Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

The failings of the foreign ministry

Taipei Times Editorial

What good is a foreign ministry if it cannot defend a nation’s name and dignity when the need arises? Sadly, this appears to be a recurring situation in Taiwan. Despite a protest lodged by the Government Information Office about two weeks ago, the Taiwanese public was yesterday treated to the news that the Taiwan-produced epic Seediq Bale (賽德克巴萊) is still labeled as a film made in “China, Taiwan” on the Venice Film Festival’s Web site.

The film’s director, Wei Te-sheng (魏德聖), was quoted by local media as saying that he was at one point asked by foreign ministry officials what he felt the bottom line on the matter was.

“I am just a movie maker,” Wei said dejectedly. “Why are we the ones who need to define a stance on the matter?”

Ros-Lehtinen warns Biden on China

Taipei Times

US Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chairperson of the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, has issued a stern warning to US Vice President Joe Biden not to discuss arms sales to Taiwan while he is in China this week.

The warning came in a letter that was hand-delivered to Biden just before he boarded a plane to Beijing from Washington on Tuesday.

It followed a firm promise issued earlier in the week by the White House that arms sales would not be discussed and reflected suspicion in Congress that the administration of US President Barack Obama is being unduly influenced by Chinese sentiment on the arms sale question.

DPP delegation meets Aung San Suu Kyi

Taipei Times

Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), Deputy head of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) policy think tank, accompanied by several female politicians from the DPP, led a delegation to Myanmar to visit democratic movement leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday.

The delegation included Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳), DPP legislator Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津), Taiwan Foundation for Democracy deputy head Yang Huang Maysing (楊黃美幸) and special assistant Chang Hsiang-hui (張祥慧).

Biden visit gives Ma a double slap in the face

James Wang 王景弘

For the most part, fans of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) continue to blindly admire him no matter what happens. They only stop short of shouting “long live our heroic leader,” as people did in the bad old days of dictatorship. Ma says that Taiwan’s relations with the US are better than ever, that relations across the Taiwan Strait are more harmonious than ever, and that “the other side of the Strait” (read: China) has shown Taiwan lots of “goodwill.” He tells us that all is well and his faithful followers believe every word of it.

It is ironic that US Vice President Joe Biden has chosen today as his date of arrival in Beijing for his current visit to China. The timing is like a double slap in the face for Ma — one slap from Washington and another from Beijing.

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