The debates in the Examination Yuan over the scope of the test on the subject of "national history and geography" in the qualification exam of entry-level civil servants next year highlights the fundamental problem of national identification within Taiwan -- which has become the root of many problems here. Just what exactly is the "national history and geography" of this country?

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By the Liberty Times editorial
On Wednesday China's Taiwan Affairs Office formally responded to President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) National Day speech last Sunday. The office spokesperson Zhang Mingqing (張銘清) strongly criticized Chen's speech, saying that Chen "stubbornly insists on the separatist stance of one country on each side across the Taiwan Strait," and that Chen was "faking moderation, while practicing Taiwan independence."

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By Shen Fu-hsiung 沈富雄
As expected, China's Taiwan Affairs Office severely attacked President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) National Day speech. On the surface, cross-strait negotiation and reconciliation seem to be far away. But for us, this is the best opportunity to consolidate our internal consensus.

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Forty years ago, Beijing detonated Asia's first atomic bomb in the dusty, arid plains of Qinghai Province
Tibetan horsemen drive their sheep among rusting rail lines and overgrown bunkers in this arid part of China where, during the Cold War, determined scientists developed Asia's first nuclear bomb.

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By William Safire
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

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