China. While pleasing business interests, his approach has worried many voters — especially those in their 20s and 30s — who see themselves as distinct from mainland Chinese, fear becoming too fiscally integrated with their giant neighbor, and say closer links have failed to deliver widespread benefits.

That partly explains why polls show KMT presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu, 67, a teacher-turned-legislator, was drawing as little as 13% support even before her recent Facebook posts, though others simply find her off-putting and unpresidential. After a four-day pause, Hung returned to campaigning Sept. 5, vowing to fight on until the votes are counted in January.

member_19686 · Post by **member_19686** » 13 Oct 2015 16:10

A New Approach Needed for Taiwan-India Ties
October 11, 2015

Manish Kumar Jha

Among the plethora of visits and possible talks of foreign investment and subsequent economic benefits – where future possibility is the word – a nation in the east is working silently to invest, train, and successfully set up model business entities in India. Taiwan in all her prowess is definitely worth a serious look and a change in our stubbornness towards a lackluster and subdued foreign policy. On the other side, there is really a massive gap of information related to Taiwan which is a shambles knowing that the tiny population of a little over 23 million is the 5th largest economy in Asia and the 16th largest economy in the world. A leading nation in the area of technological innovation, with its dominance in ICT products and peripherals controlling near about 90 % of markets share, and Taiwan was among the top 10 most innovative; it was also first in patent activity according to Bloomberg rankings.

Taiwan-India relations in historical perspective

In 1942, before independence, President Chiang Kai Shek of the Republic of China paid a visit to India and met with Mahatma Gandhi. He supported India’s freedom movement and even right after the independence of India, he appointed an ambassador to India. Civil war broke out in 1946, resulting in a victory by Mao Zedong’s Communist forces and the creation of the People’s Republic of China. From 1949 until his death, Chiang led the KMT government in exile in Taiwan. And, an appointed ambassador to India happened to be the first and the last.

India supported the PRC in 1949, going against Taiwan’s interests and thereby straining the relationship between the two. Even during the Cold War, the relationship continued to remain bitter. How ironic that while Taiwan supported India’s independence movement, thereby straining ties with the British, India could not reciprocate in a manner which required an intelligent and pragmatic approach. After forming the government in exile, backed by American support, Chiang launched Taiwan on the path of economic modernization, and in 1955 the United States signed an agreement guaranteeing Taiwan’s defense. Many countries continued to recognize Chiang’s government in exile as the legitimate Chinese government, and it would control China’s seat in the United Nations until 1971.

The normalization era

It is only in 1991 that India started looking east seriously and revived the relations under India’s Look East Policy (LEP). Later in 1995, Taiwan opened a representative office in Delhi as Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) and India established India-Taipei Association (ITA) for India in Taipei.

India’s ‘one China’ policy has been a major constraint in improving the bilateral relation with Taiwan and it is certainly not in our interests. Policies, especially in the area of foreign diplomacy, require a prudent approach which can be favorable to our economic development. India’ s foreign policy dwarfs the necessity of economic viability and gives more important to utopian ideological whims and fancy talk in the global arena, while the nation suffers on various parameters and remains abysmally underachieving in basic areas such as health, education, and infrastructure.

The need for greater Taiwan-India economic collaboration

In 2014, bilateral Taiwan-India trade reached USD 6.171 billion. Over the next five years, investments are likely to grow at a rate of around 10-15 annually, crossing US $ 1.7 billion (approx. Rs 8,600 crore) in India. Taiwanese exports to India contributed $1.28 billion, while imports from India touched $828 million. It must be noted that investment from Taiwan into India is lower then even much smaller countries like Vietnam and Cambodia. This creates a big opportunity for India to attract substantial foreign investment.

