Taiwan is indeed a model democracy, but it faces several challenges. The Taiwanese must use their wisdom and power to overcome these difficulties and take control of their own destiny, or Taiwan's democracy might become a thing of the past. Taiwan is a country with a triple national identity: Taiwan, the Republic of China and China. Internally, the people in Taiwan are broadly divided into pan-green and pan-blue camps. Externally, China insists that Taiwan is a part of China, although China hasn't ruled Taiwan for a single second since the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949.
Japan ruled Taiwan for 50 years and gave up any claim to it in 1951, without specifying an inheritor. The US liberated Taiwan from Japan in 1945, and has protected Taiwan from China since the 1950s, but still talks about a paradoxical "one China" policy. The UN is helpless and hopeless.
The governing party should have a clear vision for Taiwan's future and work hard to achieve it. It should implement the laws in spite of opposition or protests. Actions are more effective than words. Corrupt officials should be fired and imprisoned.
President Chen Shui-bian (
The losing candidates should have sportsmanship. The opposition parties must be friendly, at least to the people who need security, prosperity and tranquility. Please do not boycott everything and paralyze or endanger Taiwan. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) should not act like the mayor of "Chinese Taipei."
In the Dec. 3 local governments elections, voters should not accept bribery from any candidates. They must vote for candidates who can preserve democracy and freedom for Taiwan.
Charles Hong
Columbus, Ohio
As strategic tensions escalate across the vast Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan has emerged as more than a potential flashpoint. It is the fulcrum upon which the credibility of the evolving American-led strategy of integrated deterrence now rests. How the US and regional powers like Japan respond to Taiwan’s defense, and how credible the deterrent against Chinese aggression proves to be, will profoundly shape the Indo-Pacific security architecture for years to come. A successful defense of Taiwan through strengthened deterrence in the Indo-Pacific would enhance the credibility of the US-led alliance system and underpin America’s global preeminence, while a failure of integrated deterrence would
The Executive Yuan recently revised a page of its Web site on ethnic groups in Taiwan, replacing the term “Han” (漢族) with “the rest of the population.” The page, which was updated on March 24, describes the composition of Taiwan’s registered households as indigenous (2.5 percent), foreign origin (1.2 percent) and the rest of the population (96.2 percent). The change was picked up by a social media user and amplified by local media, sparking heated discussion over the weekend. The pan-blue and pro-China camp called it a politically motivated desinicization attempt to obscure the Han Chinese ethnicity of most Taiwanese.
On Wednesday last week, the Rossiyskaya Gazeta published an article by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) asserting the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) territorial claim over Taiwan effective 1945, predicated upon instruments such as the 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation. The article further contended that this de jure and de facto status was subsequently reaffirmed by UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 1971. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly issued a statement categorically repudiating these assertions. In addition to the reasons put forward by the ministry, I believe that China’s assertions are open to questions in international
The Legislative Yuan passed an amendment on Friday last week to add four national holidays and make Workers’ Day a national holiday for all sectors — a move referred to as “four plus one.” The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who used their combined legislative majority to push the bill through its third reading, claim the holidays were chosen based on their inherent significance and social relevance. However, in passing the amendment, they have stuck to the traditional mindset of taking a holiday just for the sake of it, failing to make good use of
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