Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Leaving Taiwan, Economics, the Dutch VOC and the Rest of the Story

Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

What made the Dutch East India Company (VOC) leave Taiwan? Ask any Taiwanese school boy versed in his history and he will tell you that Zheng Cheng-gong (aka Koxinga and son of Zheng Zhi-long Iquan) fleeing the Manchu takeover of China came to Taiwan with a force of some 25,000 men in 1661. After a nine month siege, he captured Fort Zeelandia (Anping) and thus forced the Dutch out of Taiwan. All well and good, but that rendering is not entirely accurate. True, Koxinga, who died that same year, did capture Fort Zeelandia in 1662, and true the Dutch left. But few books continue on and relate how the Dutch returned in 1664 and took Keelung. Once there they re-built the former Spanish Fort San Salvador, named it Fort Noord Holland and set up shop in hopes of establishing trade with the Manchu Qing. Ironically, it would be that same Manchu Qing government in Beijing and not Zheng's successors that would be responsible for making the Dutch decide to leave Taiwan for good in 1668. The Dutch side of how all that happened is brought out in greater detail in two recent books published in late 2010.

Dalai Lama’s political successor sworn in

Taipei Times

Lobsang Sangay, a 43-year-old Harvard scholar, took office yesterday as head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, vowing to free his homeland from Chinese “colonialism.”

After being sworn in at a colorful ceremony in the Indian hill town of Dharamsala, Sangay warned China that the Tibet movement was “here to stay” and would only grow stronger in the waning years of the Dalai Lama.

In an historic shift from the dominance of Tibetan politics by religious figures, the new prime minister, who has never set foot in Tibet, is assuming the political leadership role relinquished by the 76-year-old Dalai Lama in May.

Facing non-democratic choices

J. Michael Cole 寇謐將

One should always be wary of specialists who, from the cushioned comfort of their distant armchairs, make grand telescopic pronouncements about what it is that other countries “want.” Sadly for Taiwan, there is no shortage of such individuals who pretend to know what Taiwanese want.

Without the benefit of being in situ and really getting to know Taiwanese, their dreams, fears and all, it is easy for foreign analysts to personalize policy and to substitute public will for government rhetoric, especially under an administration in Taipei that has left little room for dissenting opinion.

US rating’s effect on Taiwan

Taipei Times Editorial

Standard & Poor’s (S&P) disputed downgrade of the US’ sovereign credit rating to an unprecedented “AA+” came as no surprise, but it still sent shockwaves because the move crushed the confidence of holders of US debt and raised the risk of a double-dip recession, given the persistent weakness in the US dollar and cautious private consumption on rising borrowing costs.

Ahead of S&P’s announcement, mounting concern about the US debt crisis wiped NT$1.21 trillion (US$41.8 billion) off local stocks by market value, with the benchmark TAIEX plummeting 5.58 percent on Friday. Stock prices are expected to be under heavy pressure this week as investors survey the scene and likely still harbor doubts about the US’ economic prospects.

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