Taiwan’s leaders have had to navigate complicated political terrain in the US-Taiwan relationship in recent weeks. During the closing days of the Trump administration, Taiwan’s leaders had to decide whether to receive an official visit from the US Ambassador to the United Nations, how to respond to Secretary Pompeo’s announcement of the termination of restrictions on US government contacts with Taiwan officials, and how to deal with the public release of the United States’ previously classified Indo-Pacific strategy. Taiwan’s decisions were complicated by American officials’ framing of their support for Taiwan as the flip side of their opposition to Chinese behavior. Former Trump administration officials argued to me and others that if Beijing harms America’s interests or values, such as in Hong Kong, then the US is justified in hitting Beijing back where it hurts, including on Taiwan. Former Trump administration officials viewed such steps as mostly cost-free, judging that Beijing’s bark was worse than its bite. They calculated that Beijing would understand the connection between their actions and American responses with Taiwan, and over time, would grudgingly tolerate American policy shifts, so long as Washington stopped short of formal diplomatic relations or recognition of Taiwan as a de jure independent state. Such judgments reflected a callous disregard of the fact that Taiwan — not the United States — typically bears the brunt of Chinese retaliation on cross-Strait developments. Beijing simply has more tools to impose costs on Taipei than on Washington and is more comfortable using them. In so doing, Beijing seems not to recognize that it is undermining its own objective of pulling Taiwan closer. With each act of bullying, Beijing further poisons its appeal among the people of Taiwan. These are not just academic observations about the interplay between the United States, Taiwan, and China. Indeed, Taiwan officials will confront difficult
On Monday last week, the Judicial Yuan released an initial report on judicial personnel who were involved in the corruption scandal surrounding Chia Her Industrial Co president Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), saying that among the more than 200 civil servants involved in the case, a total of 20 judicial personnel might face punishment. Before the report’s release, media revealed that as several dozen judges and prosecutors were implicated in the scandal, the Judicial Yuan had lowered its ethical standards to let them off. To avoid punishing too many judges and prosecutors, the Judicial Yuan decided to not prosecute those who were not involved in Weng’s trials, and had been treated to less than five meals by him and accepted no more than three shirts or boxes of diet supplements from him. It is only acceptable for civil servants in a judicial agency to sporadically accept gifts and only if it does not affect their specific rights and obligations, the Ministry of Justice’s Ethics Guidelines for Civil Servants (公務員廉政倫理規範) stipulate. Additionally, the value of a gift must not exceed NT$500 when given to individuals or NT$1,000 when given to several persons within a judicial agency, the guidelines stipulate. Even when a gift is not given directly to a civil servant in a judicial agency, if its market value exceeds the limit, they must report it to their supervisor within three days after receiving the gift and, under certain circumstances, also notify their agency’s ethics office. Temporarily lowering the ethical standards places judges and prosecutors at the same level as general civil servants, for whom ethics standards are defined in the Service Act for Civil Servants (公務員服務法). Following this rule change, judges who were not involved in Weng’s trials, but accepted gifts from him could perhaps be let off if the gifts had a total value of
To connect Taiwan-centered groups and start a campaign to normalize and organize the effort to write a new constitution, the Taiwan New Constitution Foundation on Saturday established the Taiwan New Constitution Alliance. The inauguration of the platform, held at National Taiwan University Alumni Hall in Taipei, is to be followed by the establishment of branches in cities and counties nationwide. Although there is wide support for writing a new constitution, most pro-independence groups are following their own agenda, making it difficult to get things going. The Chiang (蔣) family-led occupation of Taiwan was a period of colonial rule, just like the period of Japanese rule. Taiwanese were not equal to the Chinese, which led to opposition to the regime. The dangwai (黨外, “outside the party”) movement was a pro-democracy movement, but at a more fundamental level, it was also a Taiwanese independence movement aimed at overturning colonial rule. Members of the movement founded the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), making the first iteration of the DPP a revolutionary organization with the strong political belief of overturning the colonial regime. At first, the DPP was poorly organized, and it relied on political faith to attract voters. The party therefore valued the support of Taiwan independence groups. These groups hoped that as the DPP matured everyone would work together toward the foundation of our own nation. After the DPP became the governing party in 2000, independence advocates adapted their original call for overturning the Republic of China (ROC) to rectifying the nation’s name and writing a new constitution in the hope that they and the DPP would pursue that goal together once the party also controlled the legislature. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) was originally opposed to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), but after Taiwan’s democratization, it did an about-face and began befriending the CCP. The KMT called
