The mythical mainland
I appreciate how you routinely refer to China as China and Taiwan as Taiwan, two separate and distinct countries, and that you do not erroneously refer to China as "mainland China" or "the mainland" -- as if Taiwan was in some way connected to it.
Hawaii has a mainland, it is true: the continental US. But Taiwan does not have a mainland, and your newspaper makes this perfectly clear, unlike the other English newspapers, magazines and wire services in Taipei.
I recently asked a friend of mine in Taipei, a well-educated Taiwanese publishing professional in his 50s, why he still refers to China as "mainland China" or "the mainland" in his daily speech in English -- he does -- and this is what he told me: "I use the term `the mainland' partly because that's what we Taiwanese say in our language -- dalu (大陸). When residents of Taiwan go across the Taiwan Strait, they say to each other in Chinese that they are going to dalu, or the 'mainland.' They don't say they are going to China. To the vast majority of the people on this island -- other than a small handful of pro-independence politicians -- the large territory west of Taiwan is the mainland, not a foreign country."
At this point my avuncular, white-haired friend almost lost me, but I held on, waiting for more words of wisdom.
He continued: "Try asking someone here, `Have you ever been to China?' and chances are that the person will stare at you in bewilderment. We never call it China in Mandarin. We always call it the mainland.
"In addition, the many young women from the mainland who married Taiwanese men in recent years are popularly referred to as `dalu xinniang,' (大陸新娘) or mainland brides. They are not really regarded as foreigners here."
I was beginning to understand his thinking. Then came his final lesson: "Taiwan is historically a part of China. This island is linguistically, culturally and ethnically related to the Chinese mainland. Our Constitution even states that the territory of the Republic of China includes the mainland, Hainan Island, Taiwan Island, and other small offshore islands. And that is why I will always continue to use the terms `the mainland' and `mainland China' in English when I speak to foreigners here. Do you think this is so wrong?"
I do think this is wrong. China is in no way any kind of mainland for Taiwan. China is the mainland for Hainan Island, yes, but not for Taiwan.
David Johnson
Taipei
Political correctness
Whatever nationality you might be, and whatever religious and/or political beliefs you might have, facts are facts.
China's claims to Taiwan are an absolute farce. And, even worse, a contradiction: as a Taiwanese you must have a passport when traveling to China. How grotesque is that?
Do I need identification when going from California to Hawaii or anywhere else within US territory?
I am a native German, but also an American since 1969, while my wife is a native Taiwanese from Changhua County, where we have lived now for five months.
Since our great country, America, wants to be always so politically correct, it's about time that they applied this to Taiwan.
Georg Woodman
Changhua
The conflict in the Middle East has been disrupting financial markets, raising concerns about rising inflationary pressures and global economic growth. One market that some investors are particularly worried about has not been heavily covered in the news: the private credit market. Even before the joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, global capital markets had faced growing structural pressure — the deteriorating funding conditions in the private credit market. The private credit market is where companies borrow funds directly from nonbank financial institutions such as asset management companies, insurance companies and private lending platforms. Its popularity has risen since
The Donald Trump administration’s approach to China broadly, and to cross-Strait relations in particular, remains a conundrum. The 2025 US National Security Strategy prioritized the defense of Taiwan in a way that surprised some observers of the Trump administration: “Deterring a conflict over Taiwan, ideally by preserving military overmatch, is a priority.” Two months later, Taiwan went entirely unmentioned in the US National Defense Strategy, as did military overmatch vis-a-vis China, giving renewed cause for concern. How to interpret these varying statements remains an open question. In both documents, the Indo-Pacific is listed as a second priority behind homeland defense and
In an op-ed published in Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said that Taiwan should not have to choose between aligning with Beijing or Washington, and advocated for cooperation with Beijing under the so-called “1992 consensus” as a form of “strategic ambiguity.” However, Cheng has either misunderstood the geopolitical reality and chosen appeasement, or is trying to fool an international audience with her doublespeak; nonetheless, it risks sending the wrong message to Taiwan’s democratic allies and partners. Cheng stressed that “Taiwan does not have to choose,” as while Beijing and Washington compete, Taiwan is strongest when
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰) are expected to meet this month in Paris to prepare for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). According to media reports, the two sides would discuss issues such as the potential purchase of Boeing aircraft by China, increasing imports of US soybeans and the latest impacts of Trump’s reciprocal tariffs. However, recent US military action against Iran has added uncertainty to the Trump-Xi summit. Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) called the joint US-Israeli airstrikes and the
RSS