The letter by Chimei Corp chairman Hsu Wen-lung (許文龍), "In Support of one China," published in a local newspaper on March 26, has caused great harm to the interests of Taiwan and its people. As Taiwanese and intellectuals, we feel compelled to declare our view of Hsu's action.
First, any company investing in any country must first assess the risk of investing in that country. Doing so is common sense. China is a totalitarian communist regime not ruled by law. Because they know that, companies from around the world invest there very cautiously. By comparison, Taiwanese companies show a serious lack of awareness of the risks of investing in China, and they jump at the opportunity to do so.
The high political risk should be shouldered by the companies, and there is no reason why the government should protect these companies or why the Taiwanese public should shoulder the risks. Taiwan and China do not maintain diplomatic relations. Once a Taiwanese company gets in trouble in China, it will be very difficult for the government to give it effective assistance.
Second, the Chinese regime constantly pressures Taiwan and does nothing to conceal its ambition to annex it. Faced with such an enemy, companies investing there show a clear lack of awareness of the difference between friend and foe as well as a total lack of a national awareness. We therefore do not find it strange when Hsu becomes a hostage [to this situation] and betrays both himself and the nation. We do find it regrettable.
Third, the "Hsu Wen-lung incident" has caused irreparable damage both to his own reputation and to national interests. At the same time, it also teaches Taiwanese society an alarming and negative lesson. We and many other social activists have long made many calls and written many articles without being able to counterbalance the magnetic attraction of China to industry.
Sometimes a major incident shakes us up more than the endless exhortations of intellectuals. We hope that the Hsu incident will be able to make society and business review the serious effects of investments in China.
Fourth, our most serious concern is that if this kind of incident is repeated, the accumulated harm will not be limited to a serious deterioration of Taiwan's economic competitiveness. It may even cause the "collective national will" to collapse completely.
Fifth, we demand that the government immediately gives overall reconsideration to the "active opening, effective management" policy of investing in China. If the government is incapable of effectively managing Taiwanese businesspeople investing in China, it will jeopardize our economic development as well as national security, and cause serious harm to the whole country.
China's "Anti-Secession" Law is already being used to hold Taiwanese businesspeople hostage and force them to undertake actions detrimental to Taiwan's national interests. In order to strengthen Taiwan, the government must show decisiveness by putting forward policies to slow corporate investment in China, and improving the domestic investment climate to attract businesspeople back home.
Translated by Perry Svensson
Congratulations to China’s working class — they have officially entered the “Livestock Feed 2.0” era. While others are still researching how to achieve healthy and balanced diets, China has already evolved to the point where it does not matter whether you are actually eating food, as long as you can swallow it. There is no need for cooking, chewing or making decisions — just tear open a package, add some hot water and in a short three minutes you have something that can keep you alive for at least another six hours. This is not science fiction — it is reality.
A foreign colleague of mine asked me recently, “What is a safe distance from potential People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force’s (PLARF) Taiwan targets?” This article will answer this question and help people living in Taiwan have a deeper understanding of the threat. Why is it important to understand PLA/PLARF targeting strategy? According to RAND analysis, the PLA’s “systems destruction warfare” focuses on crippling an adversary’s operational system by targeting its networks, especially leadership, command and control (C2) nodes, sensors, and information hubs. Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, noted in his 15 May 2025 Sedona Forum keynote speech that, as
In a world increasingly defined by unpredictability, two actors stand out as islands of stability: Europe and Taiwan. One, a sprawling union of democracies, but under immense pressure, grappling with a geopolitical reality it was not originally designed for. The other, a vibrant, resilient democracy thriving as a technological global leader, but living under a growing existential threat. In response to rising uncertainties, they are both seeking resilience and learning to better position themselves. It is now time they recognize each other not just as partners of convenience, but as strategic and indispensable lifelines. The US, long seen as the anchor
Kinmen County’s political geography is provocative in and of itself. A pair of islets running up abreast the Chinese mainland, just 20 minutes by ferry from the Chinese city of Xiamen, Kinmen remains under the Taiwanese government’s control, after China’s failed invasion attempt in 1949. The provocative nature of Kinmen’s existence, along with the Matsu Islands off the coast of China’s Fuzhou City, has led to no shortage of outrageous takes and analyses in foreign media either fearmongering of a Chinese invasion or using these accidents of history to somehow understand Taiwan. Every few months a foreign reporter goes to
RSS