This Wednesday, Dr. Edwin Feulner and The Heritage Foundation are pleased to host John Chiang, vice chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT) Party in Taiwan. Chiang, the grandson of former President Chiang Kai-shek, will be discussing “Cross-Strait Relations After Taiwan’s 2012 Election,” an issue of heightened relevance given the re-election of President Ma Ying-jeou. You can RSVP by clicking here. First, however, hats off to Taiwan for the election. Dr. Feulner and Walter Lohman, director of Heritage’s Asian Studies Center, were both in Taiwan to witness the election first-hand. By all …
With the election of Ma Ying-jeou, Taiwan has once again demonstrated the maturity of its political processes. The successful conduct of Taiwan’s democratic elections reminds us that Taiwan is part of the growing group of states capable of undertaking peaceful elections as the means of effecting political transition and change. With his election, it is to be expected that President Ma will continue the various policies begun in his first administration, including deepening economic ties with the mainland through the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement mechanism. At the same time, it …
Former Governor Jon Huntsman (R–UT) was at The Heritage Foundation this week answering policy questions. In his talk, he emphasized budget discipline, tax reform, and education. He also made a powerful argument for free trade, stressing that we have vastly underused our international options in helping address economic challenges. There are many such options. One of them is to promote free trade with our friendliest and most important partners. The U.S. currently has three contrasting approaches to trade. The first is protectionism, which advocates government interference to take choices away …
During his confirmation hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee, Mark Lippert, nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs, was asked about the Administration’s decision to provide the Taiwan air force with only upgrades to its 20-year-old F-16 A/Bs rather than selling new F-16 C/Ds, as Taipei has requested. (It is important to note here that the F-16 C/D sale was to replace the obsolete F-5s and Mirage-2000s that are still in the Taiwan inventory rather than augment the current F-16 A/B fleet.) Stating that …
Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) visited Heritage this week to give the annual B.C. Lee lecture, focusing on the importance of American leadership in the Asia-Pacific region. After his speech, he sat down with us for a wide-ranging interview. When asked about President Obama’s handling of foreign policy, Lieberman described his performance as “mixed”: Because we were so focused after 9/11 on the threat of Islamic terrorism in the Middle East, I don’t think President [George W.] Bush got the credit he deserved for a dramatic improvement in our relationship with …
Yesterday, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R–FL) held the second hearing in the two-part “Why Taiwan Still Matters” series. These hearings, the first full committee hearings on Taiwan in 25 years, are a laudable step toward reminding the Obama Administration of Taiwan’s value as a partner and the American obligations under the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA). Recent steps taken by the Obama Administration have threatened to diminish that relationship. Most notably, the Administration denied Taiwan’s longstanding request for 66 F-16C/Ds, opting instead to retrofit and upgrade Taiwan’s aging …
Catching you up on clips, commentary and news of the day. Sign up for the daily email update from Scribe FACT CHECK: Are rich taxed less than secretaries? – Stephen Ohlechmacher, Associated Press Billionaire Backer Disputes Charges That Company Sought White House Help to Influence Testimony – James Rosen, FoxNews.com Afghanistan: Lessons in War and Peace-building for US – David Arnold, Voice of America Political Scandals Heat Up In Russia – Ariel Cohen, The National Interest Look what we’ve ‘made in Taiwan’ – Ed Feulner, The Washington Times EPA grants …
At the end of a series of closed-door briefings and meetings with the congressional committees of jurisdiction—after repeatedly admonishing all who would listen that its final decision wasn’t really final—the Obama Administration has finally stated its position on F-16 sales to Taiwan. It turns out that the Administration is, in fact, going to follow the very game plan that rumors had indicated since late in the spring: Upgrade Taiwan’s F-16 A/Bs (now 20 years old) as part of a new arms package, but not sell the island any F-16 C/Ds …
In an article entitled “China and US on Edge over Vote in Taiwan,” today’s Financial Times (FT) quotes a “senior US official” as saying Taiwan DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen “left us with distinct doubts about whether she is both willing and able to continue the stability in cross-Strait relations the region has enjoyed in recent years.” The article goes on to quote the official as saying that it was “far from clear…that she and her advisers fully appreciate the depth of (Chinese) mistrust of her motives and DPP aspirations.” …
Reports are now emerging that the Administration has decided to reject the sale of F–16 C/Ds to Taiwan, in advance of the Vice President’s trip to China. Instead, as a sop, the Administration has decided to go forward with upgrades of the F–16 A/Bs currently in Taiwan’s air force. What the Administration doesn’t address is how this package—upgrades but not new aircraft—meets Taiwan’s actual defense needs. The growth of the PLA Air Force (PLAAF), not only in advanced combat aircraft but in electronic warfare and support capabilities, as well as …
