Saturday saw Chad become the latest country to switch recognition from Taipei to Beijing, thereby forcing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to sever diplomatic links. Chad's decision leaves Taipei with just 24 allies and, as we are constantly reminded, these are mostly small, impoverished nations in Latin America, Africa and the Pacific.

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By Tsong Tien-tzou 鄭天佐
When world-renowned physicist Yang Chen-ning (楊振寧) quoted Li Shangyin (李商隱) -- a famous Tang dynasty poet -- during his retirement party at New York's Stony Brook University in 1999 at the age of 77, he changed the poem from "The sunset is infinitely good, but alas it precedes nightfall" (夕陽無限好，只是近黃昏) to "If the sunset is infinitely good, why feel sad about nightfall?" (但得夕陽無限好，何須惆悵近黃昏) to express his feelings.

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By Huang Tien-lin 黃天麟
At the Economic Development Advisory Conference (EDAC) held on Aug. 26, 2001, business and government leaders established the "active opening" policy. On that day, all the government and business representatives were delighted to say "bye bye" to the pan-green fundamentalist faction. Before long the government had eased China-bound investment restrictions on notebook computers and more than 7,000 other products. They believed this would put Taiwan's economy on the right track toward a bright future.

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By Ning Yin-bin 甯應斌
Ever since the National Communications Commission (NCC) was founded, its legality has been called into question, and the Council of Grand Justices recently determined that the Organic Law of the National Communications Commission (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) was unconstitutional.

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When the personal computer was introduced in 1981, it was expected to spark enormous efficiency gains. But the PC only started realizing its true potential after the introduction of interconnectivity
By Harold James
In August 1981, IBM introduced the 5150 personal computer. It was not really the first personal computer, but it turned out to be "The Personal Computer," and it revolutionized not just business life, but also the way people thought about the world.

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By Melvyn Krauss
Buoyant US economic growth, so far, has provided the European Central Bank (ECB) with the necessary global backdrop to raise interest rates from very low levels at a slow and steady pace that limits political friction with euro-zone political leaders but that gets the job done.

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While the US has taken most of the blame, it remains one of the world's most open markets
By Kenneth Rogoff
It is appalling that the world has decided to blame the US for the crushing end to five years of global trade talks last month (the so-called "Doha round"). I am the first to admit that the US under President George W. Bush has not covered itself with multilateral glory in recent years. But accuse the US of sabotaging the trade talks? Give me a break.

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