Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

US Congress: A friend to Taiwan

Nat Bellocchi 白樂崎

During the past weeks, US Congress has become more assertive on Taiwan policy. On May 26, a record 45 senators wrote a letter to US President Barack Obama urging him to “act swiftly and provide Taiwan with the F-16C/D aircraft that are critical to meeting our obligations pursuant to the TRA [Taiwan Relations Act] and to preserving peace and security in the Taiwan Strait.”

Yesterday, the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee was scheduled to hold a hearing on US policy toward Taiwan, examining developments over the past few years and looking toward the future.

Who ‘likes’ being courted by Ma?

Taipei Times Editorial

Amid cheers, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Sunday inaugurated his presidential campaign headquarters with a performance put on by a group of about 20 female dancers chanting the slogan “Taiwan cheers, great!”

It is laudable that the organizers wished to inject a dose of vigor and energy into a political activity that has otherwise been perceived by young people as boring. The performance could easily warrant no further discussion, if it were regarded as a mere entertaining intermission aimed at bridging the gap between Ma and the nation’s youth.

Futility of reform in ‘dinosaur’ judiciary

Chin Heng-wei 金恒煒

Judges are supposed to uphold justice. They should be the last line of defense in the judicial system. It is surprising, then, that Taiwanese judges have come close to the bottom in the recently published Taiwan Social Trust Survey. This unfortunate fact is more than a warning. It is an absolute disgrace.

The fact that the judiciary has arrived at this sorry state of affairs is certainly not without reason. Huang Jui-hua (黃瑞華) recently resigned as president of the Yilan District Court to protest the manner in which court officials and members of the Judicial Yuan tend to close ranks. This is another example of how bad things are. One is forced to conclude that the judiciary is something of a lost cause.

US senators accuse PRC of hampering investigation

Taipei Times

Two US senators on Tuesday accused China of hampering a congressional probe into how counterfeit electronics end up in the US military supply chain by denying entry visas to investigators.

“I can’t say that I’m surprised, but I surely am disappointed and it’s not in their interest,” Democratic Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin told reporters. “I am disappointed that they don’t see that.”

“The United States and China are not destined to be adversaries. We have overlapping interests and this is actually one of them,” said Senator John McCain, the top Republican on Levin’s panel.

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