Taipei Times - Sunday, Dec 31, 2006, Page 8
It is important to look at the following points to judge whether Taiwan is a state:
(1) By way of historical background, following the 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki, Japan did exercise sovereignty over Taiwan and held title to its territory.
(2) The US entered the Pacific War against Japan on Dec. 8, 1941. The Allied Powers defeated Japan and it surrendered on Sept. 2, 1945.
(3) The Republic of China (ROC) was entrusted with authority over Formosa and the Pescadores as an agent of the Allied Powers. This arrangement was specified in General Order No. 1 of Sept. 2, 1945. The directive on behalf of the Allied Powers remains in force today. Nothing in the post-war San Francisco Peace Treaty (SFPT) nor in any other treaty executed by or between the ROC and the other Allied Powers has altered this trusteeship arrangement. more ...
"Made in Taiwan," the label ingrained in every American, is quickly becoming an icon of the 90's rather than the everyday slogan it once was.
Contract manufacturing now sits in Taiwan’s rear view mirror as the country enters its first age away from just manufacturing. Taiwan’s industry was primarily based on manufacturing but since the late 1990's Taiwanese companies have taken the turn to cell phone development and PC designs, adding innovation to their list of operations.
Four Taiwanese manufacturers control over 70% of notebook manufacturing currently.
The other Taiwanese notebook brands control another 10% of the manufacturing
development. As early as 2001 the capacity in Taiwan to build notebooks all
but vanished. The "Big 4" in notebook assembly builds exclusively
in China.
more
...
MUNICIPAL elections in Taiwan earlier in December indicate that the Chinese Nationalist Party -- better known as the Kuomintang -- has a stronger than ever chance to return to power after the presidential elections in 2008.
Ironically, the political revival of the Kuomintang, once the bitter enemy of the mainland's Chinese communists, threatens to strengthen ties between China and Taiwan at the expense of the United States.
The Democratic Progressive Party has governed Taiwan since 2000. But a continuing scandal involving the wife of President Chen Shui-bian, three members of his presidential staff and $450,000 missing from a secret state fund provided an opening for the opposition Kuomintang. more ....
According to the China Daily, the White Paper is the fifth of its kind. The other four have been issued between 198 and now.
The White Paper also illustrates Beijing's nuclear strategy for the first time and offers a fresh picture of the defence build-up of its coast and borders. more ...
BEIJING, China (AP) -- China said Friday it will strengthen its military ability to block Taiwan from pursuing independence, complaining about U.S. arms sales to the self-ruled island, while also trying to quell foreign unease about its rapid buildup.
In its latest military policy paper, the government said it will also focus on strengthening its ability to police its borders and territorial waters, cracking down on terrorism and modernizing its weapons.
"China will not engage in any arms race or pose a military threat to any other country," the 91-page white paper said. "China is determined to remain a staunch force for global peace, security and stability."
The communist nation's 2.3 million-strong military is the world's largest but has been criticized for its lack of transparency about its buildup.
Its reported 2006 budget is 283.8 billion yuan (US$35.3 billion; euro28.6 billion), but the Pentagon believes the true figure, which doesn't include weapons purchases and other key items, is several times higher. In comparison, U.S. President George W. Bush has signed a bill authorizing US$532.8 billion in defense spending for the 2007 fiscal year that began October 1.
One of Beijing's key short-term goals has been to back up its threat to invade
Taiwan if the self-ruled island makes its de facto independence permanent.
The two sides split amid civil war in 1949 but the mainland claims Taiwan as
part of its territory and has hundreds of missiles pointed in its direction
across the Taiwan Strait. more
...
China warning on Taiwan 'threat'
BBC News - Last Updated: Friday, 29 December 2006, 08:41 GMT
China has announced plans to upgrade its military, highlighting its dispute
with Taiwan as one of several regional security threats.
In a defence white paper, the government said it would focus its spending on
strengthening the country's naval and air forces.
But it said China would "not engage in an arms race".
Meanwhile, Taiwanese legislators have been voting on a controversial and much-delayed
US arms deal package. more
...
China to Continue Modernizing Military
The Associated Press
By AUDRA ANG
December 28, 2006
"The struggle to oppose and contain the separatist forces for Taiwan independence and their activities remains a hard one"
China said Friday it will strengthen its military to thwart any attempt by Taiwan to push for independence, but vowed that it was committed to the peaceful development of the world's largest army.
A report issued by the State Council, China's Cabinet, also said the country's defense policy will focus on protecting its borders and sea space, cracking down on terrorism and modernizing its weapons.
'China will not engage in any arms race or pose a military threat to any other country,' the 91-page white paper said. 'China is determined to remain a staunch force for global peace, security and stability.' more ...
Taiwan moves on U.S. weapons deal
POSTED: 0647 GMT (1447 HKT), December 29, 2006
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) -- Taiwan's Legislature sent a portion of a long-delayed U.S. arms deal package to a budgetary committee Friday, advancing its consideration.
The deal, which would help the self-governing island defend itself from rival China, has been blocked by the opposition for more than two years.
Friday's vote advanced a 6.3 billion New Taiwan dollar (US$196.9 million; euro149.1 million) portion of the total US$16 billion (euro13 billion) package by moving it to the budgetary committee.
From there, it must pass two more readings to become law. more ...
Aftershocks Rock Taiwan Following Major Quake
Aftershocks shook south Taiwan Wednesday following
a major quake, but seismologists said the effects were normal and did not presage
another quake.
09:31 AM, December 27th 2006
"Aftershocks will continue for a week, then seismic activity will ease.
But there won't be quakes stronger than yesterday's major quake," Kuo Kai-wen,
director of the Seismological Observation Centre, said.
Premier Su Tseng-chang inspected Hengchun, site of the quake damage, on Wednesday and thanked the military, police, firemen and first-aid personnel for rescuing the injured.
The 6.7-magnitude quake struck at 8:26 p.m. (1226 GMT) Tuesday with its epicentre 22.8 kilometres under the ocean floor off Henghcun on Taiwan's southern tip.
Since then, some 132 aftershocks have struck the same area, with the last one, measuring 5.9, occurring at 10:30 am (0200 GMT) Wednesday. more ...
Chao was arrested in May
The son-in-law of Taiwan's embattled President Chen Shui-bian has been sentenced
to six years in jail for insider trading. Chao Chien-min was found
guilty of using inside information to profit from buying shares in a property
company.
Chao, who is married to President Chen's daughter, is expected to appeal. more
...
Asia communications hit by quake
BBC News - Last Updated: Wednesday, 27 December 2006, 07:44 GMT
Telecommunications across Asia have been severely disrupted because of damage
to undersea cables caused by Tuesday's earthquake near Taiwan.
Banks and businesses in Taiwan, South Korea, China and Japan reported telephone
and internet problems.
The earthquake, a magnitude 7.1 according to the US Geological Survey, struck
off Taiwan's southern coast.
more
....
Taiwan quake kills two, undersea cables damaged
Reuters - Wed Dec 27, 2006 2:28am ET
TAIPEI (Reuters) - Two people were killed and 42
injured when three buildings collapsed in earthquakes that shook southern Taiwan,
authorities said on Wednesday.
The two dead were caught in the collapse of a furniture factory in the southern city of Hengchun, where eight people, including four children, were trapped for a time, the National Fire Agency said in a statement.
While a tsunami warning came to nothing, the quake damaged at least six undersea telecommunication cables, affecting users in Taiwan and South Korea, and was felt in China and Hong Kong.
The biggest quake, measured by Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau at magnitude 6.7 and at magnitude 7.1 by the U.S. Geological Survey, struck off the island's southern coast at 8:26 p.m. (1226 GMT) on Tuesday -- the second anniversary of a massive earthquake and tsunami that left more than 230,000 people in Asia either dead or missing.
Further quakes through the evening in Taiwan were measured at up to magnitude
7.0 by the U.S. agency.
more
...
Although trade and other links between the two have expanded rapidly in recent years, Beijing has repeatedly threatened to attack if Taiwan tries to formally declare independence.
"Chen Shui-bian's stubborn adherence to Taiwan independence for the last six years has consistently provoked confrontation between the mainland and Taiwan," said Li Weiyi, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, China's Cabinet. Li was responding to a question at a regular news conference on recent comments by Chen that exchanges across the Taiwan Strait had increased since he was first elected.
"He has deliberately put obstacles in the way of cross-strait exchanges and seriously hindered the development of cross-strait ties," Li said.
Beijing often responds strongly to any talk of independence by Taipei, and
actively works to limit the island's international role. China's relations
with the United States and Japan are also impacted by any pro-Taiwan comments
made by political leaders in Washington and Tokyo. more
...
