Perhaps the news that Vice President Lien Chan
Last week we heard that James Soong
Naturally, they both deny that there is any connection. Lien's mission to shore up Taiwan's relations with European allies is obviously something whose schedule is determined by diplomatic necessity. Since, however, we may assume they didn't begin to make the arrangements before the election (since Lien would have been a touch busy by now), it certainly appears specifically arranged to give Lien an excuse.
Likewise, Soong obviously couldn't have known he was to receive the tremendous honor that the University of Maryland is to bestow upon him on May 25. And of course, he had better go a few days early, in order not to be jet-lagged.
All of this shows extremely bad form. In a mature democracy, defeated candidates, while they might not be pleased about the outcome, are expected to at least pretend to be magnanimous, so that their generosity would be returned to them when they win. The fact that Lien and Soong are making a show out of running away demonstrates clearly that they value their "face" more than the spirit of democracy. Which is exactly why they aren't fit to lead a democratic country.
If one were to invoke the metaphor of rats leaving a sinking ship, at least now we know who the rats are.
How ill is Premier Tang?
The recent picture of Premier-designate Tang Fei's
We are confident that he is receiving top quality care at the Veterans General Hospital. But the fact that various spokespeople keep insisting, despite all the direct visual evidence to the contrary, that Tang's problems are not serious is counterproduc-tive, and only heightens anxiety. We are unfortunately reminded of the way Kremlin doctors used to engage in medical spin control around the health of both Soviet and now Russian leaders.
Tang, for all his usual vigor, is not a young man, and he has just had a quite significant and dangerous operation. It is certainly not fair to expect him to suddenly spring out of his hospital bed and go to work. We hope that, particularly after his initial relapse, he is going to take all the rest that he needs to recover quickly and fully.
But, as the nation's highest executive official, especially at this critical point of transition, it is also not fair to the public to conceal the true state of his condition. A full and accurate depiction of the risks of his illness, as well as the extent to which it will affect his work (for it could hardly have no effect, as we are apparently meant to believe), is urgently needed.
Could Asia be on the verge of a new wave of nuclear proliferation? A look back at the early history of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, illuminates some reasons for concern in the Indo-Pacific today. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recently described NATO as “the most powerful and successful alliance in history,” but the organization’s early years were not without challenges. At its inception, the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty marked a sea change in American strategic thinking. The United States had been intent on withdrawing from Europe in the years following
My wife and I spent the week in the interior of Taiwan where Shuyuan spent her childhood. In that town there is a street that functions as an open farmer’s market. Walk along that street, as Shuyuan did yesterday, and it is next to impossible to come home empty-handed. Some mangoes that looked vaguely like others we had seen around here ended up on our table. Shuyuan told how she had bought them from a little old farmer woman from the countryside who said the mangoes were from a very old tree she had on her property. The big surprise
The issue of China’s overcapacity has drawn greater global attention recently, with US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen urging Beijing to address its excess production in key industries during her visit to China last week. Meanwhile in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week said that Europe must have a tough talk with China on its perceived overcapacity and unfair trade practices. The remarks by Yellen and Von der Leyen come as China’s economy is undergoing a painful transition. Beijing is trying to steer the world’s second-largest economy out of a COVID-19 slump, the property crisis and
As former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrapped up his visit to the People’s Republic of China, he received his share of attention. Certainly, the trip must be seen within the full context of Ma’s life, that is, his eight-year presidency, the Sunflower movement and his failed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, as well as his eight years as Taipei mayor with its posturing, accusations of money laundering, and ups and downs. Through all that, basic questions stand out: “What drives Ma? What is his end game?” Having observed and commented on Ma for decades, it is all ironically reminiscent of former US president Harry