The question of whether Liao Cheng-hao (
The KMT and PFP are both facing tremendous internal repercussions from their proposed joint venture. Many people in the KMT are unwilling to forfeit their campaign benefits. The PFP appears to have a plethora of would-be candidates scrambling to grab votes under the canopy of James Soong (
The KMT and PFP want Liao, a popular former justice minister with a good reputation, to run for county commissioner in Taipei County. Liao is close to KMT chairman Lien Chan (
The prospects for cooperation between the DPP and Lee's new party don't look much better. As Lee's associate Huang Chu-wen (
The DPP and Lee's group are also facing confusion over their party platforms. The ruling party was shell-shocked by the huge turnout at the CKS airport last week to greet Lee on his return from the US. It is very likely that pro-independence voters, who have so far supported the DPP, may vote for Lee's candidates instead. Partitioning their platforms has become a pre-condition for cooperation between the DPP and Lee's party.
The DPP has also been hurt by criticism from former chairman Lin I-hsiung (
Cooperation -- whether in politics, between nations or on the playing field -- always sounds good in the abstract. Taiwan's politicians and parties are now finding out just how difficult it is to translate an ideal into reality -- especially when one's partner could very well turn out to be one's biggest enemy. Perhaps this is the true face of politics.
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
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
A group of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers led by the party’s legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (?) are to visit Beijing for four days this week, but some have questioned the timing and purpose of the visit, which demonstrates the KMT caucus’ increasing arrogance. Fu on Wednesday last week confirmed that following an invitation by Beijing, he would lead a group of lawmakers to China from Thursday to Sunday to discuss tourism and agricultural exports, but he refused to say whether they would meet with Chinese officials. That the visit is taking place during the legislative session and in the aftermath