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Google has threatened to remove its search engine from Australia and Facebook has threatened to remove news from its feed for all Australian users if a code forcing the companies to negotiate payments to news media companies goes ahead. The move would mean the 19 million Australians who use Google every month would no longer be able to search, and 17 million Australians who log into Facebook every month would not be able to see or post any news articles. The two companies are fighting against legislation before the parliament that would force the digital platforms to enter into negotiations with news media companies for payment for content, with an arbiter to ultimately decide the payment amount if no agreement can be reached. On Friday, Google delivered an ultimatum to the Australian government, saying it would not be viable to continue offering search in Australia if the code goes ahead. The company’s Australian managing director, Mel Silva, told an Australian Senate committee that the proposed news code was untenable and would set a “dangerous precedent” for paying for links. “The principle of unrestricted linking between Web sites is fundamental to search, and coupled with the unmanageable financial and operational risk is this version of the code were to become law, it would give us no real choice, but to stop making Google Search available in Australia,” she said. “Withdrawing our services from Australia is the last thing that Google want to have happen, especially when there is another way forward,” she added. Silva said the company wanted to make changes to the code to make it “workable,” and it was keen to enter into agreements with media companies to pay for content, adding that about 450 deals have been made with media companies around the world. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told a new
At an upscale supermarket west of Beijing, a box of disposable gloves stands in front of a glass counter selling Australian beef. Next to it is a sign saying: “Please buy this with peace of mind.” “All the imported meats here have undergone nucleic acid testing. Consumers need not worry,” said Li Xingzhen, a manager at Ole supermarket, which imports about 70 percent of its groceries. Her pledge offers a look at the new challenges facing retailers as many Chinese shoppers grow reluctant to buy imported food products after COVID-19 infections were reported among people handling such items. Seafood imports by China tumbled 12.5 percent last year, including a plunge of 32 percent last month from a year ago. While overall purchases of meat have remained robust amid a domestic shortage, the pressure on the global food industry is only poised to rise: Rabobank Group forecast that China’s meat imports could plunge as much as 30 percent this year from a record last year. The consumer distrust is being fueled at least partly by statements from the government, which has taken increasingly drastic steps to curb the risk of the virus spreading via food imports even though most international health authorities have downplayed the likelihood of such transmission. The WHO has said there is no evidence of people catching the virus via food and food packaging, while the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the chances of getting COVID-19 from frozen foods is very low. It is a debate with global ramifications and an increasingly contentious one, because China is one of the world’s biggest buyers of many food products, accounting for as much as 45 percent of the global pork trade. China has gone even further with its frozen food theory, with state media suggesting the virus could have entered the
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) and French Office in Taipei Director Jean-Francois Casabonne-Masonnave on Tuesday signed an agreement to promote cooperation on virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed-reality development. The possibilities for cooperation between the two nations on XR — the collective term for the three technologies — is endless. Institutions in France such as the Louvre are using XR for virtual tours amid the COVID-19 pandemic, while French firms such as immersiv.io are using them to facilitate an immersive experience for sports fans, for example providing real-time player locations on a soccer field. In Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has used VR to highlight the government’s successes and challenges in containing the pandemic, and has shared an English-language version of a 3D video at youtu.be/9QtUzEyvpw4. Perhaps more importantly, XR has helped Taiwanese firms promote themselves at trade fairs amid travel restrictions and health concerns due to the pandemic. In July last year, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council set up an online VR platform for businesses that had been scheduled to attend the Hannover Industrial Fair in Germany, and this month, the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Taiwan Tech Arena launched a VR pavilion that allowed start-ups to remotely participate at the Consumer Electronics Show. Taiwan is home to TSMC, one of the biggest names in semiconductor and video processing technologies, which produces chips used in many XR applications. Taiwan can provide the hardware and software for French applications, or cooperate with French software engineers on their development. Taiwan could also help host French applications, given the nation’s strengths in fixed and mobile network infrastructure. Taiwan and France have cooperated in other areas in the past few years, as highlighted in talks between the Ministry of Culture and the French Office in 2018 on promoting Taipei as a hub for non-governmental
