Whither Taiwan?
This morning, while I was buying my morning coffee in a neighborhood 7-Eleven, I spotted a woman with her two boys rushing to the counter. Each tossed a one-dollar coin into the donation box at the counter. It was only then that I noticed that there were holes in the back of the T-shirt one of the boys was wearing. I could not believe my eyes and at first put it down to me being still half asleep, as they left immediately. A few minutes later, one of the boys came back to exchange five dollars for one-dollar coins. This time, I scrutinized the boy’s top more closely and saw dozens of tiny holes in the back of his worn shirt and sewing patches on the front.
A few minutes later, I was reading your thought-provoking article “Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) son denies soliciting a prostitute” (July 21, page 3) and I could not help but wonder what has happened to our media and society. We have wasted so much energy covering an alleged sexual scandal over the last two days but fail to report on the daily difficulties experienced by low-income groups in society. What is even more telling is that despite the fact this was clearly a family in dire circumstances, the mother had gone out of her way to instill in her boys the importance of caring for others. Their simple act of charity stands in stark contrast to the corruption of the former first family and the feeding frenzies in which the tabloid media engage. We really need more stories like your inspired reporting of the deeds of Chen Shu-chu (陳樹菊) — “Ministry awards medal to philanthropic vendor” (June 22, page 2) — stories like that offer society the sort of spiritual lift it most certainly needs.
Mandy Chou
Taipei
Limited reciprocity
If Chinese reporters in Taiwan are allowed to perform their duties freely without hindrance or harassment, with open access to virtually all strata of Taiwanese society, does that mean that there are Taiwanese reporters in China who enjoy the same freedoms?
During my nearly two decades in Taiwan, on many occasions I read about the government’s policy of “reciprocity.” In practice this has meant that that foreign citizens residing in Taiwan are granted the same rights and privileges as their governments grant Taiwanese residents.
For example, it is the Taiwanese government’s policy to allow US citizens to own property in Taiwan, since Taiwanese living in the US are allowed to own property. What is not so well-known is that it is virtually impossible for a US citizen living in Taiwan to obtain a mortgage from a Taiwanese bank. While it is true that a US citizen (or citizens from other nations) can buy property, he or she had better be able to come up with millions of NT dollars in cash because that person will find securing a mortgage all but impossible.
So much for reciprocity. It exists in theory, but the reality is so far detached from the theory as to be laughable. It is also very difficult for US citizens to open up a business in Taiwan. He or she is first obliged to find a Taiwanese citizen as a business partner.
Another example is the “permanent residency card” granted to foreigners who have been here more than seven years. This is most definitely not the equivalent of an American “green card.” The latter provides Taiwanese far more privileges than the former offers US citizens living in Taiwan.
Finally, Taiwanese men are permitted to bring their Chinese wives to Taiwan. In contrast, an American man — if married to a Chinese national — cannot bring her to Taiwan to live.
So, there is reciprocity, and then there is reciprocity. Some reciprocities are more equal than others, it seems.
I could not but think about these facts while reading your article “PRC’s new rules could limit Chinese reports on Taiwan” (July 23, page 1). This article said that “at present, five regional Chinese media outlets operate in Taiwan.” It also said: “five state-owned outlets ... also have reporters filing from Taiwan.” This means that there is a large pool of Chinese reporters — from 10 Chinese outlets — filing reports from Taiwan.
Considering the Taiwanese government’s insistence on the cherished notion of reciprocity, I would like to know if there is a pool of Taiwanese reporters filing from China? And, if so, are they granted the same amount of freedom that reporters from China enjoy in Taiwan?
After all, it only stands to reason that what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
Michael Scanlon
East Hartford, Connecticut
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