All of the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) worrying about the popularity of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
Whatever else one wants to say about Ma, one cannot deny his skill in avoiding confrontations and ability to sell himself as a pragmatist. Whenever Ma is confronted with an issue, be it cross-strait policy or economic affairs, he backs away from ideological rhetoric and frames himself as a problem-solver.
In short, Ma is a consummate politician: He anticipates what people want to hear, and tells the public whatever keeps them satisfied.
The DPP has not shown itself to be particularly skilled in this regard, because whenever President Chen Shui-bian (
This would all be fine if most Taiwanese were die-hard independence supporters. But they are not. Despite the electoral gains that Chen made in the 2004 presidential election, there has not been a major shift in the ideological views of most Taiwanese.
Poll after poll has demonstrated that Taiwanese ultimately have a very realistic and pragmatic view about their country's relationship with China.
Taiwanese want to reap the benefits of China's growing economic clout. They want to enrich their own lives by using their industries not to make a political statement about the nation's status, but by making smart investments that will pay off in the future. For this reason, many businesspeople and investors see nothing inherently wrong with investing in China's booming economy.
This, in the end, is why the DPP need not worry about these businesspeople's fixation with China. The booming economy there will not last forever. Eventually, the rollercoaster ride will come to an end, and people will have to seek another form of amusement -- India and Southeast Asia, which the government has rightly identified as possible destinations for investors looking for the next best thing.
No matter where investors turn to once the aphrodisiac of China's economic growth starts to wear off, the point is that politicians here should take the longer view. Taiwan is not in the middle of an economic crisis, but in the throes of a political stalemate. The instability caused by these political troubles has -- and continues -- to cause problems for the nation's long-term economic outlook.
This country has inherited a deeply flawed political system rife with the vestiges of an authoritarian, one-party state. To move beyond the acrimonious impasse that now beleaguers it, Taiwan must depend on women and men of vision and leadership.
It does not need politicians who mouth platitudes and look good on television, such as Ma. He may be skilled at telling people what they want to hear, but can he deliver the ideas and difficult solutions that Taiwan needs to ensure that its democracy succeeds?
The DPP has recently gone on the offensive against Ma, saying he is all show and no substance.
This argument would carry more weight if the DPP showed itself to be a party of substantive ideas. Where are the pan-green leaders? Who in the DPP is ready to stand up and say something worth hearing, rather than just criticize their pan-blue counterparts?
There is still almost two years before the next presidential election. The time to take a stand is now.
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
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
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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