The successful recall of Taoyuan city councilor Wang Hao-yu (王浩宇) was the first-ever recall of a municipality councilor. The rejection of the high-profile politician was partly the result of his own shortcomings, but was also due to factors in the wider political environment. Everyone is waiting to see the political repercussions of next month’s recall vote against Kaohsiung City Councilor Huang Jie (黃捷), and whether more so-called “retribution recalls” are to follow. The trend might spill over to next year’s mayoral and county commissioner elections. Much of the blame for the unprecedented success of the vote to recall Wang must be laid at his own feet. Not only did his comments and actions get him embroiled in controversies, they also garnered much of his fame online, contributing to his unofficial title as “national city councilor at large.” During the process, he picked fights far and wide, becoming something of an attack dog. He riled other political parties — major and minor — and was even accused of offending the Sediq community with his comments. He left the Green Party in favor of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), and his work as city councilor was brought into question, with disciplinary meetings convened on several occasions. Eyebrows have been raised about the bad optics resulting from members of his family illegally owning houses on land zoned as farmland — and how this damages his party’s image. Wang’s fall should serve as a lesson to all politicians and parties seeking to bolster their online popularity at the expense of their responsibilities. In the long term, despite the populist element that is necessarily part of politics, it is politicians’ perception among the populace in general and their constituency in particular that is important. Politicians should be careful not to put the cart before the horse, much
On the surface, the recall of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taoyuan City councilor Wang Hao-yu (王浩宇) is a matter of local significance, representing the expression of public opinion in Taoyuan’s Jhongli District (中壢), but its importance extends beyond that. First, Wang was recalled with 81,000 votes in favor of his ouster, more than five times the number he was originally elected with. To have been recalled with such a resounding loss shows just how wide the coalition against him was, irrespective of political hue, and to what degree his cavalier attitude to his responsibilities, coupled with how unlikable he was, made him unpopular among his constituency. This sends a warning to Taiwanese politicians at all levels of government that they should not continuously prioritize populism over their duty to the electorate, nor should they place their hopes in their “online popularity click-o-meter” and just try to do enough to get by with their job. Second, it serves as a warning for the government of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in its consideration of Japanese imports with possible traces of radiation or US pork imports with traces of ractopamine, when ordinary citizens are feeling the pinch of the ever-increasing wealth disparity in this country, while others are trapped in declining non-tech industries. Her administration needs to show a little humility in trying to solve problems rather than brandishing useless slogans. For the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party, two opposition parties, Wang’s successful recall serves as an inspiration, showing that just by being in opposition and keeping in touch with ordinary people, while putting aside their own party agendas to join forces, the Taiwanese electorate might well give them the opportunity to challenge the governing DPP. It also shows how broad the view from the vantage point of opposition can be. Last, one interesting
The air force’s fighter jets are on the front line of the nation’s Taiwan Strait defense. Whether carrying out routine expulsions of marauding aircraft of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force or combat patrol missions, the Taiwanese air defense forces are always performing a frontline role. During an armed conflict, as long as airbase runways have not been destroyed by the enemy, aircraft are able to land for refueling and rearmament before retaking to the air to rejoin the battle. However, if the PLA were to flip the table and put Taiwan on the back foot by bombing the runways of its airbases, aircraft would temporarily be unable to take off, and airborne fighters unable to land. To ensure that the nation’s airbases could cope with the first wave of PLA missile attacks and postpone an air war, Taiwan must energetically lobby Washington to sell it refueling aircraft. As the nation’s F-16 jets are fitted with refueling probes, refueling aircraft would not only enable Taiwan to sustain its capability during an aerial battle, but if large parts of its fighter jet fleet are grounded due to destroyed runways, tanker aircraft could refuel the F-16s already in the air. Tanker aircraft would preserve the nation’s fighting power and allow it to launch a counterattack. Moreover, since PLA aircraft frequently loiter in or fly close to Taiwan’s southwestern airspace, purchasing refueling aircraft would be beneficial to the nation. Alternatively, the military could convert some of its Lockheed Martin Hercules C-130 transport aircraft into the KC-130 extended-range tanker variant. Their refueling capacity could be increased through the addition of 10,000-liter external fuel tanks, and the aircraft’s cargo compartment could also be configured to accommodate an additional 13,600-liter removable internal fuel tank. Converting four to six of the military’s Hercules C-130 transporters would allow it to rapidly
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The return from Germany on Sunday last week by Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was marked by chaos and popular outrage, and it ended, almost predictably, with his arrest. The flight from Berlin, where Navalny spent nearly five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning, carried him and his wife, along with a group of journalists documenting the journey. However, the plane was diverted from its intended airport in Moscow to another one in the capital in what was seen as an apparent attempt to foil a welcome from crowds awaiting him. The Russian authorities also took him into custody immediately, sparking outrage at home and abroad. Some Western countries threatened sanctions, and his team yesterday called for nationwide demonstrations. Navalny had prepared his own surprise for his return: A video expose alleging that a lavish “palace” was built for Russian President Vladimir Putin on the