… but taking provocative steps is not conducive to peace — the emphasis should be on dialogue and diplomacy.
Alan Romberg - Director of the East Asia Program at the Stimson Center - commenting on the Senkaku Island dispute and the role of Ma Ying-jeou, who, Romberg claims, driven by domestic politics, went beyond the suggestions and peace plan by “encouraging and praising” a flotilla of fishing and coast guard boats that approached the islands and became involved in a water- canon fight with Japanese vessels.
ROFL. Remember when the party line coming out of the Beltway was that DPP President Chen was being provocative and it was all Ma could talk about in the run up to the 2008 elections? How times change.
Could it be that the label ‘provocative’ is just attached to any Taiwanese President who has the gall to try and exercise some substantive foreign policy? Or is it more the case that calling Chen provocative was a China driven US strategic policy whereas calling Ma provocative stems from the fact that he did actually try to provoke the Japanese over the Senkakus whilst turning a blind eye to the actions and presence of the CCP vessels.
The truth is that Ma is provocative to someone almost every time he opens his mouth and that under this President there has been more radical change to the status quo in the last four years than in the entire twelve years before.
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alectointhunderland said:
Did you see the protest in front of 101 last Sunday about the Diaoyutai ?maybe 50 people with banners, the usual
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lettersfromtaiwan posted this
