If the pan-blue zealots are going to continue to accuse President Chen Shui-bian (
If the pan-blues are going to vaguely accuse Chen of "dirty tricks" and "betraying democracy," I would like to point out that most of my Taiwanese friends have in fact witnessed vote-buying in this election. I have heard of NT$500 gifts for attending Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rallies, offers of free food for KMT votes -- and one friend, who was a pan-blue supporter, explaining how shocked she was when a KMT representative arrived at her company to deliver NT$120,000 to the general manager, money explicitly in exchange for votes.
No wonder KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
I don't need to back up my claims, so I will continue.
The second part of my conspiracy theory is simply that Lien and Soong are trying to ride the collapsing crest of a coup attempt. Had they managed to sustain chaos in the streets and retained their moderate supporters, they seem to have been hoping for a "people's coup," while they waited in the wings to "restore order" by popular demand in the stead of a weakened president, thus saving the country. This would explain Lien and Soong's changing demands and accusations as well as the mixed messages coming from the thuggish legislators on the street. If they can fan the flames the fire may spread.
They may also be jealous of Chen's clean image and after four years of looking for scandal behind every corner, the pan-blues could not wait for Chen any longer.
Although my conspiracies are not as elaborate or dramatic as those proposed by Lien and Soong, they may be more plausible. After seeing how willingly some voters believe everything they hear, I know a bridge in Pingtung that's for sale.
A.D. Kerslake
Seattle, Washington
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) were born under the sign of Gemini. Geminis are known for their intelligence, creativity, adaptability and flexibility. It is unlikely, then, that the trade conflict between the US and China would escalate into a catastrophic collision. It is more probable that both sides would seek a way to de-escalate, paving the way for a Trump-Xi summit that allows the global economy some breathing room. Practically speaking, China and the US have vulnerabilities, and a prolonged trade war would be damaging for both. In the US, the electoral system means that public opinion
In their recent op-ed “Trump Should Rein In Taiwan” in Foreign Policy magazine, Christopher Chivvis and Stephen Wertheim argued that the US should pressure President William Lai (賴清德) to “tone it down” to de-escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait — as if Taiwan’s words are more of a threat to peace than Beijing’s actions. It is an old argument dressed up in new concern: that Washington must rein in Taipei to avoid war. However, this narrative gets it backward. Taiwan is not the problem; China is. Calls for a so-called “grand bargain” with Beijing — where the US pressures Taiwan into concessions
The term “assassin’s mace” originates from Chinese folklore, describing a concealed weapon used by a weaker hero to defeat a stronger adversary with an unexpected strike. In more general military parlance, the concept refers to an asymmetric capability that targets a critical vulnerability of an adversary. China has found its modern equivalent of the assassin’s mace with its high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) weapons, which are nuclear warheads detonated at a high altitude, emitting intense electromagnetic radiation capable of disabling and destroying electronics. An assassin’s mace weapon possesses two essential characteristics: strategic surprise and the ability to neutralize a core dependency.
Chinese President and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Chairman Xi Jinping (習近平) said in a politburo speech late last month that his party must protect the “bottom line” to prevent systemic threats. The tone of his address was grave, revealing deep anxieties about China’s current state of affairs. Essentially, what he worries most about is systemic threats to China’s normal development as a country. The US-China trade war has turned white hot: China’s export orders have plummeted, Chinese firms and enterprises are shutting up shop, and local debt risks are mounting daily, causing China’s economy to flag externally and hemorrhage internally. China’s