Black Sea through an elaborate corruption scheme. His team posted it on YouTube on Tuesday, and within 48 hours, it had gotten more than 42 million views. Navalny faces years in prison from a previous conviction he claims was politically motivated, while political commentators say that there are no good options for the Kremlin. The Associated Press looks at his long standoff with authorities: WHO IS NAVALNY? Navalny, 44, is an anti-corruption campaigner and the Kremlin’s fiercest critic. He has outlasted many opposition figures and is undeterred by incessant attempts to stop his work. He has released scores of damning reports exposing corruption in Putin’s Russia. He has been a galvanizing figure in mass protests, including unprecedented demonstrations in 2011 and 2012 sparked by reports of widespread rigging of a parliamentary election. Navalny was convicted twice on criminal charges: embezzlement and later fraud. He received suspended sentences of five years and three-and-a-half years respectively. He denounced the convictions as politically motivated, and the
Liberals around the world are daring to hope that there is a silver lining to the violent denouement of former US president Donald Trump’s tenure: Namely, that the inciter-in-chief’s ignominious exit from the political stage would chasten authoritarian populists elsewhere. Unfortunately, their optimism is naive. Contrary to the cliche about a populist “wave” sweeping the world in the past few years, the rise and fall of populist leaders tends not to have significant transnational effects. Just as there is no honor among thieves, there was no solidarity among the supposed “Populist International” when it really mattered. Trump chums like Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and even Russian President Vladimir Putin ultimately acknowledged US President Joe Biden’s electoral victory. More important, while Trump has been omnipresent, he has never been a typical populist. Right-wing populists in government tend to be more careful when it comes to maintaining a facade of legality and avoiding direct association with street violence. Because the storming of the US Capitol on Jan. 6 was clearly a sign of desperation, it does not necessarily foreshadow the fate of populist (and radical right-wing) movements elsewhere. The only real takeaway is that other populist kleptocrats might also resort to violent street mobilizations if they are ever truly cornered. Liberals often claim to appreciate the world in all its complexity, whereas populists are great simplifiers. However, it is liberals who have pushed the highly simplistic narrative of a global populist wave, as if one need not consider particular national contexts very carefully. According to this domino theory — which was enthusiastically embraced by populists themselves — Trump’s unexpected triumph in 2016 was supposed to trigger victories for right-wing populists in Austria, the Netherlands and France. In fact, the opposite happened. In Austria, Norbert Hofer, former presidential candidate
On Jan. 4, a group of lawmakers and city councilors, including Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳), held a news conference supporting independent Kaohsiung City Councilor Huang Jie (黃捷) of Fongshan District (鳳山), who faces a recall vote on Feb. 6. Wang Hao-yu (王浩宇) of the DPP was resoundingly recalled as Taoyuan city councilor on Monday. Few voices had come out in his support, not even Liu’s during the news conference. Wang was not a local figure, having gained most of his profile from his online activity, and had done little to cultivate a local base, a fact manifest in the nickname he had earned himself: “city councilor at large.” Through his controversial comments, he infuriated other political parties, big and small, and earned particular notoriety for ill-advised online statements about late Kaohsiung City Council speaker Hsu Kun-yuan (許崑源) after Hsu tragically died on the evening of the successful recall of former Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), comments that sparked calls for Wang’s own recall. Wang should have been more careful, not least because the DPP support in his constituency of Jhongli District (中壢) is weaker than the support for the pan-blue camp. His colorful comments and absence from his duties were, in the end, too much for the voters in Jhongli. No matter how much online support he had among the populace at large, it was the local constituents who he had to face in the recall vote, without a local base cultivated through many years of hard work in and for the community to rally behind him, not to mention the activists and leaders of parties that he has offended with his wayward words. In these, his sins mirrored many of Han’s. None of the things that Wang got wrong, nor any of the reasons for which he
As Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th US president on Wednesday, many people were asking whether the turbulent US-China technology dispute that has been going on for the past few years will be de-escalated and relations will cool down as he moves into the White House. Many commentators have expressed the belief that while Biden might not adopt the same hardline approach as former US president Donald Trump, the overall interaction between the US and China will remain unchanged. In other words, the dispute between the two countries will not end, not even with Biden in charge. Analyses of many of the mainstream US media companies that were frequently opposed to Trump’s actions, such as the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times and CNN, have all come to the same conclusion: It is unlikely that the tensions will change just because Biden takes office. There are several reasons for this: First, the US has made forceful use of the key technologies under its control to hit Chinese technology firms, banning their export to China. In response, China vowed to invest more resources in the development of its own technologies to break the blockade. This means that the US must remain on the cutting edge and defend its lead in the technological competition. Second, Biden has emphasized that it would be necessary to restore US economic and industrial growth, reinforce the US’ strengths, and reduce its dependence on the Chinese economy. Referring to these concerns, the US’ mainstream media companies generally share the following views: They reckon that even if Biden were to take a different approach, US-China tensions and the countries’ tendency to decouple their economies are unlikely to change immediately. This means that the US and China would continue to work toward reducing their economic integration, and constrict high-tech knowledge and technology