The peaceful rise of China is in the fundamental interest of the Chinese people and world peace. But as Chinese power and confidence increase rapidly, so has international scrutiny and reaction. The United States and its allies, the currently dominant powers, will very likely develop more misgivings about China's rise, unless Beijing also becomes a responsible stakeholder in and shares the basic values and norms of the global community.
Therefore, a peaceful rise of China increasingly depends on the successful political transformation of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the direction of the rule of law and democracy. Key in catalyzing this profound change is the tenacious, democratic, and unduly marginalized Chinese political opposition: the Republic of China (ROC) on the island of Taiwan. more ...
The latter figure, growing by 50 rockets a year, should give a clue to the weakness of Beijing's arguments. In the modern world, few governments can pledge with a straight face to “liberate” an island full of people it pretends are compatriots by blowing them off the map. Equally, while China's “one nation—two systems” transition period for Hong Kong has not been a total failure, Beijing's clumsy interference in Hong Kong's politics and refusal to allow democratic reforms have not done much to reassure the Taiwanese. more ...
By Bruce Jacobs
Christian Science Monitor - From the December 13, 2006 edition
TAIPEI, TAIWAN – The recent close mayoral elections in Taipei and Kaohsiung, Taiwan's two largest cities, remind us that Taiwan remains a thriving democracy. Along with South Korea, Taiwan is one of two former Asian dictatorships that have made a true transition to democratic rule.
This democratization has won Taiwan many friends around the world, including the United States, Australia, Japan, and Britain. But this support doesn't change the fact that Taiwan faces a severe threat from China.
At this moment, China has more than 800 missiles aimed at the island. Its military often conducts exercises relevant to an invasion of Taiwan. That kind of power makes some observers in government, business, and academic circles wary of upsetting China. Yet China has shown that it respects strong, principled stands rather than a submissive, begging attitude.
The US and other democratic nations must stand up for Taiwan's right to determine
its own future without China's military threats. Taking this stand means welcoming
Taiwan's representation in more international organizations - and yes, rethinking
their approach toward the so-called One-China policy, which declares Taiwan
to be part of China. more
...
Taiwan Becomes 108th Nation To Ban Corporal Punishment
Of Students
Playfuls.com - 04:18 PM, December 12th 2006
Taiwan on Tuesday banned corporal punishment of students in schools, becoming
the 108th nation to abolish such punishment of children.
Under the revised Fundamental Law of Education, the nation should protect students' right to study and to healthy personality development, and should protect them from physical punishment.
The revised law passed its third reading in parliament on Tuesday and will become effective after approval by the cabinet.
Taiwan's social groups and education reformers have been pushing for banning corporal punishment of children for years.
In recent years the Education Ministry has issued orders banning corporal
punishment of students, but the orders have not been written into law. Many
teachers still spank students or verbally humiliate students, causing the latter
physical injury or psychological harm. more
...
TAIPEI - Voters in the Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral elections on Saturday returned the same parties to power in each municipality, and in doing so sent a nuanced message to all Taiwanese politicians that the people want more compromise and less hubris from their political leadership.
The elections were seen by many as a referendum on the scandal-ridden administration
of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) President Chen Shui-bian, but equally
they served as a
reality check for an increasingly obstructionist and "winner take all" opposition.
In Taipei, opposition Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Hau Lung-bin with 53.81%
of votes cast defeated Frank Hsieh from the ruling DPP with 40.89%. James Soong,
chairman of another opposition - the People First Party (PFP) - took a miserly
4.14% of the ballot, far below expectations. Soong declared his intention to
quit politics for good after the results were announced. more
...
For many in Taiwan, status quo with China sounds fine
By Patrick L. Smith
International Herald Tribune - Published: December 11, 2006
TAIPEI: After decades of tension in its relations with the mainland, Taiwan's political class is mulling over the idea of a settlement with China that would defer the question of the island's sovereign status for up to 50 years.
The initiative to formalize the status quo in relations across the Taiwan Strait is linked to figures within the opposition Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang, but the idea is gaining currency among scholars, policy planners and analysts outside the party.
Discussions have even involved leaders in the governing Democratic Progressive
Party, although the party and its leader, President Chen Shui-bian, remain
committed to asserting formal independence for Taiwan.
more
...
Lung Ying-tai slams Taiwan's isolation
CROSS-STRAIT WOES: The
writer told a seminar sponsored by the Swedish embassy in Washington that the
world must look hard at the situation the Taiwanese are in
By Charles Snyder
STAFF REPORTER IN WASHINGTON
Taipei Times - Sunday, Dec 10, 2006, Page 4
On Thursday, Lung was in Washington to berate the international community for not helping Taiwan out of the global isolation imposed on it by Beijing and, indeed, for acquiescing to it and to twit Taiwan for not doing enough on its own behalf to break out of that isolation.
"Are the Taiwanese being punished for their democracy?" Lung asked dozens of senior diplomats, academics and international affairs experts in a presentation on China-Taiwan relations at a seminar on worldviews and human rights sponsored by the Swedish embassy and foreign ministry. more ...
US President George W Bush told Taiwan's envoy to the APEC summit that he was concerned about Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian's seeking independence for Taiwan, the envoy said on Tuesday.
Upon his return from the November 18-19 APEC leaders' summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, Morris Chang briefed President Chen on the summit and spoke to reporters on Tuesday. Chang said he conveyed Chen's message to Bush that he would honor his promise that he would not seek Taiwan's independence during his term.
"President Chen asked me to tell Bush that he would honour all the promises he has made to the US, including his promise regarding cross-Strait relations. But Bush said he was still very concerned and asked me to convey to President Chen his concern," Chang told a news conference.
During his meeting with Chang, Chen did not respond to Hu's concern, but praised Chang for accomplishing his mission of representing Chen at the summit. more ...
On Nov. 9, Mainland Affairs Council Director Joseph Wu revealed that China now has more than 900 missiles targeted against Taiwan. Could the People's Liberation Army top this threat? Yes, and it is doing so: An imminent deployment of thousands more highly accurate precision guided bombs by its air forces.
Since the 1995 demonstration firing of Dongfeng-15 short range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) north of Taiwan, and the 1996 firings to locations off Keelung and Kaohsiung ports, the PLA's capacity to terrorize Taiwan has been conceptualized mainly in terms of missiles. In the last two years the PLA's Second Artillery has started deploying Land Attack Cruise Missiles (LACMs) along with its 800 Dongfeng-15 and Dongfeng-11 Mod 1 SRBMs. more ...
STAFF WRITER, WITH CNA, WASHINGTON
Taipei Times - Sunday, Nov 19, 2006, Page 2
An annual dialogue between the deputy defense ministers of Taiwan and the US concluded earlier this week in Washington, with both sides reaching consensus on issues concerning arms deals, military exchanges and defense industry cooperation, sources said.
The meeting was headed by Vice Minister of National Defense Ko Chen-heng (柯承亨) and US Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England. more ...
A high-level congressional advisory panel on Thursday urged the US government to carry out a long-term policy aimed at securing Taiwan's membership in international organizations and activities to break China's global campaign to isolate Taiwan internationally.
The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, in an annual report
to Congress, paid special attention to China's efforts to block Taiwan's participation
in organizations around the world. more
...
China's strange silence on Chen's troubles
By Augustine Tan
Asia Times - Nov 17, 2006
HONG KONG - In Beijing's eye, Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian is a troublemaker. Naturally Beijing would take great pleasure in seeing the embattled Chen suffer from corruption scandals involving his family and himself.
However, so far mainland China's official media have kept silent on this piece of "hot news" and the follow-ups in Taiwan. Only some Internet sites are allowed to dispatch tailored stories selected from the Taiwanese and Hong Kong media. The Taiwan Affairs Office under the State Council, China's cabinet, declines to comment on Chen's case, repeatedly saying it is a "domestic affair".
It is apparent that Beijing is afraid that reporting Chen's predicament in the mass media could backfire. The public might raise questions along the lines of "What can we do with official corruption?" And if Taiwan's president could be caught, "What about our own corrupt 'big fishes'?" more ...
Taiwan ministers attending the annual summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum formally protested Taiwan's exclusion from an "informal" meeting of APEC foreign ministers yesterday in which the main focus of discussion was the North Korean nuclear crisis.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs International Organization Department Director-General Chen Chung told reporters yesterday that "we have expressed our solemn stance through personal verbal statements and in written form."
The MOFA official said "we deeply regret" the definition of the APEC foreign ministers meeting as a "non-APEC social function" and the fact that "due to the insistence by the People's Republic of China that caused us to have no way to participate."
"We therefore submitted a solemn protest to the foreign minister of Vietnam that expressed our regret today," the MOFA's Chen told Taiwan News.
However, the MOFA official said it would "not be convenient" to release publicly the contents of the missive to Vietnamese Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien which was submitted under the names of Economic Affairs Minister Chen Ruey-long (陳瑞隆) and Finance Minister Ho Chih-chin, who jointly headed the delegation of Taiwan, formally known as "Chinese Taipei" in APEC functions, to the 18th APEC Ministers' Meeting in Hanoi's new National Convention Center. more ...
