Clearing up misconceptions
Is there an unfortunate misunderstanding about German politics and history among some Taiwanese?
After two of us had to clarify the path Germany took to abolish the death penalty, (“Real deal behind abolition,” March 17, 2011, page 8), we now have to clarify a misrepresentation of the anti-nuclear stance of Germany’s Green Party (“Anti-nuclear protesters confronted by Taipower ‘thug’ police: DPP lawmaker,” Sept. 10, page 3).
Contrary to allegations made in an article on Taipower’s Web site, the German Green Party was partly founded by people emerging from the popular anti-nuclear movement formed during the 1970s. It always had a staunch and unwavering anti-nuclear platform, and, most importantly, has been a key factor in pushing Germany toward a path of sustainable energy based on clean renewable energy and away from dirty coal and potentially calamitous nuclear fuel.
Germany is now a world leader in producing and installing renewable energy, such as wind power, thanks in large part to the Green Party’s insistence of giving clean energy a chance during its stay of power in German’s national government in the early 2000s.
Moreover, it was the current center-right German government which officially ended the use of nuclear power in Germany after the Fukushima accident struck because, according to various opinion polls, almost 80 percent of the German population supported an abolition of all nuclear power.
Consequently, the conservative government under Chancellor Merkel felt that it had no other choice but to withdraw its support.
Therefore, it is laughable to suggest that the German Green Party lost elections because of its anti-nuclear stance. Rather, it won several elections because of it, including a historic win in Baden-Wurttemberg in March last year which ousted the ruling pro-nuclear center-right coalition after six uninterrupted decades in power.
There are many arguments to be made against nuclear energy (“Nuclear is no answer,” March 28, 2011, page 8) which we do not want to rehash here.
Just one reminder: More loss of land and suffering of people was caused by the Fukushima disaster than could ever be gained by winning sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), which take up so much of the media’s attention at the moment — but then the media’s attention is always easily diverted.
What we hope for is that all the nations of the world, including Taiwan, will embrace the path toward clean energy adopted by Germany, Denmark and other countries which clearly illustrates that countries can gain energy independence and security while being economically successful without having to pollute the planet for centuries or even millennia to come.
Bruno Walther,Taipei
Linda Arrigo,Taipei
Peter Chang,Taipei
Jens Damm,Tainan
Paul Jobin,Taipei
David Reid,Taradale, Australia
Scott Simon,Ottawa,Canada
Thorsten Spath,Taipei
Gunter Whittome,Taipei
On Monday, the day before Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) departed on her visit to China, the party released a promotional video titled “Only with peace can we ‘lie flat’” to highlight its desire to have peace across the Taiwan Strait. However, its use of the expression “lie flat” (tang ping, 躺平) drew sarcastic comments, with critics saying it sounded as if the party was “bowing down” to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Amid the controversy over the opposition parties blocking proposed defense budgets, Cheng departed for China after receiving an invitation from the CCP, with a meeting with
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) is leading a delegation to China through Sunday. She is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in Beijing tomorrow. That date coincides with the anniversary of the signing of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), which marked a cornerstone of Taiwan-US relations. Staging their meeting on this date makes it clear that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intends to challenge the US and demonstrate its “authority” over Taiwan. Since the US severed official diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979, it has relied on the TRA as a legal basis for all
A delegation of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials led by Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) is to travel to China tomorrow for a six-day visit to Jiangsu, Shanghai and Beijing, which might end with a meeting between Cheng and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). The trip was announced by Xinhua news agency on Monday last week, which cited China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) Director Song Tao (宋濤) as saying that Cheng has repeatedly expressed willingness to visit China, and that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee and Xi have extended an invitation. Although some people have been speculating about a potential Xi-Cheng
The ongoing Iran conflict is putting Taiwan’s energy fragility on full display — the island of 23 million people, home to the world’s most advanced semiconductor manufacturing, is highly dependent on imported oil and gas, especially that from the Middle East. In 2025, 69.6 percent of Taiwan’s crude oil and 38.7 percent of liquified natural gas were sourced from the Middle East. In the same year, 62 percent of crude oil and 34 percent of LNG to Taiwan went through the Strait of Hormuz. Taiwan’s state-run oil company CPC Corp’s benchmark crude oil price (70 percent Dubai, 30 percent Brent)
RSS