Former American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) chairman Richard Bush said in Taipei yesterday that it is important to build a consensus in Taiwan about its core interests so that the country can face the challenges that lie ahead.
The former AIT head, who now serves as the director of the Center for Northeast Asia Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution, made the remark at an international conference titled “A Spectacular Century: The Republic of China (ROC) Centennial Democracy Forums.”
The two-day conference was organized by the Council for Cultural Affairs as part of a year-long celebration of the country’s 100th anniversary.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Speaking on his essay “The Republic of China in Historical Perspective,” he said that Taiwan’s status is appropriate for modern governance, but “we may also ask about its capacity.”
“Does Taiwan have a proper evaluation of the coercive threat posed by the People’s Liberation Army [PLA] that is seriously expanding its war-fighting capabilities?” he asked. “Does Taiwan’s defense establishment, which properly shifted its mission from offense to defense decades ago, need to find ways to strengthen deterrence?”
He said that Taiwan faces tough decisions, such as how to achieve the goals of prosperity, social welfare and security simultaneously.
The toughest challenge of all, he said, is how to cope with a China that seeks to complete its mission of unification.
A local professor asked Bush how he thought Taiwan should deal with China’s unification mission.
Bush replied that he is working on a new book about the relationship between Taipei and Beijing and does not wish to give away the conclusion of his book. However, he did divulge one piece of advice: “I would say it is important to build a consensus on the island about what is truly important for the future of the people on this island.”
He asked participants to think about “what are the things that Taiwan can defend at all costs.” He said without consensus between opinions from both the green and blue spectrum, it is much harder to face that challenge.
Bush also clarified his two-China statement made at a conference in Washington last month.
“There is a huge misunderstanding,” he said. “I in no way advocated the two-China formula as the basis for resolving the disputes between the two sides.”
He said his statement was created by imaginative reporters and the two Chinas he was referring to was the thinking that US officials have accepted over the last 60 years in addressing the challenge of keeping the ROC in the UN.
Former World Bank chairman Paul Wolfowitz also gave a speech at the conference, in which he said that Taiwan is a model of democracy for China and that its economy and politics have had effects on China’s development.
The conference was also attended by Tien Hung-mao (田弘茂), president of the Institute for National Policy Research, and a number of foreign academics including Roderick MacFarquhar of Harvard University, Thomas Gold of California University of Berkeley, and Diana Lary from Canada’s University of British Columbia.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS