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Forget Macedonia

Let's forget Macedonia. It is a country that should not be a country in the first place. It is a country that cannot even decide its own name but has to compromise with Yugoslavia, adding "The Former Yugoslavian Republic Of" in front of "Macedonia." Taiwan should not have established diplomatic relations with it in the first place. Macedonia will not survive economically or politically in the medium term. It is a country with divided Slav and Albanian populations. These are two different peoples, significantly different in terms of history, culture, color, and upbringing. Macedonia is a tiny, landlocked country without a sea port. The government, which has no administrative experience, is corrupt, inconsistent and bizarre.

Taiwanese should be proud of being Taiwanese and of living in conditions of relative affluence. Taiwan has sent an elite team of officials to Macedonia, including embassy staff, a

technical mission and others. They have been working professionally and industriously under adverse conditions. Unfortunately the support they have received from Taiwan's International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF), and others, has been poor at best.

Key executives from the ICDF have made no secret of the fact that they do not support the government, including the minister of foreign affairs. The focus of the ICDF is not in line with that of the foreign ministry, as is well known among Taiwan's diplomats. Worst of all, most of the key executives from the ICDF are arrogant, ineffective, lacking team spirit and strategically out of step with the foreign ministry. The cocky ICDF staff simply ignore the fact that they are funded by the Taiwan's taxpayers on behalf of the entire country. To take nothing away from the tremendous effort of our representatives in Macedonia, they are working under the conditions of a relationship, established by the previous government, which should not have been established in the first place.

Let's bite the bullet and admit the political fact that China's influence in the Balkan region will not evaporate whatever happens. Even if we put out the fire this time with additional taxpayers' money, another crisis is bound to follow before long.

Raymond Wu

Taipei

Cross-strait deadlock

Who is to be blamed for the continuing stalemate across the Taiwan Strait? Instead of pointing fingers at each other, let's do what Beijing continues to advocate: "examine his remarks and watch his deeds." Beijing knows what Taiwan wants and vice versa. But there are no points of convergence. The goals of the two sides are fundamentally different and irreconcilable.

The PRC's goal is to completely eliminate the ROC. It keeps claiming, "There is only one China, and Taiwan is part of China." Obviously, this was once true, but it is not the current reality. That's why China keeps trying so hard to sell its message. China advocates "one country, two systems" for unification purposes. The reality is two countries, two systems.

China is arrogant and hegemonic. It will continue to play a zero-sum game until Taiwan kowtows and submits. Its strategy is "capitulation first, dialogue later." Its tactic is to mix trade with politics. In contrast, Taiwan asks that they "engage in dialogue first, settle differences later" on the basis of parity, democracy and peace. Taiwan asks only for respect and recognition of the current reality. China replies with Stalinist power-play by suffocating Taiwan's diplomatic space and seeking to dwarf President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). So, who is the culprit and who the victim?

Yang Ji-charng

Columbus, Ohio
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