The uncertainty surrounding the Economic Sustainable Development Conference finally came to an end last week, when Vice Premier Tsai Ing-wen (
Since the Democratic Progressive Party took power in 2000, it has organized several conferences, which have reached a long list of conclusions, beginning with the Economic Development Advisory Conference in 2001, in which 322 recommendations were approved. In particular, former president Lee Teng-hui's (
There followed a national conference on social welfare services in 2002, a national conference on population policy in 2004, a national energy strategy conference last year and a national sustainable development conference this April. Some of the conference conclusions became law, but many others have still not been passed because of political paralysis in the legislature.
Opposition parties have threatened to boycott next month's conference because the government has not fully implemented decisions reached at the 2001 conference -- especially the consensus to move ahead on cross-strait economic links. Industry representatives also gave a lukewarm response to the conference after President Chen Shui-bian (
But the Cabinet's announcement last week of plans to expand cross-strait passenger and cargo charter flights appeared to help improve domestic sentiment for the moment. Moreover, the inclusion by the Mainland Affairs Council of China-bound investment matters in the preparatory meetings over the coming six weeks has heightened expectations for the event. Such matters will include a possible lifting of the current limit on Taiwanese firms' investment in China.
However, it is questionable whether the Cabinet can use a national conference to solicit the collective public will and untangle difficult issues. Facing rising calls from business circles for further relaxations in cross-strait trade and investment, it is certainly questionable whether participants can stand up for national security concerns and reach a conclusion that maintains Taiwan's competitiveness while securing a balance between global markets and the Chinese market.
Given the nation's entrenched political polarization, some have worried whether any meaningful and realistic conclusions could come from the conference. How can such a divided country reach agreement on cross-strait policies such as whether to allow Taiwanese banks to invest in Chinese lenders or allow chipmakers to invest in 0.18-micron process technology in China?
Some politicians and mass media prefer to focus on political scandals. But why not try to draw the public's attention to next month's conference, which will focus on cross-strait issues, as well as structural and long-term development issues including financial reform, labor shortages and environmental protection? In a country like Taiwan, where many political figures have no vision for the nation because they can only see their enemies, a constructive exercise like the conference could make a refreshing change.
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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