Here's a taste of what messages from Taiwan may sound like to the rest of the world:
We demand recognition of our nation as the independent, unique and sovereign state of Taiwan, founded by the people of Taiwan on the island of Taiwan ? er, or maybe we are the Republic of China, founded by Sun Yat-sen (
So, we demand recognition of our nation as the independent, unique and sovereign state of the Not-the-People's-Republic-of-China ? er, well, in the interest of domestic political unity, we don't want to deny unqualifiedly that we were ever a part of China. Many among us feel we sprang from the same roots as the People's Republic. And we certainly don't want to close the door on the possibility of reunification (if, that is, we were ever unified in the past, you understand). But we must be adamant on insisting on our present separation from the Chinese state on the mainland of Asia.
So, we demand recognition of our nation as the independent, unique and sovereign state of the Not-the-People's-Republic-of-China-Right-At-The-Moment ? er, unless that angers some of our defenders and business partners who would rather say that our status is undecided.
So, we demand recognition of our nation as the independent, unique and sovereign state of the Not-Necessarily-the-People's-Republic-of-China-Right-At-The-Moment ? er, or does that sound, you know, provocative?
So, we demand recognition of our nation as an independent, unique and sovereign state ? and while you're at it, why don't you tell us who in the heck we are?
Michael Falick
Colorado Springs, Colorado
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus in the Legislative Yuan has made an internal decision to freeze NT$1.8 billion (US$54.7 million) of the indigenous submarine project’s NT$2 billion budget. This means that up to 90 percent of the budget cannot be utilized. It would only be accessible if the legislature agrees to lift the freeze sometime in the future. However, for Taiwan to construct its own submarines, it must rely on foreign support for several key pieces of equipment and technology. These foreign supporters would also be forced to endure significant pressure, infiltration and influence from Beijing. In other words,
As Taiwan’s domestic political crisis deepens, the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) have proposed gutting the country’s national spending, with steep cuts to the critical foreign and defense ministries. While the blue-white coalition alleges that it is merely responding to voters’ concerns about corruption and mismanagement, of which there certainly has been plenty under Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and KMT-led governments, the rationales for their proposed spending cuts lay bare the incoherent foreign policy of the KMT-led coalition. Introduced on the eve of US President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the KMT’s proposed budget is a terrible opening
“I compare the Communist Party to my mother,” sings a student at a boarding school in a Tibetan region of China’s Qinghai province. “If faith has a color,” others at a different school sing, “it would surely be Chinese red.” In a major story for the New York Times this month, Chris Buckley wrote about the forced placement of hundreds of thousands of Tibetan children in boarding schools, where many suffer physical and psychological abuse. Separating these children from their families, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to substitute itself for their parents and for their religion. Buckley’s reporting is
Last week, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), together holding more than half of the legislative seats, cut about NT$94 billion (US$2.85 billion) from the yearly budget. The cuts include 60 percent of the government’s advertising budget, 10 percent of administrative expenses, 3 percent of the military budget, and 60 percent of the international travel, overseas education and training allowances. In addition, the two parties have proposed freezing the budgets of many ministries and departments, including NT$1.8 billion from the Ministry of National Defense’s Indigenous Defense Submarine program — 90 percent of the program’s proposed
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