On April 19, the US Congress introduced a bipartisan draft Taiwan international solidarity act to decouple Taiwan from UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, emphasizing that the resolution deals with the right to represent China and does not involve Taiwan’s sovereignty. Resolution 2758 does not indicate that Taiwan is part of China, so if the bill is passed by the US House of Representatives and the US Senate, and signed by US President Joe Biden, it would create a good opportunity for Taiwan to seek UN membership under the name “Taiwan.” However, considering that the situation is unfavorable to Taiwan — the US and most other countries follow a “one China” policy, and China controls many UN member states — if it is to succeed in becoming a UN member, Taiwan must seek US support. The new guidelines for government officials’ interactions with their Taiwanese counterparts announced by the US Department of State on April 9 still do not allow US officials to attend Double Ten National Day celebrations and other events that imply sovereignty. In addition, on April 21, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) attended a climate change summit via video link at the invitation of Biden. All this shows that the US-China relationship is cooperative as well as competitive. In other words, although the US’ Taiwan Strait strategy has pro-Taiwan tendencies, it still falls within the framework of the US’ “one China” policy. This is the reason the US government has not yet revised the clause about the US not supporting Taiwan’s participation in international organizations for which statehood is a requirement. To join the UN, Taiwan must first urge the US government to modify this policy so it can gain the US government’s help to join the WHO, the international organization at which Taiwan stands the best chance of being accepted as a
As the US’ mass COVID-19 vaccination campaign continues at a record pace, one question under debate is what the administration of US President Joe Biden should do with its extra doses — and especially where to send them. One country that should be at the top of a donation list is Taiwan, in recognition of the help that it provided to the US at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year. After weeks of pressure, the Biden administration announced that it is now “looking at options to share American-made AstraZeneca vaccine doses.” By summer, it is clear that anyone in the US who wants a vaccine would have received one. The US government has purchased 300 million doses each of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines — enough for 300 million people — plus tens of millions of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine that are sitting in storage waiting for approval. Taiwan — which set a gold standard for its COVID-19 response with fewer than 1,200 cases — has been slow to receive and administer vaccine doses. While Taiwan has ordered about 20 million doses from suppliers, more than 58,000 people, mostly healthcare workers, have received at least one dose. The slow rate is attributed to doubts over the AstraZeneca vaccine’s safety, potentially leading to their expiration by the end of this month if not used. Considering the danger of the many virus variants surging around the globe, the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) should work to bolster public receptiveness to whatever vaccines are available. Taiwan has made it this far in the pandemic; it would a shame for a lapse to occur due to vaccine hesitancy. The slow pace at which Taiwan is receiving COVID-19 vaccines is nothing particularly unique. Countries around the globe are not receiving what they paid for
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread throughout the world, showing no sign of ending. India has been suffering from a sudden spike of COVID-19 cases, worsened by the spread of a new virus variant. Not only has India reached the unenviable figure of more than 20 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, ranking second in the world, its daily new recorded cases has reached more than 300,000, leading to the collapse of its medical system. The situation is so dire that patients have been dying while waiting for hospital beds or oxygen supplies, and crematoriums are completely overwhelmed by the demand, leading to a potential major humanitarian crisis. In Taiwan, on the other hand, thanks to its effective pandemic response measures, people can go about their daily lives as normal, and economic activity has been largely untouched, compared with pre-pandemic levels. India is one of the four main countries in the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative started by the US and the world’s most populous democracy, having shared values with other democracies in the region, including Taiwan. There are no official diplomatic ties between Taiwan and India, as Taiwan is still theoretically administered by the Republic of China and is not officially recognized as an independent country, and China has been trying its best to block Taiwan’s participation in the international community. However, after the emergence of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, Taiwan and India have gradually become closer. They have not only started to deepen their cooperation in many fields from the economy to academia, their improved ties have also been reflected in geopolitics, with the two countries sharing the strategic interests of resisting the hegemonic expansion of China. Indians have heavily criticized Chinese hegemonic attitudes due to rising tensions and clashes on the border with China last year, and even advocated playing the
EDITORIAL CARTOON
