Contrary to his image as a humble and gentle politician, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
In a city government meeting on disaster relief on Monday, Ma reminded city officials and military personnel to prepare for a Chinese military invasion. He seems to believe that tensions across the Taiwan Strait still exist and that Taipei, especially the Chungchen and Hsinyi districts, would be the primary targets of a Chinese attack in case of war.
Then, in a newspaper article published yesterday, Ma wrote that he had opposed the central government telling the public that holding a referendum and enacting a new constitution are universal values, as well as ways to love Taiwan and support democracy. In his article, Ma stressed that "Taiwan indepen-dence, referendums and writing a new constitution" have gradually evolved into a new holy trinity -- an infallible moral cult that cannot be challenged.
Why did Ma only mentioned the Chungcheng and Hsinyi districts while leaving out the Ta-an District, where many government officials reside? He also omitted other military districts that are equipped with the ability to counter a Chinese attack.
Moreover, aren't referendums and writing a new constitution universal values endorsed by democratic societies? Why are these two necessarily jointed with Taiwan independence? While Ma reproached the green camp for labelling others at will, he should not couple Taiwan independence -- a unique political ideal -- with the universal values of referendum and writing a new constitution. If the new holy trinity was really an infallible moral cult, as Ma has claimed, how could he question it himself?
Ma's argument reflects that many blue-camp leaders have yet to overcome the frustration of losing the election; they appear dazed and confused. They are still threatening Taipei residents by claiming that China may attack Taiwan by force if the green camp continues to rule. They cannot see the potential crises that may occur during the inauguration.
Not only have some people publicly vowed to assassinate President Chen Shui-bian (
Looking at the logic Ma has used, it is clear that he's still looking back at those unpleasant days in the past, and has forgotten about protecting the important national event in front of him. Democratic rule of law is the basis for this nation to survive. It surpasses the interest of any one political party. If the presidential inauguration is ruined, Ma's political career will also be ruined. Is this want he wants?
When US budget carrier Southwest Airlines last week announced a new partnership with China Airlines, Southwest’s social media were filled with comments from travelers excited by the new opportunity to visit China. Of course, China Airlines is not based in China, but in Taiwan, and the new partnership connects Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport with 30 cities across the US. At a time when China is increasing efforts on all fronts to falsely label Taiwan as “China” in all arenas, Taiwan does itself no favors by having its flagship carrier named China Airlines. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is eager to jump at
The muting of the line “I’m from Taiwan” (我台灣來欸), sung in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese), during a performance at the closing ceremony of the World Masters Games in New Taipei City on May 31 has sparked a public outcry. The lyric from the well-known song All Eyes on Me (世界都看見) — originally written and performed by Taiwanese hip-hop group Nine One One (玖壹壹) — was muted twice, while the subtitles on the screen showed an alternate line, “we come here together” (阮作伙來欸), which was not sung. The song, performed at the ceremony by a cheerleading group, was the theme
Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised eyebrows recently when he declared the era of American unipolarity over. He described America’s unrivaled dominance of the international system as an anomaly that was created by the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War. Now, he observed, the United States was returning to a more multipolar world where there are great powers in different parts of the planet. He pointed to China and Russia, as well as “rogue states like Iran and North Korea” as examples of countries the United States must contend with. This all begs the question:
In China, competition is fierce, and in many cases suppliers do not get paid on time. Rather than improving, the situation appears to be deteriorating. BYD Co, the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer by production volume, has gained notoriety for its harsh treatment of suppliers, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability. The case also highlights the decline of China’s business environment, and the growing risk of a cascading wave of corporate failures. BYD generally does not follow China’s Negotiable Instruments Law when settling payments with suppliers. Instead the company has created its own proprietary supply chain finance system called the “D-chain,” through which
RSS