By Dennis Engbarth
Taiwan News, Staff Reporter
Page 2
2006-11-16 01:24 AM
China yesterday used the platform of an "informal" ministerial meeting of the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum members to demand that "only sovereign states" should participate in a proposed "Free Trade Area for Asia-Pacific" proposed by the United States and some private business groups.
Although the core consensus of the ministerial meeting was to endorse calls for the upcoming APEC Economic Leaders Meeting to endorse a strong demand for the resumption of stalled negotiations in the World Trade Organization, the 21 APEC ministers also discussed a controversial proposal by the United States and the APEC Business Advisory Committee to consider a wider regional free trade body.
During a closed door "retreat" held in Hanoi's National Convention Center the day before today's official plenary APEC Ministerial Meeting (AMM), People's Republic of China Vice Minister of Commerce Yi Xiaozhun reported that only sovereign states could be signatories to a future FTAAP.
Such a proposal would effectively exclude Taiwan from such a body, as would be the case for proposed expansions of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. more ...
By Chang Ling-yin
Taiwan News, Staff Reporter
Page 1
2006-11-16 01:24 AM
A former official of Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) office was questioned for over six hours and later barred from leaving the country yesterday after it was discovered he used his own receipts or the receipts of others to claim expenses from the mayor's special allowance fund.
At a press conference yesterday, Ma apologized for the behavior of his former staffer, Yu Wen, admitting to be "ashamed" that there had been administrative negligence in the city government's handling of how expenses were paid out of the special allowance.
But Ma insisted he was not involved in corruption. more ...
PRINCETON, New Jersey -- Taiwan's public prosecutor has indicted the wife of President Chen Shui-bian for embezzling public funds. Chen, as a sitting president, cannot be indicted even though the prosecutor says he has evidence to prove his guilt. But Chen's legacy was already in tatters.
Chen can remain in office until his term ends in 2008, or he could resign now to let his vice president and pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rebuild to win the next election. Whatever his decision, Taiwan's first DPP president will go down in history as a pathetic failure, because he used his office to divide the island's citizens, as if his domestic political opponents were Taiwan's mortal enemies.
The root of Chen's moral demise is something the classical Greeks identified:
hubris. Chen's popularity among his party followers, whose fervency often bordered
on fundamentalism, changed him from a person with deep democratic instincts
into a textbook case of a man who regards power and its prerogatives as his
by right. more
...
Tyan brings 250 gigaflops to the desktop, commercial
shipments to start in 1Q 2007
Tyan Computer today officially introduced the Typhoon T-600 series, a new incarnation
of the company's "personal supercomputer" concept. With support of
up to 10 quad-core Intel Xeon 5300 processors (previously known as Clovertown),
Typhoon machines will be able to deliver a peak performance of over 250 GFLOPS
("gigaflops," or billions of floating-point operations per second),
according to the company.
The company said it will produce up to 10 Typhoon T-600 samples this year, mainly to be used for testing, certification and demonstration purposes. Tyan aims to begin commercial shipments of Typhoon T-600 systems in January 2007, with prices estimated to start below US$15,000, the company pointed out. Typhoon T-600 systems, in the initial stage, will be all manufactured in Taiwan by an unnamed partner, the company noted. more ...
TAIWAN: American journalists discuss Taiwan's media,
political tensions
Former CNN Asia correspondent Mike Chinoy and
columnist Tom Plate speak to students, reporters at UCLA panel
By Connie Ng
AsiaMedia Staff Writer - Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Los Angeles --- Students and journalists participated in a discussion about U.S. media relations with Taiwan at a panel last Friday that featured former CNN Beijing Bureau Chief Mike Chinoy and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) communications studies professor Tom Plate.
The two veteran journalists spoke on a panel, hosted by Plate's newly formed UCLA Media Center, about Taiwanese development, the nature of its media and the ways in which the U.S. media covers Taiwanese issues.
"Taiwanese media is less censored now. They have shaken off the shackles of authoritarianism. It's a remarkably free place compared to the rest of Asia," Chinoy said.
Both speakers agreed that Taiwanese reporters are young, bold and tackle controversial and sensitive issues; Plate described Taiwanese journalists as "highly-competitive, commercial and 'tabloidy.'"
Taiwanese news outlets are often partisan, unlike major U.S. media outlets such as The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, which take a more balanced view, Plate said. more ...
By Chang Ling-yin
Taiwan News, Staff Reporter
Page 1
2006-11-14 12:40 AM
Governing Democratic Progressive Party legislators Lee Wen-chung (李文忠) and Lin Cho-shui (林濁水) yesterday announced that they will resign from the Legislature this Friday over dissatisfaction with the DPP's reaction to a corruption indictment against first lady Wu Shu-chen (吳淑珍).
Wu and several presidential aides were indicted on corruption, forgery and perjury charges related to her and President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) alleged misuse of a presidential state affairs fund.
Chen was not formally charged because of presidential immunity.
The two lawmakers hinted that they were compelled to vacate their legislative seats after the DPP decided to back the president's November 5 declaration that he would not step down unless Wu is convicted of corruption. more ...
For Taiwan, a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States is important as a means to an end. That end is for Taiwan to be free to realize its full potential in the global community—i.e., that it can trade with economies in the Asia-Pacific region and the world in a liberalized competitive context, and in the process become further integrated in its geographic region, from which it is presently segregated.
Both the argument for and the impediment to a U.S.-Taiwan FTA are the same:
China’s isolation of Taiwan. China has closed off almost every venue
for Taiwan’s regional integration, both multilateral and bilateral. Taiwan
has been denied participation in regional trade agreements like ASEAN+3, and
no Asian country is willing to negotiate an FTA with Taiwan because of China’s
objection. At the same time, China is pursuing bilateral FTAs with all the
ASEAN countries and its other neighbors. Ironically, the only channel open
to Taiwan for economic integration is with China itself. This is taking place
on an intensive scale, as measured by Taiwan’s substantial investment
in and trade with China. Both sides of the Taiwan Strait benefit from their
interdependence economically, but China exacts a high political price: Taiwan’s
further international isolation.
more
...
Chinese dissident denied asylum in Taiwan now stranded
in Thailand
Nov 13, 2006, 17:03 GMT
Taipei - A Chinese dissident, who unsuccessfully sought political asylum in Taiwan and presently stranded in Thailand, is seeking international help to avoid deportation to China, a Taiwan religious group said on Monday.
Jia Jia, 55, Secretary-General of the Science & Techonolgy Experts Association of Shanxi, has just been interviewed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCFR) in the hope of gaining refugee status and finding a third country to accept him, a group spokesman told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa by phone.
'Jia Jia does not want to stay in Thailand because Thailand is on good terms with China, so it is unsafe for him,' Chang said, adding, 'He wants to go to a country where he can carry out pro-democracy activities against China.' more ...
Taiwan and China tensions
By Fred Stakelbeck Nov 12, 2006, 16:47 GMT
Recent U.S. intelligence reports indicate that communist China has
accelerated preparations for a possible invasion of Taiwan. Approximately eight
hundred Chinese missiles of increasing range and sophistication are now aimed
at the small island, placing Taiwan’s population under constant threat
of attack. China has also escalated cyber attacks on global U.S. and Taiwan
defense installations and increased espionage and spying activities.
At the same time, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) continues to modernize
its forces by purchasing Russian-made Kilo attack submarines and Sovremenny
frigates, improving its nuclear forces and creating a rapid attack force. Reports
last month of suspected Chinese land-based laser attacks on U.S. communication
and navigation satellites have heightened concern among some senior U.S. military
officers that Beijing has taken another step toward open confrontation with
the U.S. and its Pacific allies. “We don’t want to portray them
as the 10-foot panda, but we shouldn’t be too naïve about their
capability and intent either,” said one official. more
...
Chiang Kai-shek 'planned to recover China': report
Nerve News - Sunday, 12 November 2006
"During the Cold War, the US, by stationing the 7th Fleet in the Taiwan
Strait, prevented China from thinking of attacking Taiwan. In 1979, the US
dropped Taipei to recognize Beijing, but signed the Taiwan Relations Act, pledging
to continue to sell defensive arms to Taipei."
Taipei, Nov 12 (DPA) Former Taiwan president Chiang Kai-shek planned to take
back Chinese mainland in 1962 but abandoned the plan for lack of support from
the United States, a newspaper reported on Sunday.
The United Evening News (UEN) said the soon-to-be-published diary of Chiang's former chief security guard Hu Xin detailed Chiang's scheme to take back the mainland, lost by Chiang's Chinese Nationalist government to the Communists at the end of the civil war in 1949.
According to Hu's diary, on Dec 14, 1961, Chiang unveiled plans to .... more ...
