Owing to China's red-carpet treatment and its propaganda machine, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan's (
On April 29, just when Lien was meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao (
In this letter, they gave Sun Yat-sen (孫中山) and the KMT a lot of credit for their past achievements and even stated that "as Chinese, we are willing to join the KMT and under your and the KMT's leadership, to strive for peace and the well-being of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait based on the "Three Principles of the People." In view of this, prior to your visit to China, we have set out to establish a KMT division in every province in China. Just when you are now holding talks with Beijing, we hereby issue this letter in the hope that you and the KMT's leadership can approve of and reply to our application as soon as possible."
These 46 dissidents are not ordinary folks. Among them are Sun Wenguang (
These names are familiar to fighters for Chinese democracy everywhere, and many of them are known to me personally. I am not personally in favor of their attempt to join the KMT, for it is a rather dangerous act that will very probably get them jailed, given the current political climate in China.
However, I really respect and admire the ideals they uphold, for they mentioned in the letter that "we hope that you and the KMT Central Standing Committee can believe in China and see the future of China, and that you can return to China to contribute to the development of the nation's democratic politics and eventually compete with the Chinese Communist Party by bringing back the `Three Principles of the People.'"
I would really like to ask Lien if he is aware of this letter. If he knows about it, what is his response? More importantly, is he willing to approve of their request, or give them any sort of reply?
In the speech he delivered at Peking University, Lien urged the Chinese to unite in order to save China. This is very a touching remark.
In response to this call, some people have expressed their willingness to join the KMT under his leadership and work together toward a better China. But is he willing to shoulder the responsibility of being their leader?
As their friend, I would even like to know that if they are persecuted by the CCP because of their request to join the KMT. Will they be protected by the KMT, which has just started building a platform for communication between themselves and the CCP?
I hope Lien and the KMT can answer these questions.
Wang Dan is a Chinese pro-democracy activist.
translated by daniel cheng
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
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
“Can you tell me where the time and motivation will come from to get students to improve their English proficiency in four years of university?” The teacher’s question — not accusatory, just slightly exasperated — was directed at the panelists at the end of a recent conference on English language learning at Taiwanese universities. Perhaps thankfully for the professors on stage, her question was too big for the five minutes remaining. However, it hung over the venue like an ominous cloud on an otherwise sunny-skies day of research into English as a medium of instruction and the government’s Bilingual Nation 2030
RSS