Confucius (
Taipei City Government spokesman Yang Hsiao-tung (
Regrettably the Presidential Office was removed from the simplified Chinese version of tourist maps prepared by the city government for distribution at the expo. The Presidential Office was represented by only a picture of a building without its proper name indicated.
What's more, the name "Taipei City Government" was ridiculously changed to "Taipei Exploration Museum."
So much for promoting Taiwan's tourist attractions when their names are not correctly indicated on a map.
In its defense, the city government argued that the names were changed to avoid a replay of an incident several years ago when maps that indicated the Presidential Office were banned from distribution by the Beijing authorities at a tourism expo.
This recent incident vividly brings to mind a debacle that took place six years ago during Ma Ying-jeou's (
Ma asked soccer fans not to bring the national flag to the 2001 AFC Women's Championship games at the city's soccer stadium.
While Chinese flags could be waved inside the stadium, Taipei police officers were instructed by Ma to confiscate, by force if necessary, Republic of China flags from patriotic Taiwanese fans who simply wanted to cheer on their team.
Six years later, the mayor of the country's capital might have changed but the pathetic mentality of surrender seems to linger.
It is regrettable that the Taipei City Government, fearing China's saber-rattling, chose to give up its identity, its name and that of a building representing Taiwan's leader through an act of self-censorship that China encourages among its citizens.
It is also pathetic to see the Taipei City Government toeing Beijing's line and letting Taiwan's dignity be trampled without putting up a fight.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) often talks out loud about upholding the Republic of China's sovereignty and dignity.
But where is Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (
With this kind of conformity, Beijing wouldn't need to fire a single missile to bring Taiwan under its control. Taiwan would simply lay down without a fight.
Considering the country's fragile geopolitical circumstances, Taiwan needs fewer cowardly officials and more courageous ones -- people who have the guts to stand up to China's barking and growling.
No Taiwanese should give anyone the opportunity to insult and degrade his or her country, especially officials who are elected to serve that country or some part of it.
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
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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