Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

China blocks Google’s HK question page

Taipei Times

A question-and-answer page on Google Hong Kong’s Web site became inaccessible to some Chinese users yesterday, underscoring Beijing’s sensitivity about the Internet.

The Chinese government, obsessed with maintaining social stability and controlling the flow of information, requires all search engines operating on the mainland to self-censor. It uses a “Great Firewall” to block overseas sites with content it considers subversive or dangerous.

Academics speak out against new Kuokuang plant

Taipei Times

Former Academia Sinica president Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲) yesterday spoke out against a Kuokuang Petrochemical Technology (國光石化) development project, saying the nation would head in the wrong direction if the plant were to be built.

Lee’s appeal to cancel the plan was endorsed by 18 Academia Sinica members, as well as 1,173 university professors in Taiwan and the US.

The great naval exercise mystery

Taipei Times Editorial

Maybe it was an error by the US Navy staff in charge of its Web site — a common one in which Taiwan is confused with Thailand. Or maybe it really did happen — but was intended to be kept quiet to avoid creating a diplomatic incident. Either way, news last week that a Taiwanese vessel had participated in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) created waves in defense circles.

Photo captions underneath pictures depicting the USS Ronald Reagan with dozens of vessels in its wake stated that the ships were from South Korea, Japan, Singapore, France, Canada, Australia, the US … and Taiwan.

Taiwan must beware of PRC missile scheme

Taiwan News Editorial

Despite repeatedly declaring his intention to "put economics first and politics later" and deal with "easier issues first and harder issues later," President Ma Ying-jeou and his Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) government now face growing pressure from the People's Republic of China for political talks.

After representatives for the KMT and the PRC's ruling Chinese Communist Party signed the controversial "Cross-Strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement" on June 29 in Chongqing, Beijing launched a new drive to step up the pace of dealing with "political issues" aimed at both the Ma government and President Barack Obama's Democratic administration in the U.S.

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