When Taiwan's representative office in Britain issued a new passport and documents authorizing real estate transfers to Yeh Hsiu-chen (葉秀貞), the wife of Andrew Wang (汪傳浦), who is wanted for his involvement in the Lafayette scandal, it caused a political storm.
The entire country is now wondering how such a mistake could occur, not once, but twice.
Pan-blue legislators have raised tough questions that suggested the scandal was not just a mistake, and the Taiwan Solidarity Union's (TSU) legislative caucus has reported the issue to the Control Yuan, asking it to investigate the officials handling the matter: Tien Hung-mao (田弘茂), Taiwan's representative to Britain, and former foreign minister Eugene Chien (簡又新). TSU Legislator Chen Chien-ming (陳建銘) has pointed out that liability for administrative negligence among foreign affairs staff should also be investigated, as well as whether collusion between officials and business leaders was involved. Chen also demanded that the government review the role of civil servants and whether illegal practices still exist.
At this time, there is no concrete proof of collusion between Wang and people inside or outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, given the political integrity of those involved, the ramifications could be damaging.
For example, before becoming foreign minister, Chien had to resign from his post as transportation and communications minister in connection with corruption surrounding highway construction projects. However, coming from a respected Taoyuan family adept at manipulating private relationships with high-level leaders, Chien was still trusted and given important posts by two consecutive presidents, even after his resignation. He advanced quickly in rank, from Taiwan's representative to Britain to advisor to the National Security Council; then from Presidential Office deputy secretary-general to the foreign ministry. This was met with much surprise, but the strong reaction did not affect him thanks to his presidential ties.
During Chien's term as foreign minister, he fulfilled his duties faithfully and energetically. His development of diplomatic relationships and state visits is praiseworthy, and he succeeded in reforming the old bureaucracy of the ministry. However, when weighing his successes against his failures, the government and the public may disagree on whether his legacy is positive or negative. It is most certainly a great failure.
If the upcoming investigation reveals a conspiracy in aiding suspected criminals, we cannot help but wonder why the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government continues to recruit officials with a history of corruption who worked in the old Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government. Is our government completely lacking talent? Or is it because these corrupt officials are needed to raise political donations?
President Chen Shui-bian (
It is time to reform and clean up the culture of corruption left over from the old KMT government. The DPP government should take this opportunity to get rid of politically appointed officials with a poor track record of integrity, lest they continue to embarrass the Chen administration.
Taiwan’s higher education system is facing an existential crisis. As the demographic drop-off continues to empty classrooms, universities across the island are locked in a desperate battle for survival, international student recruitment and crucial Ministry of Education funding. To win this battle, institutions have turned to what seems like an objective measure of quality: global university rankings. Unfortunately, this chase is a costly illusion, and taxpayers are footing the bill. In the past few years, the goalposts have shifted from pure research output to “sustainability” and “societal impact,” largely driven by commercial metrics such as the UK-based Times Higher Education (THE) Impact
History might remember 2026, not 2022, as the year artificial intelligence (AI) truly changed everything. ChatGPT’s launch was a product moment. What is happening now is an anthropological moment: AI is no longer merely answering questions. It is now taking initiative and learning from others to get things done, behaving less like software and more like a colleague. The economic consequence is the rise of the one-person company — a structure anticipated in the 2024 book The Choices Amid Great Changes, which I coauthored. The real target of AI is not labor. It is hierarchy. When AI sharply reduces the cost
US President Donald Trump recently repeated his claim that “Taiwan stole America’s chip industry,” reigniting public debate on the issue. As a former Taiwanese minister of economic affairs and an entrepreneur deeply involved in semiconductor supply chain development, I feel a responsibility to clarify this misunderstanding. From the perspective of global industrial evolution and the economic principle of comparative advantage, such a statement appears overly simplistic and risks obscuring the essence of the issue. The rise of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry was not built on “replacing America,” but rather emerged as a result of countries pursuing different development paths within the
I wrote this before US President Donald Trump embarked on his uneventful state visit to China on Thursday. So, I shall confine my observations to the joint US-Philippine military exercise of April 20 through May 8, known collectively as “Balikatan 2026.” This year’s Balikatan was notable for its “firsts.” First, it was conducted primarily with Taiwan in mind, not the Philippines or even the South China Sea. It also showed that in the Pacific, America’s alliance network is still robust. Allies are enthusiastic about America’s renewed leadership in the region. Nine decades ago, in 1936, America had neither military strength
RSS