Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Thoughts on defending Taiwan

P.R. Shankar

It is well known that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) ambition is to rejuvenate the Chinese nation by unification of Taiwan, either peacefully or by force.

The peaceful option has virtually gone out of the window with the last presidential elections in Taiwan.

Taiwanese, especially the youth, are resolved not to be part of China. With time, this resolve has grown politically stronger. It leaves China with reunification by force as the default option.

Everyone tells me how and when mighty China would invade and overpower tiny Taiwan. However, I have rarely been told that Taiwan could be defended to defeat the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

‘Contempt of the legislature’ absurd

Carol Lin 林志潔

The opposition parties wished to expand the power of the Legislative Yuan — without a clear understanding of the differences between the Taiwanese and US systems — and proposed an amendment for a charge of “contempt of the legislature.”

This is akin to taping a dull vegetable knife to the end of a bamboo pole and calling it a spear.

It is true that the US has a “contempt of Congress” charge, but this was established under a separation of powers framework under the US constitution and was supplemented by the US Congress’ regulations and needs.

Taiwan and Operation MIST

Taipei Times Editorial

The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) on Friday last week launched an initiative urging governments around the world to conduct a detailed assessment of the impact of a contingency in the Taiwan Strait, and to work toward ensuring that such a contingency does not happen.

The initiative is called “Operation MIST” — with the acronym standing for Measure the Impact of a Shock in the Taiwan Strait — “because you cannot prevent what you cannot see,” the alliance said in a video at the launch.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has welcomed the initiative, thanking the IPAC for its support of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Expanding security partnerships

Taipei Times Editorial

US President Joe Biden on Thursday last week vowed to support peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait — the first time he did so in a State of the Union Address.

Biden had on four occasions — mainly in response to media queries — asserted that Washington would provide military aid to defend Taiwan against a hypothetical invasion by China. During his address to the US Congress, the US president did not, as is customary, start with domestic affairs, focusing instead on international issues, such as Taiwan.

“We’re standing up against China’s unfair economic practices, and standing up for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” he said.

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