International Relations

China

• Current Issues

• WTO

Current Issues

• China remains the political powerhouse of the region • China has made many strides towards a market economy

and improved international relations• Many issues still exist

– Undervalued Yuan– Labor practices– Trade imbalance

World Trade Organization Membership

1. Import and export policies• Tariff reductions • Antidumping and safeguards • Standards and inspection

2. Investment-related measures• Banking and Insurance

3. Local government developments• Pushing the requirements to the local

level

4. Rule of law• Intellectual property rights:

Pharmaceuticals, software

International Relations

China Taiwan

• History

• Roots of Conflict

• Call for Independence

• Current Conflict

China – Taiwan International Relations

• The two sides have been ruled separately since the Communists won a civil war and took over China in 1949

• Unification is a sacred goal for Chinese leaders. • Taiwanese consider Beijing's rulers to be

repressive and have been extremely reluctant to join the mainland

• Since the two sides split in 1949, their leaders have never met

Roots of Conflict

• 1949 Communists won a civil war and took over China – Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek withdrew to Taiwan,

with two million refugees, vowing the reclaim the mainland.

– The conflict reached such a point that Chiang imposed a "perpetual" martial law over the island for the next 38 years.

• 1950 Outbreak of the Korean War – U.S. President Harry S. Truman ordered the 7th Fleet

into the Taiwan Strait to prevent possible Chinese attack on the island.

– The U.S. considered Taiwan a buffer against communist expansion in Asia and provided the island money and military supplies.

Call for Independence

• During the 1960s some native Taiwanese, upset by the rule of the mainland minority, began to call for independence from China. – Focus shifted from reclaiming the mainland to developing the island

• 1971 - the United Nations expelled Taipei's nationalist government in favor of Beijing's. – Eight years later, the United States formally recognized the People's

Republic of China, severing official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, now under the rule of Chiang's son, Chiang Ching-kuo.

– America accepted Beijing's "one China" mandate and abandoned its defense pact with the island.

Call for Independence

• 1990 - The Taiwanese National Assembly elected Chiang Ching-kuo to a full six-year term

• 1996 - Tensions in the Taiwan Straits reached a new level when China test fired missiles in March. – Many in Taiwan said the mainland was trying to

influence voting in the election by the show of force.

– The U.S. responded by sending warships to the straits, in what would become the largest show of naval force since the Vietnam War.

– The elections went forward as planned and Lee decisively won a second term.

• 1997 - As Britain prepared to return control of Hong Kong to China, Taiwan conducted live military exercises in the Straits. – The United States began shipping fighter jets to

Taiwan that year

Current Conflict

• 2000 election – Separation at heart of Taiwanese election

– Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji threatened "bloodshed" if the Taiwanese voters "acted on impulse."

– Despite threats, Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party was elected president

– Chen has pushed for a sovereign "Republic of Taiwan," but said he will not declare independence unless Taiwan comes under military attack

• 2005 – China passes “anti-separation” law– Formalizes principles of "peaceful unification" and "one country, two systems," in

strict adherence to the so-called "one China" principle.• Taiwanese publicly denounce law

– President - “Taiwan's sovereignty belongs to the 23 million people of Taiwan; and only the 23 million people of Taiwan may decide to change the future of Taiwan”

– Hundreds of thousands Taiwanese marched on the capital in Taipei in protest of the law

Current Conflict

Video describing the current conflict

International Relations

China Hong Kong

China – Hong Kong International Relations

• Occupied by the UK in 1841, Hong Kong was formally ceded by China the following year

• Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and the UK on 19 December 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on 1 July 1997

• China has promised that, Hong Kong will remain under its "one country, two systems" formula for at least 50 years

International Relations

Japan

History

World War I resulted in victory and financial prosperity for Japan

World War II resulted in a devastating situation as Japan lost the war and then found itself in a deeply troubled economic situation

In 1951 Japan signed the Treaty of Peace and began down a track of becoming a peaceful nation

Japan is considered a major economic power in the world today and has diplomatic relations with nearly all independent nations and is an active member of the United Nations

International Relations

Japan China

Japan – China International Relations

• There has been a turbulent history between these two nations

• Japan defeated China in a war in 1894 and gained control over Southern Manchuria

• In 1931 Japan invaded China on a quest to conquer more territory. This invasion lasted 14 years until 1945. Certain periods of the invasion were characterized with brutal torturing and murders against the Chinese which has been a great source of hostility between the countries.

History

Japan – China International Relations• Signed a peace and friendship treaty in 1978

• China & Japan have substantial economic ties

• Two countries harbor bad feelings as a result of– World War II History– Territorial Disputes– 11/04 Incursion of a Chinese nuclear submarine • China has great resentment over Japan’s military invasion during the 1930’s & 40’s

• China is angered by annual visits of the Japanese Prime Minister to a shrine that honors Japan’s war criminals which has resulted in virtually a stop between mutual visits by the two countries leaders since 2001

• China is also frustrated by Japan’s interference in China’s relations with Taiwan

International Relations

North Korea South Korea

• History

• Nuclear Tension

• Human Rights

History

• 1910 – 1945 Japanese colonial over Korea– Efforts to eliminate Korean language and

culture

• Korea divided following WWII– North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic

of Korea) under Soviet Union trusteeship– South Korea (Republic of Korea) under US

trusteeship

• June 25, 1950 North Korea invaded South Korea– 3 year conflict involving US, China and 16

member coalition– Creation of Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

• Reunification efforts in ‘70s and ’80s– Bombing of South Korean commercial aircraft

Nuclear Tensions

• 1991: both North and South Korea signed The Basic Agreement and Joint Declaration on denuclearization

• 1994: US and North Korea signed Agreed Framework, outlining nuclear weapons restrictions

• 2002: Discovery of North Korean uranium enrichment program for nuclear weapons – North Korean explanation: provide itself with a deterrent force in the

face of US threats and the US’s “hostile policy”

Nuclear Tensions

• 2003 – 2004: Series of multilateral talks– Six party talks involving US, China, South

Korea, Japan and Russia

– Goal: reach settlement through diplomatic means

• Since June 2004, North Korea has refused to continue talks

• China’s role– Historical ally and provider of food and energy aid to North Korea– Wants to avoid a North Korean collapse, which would result in refugees

“spilling across the border”

• BBC news clip (March 19, 2005)– http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4363397.stm#

Human Rights Issues

• North Korea considered to have the worst human right record ever– Satellite photos how prison camps– 150,000 – 200,000 political prisoners

• China response– UN 1951 convention on refugees and 1967

protocol– Government claims refugees are “economic

migrants”– Refugees returned where they face torture and

imprisonment

• US response– October 2004 President Bush signed North

Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 (NKHRA)