Recently, a fourth-generation descendant of Chiang Kai-shek (
Of course, political motivations are behind such a laughable media phenomenon. Facing the "one country on each side" dictum advocated by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), the KMT and the PFP know very well that the Taiwanese public have rejected their "one China" policy. Short of a counter-strategy, the blue camp has no choice but to raise the divine image of Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) to resist the DPP's offensive. Now, coincidentally, the Chiang family has a newborn child. Why not put a spin on Chiang Ching-kuo's grandchild and blur the unification-independence issue so that the blue camp won't have to clarify their stance.
The people of Taiwan must not allow themselves to be cheated. The unification-independence issue involves the lives and welfare of our future generations. Naturally, it will be one of the core issues in next year's presidential election. The KMT-PFP candidates must not be allowed to fudge their answers on such an important question. They should, with a responsible attitude toward Taiwan's electorate, clarify the difference between their "one China" or "one country" policy and Beijing's "one country, two systems" policy. They need to persuade people that their cross-strait policies are more in the interests of the majority than are the DPP's policies -- instead of trying to lead the public into a blind nostalgia for the greatness of Chiang Ching-kuo.
PFP Chairman James Soong (
We suggest that the KMT-PFP candidates give serious thought to Chen's "one country on each side" platform and come up with a smarter alternative, instead of holding on to the "one China" policy and using the myths of historical figures to blur the core issues of the presidential election. The hype over Chiang's grandson is basically an attempt to cheat the Taiwanese electorate. The blue camp should spell out its cross-strait policy and clarify what exactly is meant by a "one-China roof." They should also bring out their policy blue-print for improving the economy so that voters may compare it with the DPP's. Instead of indulging in a war of words, they should allow the people of Taiwan to make the most rational choice in next year's election.
The unemployment rate is now over 5 percent and the economy has been slow to recover. Under such circumstances, the KMT-PFP camp does have a good chance to win political power. Even so, what the Taiwanese electorate needs is an election oriented toward policies for the country's future development, not an election bogged down in vicious mud-slinging or wild campaign promises. The electorate indeed has the responsibility to monitor the campaign and make the March election a standard for newly arising democracies around the world.
On Monday, the day before Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) departed on her visit to China, the party released a promotional video titled “Only with peace can we ‘lie flat’” to highlight its desire to have peace across the Taiwan Strait. However, its use of the expression “lie flat” (tang ping, 躺平) drew sarcastic comments, with critics saying it sounded as if the party was “bowing down” to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Amid the controversy over the opposition parties blocking proposed defense budgets, Cheng departed for China after receiving an invitation from the CCP, with a meeting with
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) is leading a delegation to China through Sunday. She is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in Beijing tomorrow. That date coincides with the anniversary of the signing of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), which marked a cornerstone of Taiwan-US relations. Staging their meeting on this date makes it clear that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intends to challenge the US and demonstrate its “authority” over Taiwan. Since the US severed official diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979, it has relied on the TRA as a legal basis for all
Taiwan ranks second globally in terms of share of population with a higher-education degree, with about 60 percent of Taiwanese holding a post-secondary or graduate degree, a survey by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showed. The findings are consistent with Ministry of the Interior data, which showed that as of the end of last year, 10.602 million Taiwanese had completed post-secondary education or higher. Among them, the number of women with graduate degrees was 786,000, an increase of 48.1 percent over the past decade and a faster rate of growth than among men. A highly educated population brings clear advantages.
In the opening remarks of her meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) framed her visit as a historic occasion. In his own remarks, Xi had also emphasized the history of the relationship between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Where they differed was that Cheng’s account, while flawed by its omissions, at least partially corresponded to reality. The meeting was certainly historic, albeit not in the way that Cheng and Xi were signaling, and not from the perspective
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