Taiwan is amongst the world’s leading exporting and importing countries. It is the leading producer and manufacturer in the world in foundries, IC packages, blank optical discs, mask ROMs, mobility scooters/powered wheelchairs and chlorella. If the products made by Taiwanese companies outside Taiwan are also taken into account, the list of products commanding a high share in the world is even longer which includes Notebooks, Tablets, LCD monitors, IC packages, motherboards (System & Pure MB), WLAN CPEs, cable modems, and digital blood-pressure monitors are a few examples. Apart from electronics, Taiwan’s agro-industries, particularly food-processing, maintain international standards. It also holds high rank in the international rating by agencies like the Institute for Management Development (IMD), Business Environment Risk Intelligence (BERI), the World Economic Forum (WEF), and the Heritage Foundation.

Recent news in the area of B2B collaboration, and in a big boost to the government’s ‘make it in India’ campaign, Foxconn also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Maharashtra government to invest $5 billion in an electronics factory and an R&D center spread across 1,500 acres that will create 50,000 new jobs.

Further to note that India’s lack of hardware is serious concern. We created a talent pool of IT labor but again excluded the hardware based machine and tool industry. Again a lackluster approach which results in underdevelopment of IT industry and for the fact that we could not create and innovate in the same domain but work on the follow ups and mostly on back operations outsourced from abroad. Taiwan can help us in filling up the gap and bring much needed industry expertise in the IT domain. It will help us garner the benefit of IT industry at various level and develop indigenous hardware components.

Some further ideas:

A dedicated Taiwan-India zone. To give required impetus to our economic relations, India can help establish a Taiwanese economic special zone with basic infrastructure intact in the same way as we extended these benefits to Korea and Japan. It will not only help create positive sentiments among Taiwanese investors but quickly address the problematic area of doing the business with India. With these little steps, rewards can be immense.

Expanded cultural and educational ties. This is an area of immense opportunity that could really herald a new chapter in the existing bilateral relations. The Taiwan Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) in New Delhi already has various program running which provide scholarships to study in the Taiwan and get invaluable expertise in various leading universities. Besides, India can promote tourism in her own right as a big chunk of the Taiwanese population is Buddhist. Extending E-visa to Taiwan will further facilitate and enhance the ease of travel to India.

One China solutions with pragmatism and a positive approach towards Taiwan

Evidently, Taiwan is no miracle nation from rags to riches. Prudent macroeconomic policy, well-coordinated structural reforms and very efficient legal and monetary regulations all help to encouraged entrepreneurship and have enabled Taiwan’s economic rise. India can achieve much by her association with Taiwan, not only in terms of exchange of trade, but a larger goal of understanding these reforms in the complex environment that Taiwan is faced with vis-a-vis economic and political challenges both within and outside.

There is no other greater way of achieving an amicable solution to a complex problem than encouraging people-to-people contact. Taiwan, like any other thriving democracy, has a place in the world which is despite a largely unrecognized entity deserves a more pragmatic and mature thinking from world leaders and this is especially true for India.

http://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/a-ne ... ndia-ties/

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 13 Oct 2015 17:06

The potential is huge,but the vision (MEA) myopic. The magic mantra seems to be "don't annoy China!"

member_19686 · Post by **member_19686** » 17 Oct 2015 20:31

Taiwan's Ruling Nationalists Dump Presidential Candidate
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSOCT. 17, 2015, 8:18 A.M. E.D.T.

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan's ruling Nationalist Party dumped its unpopular presidential candidate on Saturday, in hopes that her replacement will revive the party's fortunes three months before an election that the pro-independence opposition is heavily favored to win.

Delegates at an extraordinary party congress voted overwhelmingly to nullify Hung Hsiu-chu's nomination and selected party Chairman Eric Chu to lead the ticket in the Jan. 16 election.

Chu, the mayor of suburban New Taipei City and a former accounting professor, had earlier declined to seek the nomination. But upon accepting it on Saturday, he said the election was too important not to step in.

"The presidential and legislative elections are polls to determine the nation's future, to determine the future polices of the nation," Chu said.

Hung had resisted stepping down as the party's candidate, but said she accepted the decision and would remain loyal to the party.

