Don't hamstring Chen I remember when this paper first rumbled, then thundered out in its support of Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) during the presidential campaign. Now, I read ("Time to draw the line," May 7, Page 8) that Chen has somehow reneged on his cross-strait platform, thus leaving himself -- and by extension, Taiwan -- backed into some "small corner," prey in an "atmosphere of cravenness" to the "dictators in Beijing and their creatures in the US State Department." Fair enough. The CCP has never had a democratic heri-tage, the one true poison they fear. Moreover, some of us Americans have, in the hopes of sustaining a cross-straits peace, seemingly forgotten our own heritage of late because of the havoc wrought to the mind and body by the invalid "one China" policy. I submit that if Chen's "expediency has to give way to metal (sic)," then he has already shown his mettle -- in school, in jail and now as a president who has a full participatory government. It is now time to for us to show him our mettle and in full measure. Don't hamstring him to a "special state-to-state" relationship or any other one that only delays, equivocates and clouds the basic issue. That would be just another form of appeasement. Rather, say, write and even more importantly, act on what we are all talking and thinking about. INDEPENDENCE. James M. Huberty
Kaohsiung Giving back to Taiwan I left Taiwan 30 years ago and chose to become a Canadian citizen. I do not think I have any right to ask for any taxpayer- funded service from the government of Taiwan. They owe me nothing. Be it the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission (OCAC) or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, if they see fit, they can use their limited resources to fund whatever overseas programs that may help building better relations with other countries. The ultimate objective of spending this money is simply to bring benefits to the people of Taiwan. In doing so, if overseas Taiwanese or Chinese, individuals or organizations, happen to be able to help the Taiwan-ese people achieve their goals, it is still at the discretion of the OCAC or the ministry to determine whether they can work together as partners on a project by project basis. The model is corporate sponsorship of social events with non-profit organizations. The spirit of partnership is key to the future relationship between the OCAC and any Taiwanese government agency or overseas Taiwanese/Chinese community. Such partnerships will only exist so long as they yield positive result for Taiwan. Taiwanese who chose become citizens of other countries should never ask what Taiwan can do for them. Rather, they must ask themselves what they can do for Taiwan, their motherland. James Chou
Vancouver
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As Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s party won by a landslide in Sunday’s parliamentary election, it is a good time to take another look at recent developments in the Maldivian foreign policy. While Muizzu has been promoting his “Maldives First” policy, the agenda seems to have lost sight of a number of factors. Contemporary Maldivian policy serves as a stark illustration of how a blend of missteps in public posturing, populist agendas and inattentive leadership can lead to diplomatic setbacks and damage a country’s long-term foreign policy priorities. Over the past few months, Maldivian foreign policy has entangled itself in playing