When the first reports surfaced of a mysterious disorder that was afflicting dozens of US diplomats in Cuba, Mike Beck’s reaction was one of recognition and relief. Beck, a retired US National Security Agency (NSA) counterintelligence officer, was at his home in Maryland, scrolling through the day’s news on his computer when he spotted the story, and remembers shouting out to his wife. “I got excited because I thought: ‘Well, it’s coming out now that it’s not a mirage,’” Beck said. “I felt bad for the victims, but thought: ‘Now I’m no longer one of one. I’m one of many.’” Beck had been forced into retirement in late 2016 by a rare early-onset, non-tremor form of Parkinson’s disease, and he had evidence, supplied by the NSA and the CIA, that he could have been the victim of a deliberate attack from a microwave weapon. After years of lonely struggle, he now feels vindicated. In December last year, the National Academy of Sciences published a report finding that the scores of CIA and US Department of State officials affected by “Havana syndrome” in Cuba, China and elsewhere were most likely suffering the “effects of directed, pulsed radio frequency energy.” After years of playing down the reports and failing to provide proper medical care for the victims, Washington is now clearly alarmed at the implications of the attacks. ‘PATTERN’ The Democratic and Republican leadership on the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Friday last week put out a statement, saying: “This pattern of attacking our fellow citizens serving our government appears to be increasing.” The statement came the day after the White House said that it was looking into “unexplained health incidents” after reports that two of its own officials had been targeted in the Washington area. The CIA and state department have launched task forces to investigate, and it was
Silicon Valley leaders tell us that the Fourth Industrial Revolution will bring untold benefits. They say it is already under way and accelerating, powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies, and warn that we will be left eating dust if we do not get with the program. This upheaval — which also reflects the impact of robotics, biotechnology, nanotechnology, 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT) — is a general-purpose revolution. Its leaders and their boosters promise that it will help societies to tackle climate change, address poverty and inequality, and stem the dramatic loss of biodiversity. The revolution might play out like that. Or it might not. Consider the most recent digital revolution, which brought us Google, Facebook and Twitter, and changed the way information flows around the world. At first, the ability to connect to others online, and to create and share digital content seamlessly through ever-growing virtual social networks, seemed straightforwardly beneficial. However, the global flood of misinformation enabled by these platforms is making it more difficult to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and tackle climate change. Few realized what was happening until it was too late and now we are dealing with the fallout. So, how can societies minimize the risk of inadvertent, ignorant or willfully malicious use of the next generation of technology? My work has increasingly focused on the collision of two worlds. The technosphere comprises the stuff that humans have created, which amounts to an estimated 27 trillion tonnes, or 50kg per square meter of the Earth’s surface. The biosphere is the thin layer clinging to the Earth’s surface where life thrives, and where humans have enjoyed a 10,000-year stretch of relatively stable climate. I first became interested in the relationship between these worlds while exploring the growth of semiautomated global early-warning systems for disease control. This made me appreciate
Recent news has not been good for the image of Taiwan’s police. After a questionable arrest and detainment of a music teacher in Taoyuan made the headlines last week, news broke that officers at Songshan Precinct’s Zhonglun Police Station in Taipei allegedly deleted security footage showing a group of men storming into the station and damaging a computer on April 16. While the video incident is still being investigated, a group of people on Monday night released hundreds of cockroaches into a restaurant where Taipei’s voluntary police force was hosting a banquet. The guests included senior officers such as Taipei Police Commissioner Chen Jia-chang (陳嘉昌) and New Taipei City Police Commissioner Huang Tsung-jen (黃宗仁) as well as lawmakers and city councilors. After an initial investigation, Chen said that the attack stemmed from a financial dispute between the restaurant owner and gangsters, and there was a “low possibility” that the perpetrators were targeting the police — although he added that he could not be 100 percent sure. However, the men who barged into the Zhonglun Police Station were not particularly targeting police either — they were chasing one of the department’s physical training instructors, Yang Chung-li (楊忠蒞), with whom they had an altercation while drinking. They likely did not know that he worked for the police. What is alarming is the perpetrators’ audacity and disregard of law enforcement, and the police department’s actions afterward. The cockroach attack was apparently well-planned, as multiple pet fish stores in Taipei and New Taipei City said they received orders over the weekend for that specific type of cockroach, which is often used for feed. It is unlikely that the masterminds behind the attack did not know that police, including top brass, were hosting a banquet at the restaurant. Whatever their motives, their action is another blatant
The George Floyd case has aroused my envy and admiration. Congratulations to Americans! The trial concluded last month in the case of Floyd, which had captivated the world. What interested me was not only the court’s verdict, but also the process of the trial, as it took eight weeks to try the defendant in the case. Today, in my homeland of East Turkestan, the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, more than 1 million people have been jailed without trial on charges of separatism and terrorism. More than 1 million people are held in camps indefinitely simply because their beliefs and customs differ from those of the Han Chinese. Almost none of them were prosecuted. They were summarily sent in handcuffs to prisons, with black bags over their heads. In the trial for the murder of Floyd, more than 30 witnesses, including white people, testified that he had been unjustly killed, and professional witnesses who were white could not hold back their tears as they testified. I felt that, in these testimonies and judgements, white and black Americans united as one. By contrast, when more than 3 million Uighurs were taken to camps with black bags over their heads, their families shattered, I did not hear that their Han Chinese neighbors were upset, and, when their children were taken to orphanages in tears, I did not hear a Han Chinese teacher or police officer say: “My heart aches.” Let us concede that there is no freedom of speech in China, so the Han Chinese people are helpless, but I have not heard a strong call to stop the Uighur genocide, even from overseas Chinese who live in the democratic world. Some overseas Chinese organizations in the Netherlands even issued a joint statement against Uighurs by condemning the Dutch parliament’s recognition of the Uighur genocide.
