Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Time to drop Fukushima food ban

Wang Hui-sheng 王輝生

The lifting of a ban on the importation of pork containing traces of ractopamine will help Taiwan set up international trade partnerships.

Now that the referendum chaos is left behind, the ban will not be reinstated. Taiwanese voters turned their backs on mindless populism in favor of rationality, demonstrated exceptional maturity, and acted as an impressive check and balance on the political process.

Three years ago, Taiwanese who were opposed to the importation of food products from northeastern Japan started labeling them “nuclear foods” and pushed for the world’s first and only “anti-nuclear food referendum.”

Why Taiwan and Lithuania matter

Jerome Keating

Bigger is not necessarily better, especially as regards nations. In the business world, using the Boston Consulting Group matrix, a company or corporation might aid its growth and power by purchasing other select companies to add to its portfolio. Later, it might divest and choose to sell its “dogs” and even “cash cows” when they approach becoming clear liabilities. All this is done to please shareholders.

The practice does not fit the world of nations, especially as regards the “big three”: the US, China and Russia. The world of people is not the same as the zero-sum game of business.

Japanese ‘Taiwan Relations Act’ urged

Taipei Times

Japanese politicians take part in the inauguration ceremony of the Japan-Taiwan Co-Prosperity Chiefs Alliance in Tokyo on Thursday.
Photo: Lin Tsuei-yi, Taipei Times

An alliance of Japanese local government heads on Thursday called on Tokyo to draw up a Japanese version of the US’ Taiwan Relations Act to improve bilateral cooperation on security.

The legislation would create a bilateral channel for security and political dialogues that both countries need, the Japan-Taiwan Co-Prosperity Chiefs Alliance told its founding event in Tokyo.

Post-referendum enmity to persist

Hong Tsun-ming 康駿銘

As the dust settles following Saturday’s referendums, some facts are emerging.

First, none of the four referendums secured the legally required threshold and, despite this, the majority of voters ticked “no” for all four proposals — the position that was the most beneficial to Taiwan and was advocated for by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan Statebuilding Party.

Although the government’s policies on energy, international trade and holding referendums separately from major elections can now continue, the only clear result was on the question of whether to restart construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮).

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