An Updated Look at the China-Taiwan Status Quo (Part
I)
Is it a stalemate or long term invitation to China
to eventually engulf Taiwan?
By Dan Sanchez
Epoch Times Los Angeles Staff - Nov 09, 2006
Common sense answers by Bruce Herschensohn to questions
about the current state of affairs between China and Taiwan, the U.S., Communism,
and the U.N.
Why do we have a one state resolution between
China and Taiwan when you have a two state resolution with the Palestine Authority
and Israel? Why is Taiwan not entitled to a state of its own when the Palestinian
Authority is entitled to a state of its own?
Taiwan has no ambition to take over China. Much of the Palestinian Authority has the stated ambition to take over Israel. Taiwan is adamantly pro U.S. whereas much of the Palestinian Authority is adamantly opposed to the U.S. Yet we say that it is a two state solution─they should each have a state of their own.
But with Taiwan and China, we say no, it is "one China". Well who the devil says it is? Fine, there is one China, but Taiwan is not a part of it. The Peoples Republic of China has never had its flag over Taiwan even for a minute.
In fact in the past 111 years, only 4 years of Taiwan's history have been under the jurisdiction of any previous government of China and even those few years were involuntary. So it doesn't add up. Something is seriously wrong here.
ET: As an American I have always wondered for many years why the U.S. sold the Taiwanese down the drain.
BH: The U.S. did it because President Carter sold them down the drain. He suddenly switched diplomatic relations on December 15, 1978 when he suddenly gave a speech to the American people to declare we now recognize the People's Republic of China. And to make it worse he said it is the legal government of China and Taiwan is part of it. Wow! That is really wild. And for anyone to blame it on the Shanghai Communique is just a misreading, that is not what it says, it does not even mention the People's Republic of China. more ...
DPP lawmakers urge Chen to take leave
By Chang Ling-yin
Taiwan News, Staff Reporter
Page 2 2006-11-07 01:01 AM
Several pro-reform ruling party lawmakers yesterday urged President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to relinquish power temporarily to try to quell the unrest. Two members of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party suggested that Chen should go on leave or suspend his presidential duties until the Taipei District Court unveils the ruling on the case related to Chen's and his wife's alleged involvement in misuse of the Presidential Office's state affairs fund.
"The case has inflamed the bitter confrontation between supporters of the ruling party and the opposition," DPP lawmaker Cheng Yun-peng said.
"I suggest the president take time off and concentrate on the trial until
a verdict is announced," Cheng said.
more
...
TSU makes about-face decision on support for recall
(updated 12:35 a.m.) 2006/11/7
The China Post staff
Former President Lee Teng-hui's Taiwan Solidarity Union announced
an about-face decision to withdraw support for a new attempt to recall President
Chen Shui-bian yesterday.
Su Chin-chiang, TSU chairman, told a press conference the party's executive council accepted the recommendation by its 12 lawmakers to "defer" support for a recall motion the Kuomintang is proposing.
It was Su who declared support for the new recall move immediately after prosecutors indicted first lady Wu Shu-chen for corruption Friday.
President Chen was not indicted together with his wife, but prosecutors said
he would be on leaving office.
more
...
Prosecutor speaks out against president's denial
By Chang Ling-yin
Taiwan News, Staff Reporter
Page 1 2006-11-07 01:01 AM
Prosecutor Eric Chen (陳瑞仁), who issued an indictment on Friday that implicated the president and first lady in an alleged corruption scheme, disagreed with parts of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) explanation of the indictment and said that prosecutors have their own principles to adhere to.
The president denied prosecutors' allegations related to his and his wife Wu Shu-chen's (吳淑珍) alleged misuse of the Presidential Office's state affairs fund and argued that Wu's human rights had been violated because prosecutors indicted her before she could be questioned a second time.
Eric Chen questioned Wu over her alleged role in the case on August 20 but did not question Wu on November 1 as scheduled, the president said.
The prosecutor stressed that he had already made a concession by agreeing to postpone questioning Wu a second time until November 1 because of her poor health. more ...
Monday, Nov 06, 2006, Page 8
American Institute in Taiwan Director Stephen Young put the cat among the pigeons last Thursday when he held a press conference to talk frankly about Taiwan's arms procurement bill.
He was criticized for forcing Taiwan to accept the US-proposed arms sales
and interfering in Taiwan's domestic affairs. more
...
Presidential Office in crisis: Indictment considered
a victory for democracy
RULE OF LAW: Taiwan has come a long way since the
martial law era, as evidenced by the willingness of prosecutors to go
after big political names, analysts said
STAFF WRITER, WITH AP, TAIPEI
Monday, Nov 06, 2006, Page 3
Taiwan's young democracy may seem to be in a mess, with the first
lady indicted on corruption charges and prosecutors saying they have
enough evidence to go after the president.
But analysts say there's an important bright spot: Taiwan's democratic system is showing that it's mature enough to have legal officials prosecute some of the nation's most powerful people.
This would be unthinkable in many Asian countries.
And it certainly wouldn't have happened 20 years ago in Taiwan, when the president enjoyed almost unlimited powers under martial law. more ...
Taiwan: Aperture to the New Asia
The Huffington - Nathan Gardels 11-05-1006
TAIPEI -- Most of us are used to thinking of Taiwan as that small economic
miracle off the coast of China that is the key producer of microchips for the
information age. It only erupts into our awareness whenever one of its leaders
threatens "independence" or seeks to purchase destroyers from the
US to patrol the troubled seas that separate it from the mainland, provoking
Beijing into anachronistic fits over sovereignty.
We may even remember the dramatic reports from our parents about Madame Chiang Kai-Shek coming to the US to plead for aid to help Western-style modernization, expel the Japanese and halt Mao albeit under the dark cloud of authoritarianism and corruption. Some even know Taiwan provides a third of the orchids to the United States.
But Taiwan is much more; a small island with lots of soft power. Above all, it is a hybrid culture, in many respects even liberal with gay rights to boot, that successfully mixes the civilizational attributes of America, China and Japan, which occupied it for 50 years. Indeed, it is the only country in the Asian region not consumed with anxiety over Japan rewriting its constitution, still doing massive business with China and sticking with America all at the same time. more ...
Arms impasse weakens Taiwan
Taipei Times - By Chang Yan-ting 張延廷
Sunday, Nov 05, 2006, Page 8
The arms procurement bill was recently blocked in the legislature for the 61st time, and some say this continued refusal to invest in national defense is causing a deterioration in US-Taiwan relations.
The arms budget impasse recently caused me to think about the memorable missions undertaken by the nation's old fighter planes and led me to the conclusion that procuring appropriate arms is necessary.
Since the end of the battle for Kinmen in 1958, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have not exchanged artillery fire, and the tense atmosphere once found on Taiwan's outlying islands has gradually become more relaxed.
Because of military cooperation between Taiwan and the US in the late 1950s, the nation's Black Cat Squadron flew U-2 high altitude spy planes over China to gather photographs of People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements. The Black Cat Squadron was also deployed on very dangerous intelligence missions to collect data on the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) electronic warfare capabilities. more ...
Taiwan protesters urge Chen to go
BBC News - Last Updated: Saturday, 4 November 2006,
09:03 GMT
Protesters have taken to the streets in Taiwan
to demand the resignation of President Chen Shui-bian.
The move comes a day after prosecutors said they had enough evidence to charge him with corruption - even though he is protected by presidential immunity.
On Friday, they charged his wife and three former presidential
aides with the alleged misuse of state funds.
more
......
TAIPEI, Nov. 4 -- With pressure building for his immediate resignation, President Chen Shui-bian pledged Saturday to respond within two days to prosecutors' charges that he and his wife cooperated to embezzle hundreds of thousands of dollars from a diplomatic slush fund.
The fate of Chen's presidency, which began six years ago as a crusade for Taiwanese independence, seemed to lie with his own Democratic Progressive Party. But party leaders said they would listen to the promised explanation before deciding whether to join the chorus of opposition political figures calling on Chen to step down because of the corruption scandal. more ...
Published: November 1 2006 17:32 | Last updated: November 1 2006 17:32
Chen Shui-bian, Taiwan’s president, has suggested his country could “freeze” its current constitution and adopt a new one, a move likely to re-ignite tensions with China.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Mr Chen said that defining the scope of Taiwan’s sovereignty and territory was “extremely serious, complicated and sensitive, but also extremely important”.
The remarks indicate that Mr Chen intends to challenge Beijing further before he steps down in May 2008.
China retains a threat of war against the self-ruled island in case it formalises its de-facto independence. Past moves by Taiwan to amend its constitution – in place since 1947 – have provoked stern warnings from Beijing. more ...
THE de facto US ambassador to Taiwan, Stephen Young, has warned that Washington is losing patience with the political impasse in the country that China wants to incorporate.
