Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Taiwan has a strategic role to play in region

Rong-i Arthur Hong 洪榮一

On Oct. 11, former American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) director William Stanton delivered a talk in Taipei that was open to the public, titled “The Strategic Significance of Taiwan.” In addition to talking about well-known themes such as Taiwan’s economic development and democratic transformation from a geostrategic perspective, Stanton also examined the special strategic position the nation occupies in the first island chain to provide a reinterpretation of Taiwan’s strategic importance to the US as an unsinkable aircraft carrier and as a supply station for submarines.

Ma accused of ‘lying’ about relations

Taipei Times

Commentator Nan Fang Shuo speaks to the press yesterday on the sidelines of a Democratic Progressive Party China policy forum in Taipei.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times

Political analysts and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) politicians yesterday criticized President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) for describing cross-strait relations as not international and cross-strait flights as domestic flights.

“What Ma has been doing in the past five years, in terms of external relations, is lying. He lied to the Taiwanese, the US and Beijing, hoping to reap benefits and personal gains,” political commentator Nan Fang Shuo (南方朔) said on the sidelines of a DPP-organized forum in Taipei.

Ma denies he is a head of state in key speech

Bill Chang 張國城

On Double Ten National Day, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said that cross-strait relations are not “international relations.”

The majority of Taiwanese probably do not accept this and neither does such a view conform with reality.

Human rights, democracy threatened

David Schak et al.

As international SCHOLARS and writers who applauded the transition to democracy, that began in the late 1980s, we are deeply concerned about the backsliding of freedom, democracy and human rights under the current administration in Taiwan.

While an erosion of democracy and justice has been ongoing since this administration assumed office in 2008, recent events constitute a fundamental breach of the basic principles of separation of powers and checks and balances in a democracy.

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