TPP a Trojan horse
Finally, an article depicting the true face of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has appeared in a Taiwanese newspaper.
For at least a year, I have been reading exhortations from Taiwanese media outlets and politicians that the nation must join the TPP, with no reports of the truth about the proposed deal. So the inclusion in the Taipei Times of Joseph Stiglitz’s article on the TPP (“The Trans-Pacific Partnership: the secret corporate takeover,” May 18, page 9) — from an economist who knows just what this Trojan-horse agreement entails — offers a much-needed service for Taiwan and Taiwanese.
For those too busy or disinterested to read the full article, the following excerpt is enough to provide all the information one needs to see through this corporate deception:
“The real intent of these provisions is to impede health, environmental, safety and, yes, even financial regulations meant to protect the US economy and citizens. Companies can sue governments for full compensation for any reduction in their future expected profits resulting from regulatory changes.”
Thank you Taipei Times for finally providing Taiwanese what they need to know about the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
David Martelli
Taitung County
Compost key to future
Kengchi Goah (吳耿志) is perfectly right in his evaluation of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and of higher education in Taiwan (“Shifting to value food production,” May 19, page 8).
I brought computer technology to Taiwan with Hewlett-Packard in 1969 and studied physics at National Taiwan University. My son works at TSMC.
The Japanese saw the potential of Taiwan and wanted to turn it into the breadbasket of Japan. We should go back to this view and make the agricultural field the economy’s main driver.
However, using TSMC-style manufacturing for agriculture as Goah suggests is misguided. We are slowly waking up to the impact of factory farms raising cows, pigs and chickens. Human health pays the price. The same goes for fruit and vegetables. Their health and nutritional content depend on the sun and the natural contribution of good clay soils full of nutrients, most of them unknown to those with doctorates. No LED or chemical fertilizers can get close.
There is a much easier way to bring about an agricultural revolution. Taiwanese produce more than 16,000 tonnes of table scraps a day, most of it burned by huge incinerators producing serious pollution. By composting all of it — which is easy if given the political will — the way I do on my farm at a rate of 2 tonnes a day, we would produce enough of the most nutrient-rich, natural compost to fertilize 10,000 hectares of farmland a year.
Fifty-six percent of farmers in Taiwan try to survive on a monthly income of NT$20,000 per family on small farms totaling 22 percent of all farmland. Meanwhile, the younger generation leaves for the cities and farming is abandoned. This is a major headache for the Ministry of Agriculture.
Take all the potential compost generated by food waste and give it to these small farmers, and their income will jump to NT$200,000 a month, 10 times their actual income. The younger generation will be drawn to the countryside, where the economy lies, and within 60 years, the whole of Taiwan will have an agriculture free of chemical fertilizers and pesticide, as well as a healthy population.
Pierre Loisel
Taipei
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
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
As Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s party won by a landslide in Sunday’s parliamentary election, it is a good time to take another look at recent developments in the Maldivian foreign policy. While Muizzu has been promoting his “Maldives First” policy, the agenda seems to have lost sight of a number of factors. Contemporary Maldivian policy serves as a stark illustration of how a blend of missteps in public posturing, populist agendas and inattentive leadership can lead to diplomatic setbacks and damage a country’s long-term foreign policy priorities. Over the past few months, Maldivian foreign policy has entangled itself in playing
A group of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers led by the party’s legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (?) are to visit Beijing for four days this week, but some have questioned the timing and purpose of the visit, which demonstrates the KMT caucus’ increasing arrogance. Fu on Wednesday last week confirmed that following an invitation by Beijing, he would lead a group of lawmakers to China from Thursday to Sunday to discuss tourism and agricultural exports, but he refused to say whether they would meet with Chinese officials. That the visit is taking place during the legislative session and in the aftermath