China
Taiwan + CMIM + Anta + FDP + Competition + Emissions Trading
Dear reader,
"If we have to defend ourselves to the last day, we will defend ourselves to the last day," Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu warned Beijing last week. Wu accused China of relying on both reconciliation attempts and military intimidation – sending "contradictory signals".
The inhabitants of Taiwan are not only used to rhetorical saber-rattling around their homeland, China repeatedly sends jets into the airspace of the offshore island republic. However, the military aircraft the People's Republic has recently sent towards Taiwan is making the people there nervous. Felix Lee analyses the situation and the reasons for Beijing's aggressive actions, in which the US also plays a role.
Influences from the United States also have implications for Asia's regional financial safety net: Frank Sieren explains the new changes within the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation (CMIM), which aims to deal with short-term regional liquidity problems without having to immediately call on the US-dominated International Monetary Fund (IMF) for help.
