Lai I-Chong (賴怡忠) of the Taiwan Thinktank was in Chicago recently. He gave a speech regarding the "anti-separation law" after a 228 memorial concert. (The official Chinese translation is "anti-secession" law, which is a falsified translation for Chinese propaganda purposes.) One of his suggestions to counter the law was to enact a Taiwanese domestic law to declare Taiwan's sovereignty.
I agree with his point. My suggestion to him was to pass by means of a referendum a Taiwanese domestic law to declare Taiwan's sovereignty, and declare the People's Republic of China an enemy state. Anyone in Taiwan who assists China in violating Taiwan's sovereignty should be punished for high treason.
Declaring Taiwan's sovereignty is merely a statement of reality; it does not change the status quo. It is the "anti-separation" law that is attempting to change the status quo.
Such a law will not likely be passed in the current legislature, but if clearly phrased and understood by the voters, it could very likely pass the threshold for a referendum.
That China is an enemy state of Taiwan is more than evident. Such a statement, if passed, would put to rest once and for all the confusion in China and the rest of world, by clearly stating that Taiwanese do not want "unification" with the communist People's Republic of China.
Such a law should have teeth. There is no democratic country in the world in which citizens are free to betray their country's sovereignty.
The inexperience of the Democratic Progressive Party administration, which is eager to protect free speech and human rights, has led many traitors and Chinese agents to abuse their freedoms without fear of punishment. They are sowing confusion for the international community, and attempting to murder Taiwanese liberties.
The boundaries of free speech should be clarified: There is no freedom to betray one's country, nor freedom to infringe on others' freedom.
Unity in Taiwan will come when its purpose and the ways to achieve it are clear. In order to preserve their freedom, Taiwanese have to be involved, unite and know how to achieve their goals. To know how to counter China's aggression in every aspect of legal, diplomatic, psychological, military and propaganda warfare is the only way to preserve their freedom.
After all, Taiwan has the best weapons, which China cannot purchase: free speech and democracy. To prevent these rights from being abused takes wisdom and guts.
Chen Ming-chung
Chicago, Illinois
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