Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Ma and the call for US to abandon Taiwan

James Wang 王景弘

Former presidents Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) and the now forgotten Yen Chia-kan (嚴家淦) ruled Taiwan for 39 years. The pro-localization governments of former presidents Lee Teng-huei (李登輝) and Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) were in power for 20 years.

In these 59 years, nobody ever talked about the Finlandization of Taiwan, nor did anyone openly advocate the US abandoning Taiwan and allowing China to annex it to avoid conflict with Beijing.

However, after President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has been in office for a mere three years, both these things have happened. A series of egghead academics in the US have come out with these suggestions, which are very damaging to Taiwan’s survival and national interests.

KMT actions heard loud and clear

Taipei Times Editorial

Grief grips the hearts of many in Taiwan and around the world as streams of horrific images and news continue to play back the devastation in Japan caused by Friday’s massive earthquake and the ensuing tsunami. As many in Taiwan show their concern and support by either making donations, tweeting or updating their Facebook status with good wishes and prayers, it’s dumbfounding to learn that a senior aide to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順) has instead taken to kicking the Japanese when they are down.

China aims new missile types at Taiwan, NSB says

Taipei Times

A top national security official yesterday said China had begun deploying a new long-range ballistic missile aimed at Taiwan, adding that the missile’s destructive capacity went beyond that of the current missiles in China’s arsenal.

National Security Bureau (NSB) Director Tsai Der-sheng (蔡得勝) told the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee that in addition to deploying the Dong Feng-16 (DF-16), the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was also now fielding the DF-21, also known as the “aircraft carrier killer,” which could put any US Navy vessels coming to Taiwan’s assistance at great risk.

Ma’s cross-strait policy a limited success: US expert

Taipei Times

A conference on “International Organizations and Taiwan” was told on Monday that President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) efforts to increase Taipei’s international space had only limited success.

“China has not only withheld support for further expansion of Taiwan’s international space, it has also continued long-standing efforts to squeeze Taiwan’s international space,” said Bonnie Glaser, a senior fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The conference, organized by the Washington-based Brookings Institution, heard that during Ma’s first year in office Beijing showed some “diplomatic flexibility,” but that more recently there had been no major progress.

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