Thank you
In November, I spent 10 days in Taipei on a business trip. I have been visiting Taiwan for about 15 years and I keep falling in love with it every time I visit.
I am fortunate enough to have a job where I get to travel all around the world and Taiwan is most probably my favorite place to visit. I was based there in 2005 for a little more than a year and made friends who I still stay in touch with.
As an American with very basic Mandarin skills, I can say that the level of English in Taiwan is absolutely amazing.
The people are the friendliest, kindest, most genuine of all the people that I have seen. Taipei is a clean, convenient and fairly priced city, and Taiwanese food is amazing. The night markets never cease to amaze me and Taiwan is truly the “Beautiful Island.”
However, it all comes back to the people. They are the best resource Taiwan has. I want to send a big “thank you” to all the people who greeted me with friendly smiles and acts of kindness. I cannot wait to go back to Taiwan this year.
Parrish Robinson
Mexico City
In a statement that came as a shock to many, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday announced the immediate annulment of all “self-imposed” guidelines on US executive relations with Taiwan, which he said Washington took “unilaterally, in an attempt to appease the Communist regime in Beijing.” It could be the most sweeping advancement in Taiwan-US ties in decades. No longer would officials need to meet in “private meeting rooms or restaurants,” or avoid references to a Taiwanese country or government. High-level personnel could attend official events, including Double Ten National Day celebrations. Coverage of the decision has been predictably alarmist,
The year 2020 will go down in history. Certainly, if for nothing else, it will be remembered as the year of the COVID-19 pandemic and the continuing impact it has had on the world. All nations have had to deal with it; none escaped. As a virus, COVID-19 has known no bounds. It has no agenda or ideology; it champions no cause. There is no way to bully it, gaslight it or bargain with it. Impervious to any hype, posturing, propaganda or commands, it ignores such and simply attacks. All nations, big or small, are on a level playing field
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s announcement on Saturday that the US was to drop self-imposed restrictions on meetings between senior Taiwanese and US officials had immediate real-world effects. On Monday, US Ambassador to the Netherlands Pete Hoekstra met Representative to the Netherlands Chen Hsing-hsing (陳欣新) at the US embassy in The Hague, with both noting on social media the historic nature of this seemingly modest event. Modest perhaps, but their meeting would have been impossible before Pompeo’s announcement. Some have welcomed this move, thinking that it is long-overdue and a step in the right direction to normalizing relations between
The US’ relationships with its core democratic partners are set to rebound dramatically after US president-elect Joe Biden takes office. Allies in Europe and Asia relish the prospect of a US president committed to adhering to democratic traditions at home, honor strategic commitments abroad, and be a team player. Solidarity among the world’s democracies is especially important when it comes to standing up to China. The EU’s decision last week to sign an investment accord with that country underscores the potential for serious discord. Even though the Biden camp cautioned the EU against moving ahead with the agreement, it nonetheless sealed the