His stern remarks were made on the eve of a session of Taiwan's parliament where the Government of embattled President Chen Shui-bian will yet again attempt to win support for a $13 billion arms budget.
US President George W.Bush approved a deal five years ago for Taiwan to update its defence, including buying eight diesel-powered submarines. But Mr Chen has been unable to persuade the parliament - controlled by the opposition Kuomintang - to approve the funding. more ...
"We should not let Beijing dictate whom we can or cannot welcome to Washington." -
letter from a group of US Congress members
A group of US Congress members have urged US President George W. Bush to lift
a ban on high-level visits between Taiwan and the US to facilitate direct communication
with Taiwan's democratically elected leaders.
The members of congress made the call in a letter addressed to Bush this week. more
...
Research on Taiwan's
Position as a US Insular Area more
...
China warns Chen over constitution
CNN NEWS - POSTED: 12:51 a.m. EDT, September
27, 2006
BEIJING, China (Reuters) -- China blasted Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian on Wednesday for a plan to change the constitution, a move Beijing would consider a formal declaration of independence of a self-ruled island it claims as its own.
Chen's ruling Democratic Progressive Party is studying constitutional changes
to name the island the "Republic of Taiwan" and redefine its national
territory. Party members may introduce legislation in the next month. more
,,,
Mass march against Taiwan leader
BBC News - Last Updated: Friday, 15 September
2006, 19:31 GMT 20:31 UK
Tens of thousands of people have staged a march to demand the resignation of Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian. It was part of a movement which kicked off last week over corruption claims involving relatives and advisers. Demonstrators have been holding a round-the-clock vigil outside the presidential office in the Taiwanese capital, Taipei.
Police say 320,000 people joined the march; organisers say as many as three
quarters of a million took part.
more
...
TAIPEI: The UN Conventional Arms Registry (UNCAR) shows that the US has sold
huge amounts of weapons to Taiwan in the past decade to help defend Taiwan
against China, the Central News Agency (CNA) said yesterday.
CNA said that the US has reported its arms sales to UNCAR from 1995 to 2005,
but has been asked by the UN to stop the reporting as Taiwan is not a UN member.
In line with the UN decision, the US will stop reporting its arms transfers
to Taiwan next year, but will publicise the information separately in the spirit
of transparency, CNA quoted an unnamed State Department official as saying.
According to the UN’s registry, the weapons’ systems the US has
provided to Taiwan from 1995-2005 have formed the backbone of Taiwan’s
national defence. more
...
Recently, I read the Japanese version of a book recounting the ban on Freezing Point, a weekly magazine affiliated with the China Youth Daily. The ban was imposed by the Chinese authorities in January.
Along with the ban, two senior editors were dismissed. The book was written by one of the two, Li Datong, the editor-in-chief of the magazine. The Japanese version was published by Nihon Kyoho-sha (Duan Press) two months ago.
The book gives a detailed account of how the ban came about. The immediate reason for the ban was that Freezing Point carried an academic essay about China's modernization and history textbooks by a famous university professor.
The essay insisted Chinese history textbooks lack deep regret for the country's history of modernization, and openly demanded a review of China's nationalistic education policy, which always places China in the right in disputes with other countries. more ...
It boggles the mind to realize most of the nations in the UN are brutal dictatorships, many with appalling human rights records, and who often thwart initiatives by western democracies to get the UN back on track and make it face its responsibilities, while
Taiwan, a thoroughly democratic nation of 23 million, is repeatedly denied membership.
Communist China, with the largest military in the world, and a nation condemned for "harvesting' body parts of living men and women to be used for transplant purposes, threatens any move by countries to re-admit Taiwan, will see those nations suffer severe economic consequences. more ...
A lawmaker and a university professor from Taiwan held an online dialogue with readers of the Washington Post Friday regarding Taiwan's bid to join the United Nations.
Both Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and professor Lo Chih-cheng of Soochow University in suburban Taipei urged the United Nations to actively tackle the Taiwan Strait security issue and invite the two sides of the Strait to sit down, talk and seek a peaceful solution to their disputes.
The online dialogue was part of Taiwan's efforts to drum up support for its U.N. bid ahead of the next meeting of the U.N. General Committee Sept. 12, which will discuss whether Taiwan's membership issue should be on the agenda of the upcoming General Assembly session. more ...
Taiwan (officially, the Republic of China) is an island slightly larger than Massachusetts and Connecticut combined, with a population of 23 million. It is located in the center of the booming Asia-Pacific region 80 miles from Mainland China. Taiwan's modern history goes back about 400 years, to the day when the first Western ship passed by the island, and a Dutch navigator on a Portuguese ship exclaimed "Ilha Formosa" - Beautiful Island. more .....
From the arnie.net editor ....... I think it is important for readers to understand that the Republic of China was created in 1911 by Sun Yat-Sen. Sun played an instrumental and leadership role in the eventual overthrow of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. He was the first provisional president when the Republic of China was founded in 1912. Sun is also one of the primary saints of the Vietnamese religion Cao Dai. After Sun's death, a power struggle between his young protégé Chiang Kai-shek and his old revolutionary comrade Wang Jingwei developed. Sun Yat-sen remains unique among twentieth-century Chinese leaders for having a high reputation both in China and in Taiwan. In Taiwan, he is seen as the Father of the Republic of China.
Chiang Kai-shek led the fight against communist rebels in China. He lost the struggle and later fled with his followers to Taiwan. Taiwan was recognized as the official seat of government for China known as the Republic of China. The Republic of China (ROC) was one of the founding members of the United Nations and a permanent member of the Security Council from its creation in 1945. In 1949, the Communist Party of China seized power on the mainland and declared the People's Republic of China (PRC), claiming to have replaced the ROC as the sole legitimate government of China. The ROC government withdrew to Taiwan, where it has continued to rule ever since.
Until 1991, the ROC also actively claimed to be the sole legitimate government of China, and during the 1950s and 1960s this claim was accepted by the United States and most of its allies. While Communist China's PRC was an ally of the Soviet Union, the U.S. sought to prevent the Communist bloc from gaining another permanent seat in the Security Council. To protest the exclusion of the PRC, Soviet representatives boycotted the UN from January to August of 1950 and their absence allowed for the intervention of UN military forces in Korea.
Taiwan was claimed by China's Manchu dynasty in 1683 after large-scale immigration from the Chinese mainland to the island.
Japan gained control of Taiwan in 1895 after defeating China in the first
Sino-Japanese war. The Chinese government of Chiang Kai-shek took Taiwan back
at the end of World War II, and retreated to the island following its overthrow
by Mao Zedong and his communists in 1949. more
...
U.S. walks fine line with China, Taiwan
Saturday, August 12, 2006 · Last
updated 10:30 a.m. PT
By PETER ENAV
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
ILAN, Taiwan -- The weaponry is heavily American - F-16s bombarding a simulated Chinese flotilla, Cobra helicopters targeting invading ground troops, Patriot missiles streaking across the azure Asian sky. more...
`Chinese military will never tolerate Taiwan Independence`
Beijing, July 31: China on Monday vowed not to tolerate
'Taiwan Independence', saying the 2.5-million-strong military is capable
of fulfilling its 'sacred duty' of safeguarding national sovereignty and
territorial integrity.
"We will never tolerate 'Taiwan Independence' and will never allow the
secessionist forces seeking 'Taiwan Independence' to make Taiwan secede from
the motherland by any means or under any pretext," Defence Minister Gen
Cao Gangchuan said on the eve of the People's Liberation Army's 79th Founding
Day here.
more
...
Beijing (AsiaNews/SCMP) – China’s People’s Liberation Army has built two facilities in the eastern province of Gansu that simulate a military air force base in Taiwan. The facilities are used for drills, a Canada-based military news website has reported. more ...
Taipei Times - Wednesday, Jul 26, 2006,Page 8
Point number one is the US will never give Taiwan a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Point number two is, if you ever had a doubt about point number one, that would have been put to rest by the testimony of deputy US Trade Representative Karan Bhatia before a congressional committee last Thursday.
In essence, Bhatia, who was stating the US administration's position on a Taiwan FTA, demanded that Taiwan enter into a neo-colonial relationship with the US, with Washington as master, before the possibility of an FTA could even be entertained.
His testimony evoked the specter of the Dutch East Asia Company, of the Taipans of colonial Hong Kong, and the Opium War, when the appetites of greedy business interests were held supreme irrespective of the well-being of the people of East Asia more ...
Thursday, Jul 06, 2006,Page 8
In "Wake up to the Chinese threat" (The Hill, June 28), US Representative Dana Rohrabacher wrote: "It is becoming clear that the future status of Taiwan is the key to US interests in Asia. Like a keystone holding an arch in place, without Taiwan our friends in Seoul, Tokyo and Manila would quickly get sucked into the Beijing vortex ... Further, the Chinese continue to upgrade their missile systems, which now include the extended-range DF-31A, which can target most of the world, including the continental US." more ...
