Television viewers throughout the country yesterday were regaled by one of Taiwan's most touching rituals: the sight of leading KMT luminaries -- including those recently expelled -- paying homage at the temporary resting place of Chiang Ching-kuo
One after another, the worthies paraded to the shrine, prostrating themselves and offering incense in the most proper Confucian fashion. It was a poignant moment, surely filling us all with nostalgia for the good old days when the streets were safe, the media reported only happy news and the trains ran on time.
We hope that readers who feel disappointed that we have not presented a photo spread of this deeply moving occasion will be consoled by the fact that it occurs not just annually, but three times each year. In addition, there is another round of equally touching commemorations of the "great leader" Chiang Kai-shek (
Besides the throngs of ordinary well-wishers, the most prominent visitors are each given the opportunity to offer his -- by tradition, men are given pride of place -- prayers in individual privacy, with only the mute witness of the TV cameras. With the passage of time, the event has been extended over two days to accommodate the swelling numbers of those wanting to pay their respects.
Those who once administered with stern authority to prepare Taiwan for the noble task of retaking the mainland showed a more tender side as they sobbed before the tomb of "Mr. Ching-kuo" -- as he is affectionately known. For others, tough exteriors, developed over years of fending off obstreperous members of the press and the legislature, were shed to give the television audience a rare glimpse of the tender inner feelings of our leaders.
The most august visitor yesterday was, naturally, President Lee Teng-hui (
Naturally Vice-President Lien Chan (
But the most memorable highlights of this year's anniversary came not from the political "ins" but rather from those cast down from greatness. For example there was recently-retired Secretary-General of the Presidential Office John Chang (
But, for most observers, the most eagerly anticipated moment came when independent presidential candidate James Soong (
What a tragedy it is that Mr. Ching-kuo has not yet been able to be properly buried in his homeland, but we should all give thanks that we can have these frequent opportunities to collectively cherish his memory. Whatever happens, we must not forget our history.
Two sets of economic data released last week by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) have drawn mixed reactions from the public: One on the nation’s economic performance in the first quarter of the year and the other on Taiwan’s household wealth distribution in 2021. GDP growth for the first quarter was faster than expected, at 6.51 percent year-on-year, an acceleration from the previous quarter’s 4.93 percent and higher than the agency’s February estimate of 5.92 percent. It was also the highest growth since the second quarter of 2021, when the economy expanded 8.07 percent, DGBAS data showed. The growth
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In the intricate ballet of geopolitics, names signify more than mere identification: They embody history, culture and sovereignty. The recent decision by China to refer to Arunachal Pradesh as “Tsang Nan” or South Tibet, and to rename Tibet as “Xizang,” is a strategic move that extends beyond cartography into the realm of diplomatic signaling. This op-ed explores the implications of these actions and India’s potential response. Names are potent symbols in international relations, encapsulating the essence of a nation’s stance on territorial disputes. China’s choice to rename regions within Indian territory is not merely a linguistic exercise, but a symbolic assertion
In the 2022 book Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict with China, academics Hal Brands and Michael Beckley warned, against conventional wisdom, that it was not a rising China that the US and its allies had to fear, but a declining China. This is because “peaking powers” — nations at the peak of their relative power and staring over the precipice of decline — are particularly dangerous, as they might believe they only have a narrow window of opportunity to grab what they can before decline sets in, they said. The tailwinds that propelled China’s spectacular economic rise over the past