China Taiwan reconciliation – A handshake that was 66 years late

What was meant to be a private meeting between the leaders of China and Taiwan turned out to be the main event in President Xi Jinping’s agenda in his official state visit to Singapore. There were many agreements and MOUs to sign at the Istana between Singapore and China, speeches at NUS and other programmes, but all turned out to be sideshows. More than 600 media representatives congregated at the Shangri La Hotel in eager anticipation of something big or at least a historical event would unfold after the meeting and that they would not want to miss it.

China and Taiwan were technically still at war after the KMT govt fled the mainland after a long fought civil war. No peace agreement was signed since that eventful day in 1949 and both sides officially were not on speaking terms, diplomatically. A meeting of the two leaders was undiplomatic despite the strong and multi faceted relations of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits. China is the biggest trading partner of Taiwan and the growth engine driving the Taiwanese economy. But the leaders are not meant to be speaking to each other in public or in an official capacity.

Earlier media reports on the meeting between Xi and Ma was also supposed to be a hush hush private affair and no press statement was expected from the meeting. The dramatic turn of events when both leaders appeared and shaking hands in front of the media of the world, giving off their warmest handshake and smiles were signs that the meeting went off very well, at least better than expected.

The 66 years late handshake was followed by a press conference held separately by China and Taiwan. In the case of China, only 3 questions were accepted and the press conference ended quickly. In the case of Taiwan, it was like China acquiescing to Taiwan’s request for more space in the world stage, a full panel of Taiwanese officials led by Ma Ying Jeou faced the media and took more than a dozen questions from the crowded floor.

What was significant in this meeting was the sincerity and accommodating spirits of both sides to move forward and pave the way for closer cooperation and reconciliation. The only principle that China held on and shared by Taiwan is that there is one China as agreed in the 1992 Communique. The mood was positive and earnest and China made several concessions and goodwill gestures to accommodate Taiwan both in creating space and also in welcoming Taiwan to participate in joint ventures and other Chinese initiatives.

China now welcomes Taiwan’s membership in the AIIB that it objected earlier. Taiwan is also welcomed to participate in the New Silk Road project. A hot line would be established for the two sides and more space for Taiwan in the international scene as long as the One China Principle is abided by. The other concerns by Taiwan like interference in Taiwanese Presidential election and Chinese missiles pointing at Taiwan were also addressed. China officially said that it would not interfere in the Presidential Election and that the missiles were not targeted at Taiwan. The missile myth was a mischievous red herring created to stir up fear of China as it was not necessary to point the missiles at any country to mean that it was targeting that country, not forgetting that there are many hostile aircraft carriers at sea.

Ma Ying Jeou got his assurance from China that both sides would pursue peace and stability through negotiation and to cooperate for the future generations of the Chinese civilization on both sides of the Straits. The press conferences were testimonies that both China and Taiwan are positive about moving forward together under the One China Principle. Though reunification was still an issue left to the future generations, there is at least some closure and assurance that there are common grounds and objectives to work together for the good of the Chinese civilization.

China and Taiwan are one family. The two siblings have agreed to remove the hostilities of the past and to sit together for a meal and to work together as members of a family. The cordiality and optimism of both leaders could not be missed by all present at the press conferences and both leaders would return home with a sense of achievement that this is another milestone in the reconciliation process.

It was a story with a good ending.

My article in China Daily

A little commercial.

China Daily has accepted me as a contributor and here is the link to my maiden post on China Vietnam relations, www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2015-11/07/content_22396783.htm

The PAP flip flop

Flip flop or flip flopping is a term associated with the opposition parties. It is a tag attached to them by the PAP for changing their policy stance every now and than as claimed by the PAP. How true is this charge depends on what one drinks or where one is coming from. The opposition parties also accused the PAP of flip flopping, of changing its policies or using the opposition’s recommendations or proposals and claimed as PAP’s original. Again whether this is true of false depends on the water one drinks.

Generally flip flopping is seen as a negative light and used in that way by both sides. There are many instances of PAP flip flopping as well. Look at the housing policies, the education policies, the foreign talent or worker policies, the flip flopping are obvious. Whether these flip flopping are good or bad, that is again subjective.

Lately there is a new kind of flip flopping introduced by the PAP that is positive in nature. This is the flip flopping of ministerial appointments. The management gurus will call this training by exposing the person to different jobs, in the process of grooming the person for higher appointments. Job rotation is good for the young turks being handpicked to be the next PMs.

In some cases these job rotations are also called musical chairs for good or bad reasons. If an incumbent is not performing, shift him out or put him into less stressful jobs. The positive flip flopping is synonymous with the name Khaw Boon Wan. This magical wan is PAP’s trump card to be flipflopped whenever there is trouble. The flipping of this magical wan is positive flip flopping, to solve a tough problem when on one else is capable of solving.

