The number three holds a special meaning in Tibetan culture and its tradition of Buddhism, exemplified by the Three Jewels and the tradition of performing three prostrations.
Three critical days for Tibet-Taiwan relations, from Saturday last week to Monday, culminated in a historic participation of a Tibetan delegation led by Kalon Norzin Dolma and Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile Dolma Tsering at the inauguration ceremony of President William Lai (賴清德) and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) in Taipei.
Saturday last week marked the 29th anniversary of the abduction of the 11th Panchen Lama. A news conference organized by the Human Rights Network for Taiwan and Tibet (HRNTT), addressed by Zeekyab Rinpoche, the abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, alongside Dolma and Tsering, highlighted ongoing concerns regarding the Panchen Lama’s disappearance at age six by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime, earning him the unwanted title of the world’s youngest political prisoner.
On Sunday last week, the Tibetan delegation attended the Saga Dawa Festival in Taipei, celebrating Tibetan history and culture. The event, organized by the HRNTT and other organizations, took place at the Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Research Institute, a site emblematic of Taiwan’s democratic heritage. It featured speeches from Taiwanese dignitaries such as Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) and Fu Jen Catholic University professor Wu Hao-ren (吳豪人), fostering deeper connections between the Tibetan and Taiwanese communities.
The same day, the delegation met Hsiao. The Tibetan Parliament in Exile later on Facebook said: “We were able to relay our thoughts for deepening support from the Taiwanese government to Tibet.”
Hsiao, known for her support of Tibet, played a pivotal role in setting up the initial Taiwan Parliamentary Group for Tibet.
These events set the stage for the inauguration ceremony on Monday last week. Dolma and Tsering attended as VIP guests, alongside other foreign delegations as honored guests. This marked the first time in recent memory that an official Tibetan delegation received such an honor.
On the same day, the 11th Taiwan Parliamentary Group for Tibet was inaugurated, moderated and led by Hung. Discussions centered on strengthening support for Tibet and its people, with members of the government also being part of the landmark event.
These events underscore an accelerated mutual recognition between Taiwan and the Tibetan government-in-exile, particularly in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era. This period has seen more Tibetan delegations invited to Taiwan and several Taiwanese delegations visiting Dharamshala, India. Notably, last year, the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and Hung visited Dharamshala, and Dolma also met with then-minister of foreign affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮).
The absence of official Indian representation at the inauguration event, likely an attempt to avoid antagonizing China during India’s general election, further highlights the significance of Tibetan representatives.
Tibetans and Taiwanese advocate for peace with China, adhering to their guiding principles for conflict resolution, championing democracy as the way ahead and preserving their unique identities.
Under Lai and Hsiao, Taiwan-Tibet relations appear promising. Many Tibetan students from India are opting to study in Taiwan of late, laying the foundations for a robust relationship. Organizations like the HRNTT and the Office of Tibet in Taiwan play pivotal roles in strengthening these ties. Under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), Beijing remains wary of these developments. Despite historical challenges, the cooperative efforts between Taiwan and Tibet signal a promising future that must be nurtured.
Tenzing Dhamdul is a research associate at the New Delhi-based Foundation for Non-Violent Alternatives.
Taiwan aims to elevate its strategic position in supply chains by becoming an artificial intelligence (AI) hub for Nvidia Corp, providing everything from advanced chips and components to servers, in an attempt to edge out its closest rival in the region, South Korea. Taiwan’s importance in the AI ecosystem was clearly reflected in three major announcements Nvidia made during this year’s Computex trade show in Taipei. First, the US company’s number of partners in Taiwan would surge to 122 this year, from 34 last year, according to a slide shown during CEO Jensen Huang’s (黃仁勳) keynote speech on Monday last week.
When China passed its “Anti-Secession” Law in 2005, much of the democratic world saw it as yet another sign of Beijing’s authoritarianism, its contempt for international law and its aggressive posture toward Taiwan. Rightly so — on the surface. However, this move, often dismissed as a uniquely Chinese form of legal intimidation, echoes a legal and historical precedent rooted not in authoritarian tradition, but in US constitutional history. The Chinese “Anti-Secession” Law, a domestic statute threatening the use of force should Taiwan formally declare independence, is widely interpreted as an emblem of the Chinese Communist Party’s disregard for international norms. Critics
Birth, aging, illness and death are inevitable parts of the human experience. Yet, living well does not necessarily mean dying well. For those who have a chronic illness or cancer, or are bedridden due to significant injuries or disabilities, the remainder of life can be a torment for themselves and a hardship for their caregivers. Even if they wish to end their life with dignity, they are not allowed to do so. Bih Liu-ing (畢柳鶯), former superintendent of Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, introduced the practice of Voluntary Stopping of Eating and Drinking as an alternative to assisted dying, which remains
On May 7, 1971, Henry Kissinger planned his first, ultra-secret mission to China and pondered whether it would be better to meet his Chinese interlocutors “in Pakistan where the Pakistanis would tape the meeting — or in China where the Chinese would do the taping.” After a flicker of thought, he decided to have the Chinese do all the tape recording, translating and transcribing. Fortuitously, historians have several thousand pages of verbatim texts of Dr. Kissinger’s negotiations with his Chinese counterparts. Paradoxically, behind the scenes, Chinese stenographers prepared verbatim English language typescripts faster than they could translate and type them
RSS