President Chen Shui-bian (
Later, when visiting Pearl Harbor during his stopover in Hawaii, he gave an unscripted talk in which he cited the Pacific theater of World War II as an example. He said that the US and Japan were in fact enemies half a century ago, but they are friends today. He also said that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait should learn from this great example.
Indeed, the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941 triggered the Pacific War, and the historical wound caused by the two atomic bombs also exists. But after half a century, the US and Japan are already military and diplomatic partners working to maintain peace and stability in the western Pacific region. This development proves that no conflict in the international community cannot be resolved.
The following day, the issue with the repatriation of illegal Chinese immigrants that has been left in limbo since the presidential election in March was resolved. Through Taiwan's and China's Red Cross organizations, China accepted the return of 178 illegal immigrants from Taiwan, and returned five Taiwanese criminals to Taiwan. In a statement, the Mainland Affairs Council said China plans to receive yet another group of illegal immigrants on Sept. 10. After a long period of tense relations across the Taiwan Strait, even such a small easing of tension is enough to be exciting.
China has for a long time posed a military threat to Taiwan, and it keeps around 600 missiles aimed at Taiwan along its southern coast, forcing Taiwan to find ways to defend itself -- partly through R&D and arms purchases, partly by strengthening its military.
Apart from having missiles aimed at Taiwan, the People's Liberation Army's exercise on Dongshan Island is clearly targeted at Taiwan. Dongshan Island is located in the southern part of the Taiwan Strait, only 181km from the Penghu islands and 307km from Kaohsiung. The exercise mainly consists of simulated landings and clearly mimics the capture of Penghu.
The people of Taiwan normally repay one good deed with another, which means that if your opponent gives you a gift, you have to give him something in return. Chen's initiative in responding to the military retreat from Dongshan Island serves to further underline Taiwan's goodwill. If China does not pose a military threat to us, there is no need for us to strengthen our military.
We sincerely hope that the warmth being shown across the Strait recently is an indication of a more constructive relationship, rather than one-off incidents.
China should build greater confidence in the goodwill of nations made up of the same race and speaking the same language. Once China and Taiwan put aside enmity and choose to engage in the spirit of friendship, they could become the strongest allies in the Western Pacific. We also hope that China will understand the Taiwanese way of doing things, namely that we will repay one good turn with another, so that Taiwan might eventually become China's closest friend.
A few weeks ago in Kaohsiung, tech mogul turned political pundit Robert Tsao (曹興誠) joined Western Washington University professor Chen Shih-fen (陳時奮) for a public forum in support of Taiwan’s recall campaign. Kaohsiung, already the most Taiwanese independence-minded city in Taiwan, was not in need of a recall. So Chen took a different approach: He made the case that unification with China would be too expensive to work. The argument was unusual. Most of the time, we hear that Taiwan should remain free out of respect for democracy and self-determination, but cost? That is not part of the usual script, and
Behind the gloating, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) must be letting out a big sigh of relief. Its powerful party machine saved the day, but it took that much effort just to survive a challenge mounted by a humble group of active citizens, and in areas where the KMT is historically strong. On the other hand, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) must now realize how toxic a brand it has become to many voters. The campaigners’ amateurism is what made them feel valid and authentic, but when the DPP belatedly inserted itself into the campaign, it did more harm than good. The
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) held a news conference to celebrate his party’s success in surviving Saturday’s mass recall vote, shortly after the final results were confirmed. While the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) would have much preferred a different result, it was not a defeat for the DPP in the same sense that it was a victory for the KMT: Only KMT legislators were facing recalls. That alone should have given Chu cause to reflect, acknowledge any fault, or perhaps even consider apologizing to his party and the nation. However, based on his speech, Chu showed
For nearly eight decades, Taiwan has provided a home for, and shielded and nurtured, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). After losing the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the KMT fled to Taiwan, bringing with it hundreds of thousands of soldiers, along with people who would go on to become public servants and educators. The party settled and prospered in Taiwan, and it developed and governed the nation. Taiwan gave the party a second chance. It was Taiwanese who rebuilt order from the ruins of war, through their own sweat and tears. It was Taiwanese who joined forces with democratic activists
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