An English-language "village" is an excellent idea as it gives Taiwanese students an opportunity to practice their speaking and listening skills in a non-academic, pleasurable environment ("`Village' shows strength of English," Aug. 1, page 2). There are no exam pressures and the practical nature of the interchanges is a welcome change to these students' usual experience in school and buxiban, which mainly consist of rote learning, boring grammar and exam preparation.
While I laud the efforts of all concerned and wish them every success, this approach is far from being a panacea. Unfortunately, it will do very little to improve the general levels of competency in Taiwan. In the same article, it mentions that in Japan, they have set up 100 "Super English High Schools" where classes are taught entirely in English. This is a major remedy for improving the standard of English usage in Japan.
Is Taiwan ready to follow suit by creating a number of schools where all or most courses will be taught in English by competent teachers? Students who graduate from these schools can later replace less competent teachers in the school system, foreigners in cram schools, etc. It is a real shame that in Taiwan, with so many young people seeking teaching positions, thousands of foreigners are given the jobs instead.
If the Ministry of Education were to implement such a program, which now only exists for foreigners living in Taiwan, then 10 years from now, we won't be reading the same articles decrying the level of English proficiency in Taiwan, but will be reading about a new crop of graduates whose English skills are outstanding. As a teacher with 25 years of experience, I would gladly offer my services to realize this goal. If not, I'll be sending in the same letter to the editor 10 years from now.
Chaim Melamed
Pingtung
Congratulations to China’s working class — they have officially entered the “Livestock Feed 2.0” era. While others are still researching how to achieve healthy and balanced diets, China has already evolved to the point where it does not matter whether you are actually eating food, as long as you can swallow it. There is no need for cooking, chewing or making decisions — just tear open a package, add some hot water and in a short three minutes you have something that can keep you alive for at least another six hours. This is not science fiction — it is reality.
A foreign colleague of mine asked me recently, “What is a safe distance from potential People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force’s (PLARF) Taiwan targets?” This article will answer this question and help people living in Taiwan have a deeper understanding of the threat. Why is it important to understand PLA/PLARF targeting strategy? According to RAND analysis, the PLA’s “systems destruction warfare” focuses on crippling an adversary’s operational system by targeting its networks, especially leadership, command and control (C2) nodes, sensors, and information hubs. Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, noted in his 15 May 2025 Sedona Forum keynote speech that, as
In a world increasingly defined by unpredictability, two actors stand out as islands of stability: Europe and Taiwan. One, a sprawling union of democracies, but under immense pressure, grappling with a geopolitical reality it was not originally designed for. The other, a vibrant, resilient democracy thriving as a technological global leader, but living under a growing existential threat. In response to rising uncertainties, they are both seeking resilience and learning to better position themselves. It is now time they recognize each other not just as partners of convenience, but as strategic and indispensable lifelines. The US, long seen as the anchor
Kinmen County’s political geography is provocative in and of itself. A pair of islets running up abreast the Chinese mainland, just 20 minutes by ferry from the Chinese city of Xiamen, Kinmen remains under the Taiwanese government’s control, after China’s failed invasion attempt in 1949. The provocative nature of Kinmen’s existence, along with the Matsu Islands off the coast of China’s Fuzhou City, has led to no shortage of outrageous takes and analyses in foreign media either fearmongering of a Chinese invasion or using these accidents of history to somehow understand Taiwan. Every few months a foreign reporter goes to
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