Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday said his remarks made in a recent interview with Foreign Policy magazine were grossly misrepresented and asked that foreign reporters be more accurate when translating in the future.
In an online version of the interview published on Thursday, Ko was quoted as saying: “For the [world’s] four Chinese-speaking regions — Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Mainland China — the longer the colonization, the more advanced a place is.”
The reported statements have drawn flak from academics and legislators for overlooking the problems created by colonization.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
In response to reporters’ questions yesterday on the reactions to that statement, Ko said the idea he was trying to convey was that, with the rise of modern civilization, the longer a society comes into contact with a modern civilization, the more civilized it will become.
“How was that translated into: ‘The longer the colonization, the more advanced a place is.’ Good grief. They are miles apart,” Ko said on the sidelines of a book launch in Taipei that he attended.
Accurate translation should be ensured the next time foreign media outlets report, he said, adding that he would also reflect on how to answer questions more precisely.
Elaborating on his idea, Ko yesterday said that the rise of modern civilization was influenced by the Renaissance and began as Spain and Portugal discovered new sea routes around the globe. As such, the earlier a region is introduced to modern civilization, the more profound the influence, he said.
The main point of his remark was that a civilized society is not built overnight, Ko said.
“Habits such as stopping at red lights and going when the lights turn green and staying on the right side of the road take decades of education to foster,” he said.
He said that China, for example, was capable of boosting its GDP and developing nuclear energy in a short time, but the above habits that form part of a civilization in their subtle ways take a long time to enter the public consciousness.
DETERRENCE: With 1,000 indigenous Hsiung Feng II and III missiles and 400 Harpoon missiles, the nation would boast the highest anti-ship missile density in the world With Taiwan wrapping up mass production of Hsiung Feng II and III missiles by December and an influx of Harpoon missiles from the US, Taiwan would have the highest density of anti-ship missiles in the world, a source said yesterday. Taiwan is to wrap up mass production of the indigenous anti-ship missiles by the end of year, as the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has been meeting production targets ahead of schedule, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said. Combined with the 400 Harpoon anti-ship missiles Taiwan expects to receive from the US by 2028, the nation would have
North Korea yesterday fired about 10 ballistic missiles to the sea toward Japan, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, days after Pyongyang warned of “terrible consequences” over ongoing South Korea-US military drills. Pyongyang recently dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul, Washington’s security ally, describing its latest peace efforts as a “clumsy, deceptive farce.” Seoul’s military detected “around 10 ballistic missiles launched from the Sunan area in North Korea toward the East Sea [Sea of Japan] at around 1:20pm,” JCS said in a statement, referring to South Korea’s name for the body of water. The missiles
‘UNWAVERING FRIENDSHIP’: A representative of a Japanese group that co-organized a memorial, said he hopes Japanese never forget Taiwan’s kindness President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, urging continued cooperation between Taiwan and Japan on disaster prevention and humanitarian assistance. Lai wrote on social media that Taiwan and Japan have always helped each other in the aftermath of major disasters. The magnitude 9 earthquake struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, triggering a massive tsunami that claimed more than 19,000 lives, according to data from Japanese authorities. Following the disaster, Taiwan donated more than US$240 million in aid, making it one of the largest contributors of financial assistance to Japan. In addition to cash donations and
CLOSER TO CHINA: The upgraded Type-12 missile has a range of about 1,000km, compared with the original model’s range of 200km, and can reach mainland China Japan is preparing to deploy its first batch of domestically developed long-range missiles, with their launchers arriving at an army camp yesterday, as the country accelerates its offensive capability in response to rising challenges in the region. The upgraded Type-12 land-to-ship missiles are to be deployed at Camp Kengun in Japan’s southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto by the end of this month, completing the process of deployment, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said without giving details. Army vehicles carrying the launchers and other equipment arrived past midnight in a highly secretive mission criticized by residents. Dozens of people stood outside of the
RSS