Research by the National Museum of Natural Science confirmed that Denisovans — a species of archaic humans — inhabited Penghu 100,000 years ago, revealing for the first time their presence outside areas near present-day Mongolia. The finding not only revealed the complexity of the evolutionary and migratory history of ancient hominids in Asia, but also showed the diversity of the people who comprise Taiwan’s population.
As my mother is from Penghu, I am excited about this news, because I myself might also have a one-in-a-million blood relationship with the Denisovans.
The identity of a nation is not restricted to blood relationships. As another ancient group in Penghu has been added to Taiwan’s diverse origins, this proves that Taiwan should not be locked into a “one China” framework.
I still remember that when former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was in office, he emphasized the need to sign the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement in 2010. Luckily, the 2014 Sunflower movement blocked the passage of a trade in services agreement, otherwise Taiwanese businesspeople would have been thrown into chaos when the COVID-19 pandemic began or amid US President Donald Trump’s tariff war.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Yu-jen (陳玉珍) is proposing to turn Taiwan’s outlying Kinmen County into a so-called “Kinmen autonomous region.”
However, Trump’s tariff policies put the proposal in a bad light, as it gives rise to suspicions of “origin laundering” of Chinese goods, as well as opening the door to fake Chinese doctors.
If Chen has such great vision, why does she not propose building an international port in Penghu? Everyone would applaud that idea.
Jane Ywe-hwan is an associate professor at National Pingtung University.
Translated by Eddy Chang
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Former minister of culture Lung Ying-tai (龍應台) has long wielded influence through the power of words. Her articles once served as a moral compass for a society in transition. However, as her April 1 guest article in the New York Times, “The Clock Is Ticking for Taiwan,” makes all too clear, even celebrated prose can mislead when romanticism clouds political judgement. Lung crafts a narrative that is less an analysis of Taiwan’s geopolitical reality than an exercise in wistful nostalgia. As political scientists and international relations academics, we believe it is crucial to correct the misconceptions embedded in her article,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
RSS