The Nationalists have lost favor over their pro-China policies, and Hung was running about 20 percentage points behind Democratic Progressive Party candidate Tsai Ing-wen, who advocates greater caution in relations with Beijing.

While the presidency remains in doubt, a more popular candidate could help the Nationalists retain their majority in Taiwan's 113-seat parliament.

Hung's nomination in July set up Taiwan's first presidential race between female candidates from the two major parties.

However, the veteran legislator and former teacher was seen as lacking in executive experience and had focused much of her campaign on the party's already embattled China policy. Chu is seen as relatively more moderate on cross-Taiwan Strait relations while maintaining friendly ties with the mainland's ruling Communist Party.

A win for Tsai would throw up new questions about Taiwan's relations with Beijing, which claims the island as its own territory to be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary. Despite that threat, China is now Taiwan's biggest trading partner and a growing source of tourism and investment.

Talks between the sides have been based on the Nationalists' acceding to Beijing's demand that Taiwan and China be seen as part of the same country, something the DPP has refused to do.

While the DPP officially advocates Taiwan's formal split from China, it has pledged to adhere to the will of the majority of Taiwanese, who favor maintaining the status quo of de facto independence.

China took a hard line against the last DPP president, Chen Shui-bian, who served from 2000 to 2008. Its approach softened radically under current Nationalist President Ma Ying-jeou, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third four-year term.

Ma's government signed 23 agreements with China to promote investment, tourism and trade, helping to reduce tensions between the sides to their lowest level in more than six decades.

Although welcomed by the business community, the agreements incurred a backlash from younger Taiwanese. Tens of thousands protested in Taipei last year against the deals, saying they'd been rushed through without adequate consultation.

Along with harming their economic prospects, the deals were opposed out of fear they will eventually give China political control over the island.

A former Japanese colony, Taiwan split from the mainland in 1949 when the Nationalists, led by Chiang Kai-sheck, moved their government here following defeat to Mao Zedong's Communists in the Chinese civil war.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/10 ... itics.html

member_19686 · Post by **member_19686** » 25 Dec 2015 19:12

Identity Politics
Noriyuki Tajima
A focal point of Taiwan's upcoming election is the island's relations with mainland China. Polls show Tsai Ing-wen, the leader of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, is leading Eric Chu, the chairman of the ruling Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang.
The Kuomintang has been seeking closer ties with Beijing, but a growing number of young voters identify themselves as Taiwanese, not Chinese.
It has become easier for Taiwanese travelers to visit mainland China since Beijing simplified entry procedures in July. They now only need a small electronic travel permit to pass through the gates as Beijing officials promote cross-strait exchanges.
"It's convenient. All of my colleagues are using the new cards," says one business traveler. "This card looks like an ID. It makes me feel as though I'm being treated as a Chinese citizen," says another person.
While the permit cards make life easier for frequent travelers, some residents in Taiwan are opposed to the new entry procedures. They are suspicious Beijing has introduced the measure as a part of its efforts to unify Taiwan with China. Similar travel permit systems are in place in Hong Kong and Macau, both under Chinese sovereignty.
A university survey shows the number of people identifying themselves as "Taiwanese" is on the rise, surpassing 60 percent last year. About a quarter of respondents identified themselves as "Chinese" in 1992, but the figure has now fallen to just three percent.
"We'll have 1.3 million new voters from a generation with a strong 'Taiwanese' identity. They will have an impact on the election," predicts Taiwan Normal University Professor Fan Shih-ping.
Hsieh Cheng-hao is a politically active young person. He says he became engaged after witnessing the so-called Sunflower Movement last year when students occupied the legislative building to protest a government pact with Beijing. "We went through social confrontation and turmoil at the time," he recalls.
Hsieh created an animation film and posted it online. It explores a century of the island's history from the time of Japanese rule to democratization. Until the democratization movement began, little of Taiwan's history was taught at school, out of fear it might foment a pro-independence ideology.
"We must explore how to act as Taiwanese. That's the main question," says Hsieh.
Presidential candidates say they are eager to consult with young people. They took part in a dialogue forum organized by student committees of seven universities in the first such event in Taiwan.
"We're Taiwanese, not Chinese. I think there's a wide gap between the two sides when it comes to our history and social situation," says Taiwan University student committee member Chen Chun-chun. "I'll keep tabs on whether the candidates are trying to respond to calls from young people or are just faking it."
Young people are exploring how Taiwanese should be shaping its future in a question that is transforming the island's political dynamics.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/ ... 51222.html