It has been 11 years since housing prices began to surge in 2010. Despite the high prices, the home ownership rate remains high: Data from the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics showed that the rate has remained stable at 84 to 85 percent for many years. At the same time, home ownership is facing two major problems: On the one hand, the high housing prices have become a heavy financial burden for homeowners, and on the other, 25 percent of all housing units are owned by people who own three or more homes. How heavy is the financial burden? Ministry of the Interior statistics suggest that home ownership is affordable if mortgage payments make up less than 30 percent of a household’s monthly income. In the third quarter last year, the national average was 36.76 percent, meaning housing affordability is low. The mortgage burden was highest in Taipei at 61.14 percent, followed by 48.63 percent in New Taipei City and 39.91 percent in Taichung. The combined population of these three municipalities is 9.45 million, accounting for two-fifths of the nation’s total population, highlighting the extent of the heavy financial burden. The mortgage burden is less than 30 percent in only eight of Taiwan’s 22 cities and counties — Miaoli, Yunlin, Chiayi, Pingtung and Penghu counties and the cities of Keelung, Hsinchu and Chiayi, which have an aggregate population of 3.72 million. In terms of home ownership concentration, a news release by the Taxation Administration in November last year said that about 8 million Taiwanese own real estate, of which at least 774,000 people own three or more housing units, making up 9.7 percent of the total number of homeowners. Although this is less than 10 percent, it translates into at least 2.6 million homes, or one-quarter of the nation’s self-owned properties. The government has
Bad quarantine conditions My name is James Shone and I have been placed in government quarantine. The government’s reasoning for this is because I traveled to Taiwan from South Africa, which has been declared a “hot spot” for COVID-19. While quarantining is an important process, the government appears clearly unprepared. Their resources are stretched, and they are unable to meet basic requirements. Along with about 40 others, I arrived in Taiwan on flight EK366 at 9:30pm on Friday last week and have been taken to a military base in Chiayi County. This place is not suitable for us. It is so cold here — something we discovered when the staff made us line up outside at 2am so they could search our bags. Some of us were still in T-shirts. I am confined to my bed because it is too cold to walk on the tiled floor. The food that is left outside our rooms for us is cold by the time we get it. I know from experience how poisonous food like that can be, and so I have eaten almost nothing today. If this keeps going, I will have starved to death by the time they declare us clear of the virus. They have not even provided me with a towel, so I have not been able to clean myself since I boarded my first flight on Wednesday afternoon last week. This neglect borders on criminal, as does the uncaring nature of the staff here. Those of us with places to stay must be allowed to self-quarantine. It will take the strain off government resources and allow us to monitor ourselves in a setting that is familiar and comfortable. Putting people in these military bases is not the way. Please spread awareness and get us out of here. James Shone Understaffed hospitals The COVID-19 pandemic continues
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As a new US president takes office, he faces a determined Chinese leadership that could be further emboldened by the US’ troubles at home. The disarray in the US, from the rampant COVID-19 pandemic to the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, gives the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) a boost as it pursues its long-running quest for national “rejuvenation” — a bid to return the country to what it sees as its rightful place as a major nation. For US President Joe Biden, sworn in on Wednesday as the 46th president, that could make one of his major foreign policy challenges even more difficult, as he tries to manage an increasingly contentious relationship between the world’s rising power and its established one. The stakes are high for both countries and the rest of the world. A misstep could spark an accidental conflict in the Western Pacific, where China’s growing naval presence is bumping up against that of the US. The trade dispute under former US president Donald Trump hurt workers and farmers in both countries, although some in Vietnam and elsewhere benefited as companies moved production outside China. On global issues such as climate, it is difficult to make progress if the world’s two largest economies are not talking. The Chinese government on Thursday expressed hope that Biden would return to dialogue and cooperation after the divisiveness under Trump. “It is normal for China and the United States to have some differences,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying (華春瑩) said. “Countries with different social systems, cultural backgrounds and ideologies should and can coexist ... and work together to achieve peace and stability and development in the world.” Kurt Tong, a former US diplomat in Asia, sees a stalemate in the coming years in which China keeps doing what it has been doing and the US
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