Some won't fight for freedom
A true friend comes through when a friend is in need. As Richard Kagan points out, Taiwan recently honored 30 foreign human rights activists for their contributions to democracy and independence (Letters, Jan. 2, page 8). I would like to salute those true friends of the Taiwanese.
If Taiwan must defend itself alone, it will, as polls have indicated. Eighty percent of Taiwanese will fight if China invades Taiwan, and do not think the US will help.
Shame on the UN, shame on those who should have taken a stand, and will not, and those who would only pay lip service but do not put their words into action. The saying goes: "If one is lost, all is lost." Pity those who will allow liberty to be lost for all of us.
Kagan, Mike and Judy Thornberry and many others remind us that Taiwan will not be alone. Indeed, we shall overcome. The likes of Ma Ying-jeou (
Some say the hottest spot in hell is reserved for those who should have taken a position, and would not. For them I can only say: May God forgive them, for they know not what they do.
Chen Ming-chung
Chicago
Chen should not fear China
I couldn't agree more with the point Gerrit van der Wees makes in his editorial ("Instead of `five noes,' `three yeses,'" Jan. 2, page 8), that the conditions underpinning President Chen Shui-bian's (
I would like to add that these missiles are only a small part of China's strategy of swallowing Taiwan, and not even the most effective.
In fact, even if all the missiles were dismantled, the diplomatic embargo would be the weapon in China's arsenal that the Taiwanese would have to fear most.
Some Taiwanese might still believe that as long as they still have food on the table and as long as they still enjoy freedom, peace and stability, it doesn't matter that their own country is constantly humiliated and belittled by China in the international arena, or that their president is forbidden from visiting most countries.
But this idea is wrong: China's diplomatic embargo will also hurt Taiwan's economy, and the free trade agreements with other countries is the most obvious example. Without free trade agreements with either large countries, like the US and Japan, or large trading blocs, like the EU or ASEAN, Taiwan's economy will be held to ransom by the Chinese dictators, and will become just a second Hong Kong, with all the imaginable consequences.
This shows that the best way to defend Taiwan's status quo of de facto independence is to pursue de jure independence, and no matter how much the Chinese dictators huff and puff or how much the US or Japan choose to kowtow to China, Chen should not only go ahead with the planned referendum, but even better, he would widen its scope.
George Dukes
Sunderland, UK
Donald Trump’s return to the White House has offered Taiwan a paradoxical mix of reassurance and risk. Trump’s visceral hostility toward China could reinforce deterrence in the Taiwan Strait. Yet his disdain for alliances and penchant for transactional bargaining threaten to erode what Taiwan needs most: a reliable US commitment. Taiwan’s security depends less on US power than on US reliability, but Trump is undermining the latter. Deterrence without credibility is a hollow shield. Trump’s China policy in his second term has oscillated wildly between confrontation and conciliation. One day, he threatens Beijing with “massive” tariffs and calls China America’s “greatest geopolitical
On Sunday, 13 new urgent care centers (UCC) officially began operations across the six special municipalities. The purpose of the centers — which are open from 8am to midnight on Sundays and national holidays — is to reduce congestion in hospital emergency rooms, especially during the nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year. It remains to be seen how effective these centers would be. For one, it is difficult for people to judge for themselves whether their condition warrants visiting a major hospital or a UCC — long-term public education and health promotions are necessary. Second, many emergency departments acknowledge
US President Donald Trump’s seemingly throwaway “Taiwan is Taiwan” statement has been appearing in headlines all over the media. Although it appears to have been made in passing, the comment nevertheless reveals something about Trump’s views and his understanding of Taiwan’s situation. In line with the Taiwan Relations Act, the US and Taiwan enjoy unofficial, but close economic, cultural and national defense ties. They lack official diplomatic relations, but maintain a partnership based on shared democratic values and strategic alignment. Excluding China, Taiwan maintains a level of diplomatic relations, official or otherwise, with many nations worldwide. It can be said that
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) made the astonishing assertion during an interview with Germany’s Deutsche Welle, published on Friday last week, that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not a dictator. She also essentially absolved Putin of blame for initiating the war in Ukraine. Commentators have since listed the reasons that Cheng’s assertion was not only absurd, but bordered on dangerous. Her claim is certainly absurd to the extent that there is no need to discuss the substance of it: It would be far more useful to assess what drove her to make the point and stick so
RSS