Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Ma is whittling sovereignty away

Liberty Times Editorial

On Wednesday, China once again put conditions on the government of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九). This time it was Wang Yi (王毅), director of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, who set the conditions by saying that, as long as the two sides of the Taiwan Strait can work together to oppose Taiwanese independence and uphold the “1992 consensus,” that will be the political guarantee for cross-strait cooperation.

The vendor and the president

Taipei Times Editorial

By now almost everyone in Taiwan must be aware of the story of Chen Shu-chu (陳樹菊).

Chen, a single woman who only completed elementary school, has spent the best part of her life selling vegetables at her local market in Taitung, donating a staggering NT$10 million (US$315,000) to local charities in the process.

‘Peace talks’ with PRC a trap — just ask Tibet

Peng Ming-min 彭明敏

It has recently been suggested that Taiwan should sign a “peace agreement” with China in the belief it will help reduce tensions in the Taiwan Strait. In general, the term “peace agreement” refers to anything aimed at bringing an end to a bloody conflict such as an armistice signed by warring states, a ceasefire agreement between two sides in a civil war or methods to resolve a border dispute with a neighboring nation. Not one of the 192 member nations of the UN has signed any form of “peace agreement” with Taiwan and yet still somehow manage to peacefully coexist with Taiwan. The one exception is of course China.

KMT assets’ magical vanishing act

Lu I-ming 呂一銘

On the insistence of President and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), the KMT recently outlined a new “three noes” principle — “no private settlement, no loose handling and no messing up.” This came in response to a court decision that People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) can now legally withdraw NT$240 million (US$7.65 million) related to the Chung Hsing Bills Finance case and deposited with the court several years ago.

The KMT has pledged to recover the money and donate it to charity. By taking this rare tough stance, Ma has indicated that the KMT wants to resolve the dispute in line with public opinion and based on law, reason and emotion. What a statement!

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