Challenge of transition
To smoothly transfer political power over an exceptionally long waiting period of four months, outgoing President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) met on March 30 to discuss the transition. Ma said he would support new legislation on presidential transition under the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution and Tsai said that there must be a law to ensure smooth and peaceful transition of power.
The meeting focused on pensions, diplomacy, employment, energy and the South China Sea, while the so-called “1992 consensus” was not even mentioned.
The cross-strait issue is Ma’s favorite topic and proudest achievement, but due to time limitations there was no discussion, so Tsai had no chance to ask him what he had promised at the meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in November last year.
Ma’s administration has tightly locked every effort toward the “one China” principle and took China as the main entrance for Taiwan to the international arena. Ma assumes that is the only way for Tsai to survive if she wants to comply with her promise of abiding with the constitutional system.
It is a shame that Ma has been president for eight years and still has not realized the real “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait: that Taiwan is not a part of China.
The ROC holds sovereignty neither over Taiwan nor China; it is an merely an exiled government of China.
Therefore, Tsai’s inauguration statement should express that she only represents Taiwanese voters when ruling a nation that has nothing to do with the sovereignty of China and that the “status quo” means that Taiwan is not a part of China. Tsai represents Taiwanese voters. Taiwan and China are not the same nation.
Ma has left Tsai a broken nation where children are afraid of being beheaded while walking on street. The nation needs fundamental changes. Hopefully, Tsai can lead the public to overcome the challenges and implement reforms to make Taiwan a secure place for children to grow up happily, for adults to work successfully and for seniors to retire comfortably.
John Hsieh
Hayward, California
End people’s isolation
I did not have to read Douglas Habecker’s letter (Letters, April 1, page 8) twice to think that his assessment of Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was on the mark.
When reading the article in question (“Ko Wen-je calls on wardens to arrange more social events,” March 30, page 2), I sat nodding in total agreement with what the mayor said.
By contrast, I was appalled that several groups missed no chance to use the tragic incident to further their cause. The restraint and composure shown by the mother, who witnessed the horrific event and was unable to save her daughter, during a TV interview is something we should learn from.
As for Ko, he is right. In the smartphone-using, everyone-is-connected world, too many people now live virtual lives and pay little or no attention to what is going on right beside them. So, getting people out to meet in person at small neighbourhood events is a marvellous idea.
As the mayor said, harsh punishments for crimes like this are no deterrent. Such acts are committed by people isolated and detached from society. They do not think about the consequences of their actions or the punishment that could follow. Some might even hope for the harshest punishment to end their, real or perceived, suffering.
Only by more social interaction can such individuals be brought out of their isolation and be detected. So, judging less and interacting more are, in my opinion, and as the mayor says, better ways to at least try to avoid similar tragedies.
Geert Anthonis
Kaohsiung
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
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.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, people have been asking if Taiwan is the next Ukraine. At a G7 meeting of national leaders in January, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned that Taiwan “could be the next Ukraine” if Chinese aggression is not checked. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that if Russia is not defeated, then “today, it’s Ukraine, tomorrow it can be Taiwan.” China does not like this rhetoric. Its diplomats ask people to stop saying “Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow.” However, the rhetoric and stated ambition of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Taiwan shows strong parallels with