Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential primary candidate Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) has proposed using “smart power” combined with “pragmatic diplomacy” as the way to handle Taiwan’s diplomatic plight.
According to Su’s office spokesperson Lee Hou-ching (李厚慶), Su felt that for the nation’s diplomacy to change for the better, there must be three strategies — smart power that surpasses hard power, a soft power pragmatic management approach and clear-cut diplomatic strategic guiding principles.
Smart power is a concept introduced by Harvard University international relations professor Joseph Nye as the ability to combine hard and soft power into a winning strategy.
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton also used the term during her US Senate confirmation hearing on Jan. 13, 2009.
“We must use what has been called smart power — the full range of tools at our disposal — diplomatic, economic, military, political, legal and cultural — picking the right tool, or combination of tools, for each situation. With smart power, diplomacy will be the vanguard of foreign policy,” she said.
According to Su, Taiwan’s diplomacy should be practical and establish “grassroots-like” diplomacy that applies resources to work relating to public diplomacy and international non-governmental organizations. These approaches allow pragmatic progress without being seen as ramming and maintain the nation’s interests without provoking others, Su said.
Sources wishing to remain anonymous said that Su had met with former Singaporean prime minister Lee Kwan Yew (李光耀) twice during the latter’s low-key visit to Taiwan this last week.
The source said Su and his wife, Chan Hsiu-ling (詹秀齡), had lunch with Lee and his family on Tuesday, then Su met with Lee alone the following day.
According to sources, Lee expressed approval of Su’s concept of pragmatic diplomacy and thought that Su’s proposal of “smart power” was a brilliantly elucidated point of view.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
RSS