Opposing Taiwanese independence is a front for opposing Taiwanese freedom of choice. The whole world knows this -- except for KMT Chairman Lien Chan and his followers, as their reaction to the "Anti-Secession" Law showed. The pan-blue camp said the law targeted Taiwanese independence supporters, and therefore refused to participate in the protest on March 26, which, like Lien's trip, confused KMT followers and the world.
Peace without dignity or freedom is what the pan-blue camp protested for at CKS International Airport. But Lien and his supporters will never speak the truth about how they intend to bring about this "peace."
If "peace" is all the KMT wants, then former president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) could have secured it decades ago. But Lien is trying to say that today's Chinese Communist Party is different to before.
The world knows, however, that the only difference in the communists today is that they are richer and stronger.
The number of people who protested the trip at the airport compared with those who supported it, according to police reports, was about 3,000 to 900, roughly the same ratio of those think the trip will sell out Taiwan against those who would want "peace" at the expense of freedom and democracy.
The most objectionable thing about the airport scuffle was the presence of organized-crime gangs, like at every other pan-blue gathering, and their attacks on pan-green camp members, and Taiwanese independence supporters in particular. These thugs have not been punished, and were not even challenged by the authorities or the police on the scene. Watching these cowards gang up on the elderly and beat isolated pan-green camp supporters was sickening.
Unless Lien states clearly that he supports freedom of choice for Taiwanese people, he will go down in history as selling out Taiwan, selling out freedom, selling out democracy as well as selling out the hope of Chinese who yearn for democracy and freedom.
Chen Ming-chung
Chicago, Illinois
President William Lai (賴清德) attended a dinner held by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) when representatives from the group visited Taiwan in October. In a speech at the event, Lai highlighted similarities in the geopolitical challenges faced by Israel and Taiwan, saying that the two countries “stand on the front line against authoritarianism.” Lai noted how Taiwan had “immediately condemned” the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas and had provided humanitarian aid. Lai was heavily criticized from some quarters for standing with AIPAC and Israel. On Nov. 4, the Taipei Times published an opinion article (“Speak out on the
The image was oddly quiet. No speeches, no flags, no dramatic announcements — just a Chinese cargo ship cutting through arctic ice and arriving in Britain in October. The Istanbul Bridge completed a journey that once existed only in theory, shaving weeks off traditional shipping routes. On paper, it was a story about efficiency. In strategic terms, it was about timing. Much like politics, arriving early matters. Especially when the route, the rules and the traffic are still undefined. For years, global politics has trained us to watch the loud moments: warships in the Taiwan Strait, sanctions announced at news conferences, leaders trading
Eighty-seven percent of Taiwan’s energy supply this year came from burning fossil fuels, with more than 47 percent of that from gas-fired power generation. The figures attracted international attention since they were in October published in a Reuters report, which highlighted the fragility and structural challenges of Taiwan’s energy sector, accumulated through long-standing policy choices. The nation’s overreliance on natural gas is proving unstable and inadequate. The rising use of natural gas does not project an image of a Taiwan committed to a green energy transition; rather, it seems that Taiwan is attempting to patch up structural gaps in lieu of
News about expanding security cooperation between Israel and Taiwan, including the visits of Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) in September and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) this month, as well as growing ties in areas such as missile defense and cybersecurity, should not be viewed as isolated events. The emphasis on missile defense, including Taiwan’s newly introduced T-Dome project, is simply the most visible sign of a deeper trend that has been taking shape quietly over the past two to three years. Taipei is seeking to expand security and defense cooperation with Israel, something officials