Dark days at end of Empire
Dear Johnny,
I find it deplorable for British Foreign Secretary David Miliband to suggest that the UN referendum threatens cross-strait stability (Editorial: "A British warning hardly registers," Dec. 8, page 8). It is more of a threat to peace in the region for supposedly mature democracies like the UK to continue to pander to the wishes of China and give tacit blessing to its oppressive polices and warmongering.
As for the letter from my countryman (Johnny Neihu's Mailbag, Dec. 8, page 8) that appeared to ridicule Taiwanese democracy -- and I apologize to John if it was not meant in that way -- it only goes to prove the worrying trend in education we have here.
I'm afraid I don't have room to list even a fraction of the atrocities committed by Britain throughout its history. However, for those of us who learn our history courtesy of Hollywood, I have one word: Braveheart.
I would like to urge Mr Miliband and the UK government to concentrate on issues closer to home. Even without the rising taxes that make things harder to bear, the state of education, medical care, policing and general behavior and manners of a large proportion of society disappoints me at best, and on darker days, leaves me ashamed to be English.
As to how any of this involves Taiwan, would you agree, Johnny, that there is a real danger that the petty antics and name-calling between Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) will make others consider Taiwan's democracy a laughingstock?
I would urge them to concentrate on building on the things that have made Taiwan great and improving its global image on a more basic level than simply anti-China rhetoric.
It may surprise many Taiwanese to know that I have yet to find an Englishman who has even heard of Taipei 101, let alone know that it is the tallest building in the world. Unsurprisingly, all can picture the Petronas Towers; again, courtesy of Hollywood. None of my work colleagues have placed Taiwan successfully on a map and despite me having corrected them on numerous occasions, most still refer to Thailand every time I talk about my visits there or my Taiwanese wife.
Indeed, the majority only remember Taiwan as the place where their plastic toys were made in the 1970s and 1980s.
Taiwan is a fantastic, beautiful place that should be known for its stunning scenery, culture and quality of life (I know where I'll be retiring) rather than for getting involved in petty squabbles with the People's Republic of China and between its political parties.
Kevin M
Lincolnshire, England
PS: You would not believe how hard it is to get a good naicha over here. Can I have a Red Sun Tea franchise for Christmas?
Johnny replies : I don't give a rat's ass if someone thinks of Taiwan as a laughingstock if that person does not already sympathize with Taiwan's predicament -- or if that person is just plain ignorant.
I also think that you misread John's letter.
If you describe cross-strait tension as a "petty squabble," then I can call the Battle of Britain a lark with toy planes.
As for Taipei 101, I had never heard of it either until you brought it up. I suggest we call in Hollywood to make a sequel to that Petronas Towers movie. In Entrapment II: Take the Plunge, Sean Connery will illegally BASE jump from the Taipei 101 observation deck onto a nude Catherine Zeta-Jones on a parking garage roof.
That'll educate the English.
Saudi Arabian largesse is flooding Egypt’s cultural scene, but the reception is mixed. Some welcome new “cooperation” between two regional powerhouses, while others fear a hostile takeover by Riyadh. In Cairo, historically the cultural capital of the Arab world, Egyptian Minister of Culture Nevine al-Kilany recently hosted Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki al-Sheikh. The deep-pocketed al-Sheikh has emerged as a Medici-like patron for Egypt’s cultural elite, courted by Cairo’s top talent to produce a slew of forthcoming films. A new three-way agreement between al-Sheikh, Kilany and United Media Services — a multi-media conglomerate linked to state intelligence that owns much of
The US and other countries should take concrete steps to confront the threats from Beijing to avoid war, US Representative Mario Diaz-Balart said in an interview with Voice of America on March 13. The US should use “every diplomatic economic tool at our disposal to treat China as what it is... to avoid war,” Diaz-Balart said. Giving an example of what the US could do, he said that it has to be more aggressive in its military sales to Taiwan. Actions by cross-party US lawmakers in the past few years such as meeting with Taiwanese officials in Washington and Taipei, and
Denmark’s “one China” policy more and more resembles Beijing’s “one China” principle. At least, this is how things appear. In recent interactions with the Danish state, such as applying for residency permits, a Taiwanese’s nationality would be listed as “China.” That designation occurs for a Taiwanese student coming to Denmark or a Danish citizen arriving in Denmark with, for example, their Taiwanese partner. Details of this were published on Sunday in an article in the Danish daily Berlingske written by Alexander Sjoberg and Tobias Reinwald. The pretext for this new practice is that Denmark does not recognize Taiwan as a state under
The Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan has no official diplomatic allies in the EU. With the exception of the Vatican, it has no official allies in Europe at all. This does not prevent the ROC — Taiwan — from having close relations with EU member states and other European countries. The exact nature of the relationship does bear revisiting, if only to clarify what is a very complicated and sensitive idea, the details of which leave considerable room for misunderstanding, misrepresentation and disagreement. Only this week, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) received members of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations