Executives' loyalty clear
Your story on direct links ("Bus-iness leaders begin to polish their resumes," May 23, page 1) raised many questions. For-mosa Plastics Group chairman Wang Yung-ching (
At this point, only the Chi-nese government has expressed the desire for Wang's service. Uni-President Enterprises Corp chairman Kao Ching-yuan (
On the other hand, your story leaves no doubt about the (lack of) loyalty of these anxious businessmen. One has to admire the honesty of Chinese National Federation of Industries chairman Lin Kun-chung (林坤鐘) when he stated that "everyone is willing to work as middlemen." A middleman is a disinterested party with the sole goal of putting together a deal and walking away with a profit.
The middleman metaphor helps in understanding the statement by Gary Wang (王令麟), chairman of the General Chamber of Commerce, who said "no businessmen will sell out Taiwan." But with so many middlemen -- oops, I mean businessmen -- working tirelessly for the past two decades or so, soon there will be nothing left in Taiwan to sell out. All the middlemen will abandon Taiwan like rats deserting a sinking ship and move on, hopefully to sell out China.
Liu Charng-ming
Boston, Massachusetts
Dollar diplomacy insane
I find it totally inconceivable that Taiwan cannot find the courage to ditch this hugely wasteful and insane "dollar diplomacy" in a period when we badly need that money at home to build infrastructure and upgrade our economy.
Why waste so much money to buy the friendship of corrupt African or Central American dictators, when these same dictators will swiftly shift allegiances as soon as China bids a higher sum?
A list of countries which would have an interest in esta-blishing full diplomatic relationships with Taipei, at zero cost to the Taiwanese taxpayers would include the US, Japan, India, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Israel and Nepal.
All what President Chen Shui-bian (
We may be shocked by the results. Remember, it shocked a lot of people too when the US announced it would establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam in the early 1990s. If Russia and the US can be allies again, and Poland can be part of NATO, surely it is not impossible for Taiwan to enjoy full diplomatic relations with those countries.
Both the Philippines and Indonesia were strong allies of Taiwan for most of the Cold War and have in recent years clashed with China over the Spratlys. India and Vietnam are natural allies, having both been invaded by China in the last half century. Even Nepal would be a good ally because of its strategic location. Nepal has been wracked for decades by a Maoist insurgency funded by China.
These things can happen -- it is absolutely time to wake it up!
Wilson Wu
Incheon, South Korea
Who will Americans blame?
In response to the World Trade Center horror, US President George W. Bush declared a crusade on the "evil-doers" and indulged our taste for revenge. But, there will be consequences. Surely, no one doubts there are more people alive today who are angry enough to sacrifice their lives to kill Americans than there were prior to Sept. 11.
Bush is egging the "evil-doers" on and daring them to attack. When they do -- and of course they will -- whom will we blame? Bush or the Americans who support him?
Geoff Staples and
David Taffet
co-hosts of Conversations on RadioLeft.com
Dallas, Texas
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