Symphony

Asia has a bigger problem now: A Beijing spy investigation. This could tip the balance in the US military favor because the Western public doesn’t like Beijing spies. Beijing is unlikely to back down. Even in online gaming, the Chinese have trouble knowing when they are losing. They are also easy to provoke on accident.

The official “story” is that Taiwan may have gotten rid of a Beijing spy. But it gets deeper and harrier, with flashbacks to Blagojevich’s self-defense in Illinois, along with two main questions: Who helped him and why did only one person resign?

Whether it was intentional, no one helped the supposed “spy” (Chang 張顯耀) more than Taiwan’s Nationalist party (KMT). Top government leaders enacted and proposed agreement after agreement with China that encouraged secret talks between Beijing and Taiwan’s government. Spies love secrecy every bit as much as the KMT does.

Why did only one head roll?  · · · →

Israel disappeared from Taiwan’s headlines while Iraq takes the new spotlight. It couldn’t last forever and, after more than a month of Taiwan learning about Israel every day, it doesn’t need to continue.

China, South Korea, and the US are angry that Japanese ministers visited their own Japanese war memorial. Should this be interpreted as the world having newfound permission to complain about what China, South Korea, and the US do within their own borders? At least China should mind any more if the US and South Korea criticize Beijing’s own internal policy.

More trouble in Taiwan with rain and explosions, though not as big as the Kaohsiung blast that shook the controlling “Nationalist” party from China.

And now, the Pope pipes-in.

Pope sends message to Beijing as China bars Catholics from attending South Korea event

Pope beatifies 124 in Seoul, praises faithful

At Least 10 Injured After Police Fire on Tibetan Protesters

Who’s Waving Those CCP Flags (and Beating People Up) at Taipei 101?  · · · →

“Introspection”—The escalation went underground this week as nations look inside themselves. It all began August 1. A gas line explosion in Taiwan could change politics forever. Earthquake, a factory explosion, protests, and anti-Muslim laws in China. Manila finally jails the 12 Chinese fisherman who entered Pilipino seas and ran aground the 400-year-old reef. Ebola scare in Hong Kong—false alarm that woke up the region. Hong Kong’s discussions in democracy introduce Jimmy Lai’s funding of the recent “Vote”, the Vatican gets involved, and the police are pitted against “Occupy Central”. Motives for Chinese “Air Defense Zones” are analyzed as pointing to Taiwan. And, once again, China’s aircraft carrier is discovered to be even more vulnerable.

Kerry and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, jounst fingers at each other. Kerry was 30 minutes late to a meeting. Again, Chinese PR FAIL… Friends don’t care about 30 minutes of tardiness and we always bring our biggest complaints first.  · · · →