Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Diplomats have that much free time?

Taipei Times Editorial

The recent sexual misconduct allegation involving an aide to Taiwan’s representative to Fiji no doubt came as a scandalous shock to many, rocking diplomatic circles and casting a negative light on his diplomatic duty, which is supposed to be to uphold and promote a positive image of Taiwan. The subsequent so-called punitive action meted out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs comes across as equally shocking, to say the least. Handing First Secretary Leon Liu (劉壽軒) two mere demerits for “improper physical actions” seems to indicate a lack of seriousness at the ministry concerning a matter that has severely damaged the nation’s name and image.

While groping a female employee without her consent already constitutes severe misconduct, Liu offered the ridiculous excuse that he wanted to “investigate the breast shape of women from the South Pacific islands.”

Losing the new intelligence war

J. Michael Cole 寇謐將

Despite a rapidly changing international context during the past half-century, the task of Taiwan’s national security apparatus has remained surprisingly stable and to this day continues to revolve around the sole principle of defending the nation from external aggression.

From the moment Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) abandoned its policy of “retaking” China from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the nature of the Taiwanese military turned into one that was — and is — predicated on homeland defense. While this may seem self-evident, it nevertheless contrasts sharply with other militaries whose mission is often capabilities-based, where technology and the options to which it gives rise drive policy.

US needs ambition, aspirations for Taiwan

Nat Bellocchi 白樂崎

On June 16, the US House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing on US-Taiwan relations, entitled “Why Taiwan Matters.” The meeting and the testimony from four US experts on relations with Taiwan produced quite an amazing bipartisan consensus on the present status and the way forward. Most members of the US Congress and all the presenters emphasized that US-Taiwan relations rested on a solid basis, reiterating that the Taiwan Relations Act and shared democratic values were the cornerstones of the relationship. However, there was general disappointment that ties had been allowed to drift.

Former US deputy assistant secretary of state Randy Schriver said that the administration of US President Barack Obama, like previous administrations, “does not have high enough aspirations for Taiwan.” Washington must be more creative and move away from the image that Taiwan is a “problem” to be managed as a subset of its relations with China.

Failing to look into the blind spot

Taipei Times Editorial

Since the inauguration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), the national defense budget has plummeted. Taiwan’s arsenal is aging and defense capabilities are weakening, while China is spending more than 10 percent of its annual budget on defense every year. The cross-strait military imbalance is a clear concern for many countries, with even US and Japanese military experts shaking their heads in disbelief.

A cable from the US embassy in Bangkok recently released by WikiLeaks shows that former minister of foreign affairs Francisco Ou (歐鴻鍊), in a conversation with AIT Chairman Raymond Burghardt on March 20, 2009, said that the Ma administration would make three commitments to the US: Taiwan would not request that the US sell specific weapons systems to Taiwan simply to prove that the US would do so; Taiwan would not request any special transit arrangements just to show that the US supports Taiwan, and Taiwan would not insist on the use of specific names based on political concerns.

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