The proposal to merge the All-out Defense Mobilization Office and the Armed Forces Reserve Command into a single defense reserve mobilization agency (“New agency to oversee mobilization of reserves,” April 21, page 2) would represent an important step and an opportunity to strengthen Taiwan’s reserve system. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) deserves credit for advocating the need to enhance the reserves so that they would make a meaningful contribution to deterring aggression by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The government has announced plans to increase training from four days to two weeks and envisages training, including urban warfare training, being conducted annually. These are welcome changes, but they still fall short of what is needed to achieve combat-ready reserve troops. One aspect of the proposal for a new agency warrants particular attention. It is the question of where the new agency would be located within the government. The Ministry of National Defense has naturally proposed that the new agency be located under itself. However, there are compelling reasons to place the agency under the Executive Yuan. First, the agency would include the military reserves, which are under the ministry, and civilians mobilized by the Defense Mobilization Office, which falls under the Ministry of the Interior. The All-out Defense Mobilization Readiness Act (全民防衛動員準備法) envisages the participation of eight ministries. With several ministries involved, that act establishes the Executive Yuan Mobilization Committee led by the premier. As such there is an Executive Yuan framework, at least on paper, which should be given responsibility for leading the new agency. Second, putting the agency under the Executive Yuan would enhance its profile and reflect the reality that deterrence is the collective responsibility of the whole government. Given the now existential threat posed by the increasing capabilities and activities of the PLA, deterrence can no longer
Many South Koreans were unhappy about a plan to construct a Chinatown in Gangwon Province, and some launched a petition on the Blue House’s Web site, calling for the project’s cancelation. Due to the public outcry, Kolon Global Corp late last month announced that it was scrapping the project. Meanwhile, several South Korean dramas have been criticized by audiences for Chinese-funded product placement or having too many Chinese elements in the shows. Some who found TV drama series Joseon Exorcist to be highly offensive petitioned for its cancelation. All of the sponsors eventually withdrew, and to avoid public anger, the series was canceled after the first two episodes aired in March. The two petitions highlighted South Koreans’ concerns over China’s “Northeast Project,” or the Serial Research Project on the History and Current State of the Northeast Border. The Northeast Project was a study conducted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the three provinces of Northeast China from 2002 to 2007. It researched the role that the ancient Korean Peninsula — including Gojoseon, Goguryeo and Bohai, known as Balhae in Korean — played in Chinese history, and aimed to strengthen how China’s Korean ethnic group identified with its Chinese ethnic group. The project’s consolidation of Chinese nationalism and academic research irritated South Koreans, and they fear a new rendition of the project. Disputes with China over the origins of kimchi and hanbok (traditional Korean dress) have reminded them of the Northeast Project’s invasiveness and distortions, but with a cultural twist. South Koreans’ sensitivity toward Chinese cultural warfare and their reaction to it could serve as an example for Taiwanese. Chinese films, dramas, music, games and social media are almost everywhere in Taiwan, and some Taiwanese students have gotten used to writing in simplified Chinese characters on China’s popular Xiaohongshu (“little red book,” 小紅書) fashion
New constitution Taiwan New Constitution Foundation founder Koo Kwang-ming (辜寬敏) is to resign as presidential adviser, dissatisfied with President Tsai Ing-wen’s reluctance to draft a new constitution, despite being in power for five years. Koo said that the majority of Taiwanese support the normalization of the nation, and that drafting a new constitution would be an important step, compared to simply amending the Constitution, which is only good for winning elections. Koo said that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) had done nothing toward the normalization of Taiwan; for this reason he felt obliged to resign. One suspects that many Taiwanese share Koo’s frustration. For more than 50 years, Taiwan has been a sovereign, independent and free country, with its own defined territory, population, laws, currency and taxation, economic and financial systems under the state’s jurisdiction. If that does not constitute a country, what does? The Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was written in China, when the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed that country, and is a historical relic unable to escape from China’s shadow. To draft a constitution that solely belongs to Taiwan is not only reasonable and fair, it is perfectly legal. If drafting a new constitution presents problems and the government feels that it can only amend the existing one, it should explain why, and then lay out a roadmap for writing a new one. Chi An-hsiu Taipei
EDITORIAL CARTOON
