When president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Tuesday reiterated her resolution to carry out “transitional justice” through legislation and the establishment of an independent committee, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had just announced a plan to rename a Presidential Office Building hall after Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), the nation’s last authoritarian ruler.
That might seem ironic, but it demonstrates — along with the outgoing ruling party’s united front against the incoming administration’s idea of transitional justice, calling it a “political vendetta” — that the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) tactics are less about absurdity and more about ignorance, or feigning it.
First, it is not surprising that the Presidential Office is to “honor Chiang Ching-kuo” for what the office called his contribution to young people. The name Chiang Ching-kuo has not lost its glamor among many, particularly when compared with that of his father, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石).
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) is one of those who is enchanted; People First Party Chairperson James Soong (宋楚瑜) and former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) — both former KMT members — stressed that they graduated from the “Ching-kuo school;” while former deputy legislative speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), who is running in the KMT chairperson election, called on the party to revive the “Ching-kuo spirit.”
Many Taiwanese, especially those older than 50, have a memory of the nation’s economic growth overlapping with the rule of Chiang Ching-kuo after Chiang Kai-shek died in 1975. While it is debatable whether the junior Chiang and his administration should be attributed with all the merits that entailed rapid growth, for those who lived through the time, the positive image was seared, not only through experience, but also through propaganda.
Hung has repeatedly called for the party to “Ching-kuo-lize,” which is to “stand with the people.” The party also upheld the “Ching-kuo spirit” before the Jan. 16 elections, which was probably more than apt given that the KMT targeted voters born before about 1960.
However, Hung, or the party as a whole, has overlooked the fact that while “the people” they have in mind might relate to Chiang Ching-kuo in a favorable light, that generation is gradually phasing out in terms of political activity. Their memory of a time in which “Taiwan’s money flooded around people’s feet” has failed to strike a chord with younger voters, who are mired in stagnant wage growth and dim prospects.
Increasingly, Taiwanese born at about the time martial law ended in 1987 categorize the rule of Chiang Ching-kuo not in economic terms, but as the latter half of the authoritarian period, including the White Terror era, the Kaohsiung Incident, the murder of family members of long-time political activist Lin I-hsiung’s (林義雄), democracy activist Chen Wen-chen’s (陳文成) mysterious death and the assassination of writer Henry Liu (劉宜良).
Legislator Apollo Chen (陳學聖), another KMT chairperson candidate, was honest enough to acknowledge that both Chiangs were authoritarians, but added that John Chiang (蔣孝嚴) and Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) — Chiang Ching-kuo’s son and grandson respectively — have achieved “KMT transitional justice” by participating in democratic elections and by being elected as lawmakers.
This is a misinterpretation of transitional justice, which Chen equates with democratization. What the notion really signifies is to redress systematic abuses of human rights perpetrated before political transition.
The Democratic Progressive Party, while working on the project now, has apparently not invested sufficient effort in propagating, or comprehending, the system of thought behind the idea, a failure that could easily serve to bolster the KMT’s conflation tactics.
Lockheed Martin on Tuesday responded to concerns over delayed shipments of F-16V Block 70 jets, saying it had added extra shifts on its production lines to accelerate progress. The Ministry of National Defense on Monday said that delivery of all 66 F-16V Block 70 jets — originally expected by the end of next year — would be pushed back due to production line relocations and global supply chain disruptions. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said that Taiwan and the US are working to resolve the delays, adding that 50 of the aircraft are in production, with 10 scheduled for flight
On Sunday, 13 new urgent care centers (UCC) officially began operations across the six special municipalities. The purpose of the centers — which are open from 8am to midnight on Sundays and national holidays — is to reduce congestion in hospital emergency rooms, especially during the nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year. It remains to be seen how effective these centers would be. For one, it is difficult for people to judge for themselves whether their condition warrants visiting a major hospital or a UCC — long-term public education and health promotions are necessary. Second, many emergency departments acknowledge
Victory in conflict requires mastery of two “balances”: First, the balance of power, and second, the balance of error, or making sure that you do not make the most mistakes, thus helping your enemy’s victory. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has made a decisive and potentially fatal error by making an enemy of the Jewish Nation, centered today in the State of Israel but historically one of the great civilizations extending back at least 3,000 years. Mind you, no Israeli leader has ever publicly declared that “China is our enemy,” but on October 28, 2025, self-described Chinese People’s Armed Police (PAP) propaganda
US President Donald Trump’s seemingly throwaway “Taiwan is Taiwan” statement has been appearing in headlines all over the media. Although it appears to have been made in passing, the comment nevertheless reveals something about Trump’s views and his understanding of Taiwan’s situation. In line with the Taiwan Relations Act, the US and Taiwan enjoy unofficial, but close economic, cultural and national defense ties. They lack official diplomatic relations, but maintain a partnership based on shared democratic values and strategic alignment. Excluding China, Taiwan maintains a level of diplomatic relations, official or otherwise, with many nations worldwide. It can be said that
RSS