Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
There are many variables governing the direction in which cross-strait relations could develop, and political leaders such as President Chen Shui-bian (
While campaigning Chen has often proclaimed that Taiwan and China are two countries, one on each side of the Taiwan Strait, only to return to re-iterating that he will not declare independence while president. He reportedly even asked People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (
As a likely candidate for the presidency in 2008, Ma should take Chen's failures to keep his promises as a lesson to speak and act cautiously. He should not let power or the cheers of the people mislead him into making irresponsible statements.
In the final two years of the Chen administration, the people will certainly examine Ma's words and deeds with care. They will evaluate him by the way he handles issues such as the KMT's stolen assets, the retirement of party officials, the Taipei City Government's achievements and his stance on cross-strait affairs, as well as his ability to resist outside pressure on this issue.
Ma still has some troubling ideas. For example, he continues to push for opening Taipei's Songshan Airport to direct cross-strait flights, and has said that he will fully implement direct links within two years of being elected president. He recently said he would not reject allowing people from China to join the KMT.
These ideas have been vociferously attacked by the pan-green camp, which accuses Ma of ignoring national security issues. His statements and comments have been as inconsistent as those emanating from the Presidential Office.
The phrase "You can go retake the mainland, we will remain behind to protect Taiwan" has long had currency for those uninterested in the KMT's designs. It underlines the lack of interest that many Taiwanese feel in becoming involved in China's affairs. Ma, in outlining his cross-strait strategy, should bear this in mind so as not to create more problems by meddling in China's domestic affairs.
Ma should be applauded for his acceptance of the position that negotiations are impossible until China removes its missiles. This is the first step toward a cross-strait policy that upholds Taiwan's dignity. It is a clear and reasonable position. Naturally, the removal of the missiles, in and of itself, will not resolve the cross-strait issue, but it will greatly ameliorate the atmosphere in which negotiations can take place between the two governments. Let's hope this is not just more of Ma's political posturing.
Elbridge Colby, America’s Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, is the most influential voice on defense strategy in the Second Trump Administration. For insight into his thinking, one could do no better than read his thoughts on the defense of Taiwan which he gathered in a book he wrote in 2021. The Strategy of Denial, is his contemplation of China’s rising hegemony in Asia and on how to deter China from invading Taiwan. Allowing China to absorb Taiwan, he wrote, would open the entire Indo-Pacific region to Chinese preeminence and result in a power transition that would place America’s prosperity
When Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) first suggested a mass recall of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators, the Taipei Times called the idea “not only absurd, but also deeply undemocratic” (“Lai’s speech and legislative chaos,” Jan. 6, page 8). In a subsequent editorial (“Recall chaos plays into KMT hands,” Jan. 9, page 8), the paper wrote that his suggestion was not a solution, and that if it failed, it would exacerbate the enmity between the parties and lead to a cascade of revenge recalls. The danger came from having the DPP orchestrate a mass recall. As it transpired,
All 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安), formerly of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), survived recall elections against them on Saturday, in a massive loss to the unprecedented mass recall movement, as well as to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that backed it. The outcome has surprised many, as most analysts expected that at least a few legislators would be ousted. Over the past few months, dedicated and passionate civic groups gathered more than 1 million signatures to recall KMT lawmakers, an extraordinary achievement that many believed would be enough to remove at
A few weeks ago in Kaohsiung, tech mogul turned political pundit Robert Tsao (曹興誠) joined Western Washington University professor Chen Shih-fen (陳時奮) for a public forum in support of Taiwan’s recall campaign. Kaohsiung, already the most Taiwanese independence-minded city in Taiwan, was not in need of a recall. So Chen took a different approach: He made the case that unification with China would be too expensive to work. The argument was unusual. Most of the time, we hear that Taiwan should remain free out of respect for democracy and self-determination, but cost? That is not part of the usual script, and
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