member_19686 · Post by **member_19686** » 25 Dec 2015 19:12

Assessing the “Historic” China-Taiwan Summit and Its Implications for Japan
Kawashima Shin

[2015.12.25]

The “Historic” Cross-Strait Summit: What Will Change as a Result?
On November 7, 2015, President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China and President Ma Jing-yeou of the Republic of China (Taiwan), held what was widely reported as a “historic” summit meeting in Singapore. It was the first such meeting between the leaders of the PRC and ROC.
By way of background, in 1946, following the end of World War II, a full-scale civil war broke out between the forces of the Communist Party of China and those of the Kuomintang (KMT, Nationalist Party), which controlled the government of the ROC. The Communists won control of mainland China and established the PRC in October 1949 with Beijing as its capital. In December of the same year the Nationalists retreated from their remaining mainland outpost in Sichuan to the island of Taiwan, making Taipei the capital of the ROC. Though the all-out fighting ended, the fundamentally adversarial relationship between the two sides continued for decades thereafter.
In 1991 the ROC softened its adversarial policy toward the mainland, and in the years that followed contacts across the Taiwan Strait progressed in various areas. After Ma Ying-jeou became president of the ROC in 2008, direct flights between Taiwan and mainland China were started, and large numbers of tourists from the mainland came to visit the island. In these and other respects, relations between the ROC and PRC have improved considerably, and the first meeting between their leaders, which symbolized this improvement, can indeed be termed “historic.” And it may seem that the two sides are now moving toward reunification. But this sort of rosy view has been voiced only in Japanese and some other foreign media commentary; it is unlikely that it is shared by the authorities in Beijing.
If we consider the long term, it does seem reasonable to use the “historic” label for the November 2015 summit and for the two leaders’ moves to reaffirm the “1992 Consensus,” about which I will explain below. But it appears highly doubtful that the meeting will lead to significant changes in the near future.
No Major Impact on Taiwan’s Presidential Election
What if any impact is the summit likely to have on the upcoming January 2016 elections for the ROC presidency and Legislative Yuan, Taiwan’s unicameral legislature? Ma Ying-jeou is currently serving his second term as president and is not eligible for reelection. Furthermore, his support ratings have been languishing at around 10%. The KMT is campaigning for the presidency with Eric Chu (Chu Li-lian), former mayor of New Taipei, as its candidate, but it now seems certain that the victor will be Tsai Ing-wen, chair of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party.
Starting in March 2014, Taiwan was rocked by student protests in what came to be known as the Sunflower Movement. The students and their supporters were expressing their opposition to President Ma’s handing of relations with the mainland and the KMT’s maneuvering within the legislature. Ma has already lost the support of the Taiwanese public; his meeting with President Xi will not change this, nor will it improve the electoral prospects for the KMT. On the contrary, it has led to increased criticism of Ma for the way the summit was suddenly arranged and for the lack of significant results from the meeting, where the two leaders did little more than affirm the 1992 Consensus, and where Ma went along with Xi’s commitment to “rejuvenating the Chinese nation.”
The majority of people in Taiwan actually take a positive view of the summit meeting itself. This does not mean, however, that the Taiwanese public supports reunification with the mainland or that cross-strait issues are now headed toward peaceful resolution. Comments to that effect were seen in the Japanese media, but such views are based on an outdated understanding. The Taiwanese for the most part are hoping to maintain the status quo, under which the ROC is not recognized as a state by the international community but effectively governs Taiwan. So their approval of the meeting between Ma and Xi is based on their view of it as a summit between a representative of the effective government of Taiwan and the leader of China—a foreign country, albeit the one with which Taiwan has the deepest ties.
