Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Ma’s record more fiction than fact

Taipei Times Editorial

With January’s presidential election approaching, it is only a matter of time before government agencies and officials launch a public relations blitz to trumpet the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government’s record.

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) called for extra firepower for his re-election campaign yesterday by asking governmental agencies to increase their use of Hoklo (also known as Taiwanese) in their promotions.

Policies that enhance public welfare and happiness should in any case be well-publicized so recognition can be given to the dedicated public servants who have worked to boost the nation’s standing and well-being.

ANALYSIS: Intrusion by PLA plane more than routine: analysts

Taipei Times

Although the Ministry of National Defense and some Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators played down the significance of an incident involving two Chinese fighter aircraft in the Taiwan Strait late last month, analysts say the matter is more than simply routine.

Confirming on Monday media reports that one of two Chinese Sukhoi-27 fighter aircraft shadowing a US U-2 spy plane had crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait on June 29, ministry officials maintained this was an isolated incident and did not regard it as provocative.

The Chinese aircraft are believed to have been from the 40th Fighter Regiment, 14th Fighter Division at Nanchang-Xiangtang Air Base in Jiangxi Province.

Ma acting as China’s Trojan horse

Liberty Times Editorial

Banana farmers have suffered great losses because of recent imbalances in supply and demand. President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration failed to prevent the surplus from occurring and to adequately resolve the problem once it became apparent. Ma merely asked farmers why they had not told him sooner about the surplus, while the Council of Agriculture was left with no choice but to export the surplus to China.

Witnessing the government’s helplessness, Shandong Province Governor Jiang Daming (姜大明), who was on a visit to Taiwan, took advantage of the situation to announce that Shandong would purchase 5,000 tonnes of bananas. China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Deputy Chairman Zheng Lizhong (鄭立中), who visited Taiwan last month, said he hoped to set up a procurement center in Taiwan and a sales center in China to simplify the intermediary process and guarantee farmers’ profits.

Centerline breach threatens security

Taipei Times Editorial

Since President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) launched his re-election campaign, he has not been able to stop bragging about how great cross-strait relations are. However, the breach of the Taiwan Strait centerline by two Chinese fighter jets is putting the Ma administration’s China policy to the test.

When two People’s Liberation Army Sukhoi-27 fighters crossed the centerline in their alleged pursuit of a US U-2S high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft a few days ago, the two Su-27s did not return to Chinese airspace until they were intercepted by two Taiwanese F-16 aircraft.

Following media reports, the Ministry of National Defense confirmed the incident, saying it was in “full control” of the situation.

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