Xi administration

Few Surprises in 20th National Congress Comments on Taiwan by Xi

Brian Hioe
Comments by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the start of the Chinese Communist Party’s 20th National Congress highlighted Taiwan as an issue that he intends to address, as part of his political mandate ahead of what is expected to be a third term in office. Xi is expected to be confirmed for an unprecedented third term at the 20th National Congress, with the limit on the number of term limits that a Chinese leader can serve having been undone at the 19th National Congress in 2018. The 20th National Congress began on Sunday and is expected to last for several days...
Cross StraitEnglishInternationalOctober 20226 min read

Biden Comments on Taiwan Commitment Again Walked Back, but Likely to Be Interpreted as of Greater Significance

Brian Hioe
Earlier today, US president Joe Biden confused again with comments on CBS’ “60 Minutes” that suggested US commitment to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack. Subsequently, as with previous such incidents in which Biden indicated US commitment to defend Taiwan, these comments were quickly walked back by the White House, which stated that US policy on Taiwan had not changed...
EnglishInternationalPoliticsRegional TensionsSeptember 20227 min read

Where Does Taiwan Stand Regarding the Ukraine Crisis?

Brian Hioe
Since a provocative speech by Russian president Vladimir Putin earlier this week, one has seen a number of comparisons between Ukraine and Taiwan circulating in the media. In Putin’s speech, he declared that he did not view Ukraine as qualifying to be a nation-state but as an entity that had been created by the Soviet Union, while also stating that Russia would on the other hand acknowledge separatist-controlled regions in Donetsk and Luhansk. It may not be surprising, then, that there have been comparisons made to Taiwan, or reflection upon how this affects Taiwan...
EnglishFebruary 2022InternationalRegional Tensions11 min read

Xi and Biden Meet in Virtual Summit Over Taiwan, Other Issues

Brian Hioe
US president Joe Biden met with Chinese president Xi Jinping today in a virtual meeting. This was one of the most high-profile meetings between the leaders of the world’s two superpowers since Biden took office, with Xi having not left China in around two years. As a result, Xi was not in attendance at the COP26 summit on global carbon emissions, something that was criticized by Biden. The meeting took place on what was Tuesday morning in China and Monday evening in the US...
EnglishInternationalNovember 2021Regional Tensions7 min read

Why Does China Hope to Accomplish Through Deploying Fighter Planes in the Taiwan Straits?

Brian Hioe
Two Chinese J-11 fighter aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Straits at 11 AM yesterday morning, provoking strong reactions from within Taiwan and prompting the Taiwanese air force to mobilize five fighter planes in response. The incident was a break from precedent, seeing as while Chinese regularly fields planes in the Taiwan Straits, they do not usually cross the median line of the Taiwan Straits...
April 2019Cross StraitEnglishInternational6 min read

Recent Actions by China Likely Retribution for Huawei Arrest

Brian Hioe
Recent actions by the Chinese government against the governments of America and Canada are highly likely to be retribution for the current detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Canada at America’s behest, with Meng set to eventually be extradited to America. This includes the detention of Canadian ex-diplomat Michael Kovrig in China, the detention of Canadian entrepreneur Michael Spavor, and the banning of most iPhone models from sale in China on intellectual property grounds....
EnglishNovember 2018Politics7 min read

Arrest of Huawei Executive Results in Resumption of US-China Trade Tensions, Stock Market Crash

Brian Hioe
A surprise development in US-China trade relations has been the arrest of Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou in Canada. Meng is slated to be deported to the US on charges of violating sanctions, with allegations that Huawei sold goods to Iran in knowing violation of trade sanctions. Does this mean that the US-China trade war is back on? The results of the arrest were immediate, with the Dow Jones crashing 800 points in its fourth-largest drop in history...
December 2018EnglishPolitics5 min read