Taiwanese should refrain from making investments in China until the mainland gives up its threats of using force against the island, Lin Rong-san (林榮三), the founder of the Taipei Times, said in an interview yesterday with John Pomfret, the Washington Post's Beijing-based correspondent.
Noting only that the election of a presidential candidate "compatible with the interests of the Taiwan people" is more appropriate, Lin declined to say which candidate he supported in the upcoming election.
Lin, who also founded the Chinese-language Liberty Times (自由時報), Taiwan's best-selling daily newspaper, stressed that the ideal presidential candidate is "someone who is patriotic and filled with Taiwanese compassion (台灣情)."
Noting the role of his newspaper group in the coming election, Lin broadened the topic to include other media.
"The media bears heavy responsibilities. All should provide accurate reporting in order to satisfy the people's right to know," Lin said.
He admitted that so far, the media in Taiwan does not appear to have done enough in this regard.
On the question of sovereignty, Lin was adamant that Taiwan is "an independent sovereign country," supported by the fact that "Beijing never ruled Taiwan for one day and that the people of Taiwan never paid a dollar of tax to Beijing." For these reasons, Lin said it is "inappropriate" for Taiwanese to engage in mainland investments before China renounces the use of force against Taiwan.
Lin emphasized that this position is supported by more than three-quarters of the people in Taiwan and therefore should be the position adopted by the government.
Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has died of pneumonia at the age of 48 while on a trip to Japan, where she contracted influenza during the Lunar New Year holiday, her sister confirmed today through an agent. "Our whole family came to Japan for a trip, and my dearest and most kindhearted sister Barbie Hsu died of influenza-induced pneumonia and unfortunately left us," Hsu's sister and talk show hostess Dee Hsu (徐熙娣) said. "I was grateful to be her sister in this life and that we got to care for and spend time with each other. I will always be grateful to
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