After reading your article about The Washington Post's interview with President Chen Shui-bian (
A possible explanation could be that many people are against change in this country and abroad.
They fear that any change to the status quo whether in the form of improving Taiwan's democracy or economic development through enhancing our laws would imply taking the road of independence.
It is not the case that making Taiwan a better place means Chen is seeking officially to declare an independent Taiwan in the future through changing the Constitution.
I have analyzed Chen's interview with The Washington Post. There is nothing in the article that suggests Chen wants to declare independence for Taiwan.
Instead, Chen has clearly stated that he wants to make Taiwan more democratic and to reform the political system.
The people of Taiwan should not be afraid of reform but should rather embrace it because reform would only make Taiwan more competitive economically and more stable politically in the future.
We should also remember that Taiwan is not the only country seeking reform.
France has just undergone regional elections and reform has been an important issue.
In addition, international organizations have been promoting regulatory reform among their members. The existence of good laws and regulations strengthens a country's economic development.
Therefore, we must not be suspicious of Chen's actions to improve our democratic system and Constitution, but should rather give our fullest support so that the reform could be accomplished leading to the advancement of Taiwan's economy and political system.
As a suggestion, perhaps our government should put more effort into explaining Chen's views of Taiwan's future to the people.
Ho Chen-sheng
Taipei
Although former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo — known for being the most pro-Taiwan official to hold the post — is not in the second administration of US president-elect Donald Trump, he has maintained close ties with the former president and involved himself in think tank activities, giving him firsthand knowledge of the US’ national strategy. On Monday, Pompeo visited Taiwan for the fourth time, attending a Formosa Republican Association’s forum titled “Towards Permanent World Peace: The Shared Mission of the US and Taiwan.” At the event, he reaffirmed his belief in Taiwan’s democracy, liberty, human rights and independence, highlighting a
The US Department of Defense recently released this year’s “Report on Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China.” This annual report provides a comprehensive overview of China’s military capabilities, strategic objectives and evolving global ambitions. Taiwan features prominently in this year’s report, as capturing the nation remains central to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) vision of the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” a goal he has set for 2049. The report underscores Taiwan’s critical role in China’s long-term strategy, highlighting its significance as a geopolitical flashpoint and a key target in China’s quest to assert dominance
The Legislative Yuan passed legislation on Tuesday aimed at supporting the middle-aged generation — defined as people aged 55 or older willing and able to work — in a law initially proposed by Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator Wu Chun-cheng (吳春城) to help the nation transition from an aged society to a super-aged society. The law’s passage was celebrated by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the TPP. The brief show of unity was welcome news, especially after 10 months of political fighting and unconstitutional amendments that are damaging democracy and the constitutional order, eliciting concern
The National Development Council (NDC) on Wednesday last week launched a six-month “digital nomad visitor visa” program, the Central News Agency (CNA) reported on Monday. The new visa is for foreign nationals from Taiwan’s list of visa-exempt countries who meet financial eligibility criteria and provide proof of work contracts, but it is not clear how it differs from other visitor visas for nationals of those countries, CNA wrote. The NDC last year said that it hoped to attract 100,000 “digital nomads,” according to the report. Interest in working remotely from abroad has significantly increased in recent years following improvements in
RSS