The two coast guard officers, identified as Tsai Kuang-min
and Yen Wen-cheng, were sent to deal with a side-swipe accident between a Taiwanese
and a Chinese fishing boat near Taiwanese waters late Saturday, the administration
said in a news release. more
...
China concerned over US moves to lift Taiwan contact
ban
Last Updated 30/06/2006, 14:19:17 Select text
China has expressed concern over a move by United States lawmakers to lift
a ban on high-level US government contacts with Taiwan, labelling it a "serious
violation" of the basis of the relationship between the two countries.
The US House of Representatives has approved the measure, but the bill has not yet been considered by the Senate, which must also approve the changes.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu, says the resolution runs
contrary to the commitment to the one-China policy the United States has confirmed
on several occasions. more
...
House Votes to Lift Various Diplomatic Restrictions
on Taiwan
Press Releases :: June 28, 2006
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO), a member of the House
International Relations Committee, was joined by Congressmen Robert Andrews
(D-NJ), Steve Chabot (R-OH), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in offering an amendment
that would lift some restrictions on the U.S.’s diplomatic relations
with Taiwan. The amendment passed the House by voice vote this afternoon.
“Lifting these humiliating restrictions will force State Department bureaucrats to treat Taiwan as an equal partner in freedom and democracy,” said Tancredo. “China shouldn’t control our foreign policy, Americans should.” more ...
Taiwan presidential ouster failsThe recall needed 148 votes to pass, but many legislators cast invalid ballots with "abstention" written on them, and the measure got 119 votes out of 221, the Taipei Times reported.
Dissent came to a head last month when allegations of family insider trading arose, involving Chen's wife and son-in-law, the BBC reported. more ...
China's Subtle Pressure On TaiwanThe Standard - Friday, June 16, 2006
Gradually and without fanfare, the mainland has substantially softened its
stand on Taiwan, according to senior officials and diplomats.
President Hu Jintao, they said, has begun to play down Beijing's long- standing
vow to recover the island by force if necessary and shifted the focus to preventing
any move toward formal independence. more
...
Asia's longest road tunnel opens
By Caroline Gluck
BBC News , Taipei
Last Updated: Friday, 16 June 2006, 10:16 GMT 11:16 UK
The Snow Mountain tunnel is the fifth longest in the world.
The longest underground road tunnel in Asia, and the 5th longest in the world,
has opened to traffic in Taiwan.
The Hsuehshan, or Snow Mountain, tunnel is nearly 13km (8 miles) long and took nearly 14 years to complete.
A special commemoration service was held to unveil a memorial paying tribute to the 25 people who lost their lives during its construction.
The tunnel forms a key section of a new national expressway, which cost nearly
$2bn. more
...
Taiwan, China agree on flight deal
Move comes amid president's woes
By Keith Bradsher
New York Times News Service
Published June 15, 2006
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Facing an attempt in the legislature to pass a referendum
on recalling the president, Taiwan's government unexpectedly announced Wednesday
that it has reached a deal with Beijing to allow many charter flights to and
from mainland China.
The agreement is the latest of several signs that relations between Taipei
and Beijing may be thawing, a change that has occurred as a political crisis
surrounding the president, Chen Shui-bian, has deepened.
more
...
Court denies Chao bail
NO CAN DO: Lawyers argued that the president's
son-in-law needed to be with his wife when she gives birth, but prosecutors
refused, saying he may destroy evidence
By Rich Chang Staff Reporter
Taipei Times - Thursday, Jun 08, 2006,Page 2
The Taipei District Court yesterday rejected the bail application of President
Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) son in-law, Chao Chien-ming (趙建銘),
who is being detained on suspicion of insider trading of Taiwan Development
Corp (TDC) shares. more
...
Xin Haonian Gave Lectures Forecasting Relationship between China and Taiwan
By Huang Xing
The Epoch Times Jun 04, 2006
Mr. Xin Haonian giving a lecture in Hamburg on the afternoon of May 27, 2006
(The Epoch Times) FRANKFURT - By invition of the Global Alliance for Democracy
and Peace German branch, Mr. Xin Haonian, Director of the Chinese Contemporary
History Research Institute and Editor-in-Chief of Huanghuagang Journal, a quarterly
publication on history and culture, gave public lectures in Frankfurt and Hamburg
on May 25 and 27 respectively, titled "A look from an historical angle
on the influence that the rising of China has on Taiwan." more
...
Taiwan wants a space of its own, says would-be president
By Hamish McDonald Asia-Pacific Editor
May 10, 2006
THE making and breaking of Pacific Islands governments by Chinese bribery would
finish if Beijing's communists cut their diplomatic arch-rivals in Taiwan more
space.
This is the argument of the man who might lead Taiwan in two years, Ma Ying-jeou,
touching on a delicate subject during a visit to Sydney yesterday. more
...
Traditional vs. Simplified Chinese Debate Grows
Debate grows as Chinese regime tries to popularize simplified
Chinese abroad
Central News Agency May 09, 2006
TAIPEI - In the wave of Chinese learning abroad,
the Chinese communist regime tries it best to popularize simplified Chinese
via its robust political and diplomatic tactics. Many people fear that traditional
Chinese, which is used in Taiwan and overseas Chinese communities, is in
danger of being marginalized and eliminated. Chinese character experts, however,
point out that on the surface, traditional Chinese appears to be in an inferior
position, but time may prove that it may be in a better position in the long
run because of its cultural heritage and beauty. more
...
Shameless Commerce: US Policy Toward China and Taiwan
Trade / From Dave Lindorff
By davelindorff on May 05, 2006 - 12:24 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shameless Commerce: US Policy Toward China and Taiwan
By Dave Lindorff
Bush’s passion for “exporting democracy” doesn’t apply
where U.S. corporations think there’s money to be made in a repressive
dictatorship.
The embarrassing American policy of toadying to China while selling out Taiwan
was on display over the past couple of weeks in all its glory.
First China's president Hu Jintao was welcomed to the White House, given a
fancy lunch and a military salute, and generally treated like the maximum leader
he wanted to present himself as to his repressed subjects. (Okay, our own maximum
leader George Bush made the faux pas of pulling Hu by the sleeve when the confused
Hu headed off a stage in the wrong direction, but that was just Bush being
Bush.)
Then, when Chen Shui-bian, the twice-elected president of Taiwan, tried to
stop over for the night in San Francisco, en route to a visit to South America,
he was denied permission by the U.S. government.
Note that since the U.S. technically doesn't recognize the Taiwanese government,
Mr Chen is officially a private citizen, and Taiwanese citizens travel freely
to the U.S.--in fact they are one of the largest group of visiters to America
annually. He should not have even needed permission to visit.
The denial of President Chen's request to sleep in San Francisco was a deliberate
slap-down designed to register the Bush administration's anger at Chen for
having continued to promote Taiwan's independence from China, which continues
to say it wants to take over Taiwan.
If the Bush administration is serious (yeah, right) about its rhetoric of promoting
democracy around the globe, it should be backing Taiwan, the first example
of a functioning democracy in China's history, to the hilt.
But that would not make American corporations, which are falling all over themselves
trying to kowtow to the Chinese government and get permission to invest in
the Chinese market, happy.
American corporate leaders are ready to sell Taiwan's 23 million people down
the river in a flash if they can get to market their wares to China's 1.3 billion
would-be consumers.
So in China, we have the repulsive example of American companies like Yahoo
and Google actually helping the Chinese government to shut down democratic
debate on the Internet, even to the point of helping China's police apparatus
to track down and arrest people who are posting pro-democracy essays on the
web, all the while espousing the Freedmanesque bromide that bringing capitalism
to China will inevitably bring freedom along with it.
The next time Bush mouths his platitudes about America spreading democracy,
some reporter ought to have the guts to ask: "What about Taiwan?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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http://www.ilcaonline.org/
The URL for this story is:
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The Taiwanese president’s apparent refusal to second the US line on the Iran issue has made relations between both countries tense
The United States decided to bar a stopover by Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian on his way to Latin America to avoid angering China, whose backing for UN action against Iran is critical, analysts said. more ...
U.S. Denies Taiwan Leader Overnight Stay HereThe People's Republic of China again provided another reason for Taiwan's citizens to abandon illusions about the good will of our hegemonic western neighbor Saturday by engaging in an outright act of "diplomatic" blackmail against the small and troubled Caribbean island nation of Haiti.
In an action that again exposed Beijing's arrogance toward Third World nations, the PRC forced the president-elect of Haiti to cancel the planned visit of Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang to attend the May 14 inauguration of Haitian President-elect Rene Preval as President Chen Shui-bian's special envoy. more ...
Taiwan a powerhouse of the old and the newTAIPEI, Taiwan — While growing up, I always felt like I had some kind
of link to this place.
