Good morning. You're listening to the Cato Daily Podcast for Wednesday, March 7th. I'm your host Anastasia Yuglova.

Taiwan has been in the news recently over President Chen Shri Bion's calls for independence from China and for the drafting of a new

constitution among other things. As if that's not enough to raise eyebrows Taiwan

has successfully tested a cruise missile capable of hitting mainland China.

Is it time to worry about escalating tensions in the Far East?

Cato's Vice President for Foreign and Defence Policy Studies Ted Gail and Carpenter is here

with comments.

Recently Taiwan's president Chen Shribyan has made some very controversial remarks.

Specifically he called for Taiwanese independence and I quote, Taiwan is a country whose sovereignty lies outside

the People's Republic of China. Comments Ted? This is part of Chen's continuing

drive to enhance a separate Taiwanese identity distinct from China.

He has done a number of things in addition to his rather combative statements.

For example, he has ordered changes in the names of state-owned corporations, eliminating the word

China substituting the word Taiwan,

earlier measures included things such as putting the name Taiwan on

passports of the Republic of China, which is Taiwan's official name.

This is all very disconcerting to Beijing because the leaders on the mainland regard Taiwan

as rightfully Chinese territory and that this is simply unfinished

business from the Civil War at the end of the 1940s. What Chen is trying to do

is to make it clear that Taiwan is rightfully a separate country

and he's going to press for recognition by the United Nations as a separate country.

Well, didn't he run in 2000 on promises not to move towards independence if China did not threaten the use of force?

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