Khaw Boon Wan is the PAP’s flip flop king, the magical wan. Let’s see where and when would he be flipped to again. There are many ministries that are waiting for Hsien Loong to move the magical wan to, MOH, NEA, MAS, hopefully not MOE.  MOE cannot be flip flopping every time there is a change of minister. Don’t ‘main main’ with the future of our children.  Boon Wan should look into the finance industry, in particular the stock market. It is on the road to finito.

Hsien Loong must be very grateful to have this magic wan in his armoury.

The wickedness of the evil American Empire exposed

All those silly Asians that still believed in the goodness of the Great White God must watch this short video on the evil intent of the Americans in the Middle East. (Watch "Putin Killing ISIS" on YouTube - https://youtu.be/Dg9TqwlbB_w).  If the content of this short video still cannot wake you up from your stupidity, nothing else would and you can go on living with your fantasy.

The clip is produced by Infowars.com on the origins of ISIS. But that is what everyone knows, even the incorrigible believers of the Great White God know. What they did not know is the real objective of the Americans in creating, arming and supporting the ISIS. The removing of Assad is only a side distraction. The real intent and purpose of ISIS are to keep the Middle Eastern countries in perpetual warfare, to be bogged down in warfare in a pathetic struggle of self destruction. It would keep the Arabs/Muslims fighting and killing themselves and with the Americans and the western powers, particularly the Brits, supporting and selling all the weapons they need to keep the weapons merchants very happy and their military industrial complex very busy.

And all the hypocritical senators and congressmen in Washington, the infamous John McCain, knew how the game is being played. The Americans have no interest in wanting to wipe out the ISIS. And they are furious that Putin is doing such an effective job destroying the ISIS that they are now arming the ISIS and the so called anti Assad rebels with weapons to shoot at Russian planes attacking them. The British RAF has also been given the permission to shoot at the Russian planes.

The whole game plan was not just about regime change, but about creating instability and continuous warfare in the Middle East and to profit from the slaughtering of the Arabs and Muslims by the western forces or among themselves. This is the evil plan but unfortunately the Arabs and Muslims are falling for it and happily, furiously and passionately killing each other with gusto.

View the video clip and ask yourself what is really going on. The same game plan is going to be replicated in Asia, particularly in South East Asia. Who would be the ‘ISIS’ to do the dirty job for the Americans? The daft Pinoys are very eager to take on this role, but the good thing is that they will behave like weasels and could only make noise and have no bite. The Americans have been agitating the Vietnamese and even the Malaysians and Indonesians to be their henchmen, to go start a war and get themselves killed in the process and to be heavily indebted to the Americans. So far none of them is taking the bait. Why would they want to send their people to kill or be killed to benefit the Americans?

Then there is the very dangerous Abe at the door waiting to swing into action. Now this is a really dangerous animal and very difficult to deal with. And he wants to con the South Koreans into this silly and deadly game too. The only hope is for the Japanese themselves to rein in this wild beast in Abe and his yakuza and prevent them from dragging Japan into another world war. This time Japan will be annihilated by the combined forces of China, Russia and the two Koreas. Abe and the Americans still believe that the Koreans are stupid and can be manipulated to kill themselves because the Americans and the Japanese will it so.

The rest of the South East Asians are starting to get to see the true picture especially the Indonesians and the Malaysians. They would not want to become the Arabs/Muslims of South East Asia and be caught in an unending warfare that they did not know why or how they got involved.

For the silly believers of the Great White God in the little Red Dot, they can keep on believing in the Americans as the God of wholesome goodness and can do no evil.

Watch the clip. It is only 11 minutes, and wise up to the evilness of the Americans and their wicked schemes. Remove your blinkers and save your own skin and the skin of your fellow country men and women. Do yourself a favour.

Has the Singapore Govt gone mad?

An article in the TRE quoted The Telegraph Calcutta with this report, ‘By K P Nayar, New Delhi: The government of Singapore will regulate its citizens’ access to a Madison Square Garden-style reception for Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the massive 100,000sqm, column-free arena of Singapore Expo on November 24.’

Why would Singapore allow a foreign leader to stage such a huge rally here? Who is going to foot the bill for crowd control? Would Singapore also allow Xi Jinping to do the same, or Najib or Jokowi or any other foreign leaders after this incident?  What is the Singapore Govt thinking? Is this a proper thing to do? Is this the new normal, for foreign leaders to address their citizens in this hotel? Would there be Indian flags flying all over the venue and turn it into an Indian Independence Day Celebration? Would Aquino also want to have one here since there are so many Pinoys in the hotel? They tried but aborted last year in the face of public outcry.

Even before this event is held, the move to restrict Singapore citizens of Indian origin to attend is receiving criticisms from India and would likely to get the same from the Indian community here. And not to pour cold water on it, what if the crowd turn delirious and rowdy and run wild?

Just thinking, can any national leader come to this hotel to stir nationalism and national pride in a large gathering of their citizens?

What do you think?