From Beijing’s perspective, meanwhile, the reaffirmation of the 1992 Consensus by the two leaders at the summit was a highly significant development. Taiwan’s opposition DPP has not recognized the validity of this bilateral agreement. But thanks to its confirmation at the November 2015 summit, even if the KMT loses power and the DPP takes the reins, the new government will be under pressure to accept it. But what is this 1992 Consensus?
The Significance of Reaffirming the 1992 Consensus
In 1991, the ROC revoked its Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of Communist Rebellion, under which the government had been authorized to suspend the constitution and mobilize the nation against the Communists. And in 1992 representatives of the ROC and PRC met in Hong Kong, where they reached an agreement that came to be called the 1992 Consensus. It was not announced at the time, however. A senior KMT legislator revealed it during the interim between the KMT’s defeat in the presidential election of March 2000 and the launch of a DPP administration in May of that year.
Under this consensus the two sides agreed on the “One China” principle, but according to the Taiwanese, the interpretation of this term is up to each side. The mainland, meanwhile, has not officially recognized this latter point. Also, the two sides use different terms to refer to the 1992 accord; the PRC calls it heyi (agreement), while the ROC calls it gongshi (consensus). And the posture of the government in Beijing changed after President Jiang Zemin (1989–2002) was succeeded by Hu Jintao (2002–12). Under the Jiang administration, Beijing denied Taipei’s assertion that “One China” was to be interpreted separately by each side. Under President Hu, by contrast, the mainland government shifted to a deliberately noncommittal stance of neither affirming nor denying this point.
At the November 2015 summit, it seems that President Xi carried on with the Hu administration’s stance—or perhaps moved closer to Taipei’s position on the matter. But the mainland authorities probably see it as a major accomplishment that they were able to display the 1992 Consensus once again as a cross-strait accord, and this development will place considerable pressure on the DPP in Taiwan.
President Ma’s Designs and the Future of the KMT
Why did President Ma seek to hold a summit with Xi at this juncture? For Beijing, as noted above, agreeing to the bilateral meeting seemed like a good way of promoting better cross-strait ties over the long term and, over the short term, of putting pressure on the DPP administration likely to be inaugurated in 2016. But for Ma the only plus was the prospect of leaving his name in the history of cross-strait relations. The summit seems to have had no benefit for his party, the KMT.
Ma did not go to China for the summit; it was held on the neutral ground of Singapore. And the two leaders split the bill for the meal and other expenses. In these respects Ma and Xi met as equals. And people in Taiwan appreciated these points. But the PRC handled the logistics and venue management, and Taiwanese dishes were absent from the menu, which featured specialties from the native regions of the PRC’s successive leaders.
So what does Ma see lying ahead now that the summit is behind him? As noted above, the January presidential election in Taiwan seems almost certain to produce a victory for the DPP’s Tsai Ing-wen over the KMT’s Eric Chu. The question is how the simultaneous election for the Legislative Yuan will go. The DPP is said to be leading on this front as well. Other, smaller parties are also expected to increase their numbers of seats, but in the context of what is basically a two-party system, the KMT will surely emerge as the second-largest force in the legislature. Ma is probably considering the prospects for the KMT in this position as the top opposition party.
The DPP administration expected to take office in May 2016 is likely to face rough going in relations with the mainland. And the KMT may well take advantage of its own cross-strait ties as a way of placing pressure on the DPP. In this context, the question of who manages these ties within the KMT will become important. Lien Chan, a former vice-president of the ROC, is currently responsible for the pipe between Taipei and Beijing, but he is getting on in years, and it is plausible to think that Ma, following his summit with Xi, aims to take over this responsibility.
