Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Singer’s PRC concert reportedly at risk
Taiwanese singer-songwriter Deserts Chang’s (張懸) concert in China next month might be canceled after scores of Chinese netizens threatened to boycott her over what they said was her pro-independence stance shown by holding a Republic of China (ROC) flag during a concert in the UK on Saturday.
Ma looks after China’s self-interest
Ma looks after China’s self-interest
By Jerome Keating /
Fri, Nov 01, 2013 - Page 8
Begin with this basic premise: All countries operate out of
self-interest.
There is nothing wrong with that; it is to be expected. Of course, it is
possible for a nation to have more than one motive, but if self-interest is not
a part of a country’s modus operandi, then its leadership should be
questioned.
When President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) begins touting the advantages of the
Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), it would be natural for him to
claim that it is in the nation’s interest.
However, is this really true? With a little scrutiny, it soon becomes evident
that Ma is asking Taiwanese to buy into the pact without knowing what is in it
and the self-interest is his own and perhaps China’s.
The nation has had about six years of Ma’s bumbling incompetence.
He produced what has become a standing joke: the infamous “6-3-3” campaign
promise.
His popularity has sagged; his approval ratings hit a low of 9.2 percent — an
embarrassing figure especially after Ma suggested that then-president Chen
Shui-bian (陳水扁) should step down at a time when his “poor” rating was higher
than Ma’s.
Then comes the smoke and mirrors.
Throughout his presidency, Ma has touted the image of peace in the Taiwan
Strait because of his benign “kowtowing” to China, but does peace really
reign?
As the world constantly hears this peace mantra from Ma, skepticism fills the
air.
China’s 1,600-plus missiles aimed at Taiwan are still in place. China’s
rulers still block Taiwan and have upped the ante; they now say that the issue
must be settled in this generation. Of course “settled” for them means
unification under Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) definition of “one China.”
At the same time, prices continue to rise, salaries diminish and housing
prices skyrocket.
Taiwanese are ironically told that they should be happy that their mid-sized
country with a superior economy has gotten a crumb from China: assuming “guest
status” at a recent international forum.
If things are so great, why do the people need to be told repeatedly that Ma
has brought this new “peace in our time” and prosperity? Whose reputation is Ma
trying to salvage?
Without any real examination by the Legislative Yuan or the public, Ma and
the leaders of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) are saying that the ECFA
should be passed quickly.
However, the crucial factor in this push is that while Ma touts its alleged
advantages, he avoids the real question: What does China get out of it?
All countries put themselves first and a hegemonic China is certainly one
that pursues its self-interest with a vengeance.
Does China need the agreement to help it solve its slowing economy?
Is this economy crucial to the salvation of a country of 1.3 billion
people?
Do China’s farmers and its service industries really need outside help?
The only reason for Chinese farmers and service providers to bring their
wares here, is to swamp, undercut and destroy the local markets for China’s
benefit.
Another factor that must be faced is China’s repeated blocking of Taiwan from
international forums and how Beijing makes no bones about considering the nation
a rebellious province.
China’s handling of “rebels” in Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong is of no
comfort.
Yet these warning signs seem to go in one of Ma’s ears and out the other as
he pushes for closer ties.
In his self-interest, the president talks out of both sides of his mouth.
In one breath, he says that the time is not right for political talks, but in
the next he says that they may happen at upcoming events despite the absence of
calls for political talks from Taiwan.
Ma says that he will seek a political consensus before any negotiations, but
then he proceeds to negotiate without that consensus.
From the fabricated “1992 consensus” on, all talks have been restricted to a
party-to-party basis between the KMT and the CCP.
Taiwan is already a major investor in China; major industries have moved
there.
Instead of putting more eggs in the China basket, the nation needs to develop
a balanced international trade network.
If the KMT really has the nation’s self-interest at heart, it should spend
its efforts on that.
The crucial question remains: If the ECFA brings no real economic advantage
to China, what does China get from it?
This is what has been at the heart of Ma’s contrived attack on Legislative
Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) who has pushed for further examination of the
ECFA.
Taiwan is getting a raw deal and Ma is trying to salvage his reputation at
the nation’s expense.
And China? One does not have to worry about China; it is taking care of its
own self-interest well enough.