A forum of scientific advisers set up by the government warned Indian officials in early March of a new and more contagious variant of the novel coronavirus taking hold in the country, five scientists who are part of the forum told Reuters. Despite the warning, four of the scientists said the federal government did not seek to impose major restrictions to stop the spread of the virus. Millions of largely unmasked people attended religious festivals and political rallies that were held by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and opposition politicians. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of farmers continued to camp on the edge of New Delhi protesting Modi’s agricultural policy changes. The world’s second-most populous country is now struggling to contain a second wave of infections much more severe than its first last year, which some scientists say is being accelerated by the new variant and another variant first detected in the UK. The spike in infections is India’s biggest crisis since Modi took office in 2014. It remains to be seen how his handling of it might affect Modi or his party politically. The next general election is due in 2024. Voting in the most recent local elections was largely completed before the scale of the new surge in infections became apparent. The warning about the new variant in early March was issued by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genetics Consortium, or INSACOG. It was conveyed to a top official who reports directly to the prime minister, according to one of the scientists, the director of a research center in northern India who spoke on condition of anonymity. Reuters could not determine whether the INSACOG findings were passed on to Modi himself. INSACOG was set up in December last year as a forum of scientific advisers by the government specifically
In a new, well-documented report, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has asserted that the Israeli government is enforcing a systemic policy to maintain the “domination by Jewish Israelis over Palestinians.” The nearly 7 million Palestinians in the occupied territories and within Israel itself face collective persecution under an apartheid system. Pointing to Israeli laws that enshrine extra-political rights for Jews over Arabs living in the same areas, HRW concluded that the Israeli government is “privileging Jewish Israelis while repressing Palestinians, most severely in the occupied territory.” While several hundred thousand Israeli settlers live in the occupied territories as full Israeli citizens, the report notes, 2.7 million Palestinians are concentrated in dense population centers under military rule. Even more ominous are Israel’s emerging population-control measures. “The authorities have adopted policies to mitigate what they have openly described as a demographic ‘threat’ from Palestinians,” the report said. “In Jerusalem, for example, the government’s plan for the municipality ... sets the goal of ‘maintaining a solid Jewish majority in the city’ and even specifies the demographic ratios it hopes to maintain.” The report’s central point is that, after decades of HRW (and others) warning that Israel’s control of Palestinian life might lead to apartheid, the “threshold” has now been crossed. Indeed, one of the more startling new findings in the report is that even the Palestinians living in Israel are subjected to a form of apartheid rule. Apartheid and collective persecution are crimes against humanity under the 1998 Rome Statute. There, apartheid is defined as an “institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other,” while persecution describes “the intentional and severe deprivation of fundamental rights” of a group of people. HRW is the first major international rights body to level such allegations, and its report would have serious implications for Israel and its
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digitalization trends, increasing demand for semiconductors at an unprecedented rate. While chipmakers are expanding manufacturing capacity with hefty capital investments, they also list talent scarcity as a top concern. To retain and attract crucial talent, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) has for the first time issued restricted stocks, linking employee compensation with shareholder interests and company performance. TSMC’s board of directors on April 22 approved a plan to offer 2.6 million new common shares as restricted stocks, worth about NT$1.53 billion (US$54.68 million), to reward high-ranking executives who made significant contributions to the company’s performance last year and are key to its growth, and research and development (R&D). Most TSMC employees receive generous cash bonuses, which this year total NT$69.56 billion, equal to about 13 percent of the company’s total net profit of NT$518.16 billion. Cash bonuses are considered less appealing to high-ranking executives and R&D engineers, as stock bonuses can offer them higher profits. With stock bonuses, employees double as shareholders and can receive cash dividends, which typically leads to lower turnover and better job performance. Only a handful of tech firms distribute stock bonuses as part of talent retention, as a major change in accounting rules in 2008 recategorized stock bonuses as expenses that reduce a firm’s bottom line. The distribution of restricted shares similarly turns key employees into shareholders, but does not dilute corporate earnings to the same extent as stock bonuses. Most companies launch a share buyback program to repurchase almost the same amount of shares as restricted stock and then cancel those shares afterward. Therefore, a company’s capital shares would not swell by offering restricted shares. TSMC’s move to offer restricted shares underscores local talent scarcity. The chipmaker has broadened its hiring efforts, turning to second-tier universities and colleges, but has still found it
