The path to democracy has been long and rocky for Asian countries. Taiwan and the Philippines have had democratic systems in place for more than a decade, but intolerance, poor checks and balances and the weak rule of law have kept these Asian democracies in a state of turmoil. Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian
Estrada has been indicted on corruption charges, but a Senate impeachment court has decided not to review evidence detrimental to him, frustrating a House of Representative attempt at impeachment. The Senate's move to protect Estrada has angered the public, and tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets. Estrada's lax personal morality -- as well as greed for money and women -- means he has failed as an example of law-abiding citizenship and have helped ignite the "people power" against him. With its democracy once again overshadowed by political instability, the Philippines may have to undergo a long period of economic, social and political reforms to solidify its weak democratic foundations.
Looking at Taiwan, even though Chen won a presidential election, he has been facing opposition boycotts at every turn. Eight months after the transition of power and with a second premier in place, Taiwan's political situation remains unstable. Chen's decision to halt construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant has triggered a bitterly partisan confrontation. Now that the Council of Grand Justices has ruled on the dispute, both the ruling and opposition parties are trying to find loopholes in the ruling and interpreting it to their own advantage. Instead of a solution to the nuclear plant issue, we are seeing increasing pressure for a no-confidence vote against the premier and even for a recall of the president. But unlike Estrada, Chen does not have a morality problem and the public does not support his recall.
Under the KMT's one-party rule, Taiwan's laws were merely a tool for the ruling party. The spirit of the rule of law was weak and the judiciary was unable to establish its authority. In Taiwan's political tradition, the game rules are always designed for a zero-sum game, with no clear division of power or effective checks and balances in place. So far we have not seen much effort to improve this situation under the DPP government.
Chen's accusation that the opposition is "opposing everything proposed by A-bian"
The ruling and opposition parties have not hesitated to bend the meaning of the Grand Justices' interpretation to fit their own interests. Paying no heed to the hazards of political turmoil and economic woes, and ignoring public dissatisfaction, they are turning a public policy issue into an endless political struggle.
Taiwan's democracy is a flower that has bloomed on soil that has never before witnessed a peaceful transition of political power. We hope the current state of political disorder is only transitional -- and that by trial and error, Chen can learn to exercise a magnanimity that befits a leader, and a tolerance for the inconveniences and inefficiencies of the democratic process. We also hope that the opposition parties will learn the principles of reasonable opposition. That will make the travails of Taiwan's democracy a transitional pain it must endure for growth and the benefit of future generations.
Chinese state-owned companies COSCO Shipping Corporation and China Merchants have a 30 percent stake in Kaohsiung Port’s Kao Ming Container Terminal (Terminal No. 6) and COSCO leases Berths 65 and 66. It is extremely dangerous to allow Chinese companies or state-owned companies to operate critical infrastructure. Deterrence theorists are familiar with the concepts of deterrence “by punishment” and “by denial.” Deterrence by punishment threatens an aggressor with prohibitive costs (like retaliation or sanctions) that outweigh the benefits of their action, while deterrence by denial aims to make an attack so difficult that it becomes pointless. Elbridge Colby, currently serving as the Under
Apart from the first arms sales approval for Taiwan since US President Donald Trump took office, last month also witnessed another milestone for Taiwan-US relations. Trump signed the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act into law on Tuesday. Its passing without objection in the US Senate underscores how bipartisan US support for Taiwan has evolved. The new law would further help normalize exchanges between Taiwanese and US government officials. We have already seen a flurry of visits to Washington earlier this summer, not only with Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), but also delegations led by National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu
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Two mayors have invited Japanese pop icon Ayumi Hamasaki to perform in their cities after her Shanghai concert was abruptly canceled on Saturday last week, a decision widely interpreted as fallout from the latest political spat between Japan and China. Organizers in Shanghai pulled Hamasaki’s show at the last minute, citing force majeure, a justification that convinced few. The cancelation came shortly after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi remarked that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could prompt a military response from Tokyo — comments that angered Beijing and triggered a series of retaliatory moves. Hamasaki received an immediate show of support from
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