Maybe it was because the label inside my clothes and toys often had the familiar "Made
in Taiwan" stamp.
I remember thinking that Taiwan operated as a big factory somewhere far away churning out everything.
That's still pretty much true today. But instead of cranking out cheap knickknacks, T-shirts and dolls, Taiwanese companies are powerhouses in the electronics industry, making the bulk of the world's laptop computers, liquid crystal displays and personal digital assistants. more ...
China's defense minister warns Taiwan over talk of
independence
April 10, 2006 - (Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)KUALA
LUMPUR, April 10_(Kyodo) _ Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan told Malaysian
Defense Minister Najib Abdul Razak on Monday that China will never allow
Taiwan to seek independence. more
...
Why Taiwan is different from mainland China
2006/3/25
Sometime in the not too distant past, probably in the eighteenth century,
Europe passed an economic milestone, which was not recognized exactly at
the time -- the average European was better off than in Roman times. The
Western Roman Empire was finally over thrown in AD 476 by the barbarian Odoacer.
This ushered in the Dark Ages, so called from the idea that this period in
Europe was characterized by intellectual stagnation, widespread ignorance
and poverty, and cultural decline. People looked back towards a golden past
-- the ancient times when things were better and life more stable and prosperous. more
...
Taiwan's secret: Island is territory of U.S.!
Posted: March 22, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Richard W. Hartzell and Roger C. S. Lin
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
TAIPEI, Taiwan – When discussing Taiwan's international position,
we are frequently told that after World War II there was a peace treaty where
Japan renounced all right, claim and title to "Formosa and the Pescadores" (aka
Taiwan), but these areas were not given to any other country. Based on a
simple analysis of these treaty provisions, it could be held that Taiwan's
international legal position is undetermined. In the past few years, however,
many people have begun to disagree with such an interpretation. more
...
Taiwan's Ma fears "confrontation" with
China
Mon Mar 20, 2006 10:00 PM GMT
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Taiwan's opposition leader and potential presidential front-runner Ma Ying-jeou called on Monday for multilateral talks with China to avoid confrontation.
"Without negotiations, I think the current state across the Taiwan Strait could move from stagnation to confrontation," Ma told the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.
Relations with China have been strained since February when pro-independence President Chen Shui-bian scrapped the National Unification Council (NUC), a dormant but politically significant body aimed at one day reuniting China and Taiwan.
Ma, the mayor of Taipei, is chairman of the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), or the Nationalist Party, which favours closer ties with China. He called the abolition of the council "unnecessary and unwise." more ...
Ma is 100% pro-unification: Wu
The debate on cross-strait relations has heated up in recent months,
triggered by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou's statement
last December that the KMT's 'eventual goal' is unification with China.
President Chen Shui-bian counteracted that statement by 'ceasing' the activity
of the National Unfication Council and guidelines. Mainland Affairs Council
Chairman Joseph Wu sat down with 'Taipei Times' reporter Chang Yun-ping
on Friday to give the DPP government's view on the KMT's cross-strait policy
Sunday, Mar 19, 2006,Page 3
Taipei Times: Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is leaving for the
US today, and is likely to try to dispel US concerns that the KMT will not
be pro-China, anti-US and anti-Japan if Ma is elected president in 2008.
What do you think about this? more
...
U.S. envoy pledges to stand side-by-side with
Taiwan
(updated 12:42 a.m.)
2006/3/19
The China Post staff
The new U.S. envoy to Taiwan pledged yesterday to work with the island to
strengthen relations with Washington as well as help it manage its tense
relations with rival China and deal with the security implications.
"There are real challenges out there, including, in particular, careful
management of cross-strait relations with a rapidly growing and increasingly
self-confident China," Stephen M. Young said upon arrival at the Chiang
Kai-shek International Airport.
"This has posed new security challenges for Taiwan which the United
States, under the Taiwan Relations Act, remains committed to closely cooperating
on with you," he said. more
...
Taiwan's Chen plans to join anti-China protest
Reuters Thu Mar 16, 2006 8:03 AM GMT
TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian said on Thursday he plans to join a massive rally this weekend to protest China's threat to use force against the self-ruled island.
Chen, keen to shake off Beijing's claim of sovereignty over the island, said a decision to scrap a dormant but symbolic body and 15-year-old guidelines on unification would prove to be an important milestone in history.
The move triggered condemnation from China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory, to be brought into the fold by force if necessary. China and Taiwan split at the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949.
"All efforts to deepen our democracy have been viewed as fierce floods
and savage beasts that are equal to war and disaster, and misunderstood as
so-called de jure independence," Chen said in a speech to a group of
Taiwanese living in Japan. more
....
Taiwan's prerogative
International Herald Tribune
THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2006
Regarding the article "Beijing upset over Chen's step in Taiwan" (March
1): President Chen Shui-bian's recent decision to cease the functioning of
an anachronistic body, the National Unification Council, and shelve the National
Unification Guidelines, represents no change to the status quo in the Taiwan
Strait.
It is incomprehensible how the cessation of a nonfunctioning body could result
in a change to the present situation. Chen is Taiwan's elected leader, and
as the national leader he has made an administrative adjustment to a body
that advises only his office. The National Unifcation Council was not empowered
by the legislature and has no constitutional relevance. more
...
Chinese PM sends mixed message to Taiwan
By Edward Lanfranco Mar 14, 2006, 20:09 GMT
BEIJING, China (UPI) -- Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said China was 'prepared
for all eventualities' when it came to countering moves by Taiwanese authorities
towards declaring independence for the island.
Wen made the statement at his annual press conference following the final session of the National People`s Congress Tuesday morning in Beijing. The premier`s comments on Taiwan were a combination of tough talk and hopes for renewed dialogue. more ...
KMT candidate wins Chiayi seat by-election
2006/3/12
The China Post staff
The main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) yesterday recorded another victory
over the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as Chiang Yi-hsiung, the
KMT candidate for a lawmaker by-election in Chiayi City, southern Taiwan,
won the race, making the KMT and the DPP even as the largest party with 88
seats each in the Legislative Yuan.
Just three months ago, the KMT scored a landslide victory in the election
of local county magistrates and city mayors, in which KMT Lawmaker Huang
Min-hui was elected as Chiayi mayor. The by-election was held to fill the
vacancy left by Huang. more
...
US restates Taiwan commitment
FRIENDLY WARNING: The US Pacific Command chief
said that while it remained committed to Taiwan's defense, it expected
the nation to do more to help itself
CNA , WASHINGTON
Saturday, Mar 11, 2006,Page 3
Advertising A high-ranking US Department of Defense official on Thursday reaffirmed Washington's commitment to defend Taiwan against any military action by China, while again urging Taiwan to beef up its capability to defend itself. more ...
Taiwan’s ruling party declares ’Anti-Invasion
Day’; plans mass rally against China
(AP) 8 March 2006
TAIPEI, Taiwan - Taiwan’s ruling party said on Wednesday it would stage a mass protest against rival China to mark the first anniversary of a Chinese law codifying the use of military force against the island if it moves toward formal independence.
Leaders of the Democratic Progressive Party and its allies said they hoped
the March 18 demonstration in Taipei would draw up to 100,000 people to protest
China’s anti-secession law. more
...
Taiwanese premier says Taiwan not part of China
Mar 6, 2006, 14:10 GMT
Taipei - Taiwan's Premier Su Tseng-chang Monday rejected as unacceptable
a development draft plan by China that describes the island as an inseparable
part of the People's Republic of China (PRC).
'It is unacceptable for our country to be called a part of the PRC. We are
not its local government, nor are we subject to the PRC,' said Premier Su
in a parliament session. more
...
Taiwan rebuffs China warning; says Taiwanese should
decide their own future
03.05.2006, 04:29 AM
TAIPEI (AFX) - Taiwanese authorities rebuffed Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's warning against the island's independence movement saying Taiwan's future should be decided by the people here rather than Beijing.
'It was nothing new at all. We are not surprised,' Huang Wei-feng, deputy chief of Taiwan's China policy decision-making body Mainland Affairs Council, told reporters when asked to comment on Wen's remarks. more ...
Taiwan puts out poll to justify scrapping unification
council
Mar 5, 2006, 13:34 GMT
Taipei - Taiwan Sunday said close to 90 per cent of Taiwanese believe they
should have the final say in deciding the island's future, in a bid to justify
its termination of a token council for unification with China amid escalating
cross-strait tension.
In a poll commissioned by the government-funded Institute for National Policy
Research, 87.1 per cent of 1,067 eligible voters think Taiwan's future should
be decided by the 23 million people of Taiwan, not anybody else. more
...
China condemns scrapping of Taiwan unification
body
Reuters Tue Feb 28, 2006 08:14 AM ET
By Benjamin Kang Lim and Alice Hung
BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) - Chinese President Hu Jintao accused Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian on Tuesday of provoking confrontation by scrapping a council on unification, and China warned the United States not to offer Chen any leeway.
