Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan's (
Lien's political gamble that started with such scenes of violence demonstrated the domestic political crisis is much greater than the cross-strait crisis. Lien's real aim is to win China's support for his struggle against President Chen Shui-bian (
Before the people of Taiwan reach a consensus on the China issue, any political move that attempts to make peace or unite with Beijing will only deepen disagreement and hatred in society. For example, when Lien and his delegation received red-carpet treatment in Nanjing on Tuesday, perhaps they were proud and self-satisfied, but people with strong Taiwan consciousness felt humiliated as they watched Lien's smirking on TV, and could only have felt deeply hurt. After all, China has only recently passed an "Anti-Secession" Law, which legitimizes the use of military force against this country.
This is the source of Tuesday's violence -- the fact that satisfying Lien's vanity comes at the cost of the humiliation of the Taiwanese people. This humiliation will only deepen feelings of hatred and will certainly never facilitate cross-strait peace.
A greater cause for anxiety is that Lien is using this trip to insinuate Beijing further into Taiwan's domestic disputes. In the past, come election time, China could only use military and verbal threats to support the pan-blue camp from the sidelines. But China's recent proposal to purchase Taiwan's agricultural produce -- made during KMT Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kun's (
There are mutual benefits to be had for both China and the KMT from these visits. Beijing is clearly willing to throw its money around. If it can buy enough votes, it can help the KMT return to power, where, as a Beijing puppet, it will smooth the way to "peaceful unification." This is an attempt at electoral fraud on an international scale, and the government should bring this situation before the court of international opinion.
Lien should remember that in 1995, then Chinese president Jiang Zemin's (
Since that time, China has not softened its position, and has just passed a law legitimizing the use of force against Taiwan. So why has Lien been in such a hurry to suck up to China, since the KMT is not in power? The answer is clear -- his overweening ambition. Does the dignity of this nation have to be sacrificed to assuage Lien's long history of electoral failure?
There is much evidence that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is sending soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — and is learning lessons for a future war against Taiwan. Until now, the CCP has claimed that they have not sent PLA personnel to support Russian aggression. On 18 April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinskiy announced that the CCP is supplying war supplies such as gunpowder, artillery, and weapons subcomponents to Russia. When Zelinskiy announced on 9 April that the Ukrainian Army had captured two Chinese nationals fighting with Russians on the front line with details
On a quiet lane in Taipei’s central Daan District (大安), an otherwise unremarkable high-rise is marked by a police guard and a tawdry A4 printout from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicating an “embassy area.” Keen observers would see the emblem of the Holy See, one of Taiwan’s 12 so-called “diplomatic allies.” Unlike Taipei’s other embassies and quasi-consulates, no national flag flies there, nor is there a plaque indicating what country’s embassy this is. Visitors hoping to sign a condolence book for the late Pope Francis would instead have to visit the Italian Trade Office, adjacent to Taipei 101. The death of
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The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), joined by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), held a protest on Saturday on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei. They were essentially standing for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which is anxious about the mass recall campaign against KMT legislators. President William Lai (賴清德) said that if the opposition parties truly wanted to fight dictatorship, they should do so in Tiananmen Square — and at the very least, refrain from groveling to Chinese officials during their visits to China, alluding to meetings between KMT members and Chinese authorities. Now that China has been defined as a foreign hostile force,
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