Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

AUKUS plan good for region

Taipei Times Editorial

On Wednesday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a news conference via video link to announce a major strategic defense partnership, dubbed “AUKUS.” In an indication of the sensitivity and strategic weight attached to the pact, discussions were kept under wraps, with the announcement taking even seasoned military analysts by surprise.

AUKUS represents a significant escalation of the transatlantic strategic tilt to the Indo-Pacific and should bring wider security benefits to the region, including Taiwan.

Switzerland motion to boost ties

Taipei Times

The Swiss national flag is pictured at the Federal Palace in Bern on June 17.
Photo: Bloomberg

Switzerland’s National Council, the lower house of its parliament, on Tuesday passed a motion to improve ties with Taiwan.

Previously approved by the Foreign Affairs Committee in June, the motion was passed by the council with 129 votes in favor, 43 against and five abstentions.

Changing perspective on history

Ho Lai-mei 何來美

The TV drama series Seqalu: Formosa 1867, an adaptation of former doctor Chen Yao-chang’s 2016 novel Kui Lei Hua (傀儡花), has been building an audience since its premiere on Public Television Service. The book and the drama go against the traditional Taiwanese perspective on history, which has been shaped by the view of Han (漢) Taiwanese.

Taiwan is an immigrant society, whose earliest masters were the “gaoshan” (高山族), or highland Aborigines, and the “pingpu” (平埔族), or plains Aborigines. Taiwan’s historical perspective should be based on cultural diversity and ethnic integration.

Momentum for opening doors on the global stage

Tommy Lin 林逸民

Ahead of a meeting of the UN General Assembly on Monday next week, Irish news site Gript on Aug. 31 published an article by Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) titled “Reimagining a more resilient UN system with Taiwan in it.”

In the article, Wu said that the nation’s achievements in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic and its contributions to the global supply chain are “compelling reasons for Taiwan to play a constructive role in the UN system.”

Wu also lamented the many ways in which Beijing stymies, suppresses and silences Taiwan’s voice at the UN.

Time for TECRO to change name

Taipei Times Editorial

If the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in the US could be renamed to include “Taiwan,” the change would support Lithuania’s difficult decision to host a “Taiwanese Representative Office” and prompt other allies to follow suit.

The Financial Times on Friday reported that US President Joe Biden’s administration is “seriously considering a request from Taiwan” to change TECRO’s name to the “Taiwan Representative Office,” and that US National Security Council Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific Kurt Campbell has backed the change.

Ministry mum on TECRO name change

Taipei Times

The nameplate of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US is pictured in an undated photograph.
Photo: Liberty Times file photo

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday declined comment on a Financial Times report that the name of Taiwan’s representative office in Washington might be changed, saying only that bolstering and upgrading ties with the US has been the government’s long-term objective.

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