Name games won’t help
The proposed economic agreement with China has turned into an acronym game (“Ma seeks to settle disputes over economic agreement,” Feb. 28, page 1). President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is trying to settle the controversy by changing the name “comprehensive economic cooperation agreement” (CECA) to “economic cooperation framework agreement” (ECFA).
It is risky to name an agreement without knowing its content. A bottle of “methanol” should not be labeled “ethanol” even if both are alcohols.
The word “framework” is even worse than the word “comprehensive.” The former will remind people of the phrase “one China framework.”
Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) has demanded the “one China framework” be the basis for an economic agreement.
Yet the Ma administration has denied this and reiterates that the agreement would have nothing to do with sovereignty.
The majority of Taiwanese have lost confidence in Ma. During the presidential election, Ma pledged not to negotiate with China unless it dismantled the 1,300 missiles it has deployed across the Taiwan Strait. But since he took office, China has increased the number of missiles aimed at Taiwan to 1,500.
“ECFA” is supposedly better than “CECA” because the former sounds like “the country will get rich” and the latter sounds like “washing your feet” in Hoklo (also known as Taiwanese).
But you could also say ECFA sounds like a method for dying (literally “will die method”) and CECA sounds like “four-legged,” referring to beasts.
But nobody will know what the deal is about until details are made public.
A more effective way to settle the controversy over the economic agreement would be for the Ma administration to ask Hu to take back his remarks about the “one China framework.”
This might help, but would not be fully convincing, since China’s promises to Hong Kong have been broken.
CHARLES HONG
Columbus, Ohio
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
The past few months have seen tremendous strides in India’s journey to develop a vibrant semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. The nation’s established prowess in information technology (IT) has earned it much-needed revenue and prestige across the globe. Now, through the convergence of engineering talent, supportive government policies, an expanding market and technologically adaptive entrepreneurship, India is striving to become part of global electronics and semiconductor supply chains. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision of “Make in India” and “Design in India” has been the guiding force behind the government’s incentive schemes that span skilling, design, fabrication, assembly, testing and packaging, and
As former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrapped up his visit to the People’s Republic of China, he received his share of attention. Certainly, the trip must be seen within the full context of Ma’s life, that is, his eight-year presidency, the Sunflower movement and his failed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, as well as his eight years as Taipei mayor with its posturing, accusations of money laundering, and ups and downs. Through all that, basic questions stand out: “What drives Ma? What is his end game?” Having observed and commented on Ma for decades, it is all ironically reminiscent of former US president Harry