Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

China’s trade actions a vote tactic

Taipei Times Editorial

China on Monday announced plans to extend a unilateral investigation into what it calls Taiwan’s trade barriers by three months to Jan. 12 next year, the eve of Taiwan’s presidential and legislative elections, showing Beijing’s intention to interfere in the vote.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced on April 12, the day that the Democratic Progressive Party nominated Vice President William Lai (賴清德) as its presidential candidate, a probe into Taiwan’s import regulations on 2,455 types of products from China.

On Monday, China said that the probe, which was supposed to be completed this month, would be extended due to “complexities.” The announcement, as is typical for Beijing, was made in a brief statement with few details and no explanation for the decision.

Taiwan joining the UN a vital task

The Liberty Times Editorial

On Sept. 22, the UN General Assembly wound up its 78th annual General Debate in New York City, again excluding Taiwan.

However, most of the nation’s diplomatic allies voiced their support for allowing Taiwan to participate in the UN system.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves and Saint Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew, as well as Belizean Minister of Foreign Affairs Eamon Courtenay, made similar appeals in their respective addresses. Paraguayan President Santiago Pena, who visited Taiwan in July as president-elect, said that the world body should reflect on “participatory, democratic and equitable practices” in line with the UN Charter.

A tale of two National Day events

Chen Yung-chang 陳永昌

A few days ago the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in the US hosted its annual Double Ten National Day banquet at Twin Oaks estate in Washington.

A week earlier, the Chinese embassy in the US also hosted a national day reception. The contrast between the celebrations reflects the two nations’ state of relations with the US.

The Double Ten National Day banquet at Twin Oaks showcased Washington’s support for Taiwan. The highlight of this year’s event was the presence of US Representative Michael McCaul, chairman of the US House of Representatives’ Committee on Foreign Affairs, who was attending the celebration for the first time and stayed from beginning to end. McCaul’s attendance was especially important, as it came as former US House speaker Kevin McCarthy was being ousted.

Politicizing people’s health

Taipei Times Editorial

The annual government-funded influenza vaccination program was launched on Monday, offering people aged 65 or older and high-risk groups a quadrivalent flu vaccine before anyone else. This year there are four brands of vaccines, but some politicians are again using misinformation to stir fear among the public, causing some who need the vaccine the most to put it off or refuse to get vaccinated.

The four vaccines in the program are an egg-based vaccine by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi, an egg-based vaccine by Taiwan-based Adimmune Corp, a cell-cultured vaccine manufactured in Germany by Taiwan-based TTY Biopharm Co Ltd, and — new to the program — an egg-based vaccine using ingredients from South Korea and filled by Taiwan-based Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp.

More Articles...