As an alumnus of National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), I am deeply concerned about the recent fiasco regarding a promised donation to the university by United Microelectronics Corp (UMC) founder Robert Tsao (曹興誠).
Although UMC has donated NT$120 million (US$3.65 million) to NTHU for the building of the “Electrical Information Hall” (later named the Liu Jiong Lang Hall), and NT$100 million to convert the Activity Center into the Junshan Concert Hall under Tsao’s auspices, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Weng Hsiao-ling (翁曉玲) accused Tsao of forfeiting a promise to donate NT$15 million.
Even though the payment was not in the form of his own personal check, Tsao maintained that NTHU did receive the money, as was also confirmed in 2011 by then-NTHU president Chen Lih-juann (陳力俊), and widely reported in the news media at the time. However, Chen now denies this. Either the young Chen or the old Chen was incorrect.
Tsao questioned how Chen could betray him so easily when UMC had helped NTHU so much, going so far as to ponder whether “the prestigious NTHU has degenerated into a united front for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)?” That is referring to his current prominent role in leading the recall movement against many KMT legislators who are considered CCP sympathizers and who have passed legislations against Taiwan’s interest.
The current NTHU president has refused to dispel the confusion, saying it was to protect the names and privacy of donors. That could be an important criterion and a fair policy under the normal circumstances. However, the current case goes beyond privacy, as it has become a public issue.
Given its academic excellence and leadership, NTHU needs to promote truth in every corner of society. Besides, the relevant information is readily available.
Weng has openly proclaimed that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution is invalid and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has the right to take over Taiwan. She is in effect denying the legitimacy of her own status as a legislator granted under the ROC Constitution.
Given that the PRC does not even have a mandate to govern China, as the Chinese had never voted to give their approval, the mere suggestion to let an authoritarian country take over a democratic country makes her a laughingstock in the academic world.
Her illogical thinking and poor scholarship raises questions about her qualifications as an associate professor at NTHU.
China had undergone dynastic upheavals every few hundred years, causing war and poverty. The CCP, in power for less than 100 years, already had the Cultural Revolution with rioting Red Guards; the Tiananmen Square Massacre with at least 10,000 people killed; and White Guards during the COVID-19 pandemic causing an economic meltdown.
The unemployment rate among young people is now as high as 40 to 50 percent, with some left homeless. The vicious cycle of public suffering will continue if China’s political system remains authoritarian. Tsao, who recognizes the shortcomings of nationalism and stands up for democracy, the right choice for both Taiwan and China, should be commended and not insulted.
Weng has done enough damage to NTHU’s reputation. The university’s “ostrich” approach to the issue would cause further harm, as the disrespect to its most generous donor would erode the trust of alumni and others in pledging donations.
Moreover, if the president of the university could not tell the truth, how would the university teach students to tell the truth? NTHU owes the public the truth.
James J. Y. Hsu is a retired professor of theoretical physics.
On March 22, 2023, at the close of their meeting in Moscow, media microphones were allowed to record Chinese Communist Party (CCP) dictator Xi Jinping (習近平) telling Russia’s dictator Vladimir Putin, “Right now there are changes — the likes of which we haven’t seen for 100 years — and we are the ones driving these changes together.” Widely read as Xi’s oath to create a China-Russia-dominated world order, it can be considered a high point for the China-Russia-Iran-North Korea (CRINK) informal alliance, which also included the dictatorships of Venezuela and Cuba. China enables and assists Russia’s war against Ukraine and North Korea’s
After thousands of Taiwanese fans poured into the Tokyo Dome to cheer for Taiwan’s national team in the World Baseball Classic’s (WBC) Pool C games, an image of food and drink waste left at the stadium said to have been left by Taiwanese fans began spreading on social media. The image sparked wide debate, only later to be revealed as an artificially generated image. The image caption claimed that “Taiwanese left trash everywhere after watching the game in Tokyo Dome,” and said that one of the “three bad habits” of Taiwanese is littering. However, a reporter from a Japanese media outlet
Taiwanese pragmatism has long been praised when it comes to addressing Chinese attempts to erase Taiwan from the international stage. “Taipei” and the even more inaccurate and degrading “Chinese Taipei,” imposed titles required to participate in international events, are loathed by Taiwanese. That is why there was huge applause in Taiwan when Japanese public broadcaster NHK referred to the Taiwanese Olympic team as “Taiwan,” instead of “Chinese Taipei” during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. What is standard protocol for most nations — calling a national team by the name their country is commonly known by — is impossible for
India is not China, and many of its residents fear it never will be. It is hard to imagine a future in which the subcontinent’s manufacturing dominates the world, its foreign investment shapes nations’ destinies, and the challenge of its economic system forces the West to reshape its own policies and principles. However, that is, apparently, what the US administration fears. Speaking in New Delhi last week, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau warned that “we will not make the same mistakes with India that we did with China 20 years ago.” Although he claimed the recently agreed framework
RSS