Patience running thin
In an interview with the China Review News Agency, retired vice admiral and former navy commander-in-chief Yeh Shih-wen (葉仕文) said that Taiwan’s purchase of US Harpoon Block II missiles would pose a threat to Chinese aircraft carriers’ entry into the Pacific Ocean, and that such a purchase is a sign of great hostility to China.
He also said that Beijing has always exercised self-restraint, and that it would take over Taiwan without breaking a sweat when its patience runs out.
Is this something a retired military leader should say? This sounds exactly like something an active or retired Chinese military leader would say. If this had happened during the authoritarian rule under former presidents Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) or Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), he would have faced an execution squad.
His remarks have been met by a wave of criticism online, with people saying that it is unfair for taxpayers to pay his pension. It is like the Taiwanese saying: “If you raise a mouse, it will chew a big hole in your sack of grain.”
If the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) does not condemn Yeh and revoke his membership, the party would have no chance of winning another election, because all KMT members would be seen as jackals of the same tribe.
Today, many hardworking people only earn a monthly salary of NT$30,000 to NT$50,000. Retired generals who no longer have to work receive a monthly pension that often exceeds NT$100,000. Is this fair?
Exactly whose patience is likely to run out?
In the past few months, Chinese aircraft have been provoking Taiwan by invading Taiwanese airspace almost on a daily basis. Instead of condemning China, he actually condemns Taiwan for rejecting Beijing’s “one country, two systems” policy. How could a retired military leader be so ungrateful?
The legislature should amend the law to cancel or reduce the pensions for such retired generals lest public anger continue to grow.
Teng Hon-yuan
New Taipei City
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) were born under the sign of Gemini. Geminis are known for their intelligence, creativity, adaptability and flexibility. It is unlikely, then, that the trade conflict between the US and China would escalate into a catastrophic collision. It is more probable that both sides would seek a way to de-escalate, paving the way for a Trump-Xi summit that allows the global economy some breathing room. Practically speaking, China and the US have vulnerabilities, and a prolonged trade war would be damaging for both. In the US, the electoral system means that public opinion
They did it again. For the whole world to see: an image of a Taiwan flag crushed by an industrial press, and the horrifying warning that “it’s closer than you think.” All with the seal of authenticity that only a reputable international media outlet can give. The Economist turned what looks like a pastiche of a poster for a grim horror movie into a truth everyone can digest, accept, and use to support exactly the opinion China wants you to have: It is over and done, Taiwan is doomed. Four years after inaccurately naming Taiwan the most dangerous place on
In their recent op-ed “Trump Should Rein In Taiwan” in Foreign Policy magazine, Christopher Chivvis and Stephen Wertheim argued that the US should pressure President William Lai (賴清德) to “tone it down” to de-escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait — as if Taiwan’s words are more of a threat to peace than Beijing’s actions. It is an old argument dressed up in new concern: that Washington must rein in Taipei to avoid war. However, this narrative gets it backward. Taiwan is not the problem; China is. Calls for a so-called “grand bargain” with Beijing — where the US pressures Taiwan into concessions
The term “assassin’s mace” originates from Chinese folklore, describing a concealed weapon used by a weaker hero to defeat a stronger adversary with an unexpected strike. In more general military parlance, the concept refers to an asymmetric capability that targets a critical vulnerability of an adversary. China has found its modern equivalent of the assassin’s mace with its high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) weapons, which are nuclear warheads detonated at a high altitude, emitting intense electromagnetic radiation capable of disabling and destroying electronics. An assassin’s mace weapon possesses two essential characteristics: strategic surprise and the ability to neutralize a core dependency.
RSS