Jerome Keating is a commentator in Taipei.
Taiwanese prefer independence over unification: survey
Taiwanese prefer independence over unification: survey
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Thu, Oct 31, 2013 - Page 1
Given the option independence or unification with China, a majority of
Taiwanese prefer independence over unification, an opinion poll released
yesterday showed.
Asked about their position on cross-strait relations, 66 percent of
respondents supported the “status quo,” 24 percent wanted independence and 7
percent supported unification with China, according to the survey conducted by
cable news channel TVBS between Thursday last week and Monday.
However, the poll found that most respondents favored independence over
unification if they were asked to choose between just those two options, with 71
percent supporting independence and only 18 percent supporting unification with
China.
With regards to identity, 78 percent of those polled identified themselves as
Taiwanese, while 13 percent saw themselves as Chinese.
The respondents’ opinions on President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) recent remarks on
Double Ten National Day, when he claimed that “people on both sides of the
Taiwan Strait belong to the Zonghua minzu” (中華民族), appeared to be split,
with 44 percent agreeing with the description and 42 percent opposing it.
A further breakdown suggested that the respondents’ position followed their
political affiliation, with 66 percent of those who identified themselves as
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supporters saying that they disagreed with
the comment and 67 percent of those supporting the Chinese Nationalist Party
(KMT) backing Ma’s remark.
However, most people found that Ma’s other comment — that cross-strait
relations are not international relations — was unacceptable, with 66 percent
not supporting the assertion and 20 percent supportive.
The survey, conducted by the TVBS poll center, collected 1,075 valid samples
and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
The Man Who Lost China: The First Full Biography of Chiang Kai ...
Formosa Betrayed, by George H. Kerr - Romanization.com
www.romanization.com/books/formosabetrayed/ 翻譯這個網頁The complete text of Kerr's Formosa Betrayed, a damning indictment of the KMT administration in the years just after World War II.
Taiwan-US groups express concern over China drift
Taiwan-US groups express concern over China drift
By William Lowther / Staff reporter in WASHINGTONWed, Aug 21, 2013 - Page 3
A group of 21 Taiwanese-American organizations on Monday accused President Ma
Ying-jeou (馬英九) of leading the nation on a “gradual drift into the shadow of
China.”
In an open letter to Ma — published on the Internet and sent to members of
the US Congress — the organizations charged that under Ma’s administration,
Taiwan had moved “in the direction of a repressive China at the expense of
freedom and democracy.”
The letter was to be delivered to Ma during his six-hour stopover in Los
Angeles before he returned to Taiwan following a five-country visit to Caribbean
and South American allies.
Ma has cut short his visit by a day to be back in Taiwan because of a
tropical storm.
The organizations said they wanted to “express concern” about recent actions
and decisions by the Ma government, and to support recent protests organized by
civic groups in Taiwan.
They said Taiwanese were taking to the streets to oppose Ma’s “wrong-headed
policies and heavy-handed practices.”
The letter cited opposition to the signing of the cross-strait service trade
agreement with China, construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao
District (貢寮), New Taipei City (新北市), and the forced demolition of homes in
Taipei and Miaoli.
It said Taiwanese were “angry and upset about the incompetence of your
government” and that Ma’s policies were reminiscent of the days of martial
law.
“We urge our friends and families in Taiwan to continue the pressure for
justices, freedom and democracy,” it said.
“We appeal to the United States government and Congress to pay close
attention to the developments in Taiwan and to support those who fight for
freedom,” the letter said.
“A stable and democratic Taiwan can only be ensured if the people have a
fully free choice in running their own lives,” the letter concluded.
The letter was signed by the Wang Kang-Lu Memorial Foundation, the Formosan
Association for Human Rights, the Formosan Association for Public Affairs,
Friends for Taiwan, the North American Taiwanese Professors’ Association, two
branches of the North American Taiwanese Women’s Association, the North American
Taiwanese Engineers’ Association, the Professor Chen Wen-Chen Memorial
Foundation and the Taiwan Hakka Association for Public Affairs.
It was also signed by the Taiwanese American Center, eight separate branches
of the Taiwanese Association of America, the World Taiwanese Congress and World
United Formosans for Independence.
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