Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Focus on freedoms, not the spending

Molly Jeng 鄭明麗

The press coverage of Chinese tourists in Taiwan has not really touched upon anything beyond the amount of business they are bringing to the nation, how much spending power they have and what they think of Taiwanese cuisine — except perhaps for some comments about how they lack culture because of the Cultural Revolution. I haven’t read much exploration into how Chinese tourists are responding to the different political system they find here.

When I bump into Chinese tourists, I ask them, out of genuine curiosity, what they think about Taiwan now that they have seen it. One person replied that the streets were very clean.

I’m a political victim: Chen Chih-chung

Taipei Times

Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), son of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who was stripped of his Greater Kaohsiung councilor position after being found guilty of perjury, said yesterday the court’s sentence amounted to political persecution.

The younger Chen lost his job after the Supreme Court on Wednesday sentenced him to three months in jail for perjury in a case related to his father’s state affairs fund case.

Chen Chih-chung issued a statement saying he could not accept the sentence and he did not believe those who voted for him would accept it either, because the public could not allow political vendettas to be carried out “to such an extent.”

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.

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