Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate hopeful Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) has a message of assurance for voters concerned about the prospect of war in the Taiwan Strait: If he becomes president, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will not invade, because he does not advocate for Taiwanese independence.
Gou’s advisers have apparently impressed upon him that the issue of Taiwanese independence is “too provocative” in the current tense environment. Despite that the government has never advocated for independence, Gou’s assurances would be welcomed by the more credulous members of the electorate, especially as he maintains that the economy is the most pressing issue at hand.
In an open letter to Gou posted on Facebook, United Microelectronics Corp founder and former chairman Robert Tsao (曹興誠) disagreed, saying that the economy comes first in normal times, but when the CCP is threatening an invasion that would see Taiwanese killed or incarcerated, banished and brainwashed, these are not normal times. For Tsao — who wrote that at no point has any Chinese official said that committing to opposing independence would result in the CCP’s refusal to invade — the economy can wait.
Gou’s message that approaching the issue with an appeal to reason and shared prosperity betrays a misunderstanding of the severity of the situation and of the nature of the CCP. That he seeks the KMT’s presidential nomination and is trying not to be “too provocative” is no excuse. What the nation needs are candidates with credible vision.
On Sunday, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met in Seoul, the second summit between the nations in less than two months, following 12 years in which there were no official bilateral visits at all. Both leaders are willing to normalize relations. During Yoon’s trip to Tokyo in March, he and Kishida announced plans to resume sharing military intelligence and restore Japan’s status as a favored trading partner.
In a post-summit news conference, Kishida said that “the international situation surrounding us also makes cooperation between Japan and South Korea indispensable.” Kishida has faced his own political challenges at home, preparing his nation for the emerging “international situation” — not just the threat of North Korea’s nuclear missile program, but also the CCP’s increased assertiveness and the possibility of a “Taiwan contingency” that would inevitably draw the Japan Self-Defense Forces in.
However, Japanese largely support an increased defense budget and are aware of the threat China poses. Yoon has a far higher mountain to climb in terms of public support and domestic opposition. Opinion polls show that a majority of South Koreans are unhappy with his efforts to mend ties with Japan, while the opposition — including some public and civic groups — says that Tokyo should make renewed apologies for the colonial era and the treatment of South Korean “comfort women” during World War II.
His rapprochement with Japan is politically risky, and he faces legislative elections next year, but he understands the importance of unity among like-minded partners, and is under no illusions about the regional tensions, as demonstrated during his visit to Washington last month.
Like Yoon, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr understands the importance of aligning with the US to protect his nation’s interests, taking a different path from his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte. We have yet to see such proactive vision or awareness in the opposition presidential hopefuls in Taiwan, from Gou, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) or Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲). It is time that we did.
Chinese actor Alan Yu (于朦朧) died after allegedly falling from a building in Beijing on Sept. 11. The actor’s mysterious death was tightly censored on Chinese social media, with discussions and doubts about the incident quickly erased. Even Hong Kong artist Daniel Chan’s (陳曉東) post questioning the truth about the case was automatically deleted, sparking concern among overseas Chinese-speaking communities about the dark culture and severe censorship in China’s entertainment industry. Yu had been under house arrest for days, and forced to drink with the rich and powerful before he died, reports said. He lost his life in this vicious
George Santayana wrote: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” This article will help readers avoid repeating mistakes by examining four examples from the civil war between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forces and the Republic of China (ROC) forces that involved two city sieges and two island invasions. The city sieges compared are Changchun (May to October 1948) and Beiping (November 1948 to January 1949, renamed Beijing after its capture), and attempts to invade Kinmen (October 1949) and Hainan (April 1950). Comparing and contrasting these examples, we can learn how Taiwan may prevent a war with
A recent trio of opinion articles in this newspaper reflects the growing anxiety surrounding Washington’s reported request for Taiwan to shift up to 50 percent of its semiconductor production abroad — a process likely to take 10 years, even under the most serious and coordinated effort. Simon H. Tang (湯先鈍) issued a sharp warning (“US trade threatens silicon shield,” Oct. 4, page 8), calling the move a threat to Taiwan’s “silicon shield,” which he argues deters aggression by making Taiwan indispensable. On the same day, Hsiao Hsi-huei (蕭錫惠) (“Responding to US semiconductor policy shift,” Oct. 4, page 8) focused on
In South Korea, the medical cosmetic industry is fiercely competitive and prices are low, attracting beauty enthusiasts from Taiwan. However, basic medical risks are often overlooked. While sharing a meal with friends recently, I heard one mention that his daughter would be going to South Korea for a cosmetic skincare procedure. I felt a twinge of unease at the time, but seeing as it was just a casual conversation among friends, I simply reminded him to prioritize safety. I never thought that, not long after, I would actually encounter a patient in my clinic with a similar situation. She had
RSS