Furthermore, if Eric Chu is defeated as expected in the upcoming presidential election, he is likely to step down from his post as chairman of the KMT. Ma may well seek to win back leadership of the party by overcoming the forces backing Wang Jin-pyng, the Taiwan-born-and-bred speaker of the Legislative Yuan. One can surmise that this sort of thinking was behind Ma’s decision to seek a summit with Xi when he did. But if the KMT does in fact try to use its ties to Beijing as a weapon against the DPP after the latter takes power next year, it runs the risk of being viewed as too “pro-China,” and a split might emerge within the KMT itself, with Wang Jin-pyng and his camp possibly breaking away from the party and regrouping with other political forces.
Implications for Japan
Trends in the relationship between the PRC and the ROC are extremely important for Japan, both in terms of national security and economically. So we must continue to place close heed to developments in cross-strait ties in the wake of the Xi-Ma summit.
Meanwhile, the fact that the two sides held this summit may well mean that Japan can and should reexamine some aspects of its policies toward China and toward Taiwan. For example, when Tokyo normalized diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1972, it recognized the PRC as the sole legal government of China and declared that it “fully understands and respects” the PRC’s claim that Taiwan is an inalienable part of its territory. For this reason, the handling of relations between Japan and Taiwan has been entrusted to a pair of “private” organs, the Interchange Association, Japan, and the Association of East Asian Relations.
Also, senior officials of government bodies like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense refrain from contacts with Taiwan, as do politicians in important posts. These and many other unwritten rules have been established over the four decades since the normalization of Japan’s relations with mainland China. But now the relationship between Taiwan and the mainland has changed greatly, to the point where they were even able to hold a bilateral summit. It seems to me that Japan should respond to this major change.
Other countries have taken sensitive moves. The organ that functions in lieu of a Japanese embassy in Taiwan is the Taipei office of the Interchange Association, Japan, and the director of this office serves in lieu of an ambassador. But South Korea’s de facto embassy is called the “Korean Mission in Taipei,” and its head is titled “representative.” Given the progress in cross-strait relations, Japan could well ease the level of the restraint that it has shown in consideration for Beijing in areas like this.
Though the November 2015 summit may not produce any immediate changes on the international political or security fronts, it does seem to present an important occasion for making administrative adjustments of this sort. In the current era of Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou, leaders who have held a cross-strait summit, surely we need not be bound by all the rules from the era of Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek. Japan can view the summit as offering an opportunity to upgrade or at least reexamine its own relationship with Taiwan.
(Originally written in Japanese on December 9, 2015.)

http://www.nippon.com/en/editor/f00035/

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 12 Jan 2016 19:13

http://focustaiwan.tw/news/asoc/201601120028.aspx
Taiwan foundation helps female burn victims in India

Taipei, Jan. 12 (CNA) A cooperative project between a Taipei-based foundation and an Indian non-government organization has assisted at least 500 female burn survivors in India, giving them access to physical and psychological rehabilitation services.

Under the three-year program that ended last December, the Taipei-based Sunshine Social Welfare Foundation worked with the International Foundation for Crime Prevention and Victim Care (PCVC), a Chennai-based NGO, to provide care to burn victims, prevent gender violence, and set up a recovery and healing center for female burn survivors.

A unique facility in Chennai, the recovery and healing center has treated more than 500 such survivors, offering physical and psychological services after hospitalization, the foundation said in a statement earlier this month.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 16 Jan 2016 07:36

Taiwan on verge of electing Tsai Ing-wen as first female president
http://www.straight.com/news/617651/tai ... -president

Tomorrow's Taiwanese presidential election could bring long-lasting changes to the island nation's political landscape.

Leading in the polls is Tsai Ing-wen, a Cornell- and London School of Economics-educated political science professor. She's the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate for the second time in four years.