On Menstrual Hygiene Day
I am a university student in Taiwan, and I would like to thank Vanessa Aurelia Yotania for writing the article “Menstrual health is not just a female issue” (May 27, page 8) about menstrual health. Her article helped me better understand how menstrual health is closely connected to dignity, education and equality in society.
About three years ago, I first became aware of this issue when I noticed that the government had started providing free sanitary pads and support for school-aged girls from socioeconomically disadvantaged families. Since then, I have paid much more attention to topics related to menstrual equality and period poverty.
Because of your article, I also learned that May 28 is recognized globally as Menstrual Hygiene Day. I had not known there was an international day dedicated to raising awareness about menstrual health. This reminded me that many people around the world still face stigma, embarrassment or limited access to menstrual products.
As a young person and a student, I sincerely hope that society would continue to place greater importance on menstrual health education and accessibility. Menstruation should never be treated as something shameful or ignored. Instead, it should be openly discussed with understanding, respect and support.
Tsai Pei-chen
Hsinchu
KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) recent visit to Beijing and her upcoming visit to Washington will serve as a high-level test of her diplomatic mettle. In Beijing, Cheng was received with symbolic gestures, a warm reception, and high-level access. In Washington, she will receive far less pomp and far sharper questions about the KMT’s vision for the future of Taiwan. Her challenge will be to persuade Washington that the KMT’s engagement with China can coexist with strong deterrence. Cheng’s April 7-12 visit to mainland China coincided with an intense period of conflict in Iran. Despite the strategic significance of Cheng’s trip,
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent the vast Asian chemicals industry into a tailspin. Deprived of the likes of Qatari natural gas and Saudi Arabian oil, the region’s fertilizer and plastics plants are slowing production or even shutting down. Everywhere except China, that is. In petrochemicals, China is unique. As well as a traditional industry that uses oil and gas as feedstock, it has parallel output that relies on its abundant domestic coal. Unsurprisingly, India and other regional powers want to copy and paste the Chinese method. This would not be easy — or climate friendly. The
US President Donald Trump recently repeated his claim that “Taiwan stole America’s chip industry,” reigniting public debate on the issue. As a former Taiwanese minister of economic affairs and an entrepreneur deeply involved in semiconductor supply chain development, I feel a responsibility to clarify this misunderstanding. From the perspective of global industrial evolution and the economic principle of comparative advantage, such a statement appears overly simplistic and risks obscuring the essence of the issue. The rise of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry was not built on “replacing America,” but rather emerged as a result of countries pursuing different development paths within the
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto says he knows how to fix the problems facing Indonesia. Yet his economic mismanagement and authoritarian tendencies are steering the nation toward a familiar mix of currency instability and political chaos. The world’s fourth-most populous nation risks reversing the hard-won democratic and business reforms that came after the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997. At that time, the rupiah collapsed and the political upheaval that followed forced former president Haji Mohamed Suharto from power. Prabowo’s administration is ignoring similar warning signs. That disconnect was apparent in a national address on Wednesday, when Prabowo projected the swagger that has
RSS