If Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kun (
The legal controversy over whether Chiang committed treason rests solely on the question of whether China is treated as a "foreign country" under Taiwan's laws. Article 113 of the Criminal Code states that it is a crime to enter into any agreements with a "foreign government" without government authorization. Article 2 of the Constitution ambiguously states that the national territory of this country is in accordance with the "existing national boundaries" and leaves open the question of whether China is part of this territory. In addition, the language of the Statute Governing the Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (
However, leaving aside the legalese and relying instead on common sense, Beijing is not only a "foreign government" but in fact the government of an enemy state. After all, if Beijing is not a foreign government, then what is the current "Republic of China"(Taiwan) government?
This is reminiscent of the old definition of the crime "rape" under Article 221 of the Criminal Code. Before the 1999 amendment only "women" could be victims of the crime. Therefore, from the standpoint of legal technicality, those who raped men could avoid punishment. That particular loophole has been closed through a legal amendment. The same should be done to solve the ambiguous status of China under Taiwan's laws.
It is shameful and dishonorable for the KMT to abuse these loopholes in this manner. But it not only has refused to apologize for its mistake, KMT spokesperson Su Chi (
Some KMT lawmakers have accused President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and the Democratic Progressive Party of being "jealous" of the KMT and Chiang. The accusation is of course ridiculous, because there is reason to feel jealous of someone only if that person has achieved something admirable.
In its desperation to kill the chances of People First Party Chairman James Soong (
Taiwan's government must take a tough position on this. At the very least, close the legal loopholes to prevent further unauthorized actions.
In dealing with Beijing, each and every step taken must be based on an internal consensus reached in Taiwan and be part of a comprehensive government plan.
The government risks losing control of cross-strait policy if it becomes a trend for political parties and individuals to rush to the other side of the Taiwan Strait to compete for the affections of Beijing behind the government's back.
The damage to the government's dignity and credibility cannot be underestimated.
Saudi Arabian largesse is flooding Egypt’s cultural scene, but the reception is mixed. Some welcome new “cooperation” between two regional powerhouses, while others fear a hostile takeover by Riyadh. In Cairo, historically the cultural capital of the Arab world, Egyptian Minister of Culture Nevine al-Kilany recently hosted Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki al-Sheikh. The deep-pocketed al-Sheikh has emerged as a Medici-like patron for Egypt’s cultural elite, courted by Cairo’s top talent to produce a slew of forthcoming films. A new three-way agreement between al-Sheikh, Kilany and United Media Services — a multi-media conglomerate linked to state intelligence that owns much of
The US and other countries should take concrete steps to confront the threats from Beijing to avoid war, US Representative Mario Diaz-Balart said in an interview with Voice of America on March 13. The US should use “every diplomatic economic tool at our disposal to treat China as what it is... to avoid war,” Diaz-Balart said. Giving an example of what the US could do, he said that it has to be more aggressive in its military sales to Taiwan. Actions by cross-party US lawmakers in the past few years such as meeting with Taiwanese officials in Washington and Taipei, and
The Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan has no official diplomatic allies in the EU. With the exception of the Vatican, it has no official allies in Europe at all. This does not prevent the ROC — Taiwan — from having close relations with EU member states and other European countries. The exact nature of the relationship does bear revisiting, if only to clarify what is a very complicated and sensitive idea, the details of which leave considerable room for misunderstanding, misrepresentation and disagreement. Only this week, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) received members of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations
Denmark’s “one China” policy more and more resembles Beijing’s “one China” principle. At least, this is how things appear. In recent interactions with the Danish state, such as applying for residency permits, a Taiwanese’s nationality would be listed as “China.” That designation occurs for a Taiwanese student coming to Denmark or a Danish citizen arriving in Denmark with, for example, their Taiwanese partner. Details of this were published on Sunday in an article in the Danish daily Berlingske written by Alexander Sjoberg and Tobias Reinwald. The pretext for this new practice is that Denmark does not recognize Taiwan as a state under