Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

New Chinese subs raise questions

Taipei Times

Recent media interest about new types of submarines being developed by the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) could provide important clues about China’s naval capabilities and intentions, a specialist on China said in a recent article.

“Whereas the development and deployment of the Chinese navy’s surface fleet have been prominently displayed in unprecedented scale in recent naval exercises both in the South and East China Sea, the expansion of China’s subsurface fleet appears to have been slowed in recent years,” Russell Hsiao, editor of the China Brief, a publication of the US-based Jamestown Foundation, wrote in the publication’s latest edition.

Protesters demonstrate for Taiwan’s admittance to UN

Taipei Times

Dozens of protesters yesterday marched in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, calling for an end to China’s opposition to Taiwan’s entry into the UN.

Marking Taiwan UN Day, an annual occasion started in 2007, participants in the protest said they wanted to see the Taiwanese public unite on the issue to put an end to Taiwan’s “international orphanage.”

Sovereignty spat spills to film festival

Taipei Times

A-list movie stars about to make a grand entrance at the prestigious Tokyo International Film Festival became the latest victims of turbulent cross-strait relations on Saturday after both the Taiwanese and Chinese delegations missed the star--studded ceremony amid a spat over names.

Despite spending days preparing for the 11-day event, Taiwanese actors and actresses failed to reach the eco-friendly “green carpet” after a Chinese delegation insisted that the Taiwanese group add the word “China” to their country’s name.

Ma’s fight with AP not at the heart of the issue

Lai I-chung 賴怡忠

In recent days, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has had another fight with The Associated Press (AP) over whether he will enter into political talks with China if he is re-elected in 2012. Ma remains adamant that he never made any statement to the effect that he was planning such a move if re-elected and he insisted that it was all a misunderstanding by the AP reporter. Ma even demanded that AP offer an apology. However, regardless of whether AP eventually folds under mounting political pressure, the press release issued by the Presidential Office shows that the AP’s conclusion is based on fact.

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