Bravo to Presidential Office Secretary-General Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) for rebutting former German defense minister Rainer Eppleman, the latest in a chorus of international observers who suggested that Taiwan should cancel its UN referendums.
The referendums should go forward because they are the result of popular petitions that cleared the long application process and their inherent value should be applauded, not bemoaned or condemned.
From US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte to Eppleman and others who represent the many nations that adhere to a "one China" policy, Beijing's disapproval of the referendum seems sufficient grounds to put democracy on hold. Small wonder so few believe US intervention in Iraq has nearly as much to do with democratization as with economic and military self-interest.
It's time for representatives of democratic nations to adhere to the democratic principles they tout consistently -- not merely when convenient. For a people to express their opinion by means of a referendum is a basic right.
UN membership can be blocked by China in the UN Security Council in the near term, but Taiwanese deserve to be heard. In the long term, steps like this help nurture democracy, something the US and Germany will need to uphold if they intend to regain moral authority in international relations.
William Cooper
Richmond, Virginia
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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