Taiwan's pro-China media and political factions waved banners and cheered mightily when Beijing was named as the host of the 2008 Olympic Games. They immediately rolled out the red carpet to welcome the possible passage of the Olympic torch through Taiwan -- as if Taiwan has already been made part of China.
Moreover, a number of national policy advisers supposedly from the "localization" camp are also bending with the wind after making a trip to China. They no longer defend Taiwan's sovereignty. Instead, they advocate an acknowledgement of "one China" under the ROC Constitution.
As a result, the dignity of this country and its people has been seriously trampled upon and insulted.
After British settlers found homes in the US, Australia and New Zealand, they became Americans, Australians and New Zealanders. The nations they have founded are not called Great Britain but the US, Australia and New Zealand.
After Chinese people settled in Singapore, by the same token, they were no longer Chinese but Singaporeans. The nation they founded is not called China but Singapore.
The 23 million people currently residing on this land -- whether Aboriginal, Dutch, Japanese or Chinese -- have become deeply rooted here. We are no longer Dutch, Japanese or Chinese but Taiwanese, irrespective of when we arrived.
In the past 400 years or so, we Taiwanese have been unable to be our own masters, build our own nation, or even pick a decent name for the home we share.
In the early days, the Portuguese called Taiwan the "Ilha Formosa," which means "beautiful island."
The island was called the Kingdom of Tung Ning (
Taiwan then became a Japanese colony until the Chiang (
In addition, the nation has frequently called itself "Chinese Taipei" since the ROC withdrew from the UN. Thus, Taiwan's name has been repeatedly changed by foreign regimes, tossed out -- just like garbage.
The nation established by the Chinese people is called China, not Taiwan. The nation established by the Taiwanese people is, of course, called Taiwan, not China.
We should refuse to let the Olympic torch pass through Taiwan. We must not acknowledge "one China" under the ROC Constitution under any circumstances. We must defend the nation and pursue nothing but independence for Taiwan.
We are all Taiwanese. We should call our nation Taiwan -- the name which best represents the Taiwanese spirit. Our nation is, in a word, Taiwan.
Wang Cheng-chung (
Translated by Eddy Chang
When former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) first took office in 2016, she set ambitious goals for remaking the energy mix in Taiwan. At the core of this effort was a significant expansion of the percentage of renewable energy generated to keep pace with growing domestic and global demands to reduce emissions. This effort met with broad bipartisan support as all three major parties placed expanding renewable energy at the center of their energy platforms. However, over the past several years partisanship has become a major headwind in realizing a set of energy goals that all three parties profess to want. Tsai
An elderly mother and her daughter were found dead in Kaohsiung after having not been seen for several days, discovered only when a foul odor began to spread and drew neighbors’ attention. There have been many similar cases, but it is particularly troubling that some of the victims were excluded from the social welfare safety net because they did not meet eligibility criteria. According to media reports, the middle-aged daughter had sought help from the local borough warden. Although the warden did step in, many services were unavailable without out-of-pocket payments due to issues with eligibility, leaving the warden’s hands
Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Randhir Jaiswal told a news conference on Jan. 9, in response to China’s latest round of live-fire exercises in the Taiwan Strait: “India has an abiding interest in peace and stability in the region, in view of our trade, economic, people-to-people and maritime interests. We urge all parties to exercise restraint, avoid unilateral actions and resolve issues peacefully without threat or use of force.” The statement set a firm tone at the beginning of the year for India-Taiwan relations, and reflects New Delhi’s recognition of shared interests and the strategic importance of regional stability. While India
A survey released on Wednesday by the Taiwan Inspiration Association (TIA) offered a stark look into public feeling on national security. Its results indicate concern over the nation’s defensive capability as well as skepticism about the government’s ability to safeguard it. Slightly more than 70 percent of respondents said they do not believe Taiwan has sufficient capacity to defend itself in the event of war, saying there is a lack of advanced military hardware. At the same time, 62.5 percent opposed the opposition’s efforts to block the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.6 billion) special defense budget. More than half of respondents — 56.4
RSS