China constantly seeks out ways to complain about perceived slights and provocations as pretexts for its own aggressive behavior. It is both victimization paranoia and a form of information warfare that keeps the West on the defensive. True to form, China objected even to the innocuous reference to Taiwan at April 16’s summit meeting between US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Neither leader’s prepared remarks even mentioned Taiwan, out of deference to the Japanese side. Biden’s opening statement was modest: “Prime Minister Suga and I affirmed our ironclad support for US-Japanese alliance and for our shared security. We committed to working together to take on the challenges from China, and on issues like the East China Sea, the South China Sea, as well as North Korea to ensure a future of a free and open Indo-Pacific.” Yet, a Reuters story the day before the meeting was headlined: “Biden, Suga Poised to Present a United Front on Taiwan as China Steps Up Pressure.” Citing “a senior US administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity,” it said the two leaders “are expected to agree on a joint statement on the Chinese-claimed, but democratically ruled island at Biden’s first in-person meeting with a foreign leader.” They did agree on a statement, but it said only this about Taiwan: “We underscore the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues.” Given the heightened tensions over China’s escalating threats and military moves against Taiwan and the implications for Japan’s own security, it might be characterized as minimally resolute language. The formulation is virtually identical to a US-Japan statement 16 years earlier when the threat from China was not nearly as pronounced as it is today. In February 2005, then-US secretary of state
Before last year, Taiwan was unable to participate in international affairs due to strong Chinese opposition and suppression; the nation was marginalized in the international community and received little attention. However, by developing a niche in high-tech manufacturing, Taiwan has transformed itself into a “silicon island” that has in the past few years begun to play a decisive role in the world. Today, countries are one after the other placing orders with Taiwanese manufacturers or making investments in the nation, as it has become one of their most valued partners. When the COVID-19 pandemic first broke out in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, Taiwan was expected to become one of the most seriously affected countries due to its frequent interactions with China. World health experts were taken by surprise by Taiwan’s deft handling of the outbreak. Having previously experienced a SARS outbreak, Taiwanese not only faced the COVID-19 pandemic with a high level of crisis awareness, but also showed their law-abiding nature and ethical spirit by strictly following the government’s disease prevention measures. Taiwan has set an example for global disease prevention in the fight against COVID-19. A group of countries, led by the US, are trying to reconstruct the world’s economic and security order. As an international focal point, Taiwan is likely to attract additional investments from domestic and overseas businesses, as more enterprises withdraw from China. Given these circumstances, the demand for high-tech talent and factory workers is certain to increase. With a greater number of Taiwanese pursuing higher education and the nation experiencing a declining birthrate, the nation is struggling to meet increased demand for high-tech talent and factory workers. It will become necessary to import workers from around the world to live and work in Taiwan. Based on my more than 30 years of experience in the tech industry, President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration should
Children’s judo injuries I am Keiko Kobayashi, a founding member of the Japan Judo Accident Victims Association (JJAVA). The article about the severe judo injury of a seven-year-old boy in Taiwan was a great shock to us (“Boy ‘near brain-dead’ after judo training incident,” April 25, page 2). The JJAVA is an organization that aims to eliminate children’s judo injuries in Japan, and it was started five years after my son was severely injured by a judo coach during club practice at a junior-high school 16 years ago. Unfortunately, a surprising number of children have sustained serious judo injuries in Japan over many years. Since 1983, 121 children under the age of 18 have died in relation to judo under school supervision, not including children who died due to injuries at private judo clubs. It is a significant issue in Japan. According to professional studies, many judo instructors in Japan have not learned how to teach judo safely, particularly to beginners. Since judo is a martial art, if coaches apply techniques to children without consideration, it might easily lead to serious injuries. The following is a paper I wrote on the possible causes and mechanism of judo injuries, which also explains how they occur in Japan: https://safety.nagaokaut.ac.jp/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/anzen_03-04.pdf It is written in Japanese, but if you read it using DeepL translation it might help you understand how children like the seven-year-old boy in your country are seriously injured in judo practice. It is an attempted murder, not an accident. The criminal responsibility of the coach should be investigated to prevent these terrible injuries. For your reference, no child under 18 has died due to judo injury in the UK, France, Germany, the US, Canada or Australia in the past 20 years, according to our study. Keiko Kobayashi Japan Judo Accident Victims Association Legislator’s careless words During a discussion forum
EDITORIAL CARTOON
RSS