Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Lai causes White House debate

Lin Tzu-yao 林子堯 and Cathy Fang

Vice President William Lai (賴清德), the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential candidate, caused a stir by expressing his hope for Taiwan’s future president to visit the White House. Shortly after, the Financial Times, a reliable source for first-hand news from high-ranking officials, reported that Lai’s remarks have raised concerns in Washington, sparking a debate within Taiwan’s political circles and boosting the morale of US skeptics.

For decades, the US has been cautious in its interactions with Taipei, allowing only transit stops for the president and vice president of Taiwan. This practice, dubbed a “tacit agreement” by both sides, appears to be outdated and should be revisited.

Collapse of the KMT is a historical certainty

Lee Min-yung 李敏勇

Just as the party-state that Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) brought to Taiwan from China ended, the collapse of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is imminent.

The seeds of the KMT’s disintegration were sown in the 1990s, when the election for Taipei mayor was opened up, allowing Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康) — who is now chairman of Broadcasting Corp of China — to challenge the KMT nominee, then-Taipei mayor Huang Ta-chou (黃大洲), as a member of the “Chinese” New Party.

The three-way race handed the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) nominee, Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), the victory.

Taiwan is already independent: Lai

Taipei Times

Taiwan is a “sovereign, independent country,” Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate William Lai (賴清德) told Bloomberg Businessweek in an interview, adding that he had no plans to purse formal independence.

“Taiwan is already a sovereign, independent country called the Republic of China,” Vice President Lai said, echoing a stance President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) made public three years ago, in his first interview with an international media outlet since becoming vice president in 2020.

“And in respect to unifying Taiwanese society, President Tsai has used the term Republic of China (Taiwan) to describe our country. I will continue to do so in the future,” he said. “There are no plans to change the name of our country.”

Aso visit and security concerns

The Liberty Times Editorial

Former Japanese prime minister Taro Aso, who attaches great importance to Japan’s partnership with Taiwan, paid a visit to Taiwan last week. When meeting with Vice President William Lai (賴清德), nominated as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate for Taiwan’s presidential election in January, Aso said that China’s expansionism has raised tensions in the Taiwan Strait. He stated that he would like to hear the thoughts of presidential candidates about whether Taiwan is determined to use its strength to defend itself should trouble arise, saying, “We are very concerned about this aspect.” Aso, who also serves as the vice president of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), is the highest-ranking incumbent LDP official to visit Taiwan since Japan severed formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1972.

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