Chen declared an end to the National Unification Council and its 15-year-old unification guidelines on Monday, defying warnings from Beijing and Washington.
Chen's move was "a grave provocation to the one China principle universally
upheld by the international community and to peace and stability across the
Taiwan Strait," Hu told the visiting Swiss Defense Minister Samuel Schmid
in Beijing, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. more
...
China warns Taiwan of 'disaster'
China has warned that Taiwan's decision to scrap a council on reunification
with the mainland could bring disaster.
The move will "create antagonism and conflict within Taiwan and across
the strait," China's ruling Communist Party and government said in a
statement.
Mr Chen announced on Monday that the National Unification Council and its
guidelines would "cease to function" due to China's "military
threat". more
...
China warns Taiwan of new 'crisis'
Tuesday, February 28, 2006;
Posted: 12:08 a.m. EST (05:08 GMT)
(CNN) -- China is warning of a new crisis in its relations with Taiwan following
the latter's decision to scrap a "reunification" council -- a move
Beijing regards as deliberatively provocative.
Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian on Monday abolished the National Unification
Council -- which was set up in 1990 -- saying the grouping "ceases to
function." more
...
China warns Taiwan to stay course on unification
Warning comes day after Taiwanese president
calls for abolishment of government unification body.
By Arthur Bright | csmonitor.com
posted February 23, 2006 at 11:00 a.m.
China issued a warning that Taiwan should stay the course toward eventual
unification with the mainland Thursday, a day after Taiwanese President Chen
Shui-bian called for the abolition of the National Unification Council. more
...
US to supply 8 subs to Taiwan
Taipei (dpa) - The United States has told Taiwan that it is ready to supply
eight diesel submarines to Taiwan to boost Taipei's defences against China
and to avoid layoffs at an American shipyard, US Representative Rob Simmons
(Republican of Connecticut) said in a statement on Thursday.
Simmons discussed the proposed sub sale with President Chen Shui-bian on Wednesday, according to the statement from Simmons's office, released through the de facto US embassy in Taiwan, the American Institute in Taiwan. more ...
Independence an option for Taiwan? Opposition party
defends ad
Feb 15, 2006, 13:46 GMT
Taipei - Taiwan's largest opposition party on Wednesday defended calling
independence an option for Taiwan's future, saying it was still opposed to
the island seeking independence.
'In the present stage, the only way to preserve Taiwan's security is to keep the status quo,' the Chinese Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT), said in a statement.
'As for Taiwan's future, there can be many choices because we are a democratic nation,' the statement said. 'Either it is reunification, independence or maintaining the status quo. It must be decided by the Taiwan people.' more ...
Any China crisis will have impact on Taiwan
By Lee Yung-ming李永明
Monday, Feb 13, 2006,Page 8
In his book The World is Flat, Thomas Friedman, a US columnist who has served
as a visiting professor at Harvard, sounds a warning about China's economic
growth. According to Friedman, China will very quickly reach a point at
which further economic growth will be impossible unless political reform
takes place. Without freedom of the press, without healthy public and social
institutions, it will be impossible to root out corruption. The economy
will be stifled in the absence of an efficient legal system. more
...
In the last few years, the number of China's ballistic missiles aimed at
Taiwan has doubled to 784. Last year, China put its "Anti-Secession" Law
into effect, authorizing its military leaders to attack Taiwan at any time
without even first getting permission from Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤).
China has failed to deal effectively with SARS and bird flu, but unilaterally
blocks Taiwan from meetings to control these epidemics. China also repeatedly
prevents Taiwan from joining the UN and the World Health Organization. more
...
China slams Taiwan 'troublemaker'
Wednesday 08 February 2006, 22:50 Makka Time, 19:50 GMT
China has condemned Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian's plan to scrap the 15-year-old
official guidelines on unification, branding him a "troublemaker" and "saboteur" of
peace and stability in Asia.
Chen, seeking to shake off Beijing's claim of sovereignty over self-ruled
Taiwan, said last month that it was time to consider scrapping the island's
National Unification Council and its guidelines on unification with the mainland. more
...
Aso says Taiwan quote was taken out of context
Foreign Minister Taro Aso Tuesday defended his assertion that Japanese colonial rule benefited Taiwan, saying his comments were taken out of context. Aso reportedly said on Saturday that Taiwan has high educational levels thanks to Japanese improvements in literacy during the 1895-1945 colonial era, prompting protests from Beijing and Taipei. more ...
Taiwan backs local hero
Ang Lee for Oscar
TAIPEI:
Ang Lee’s combination of Eastern sensibilities with American storytelling
could see him gallop off with the Oscars for his gay cowboy love story Brokeback
Mountain, Taiwan critics said Wednesday as the island gave support to its
local hero. more
...
China: Taiwan leader a 'saboteur'
Wednesday, February 8, 2006; Posted: 12:26
a.m. EST (05:26 GMT)
BEIJING, China (AP) -- China on Wednesday branded Taiwanese leader Chen Shui-bian a troublemaker and saboteur over recent remarks seen by Beijing as backing the island's formal independence. more ...
China's Stance on Taiwan Unmoved by Bird Flu Concerns
By Patrick Goodenough
CNSNews.com International Editor
January 30, 2006
(CNSNews.com) -- China will not relent in its decade-old policy of actively
denying Taiwan participation at the world's top health gathering, despite
growing concerns about the threat posed by bird flu in Asia and beyond. more
...
Taiwan lawmaker warns
referendum could trigger attack from China
Jan 30, 2006, 15:20 GMT
Taipei - A Taiwan lawmaker warned on Monday that if President Chen Shui-bian
holds a referendum to amend the constitution amendment, it could give China
an excuse to attack Taiwan.
'Holding a referendum on amending the constitution
will give China the reason to attack Taiwan. When that happens, the US
will keep its hands off Taiwan,' Su Chi, an oposition KMT party lawmaker,
told reporters. more
...
China vows to oppose Taiwan independence
Press Trust of India
Beijing, January 30,2006
China on Monday vowed to oppose "Taiwan independence", saying it
posed the "biggest obstacle" to cross-Straits peace and national
reunification. more
...
China, Taiwan, Japan: Three's a crowd
Beijing's communist regime has warned Japan to butt out of its always delicate
relationship with Taiwan, which China regards as a breakaway province. At
issue: a proposed visit by former Taiwanese President and separatist politician
Lee Teng-hui to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, the controversial site that
commemorates the dead from several wars, including World War II Japanese
war criminals. (Japan Times) As it turns out, Lee's older brother is enshrined
there, too. (Thousands of Taiwanese were forced into military service for
Japan during its 50-year occupation of Taiwan, which lasted until 1945. Many
Taiwanese who died fighting for Japan are honored at the shrine.) more
...
Taiwan towers as tech innovator
FIRMS INCREASING R&D, CREATING OWN BRANDS TO KEEP AHEAD OF CHINA
By John Boudreau
Mercury News
Posted on Sun, Jan. 22, 2006
TAIPEI, Taiwan - Think of most tech gadgets, from the iPod to the PlayStation,
and an engineer on this island of 23 million has probably had a hand in its
creation.
While India and China
share the spotlight as emerging giants, Taiwan is already a huge behind-the-scenes
maker of
the world's tech products more
......
China warns Japan about Taiwan visit
Thu Jan 12, 2006 6:37 AM ET
BEIJING (Reuters) - China warned Japan on Thursday that a possible visit
by former Taiwan president Lee Teng-hui could further raise tensions between
Beijing and Tokyo.
A Tokyo newspaper said on Wednesday Lee planned to travel to Japan in May,
and Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said the government had yet
to decide whether to grant him a visa.
China reviles Lee as a "splittist" who, as president from 1988 to 2000, pushed for Taiwan's independence from the mainland. China says Taiwan is a breakaway province that must accept reunification. more ...
Taiwan kills a monkey to scare all the others
By Kathrin Hille in Taipei -- Financial Times
Published: January 10 2006 16:28 | Last updated: January 10 2006 16:28
When Taiwanese prosecutors charged Robert Tsao, former chairman of United Microelectronics, with alleged breach of trust on Monday, the most remarkable point about their move was the timing.
They are targeting the founder of one of the island’s most globalised companies for alleged illegal business dealings in China only days after the island’s president, Chen Shui-bian, pledged stricter management of cross-Strait trade and investment. more ...
Taiwanese Businessmen
Blackmailed Into Spying For China
By Ben Hurley
Epoch Times Australia Staff
Jan 02, 2006
Former Chinese security agent Hao Fengjun has revealed to Taiwanese officials that over 2000 Taiwanese businessmen in China are forced by the Chinese Communist Party to spy on Taiwan, reported Taiwan News in December. more ...