Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

China’s deployment of missiles is a mistake

Nat Bellocchi 白樂崎

Recent statements by US Senator Dianne Feinstein about Taiwan and its relations with China caused quite a stir.

The statement that attracted most attention was a remark she made during a Senate hearing with US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on June 16, indicating that during a recent trip to China, leaders in Beijing had offered to “redeploy back” some of their military forces, including missiles, opposite Taiwan, in return for Washington not selling arms to Taipei.

Investors ponder unknown knowns

Taipei Times Editorial

Time flies. Some people might not have noticed, but the first half of the year has come and gone, at a time when many in Taiwan were still heatedly discussing the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) with China, which was finally signed last week.

With the arrival of the second half of the year there has been a noticeable jump in the temperature, as investors wonder whether to increase their equity investments as the economy recovers or take a break and lower their portfolio holdings over the summer.

No more 3D glasses, Mr President

Taipei Times Editorial

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) needs to get his eyes checked. He’s obviously been wearing a pair of Avatar 3D glasses for too long, since he acts as if he can reach out and touch the projected benefits of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA).

It’s as if the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and its supporters took all the seats for Imax’s showing of “ECFA in 3D” and the rest of us had to make to do with the regular 2D format.

Ma, Wang disagree on ECFA review

Taipei Times

While President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) are of the opinion that the legislature can only either ratify or reject the newly signed cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) in its entirety and not amend it article by article, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) begged to differ yesterday, saying there have been cases in which the legislature has made revisions to international agreements signed by the government.

Citing examples, Wang said lawmakers had screened article by article the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as the free-trade agreements (FTA) Taiwan has signed with its Central American allies.

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