Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Taiwan-Japan ties in the Lai era

John Lim 林泉忠

The newly appointed Taiwanese representative to Japan, Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋), has taken office, launching the “Lai era” of Taiwan-Japan relations under President William Lai (賴清德).

While the Taiwan-US relationship is based on security guarantees that Taiwan relies on for survival, Taiwan-Japan relations are based on broad economic, cultural and personnel exchanges. The two nations keep pace with one another and rely on mutual engagement.

The relationship is the best it has been since Japan severed formal diplomatic relations with the Republic of China in 1972. Taiwan’s response the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that led to the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster helped establish a relationship of necessity, exemplified by the saying, “a friend in need is a friend indeed.”

The KMT has lost its way on ROC

Tzou Jiing-wen 鄒景雯

What value does the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) hold in Taiwan? One might say that it is to defend — or at the very least, maintain — truly “blue” qualities. To be truly “blue” — without impurities, rejecting any “red” influence — is to uphold the ideology consistent with that on which the Republic of China (ROC) was established.

The KMT would likely not object to this notion.

However, if the current generation of KMT political elites do not understand what it means to be “blue” — or even light blue — their knowledge and bravery are far too lacking to claim KMT membership. They would cause the KMT to lose political legitimacy in Taiwan.

Fighting China’s misinterpretation

Taipei Times Editorial

With the 79th session of the UN General Assembly set to hold its General Debate from Tuesday next week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Taiwan this year would focus on challenging and refuting China’s misinterpretation and misuse of UN Resolution 2758, highlighting its fight against China’s hegemonic diplomacy and lawfare to exclude Taiwan from international society.

UN Resolution 2758 states that the General Assembly recognizes “that the representatives of the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are the only lawful representatives of China to the UN” and “expel[s] forthwith the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the UN and all the organizations related to it.” The resolution does not mention Taiwan at all. Nevertheless, it has been misused by Beijing as a tool to push its “one China principle” and to block Taiwan’s international engagement.

DPP urges unity on bill addressing UN resolution

Taipei Times

Lawmakers from all political parties should support a proposed motion that would clarify UN Resolution 2758, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators told a news conference yesterday, but opposition party members later walked out of a cross-party meeting when the topic was raised.

DPP legislators Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩), Michelle Lin (林楚茵), Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧) and Puma Shen (沈伯洋) said that the news conference was held to “oppose China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 and call on all political parties to speak up for Taiwan.”

UN Resolution 2758 does not have anything to do with Taiwan’s sovereignty and international status, and Taiwan rejects China’s attempts to distort the truth, they said.

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