Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Chen questions the validity of the term ROC in jail writings

Taipei Times

“What is the Republic of China [ROC]?” was the question posed yesterday by former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in the latest of his jailhouse writings.

Chen referred to remarks by his predecessors as evidence that doubts on the legitimacy of the term ROC continue to linger. His comments come shortly after the concept of being “Taiwanese” was raised as an issue by the ongoing presidential campaigns.

“Former president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) once said on March 13, 1950 ... that ‘our Republic of China was destroyed when we lost the mainland at the end of last year,’” Chen wrote in a statement published by his office.

US to continue flights in Strait

Taipei Times

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen has warned China about intercepting US reconnaissance flights over the Taiwan Strait.

He was speaking in Washington following the revelation this week that two Chinese Su-27 fighter planes entered Taiwanese airspace last month as they attempted to drive away a US U-2 spy aircraft.

Military sources said one of the Chinese fighters did not leave Taiwanese airspace until after the Taiwan Air Force scrambled two F-16 aircraft to intercept it.

Ma Ying-jeou the misunderstood

Taipei Times Editorial

Last week, for the fifth time in less than three years, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was “misquoted” by foreign media over matters pertaining to his cross-strait policy. Whether he gives his interviews in English or in Mandarin, the response from Ma’s office is always the same: Either the world doesn’t get it, or it is out to get Ma as part of some obscure multinational plot to discredit him.

Considering how much time he and his speechwriters have had to flesh out a comprehensive and intelligible cross-strait policy, it is hard to believe that Ma does not by now have clear formulations with which to explain his plan for dealing with Beijing. One would also assume, with a presidential election just around the corner, that Ma’s office would make every effort to ensure that reporters are able to reproduce their interviews with the president with clarity and accuracy. Besides, Japanese reporters, the latest victims in the streak of misquote accusations, have a reputation for being cautious about checking facts.

Military in ‘full control’ as centerline breached: MND

Taipei Times

The military and national security apparatus was in “full control” when two Chinese Sukhoi-27 fighters crossed the centerline in the Taiwan Strait on June 29, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday.

The Chinese-language newspaper United Daily News reported that one of the two Chinese fighter aircraft had crossed the theoretical median maritime border between Taiwan and China while allegedly pursuing a U-2S high-altitude US reconnaissance aircraft.

Two Taiwanese F-16 aircraft intercepted the Su-27s, which subsequently returned to Chinese airspace, the report said.

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