I read Jacques van Wersch's letter ("Stay tuned for TV changes," Aug. 4, page 8) with some bemusement, especially when he casts the revocation of ETTV-S's license as a "media freedom issue" and that "taking to the streets" would be justified. Please, spare us your righteous indignation. ETTV-S is the same station where one of its flagship programs was Taipei City Councillor Mike Wang's (
The Government Information Office should be applauded for its determination and resolve in its efforts to clear the sensationalistic garbage off of Taiwan's cable TV offerings. While I was in Taiwan, disgust with the TV news media was universal amongst everyone I knew regardless of political affiliation.
The GIO is merely translating the public's antipathy into concrete action, and legislators threatening to cut the GIO's budget or protesters from cable TV stations would do well to be aware of this.
James Chen
New York
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Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
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