Two major pillars — the will of the Taiwanese public and the US’ commitment to its ally — provide support for Taiwan’s future, Formosan Association for Public Affairs executive director Coen Blaauw said earlier this week.
In a keynote speech to the 27th annual convention of the North American Taiwanese Medical Association (NATMA), Blaauw said that while he had no real concerns about the US fulfilling its role, he worried that Taiwanese might not fight hard enough to stay separate from China.
He said there was a widespread feeling of inevitability in Taiwan that the country would fall under Chinese rule.
However, this is far from inevitable, he said, adding that only if Taiwanese are prepared to reject Beijing’s enticements, could Taiwan secure its future independence.
Blaauw, who has helped to write much of the pro-Taiwan legislation that passed through the US Congress in the past decade, was presented with a NATMA award for service to Taiwan.
Others who have received the award in the past include Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝).
Clifford Chao, president of the NATMA Greater New York Chapter, which hosted the event, said the primary goal of the meeting was to raise awareness of key healthcare issues affecting the Taiwanese-American community, such as healthcare reform and cardiovascular diseases.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
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The Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP) has funded short-term internships in Taiwan for more than 4,500 young people from more than 40 countries since 2015, with the goal of attracting and retaining international talent, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. Fifty-five colleges launched 514 projects this year, including in fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, medicine and biotechnology, green energy, and sustainability, it said. The program provides research and practical internships in Taiwan for two to six months, and offers cultural exchange and networking opportunities, the ministry said. For example, National Formosa University’s Embedded System and Autopilot Laboratory developed two solar-powered drones in
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