There have been reports that Tung Chee-hwa (董建華), chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, will resign. It is hard to believe that this is his own wish and not a decision by the leadership in Beijing. Beijing orchestrated Tung's initial appointment, the extension to that appointment and now his resignation, leaving the people of Hong Kong no say in the matter. This is the tragedy of "democracy" in Hong Kong.

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By Liu Kuan-teh劉冠德
President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) remark last week that "not even former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) would be able to change the national title at present" has sparked harsh criticism from the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) and pro-independence groups. Several of Chen's advisors submitted their resignations to protest Chen's endorsement of a 10-point consensus with People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) last month.

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By Richard Halloran
Communication between the government of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and the administration of US President George W. Bush has become increasingly muddled, adding to the possibility of serious miscalculation in relations with China.

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By Paul Lin林保華
The dust has begun to settle after the controversial meeting between President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜). Calm and thorough analysis is now required as we cherish this hard-earned reconciliation. Pro-independence groups were not opposed to the summit prior to the meeting, although they felt uneasy about it. Pro-unification groups opposed it, and even protested outside the Taipei Guest House where Chen and Soong met.

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The Hong Kong chief executive appears to have ended his days with a bang at the hands of a stern Chinese president, but in reality his days were numbered a long time ago
A brutal public dressing-down by the Chinese president in December may have signaled the beginning of the end of Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa's (董建華) turbulent seven years as the territory's leader.

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Analysts say good times have returned to the territory and global wine sales are up, but an 80% tax in the territory is keeping wine merchants in their cups
Champagne corks are popping around Hong Kong as the economy booms and property prices surge, if you believe what the financial analysts say.

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Taxation on air-travel or financial transactions could easily finance the US$50 billion a year in extra aid needed to meet the Millennium Development Goals
By Gerard Errera
This year must be a watershed in the fight against poverty. In order to "make poverty history," both France and the UK are pushing bold new ideas. But to appreciate them, one needs to understand the terms of the current debate.

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