US President George W. Bush has a reputation for mangling the English language — a problem that has fed eight years of comedian routines and newspaper columnist copy.
Now, in an interview held with Beijing’s official media organizations, he reached new lows in incomprehensibility in explaining his administration’s relations with Taiwan.
In the interview, which he held in Washington with the People’s Daily and the Central China Television network on the eve of his trip to Beijing to attend the opening of the Olympic Games, Bush volunteered answers about Taiwan, even if he wasn’t asked.
Consider this answer in response to a question about what had “surprised” him about Chinese leaders over the past eight years.
“I would say that there’s been a … it’s just been interesting to watch I would say that there’s been a — it’s just been interesting to watch, and interesting to participate with people. I mean, the Taiwan issue was a very touchy issue for a while, causing me to say in the Oval Office — that which is now well-chronicled — that the United States does not support a unilateral declaration of independence. Because I wanted to make sure that our message was clear, but also that the relationship was in a way not our relationship, but other’s relationship with China was in a way that it could evolve peacefully and constructively,” the president said.
At another point, Bush was asked another question and segued to Taiwan.
“My only point to you is, is that — or the Taiwan-Chinese relationship and that issue. It’s a very sensitive issue for the Chinese government. And people who study this very closely will see that the issue is in a better place. And I made it abundantly clear that there was some red lines for the United States on this issue, that there would be no unilateral declaration of independence, that our policy was still the same. It’s very important for the president to be very consistent,” he said.
The transcript was provided by the White House after its general publication was held up until the Chinese media could air — and presumably edit — it.
The interview has already run into criticism in Washington, including in a prominent Washington Post story, which noted that it came as Bush runs into a buzz saw of static over his intention to attend the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing and his lack of criticism of China’s human rights crackdown ahead of the Games.
Meanwhile, supporters of Taiwan are now circulating the quotes via e-mail and scratching their heads over what he actually meant.
Japanese footwear brand Onitsuka Tiger today issued a public apology and said it has suspended an employee amid allegations that the staff member discriminated against a Vietnamese customer at its Taipei 101 store. Posting on the social media platform Threads yesterday, a user said that an employee at the store said that “those shoes are very expensive” when her friend, who is a migrant worker from Vietnam, asked for assistance. The employee then ignored her until she asked again, to which she replied: "We don't have a size 37." The post had amassed nearly 26,000 likes and 916 comments as of this
US President Donald Trump said "it’s up to" Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) what China does on Taiwan, but that he would be "very unhappy" with a change in the "status quo," the New York Times said in an interview published yesterday. Xi "considers it to be a part of China, and that’s up to him what he’s going to be doing," Trump told the newspaper on Wednesday. "But I’ve expressed to him that I would be very unhappy if he did that, and I don’t think he’ll do that," he added. "I hope he doesn’t do that." Trump made the comments in
Tourism in Kenting fell to a historic low for the second consecutive year last year, impacting hotels and other local businesses that rely on a steady stream of domestic tourists, the latest data showed. A total of 2.139 million tourists visited Kenting last year, down slightly from 2.14 million in 2024, the data showed. The number of tourists who visited the national park on the Hengchun Peninsula peaked in 2015 at 8.37 million people. That number has been below 2.2 million for two years, although there was a spike in October last year due to multiple long weekends. The occupancy rate for hotels
A cold surge advisory was today issued for 18 cities and counties across Taiwan, with temperatures of below 10°C forecast during the day and into tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. New Taipei City, Taipei, Taoyuan and Hsinchu, Miaoli and Yilan counties are expected to experience sustained temperatures of 10°C or lower, the CWA said. Temperatures are likely to temporarily drop below 10°C in most other areas, except Taitung, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, CWA data showed. The cold weather is being caused by a strong continental cold air mass, combined with radiative cooling, a process in which heat escapes from
RSS