The New Power Party (NPP) yesterday urged former NBA player Jeremy Lin (林書豪) to learn more about the diversity of Taiwanese after he secured a Republic of China (ROC) passport, while some sports commentators said that playing for Taiwan might not be what motivated him to apply for the passport.
The 31-year-old Taiwanese-American rose to fame in 2012 after helping guide the New York Knicks out of a slump. He led them on a seven-game winning streak and to the playoffs that season, prompting the term “Linsanity” after several clutch plays.
He has been playing for the Beijing Ducks since last year.
Photo taken from YouTube
The nation has watched Lin’s meteoric rise from a rookie in the NBA to star player, the NPP said, adding that Taiwan must mean something to him, as it was often the first stop of his Asian tours when NBA seasons finished.
People in Taiwan not only appreciate Lin’s basketball skills and fighting spirit on the court, but also his courage to speak out against racial discrimination and injustice that minority basketball players face in the US, the party said.
Addressing Lin, the NPP asked: “However, did you know Taiwan has a complicated history and is not a peaceful place under the surface?”
“Every day, we face choices over what values we want,” it said.
“You have said that you know nothing about politics, but political issues are something that we as Taiwanese have to grapple with for the rest of our lives,” it said.
“We hope that you can familiarize yourself with issues concerning Taiwanese and hear their diverse voices,” it said, adding that he is welcome to forge dialogues with the NPP and other groups in Taiwan while pursuing his basketball career.
Aside from securing the passport, Lin is reportedly seeking household registration under Taiwan’s special immigration program for high-level professionals.
Lin’s father reportedly met with Minister of Interior Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) on Wednesday.
Lin is known for his athletic achievements in the US and China, Hsu said, adding that hopefully if he settles in Taiwan, it would boost the nation’s sports development.
Basketball fans also expressed hope that Lin would one day represent Taiwan in the sport.
However, some sports commentators said that playing for Taiwan might not be what motivated Lin to apply for the passport.
As a US citizen, Lin was considered a foreign player by the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), they said.
Securing an ROC passport enables him to apply for a Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents and the CBA’s special rules for players from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau would apply to him, they said.
As a “domestic player,” the Beijing Ducks would have a free spot to recruit another foreign player, they said.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last year implemented 26 measures for Taiwanese, one of which allows athletes to compete as domestic players in Chinese professional soccer, basketball, table tennis and other sports.
If Lin wants to play for Taiwan, International Basketball Association rules require that he compete as a naturalized player, as he did not receive his second nationality — Taiwanese — until after he turned 16.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their
RSS