Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Su must take stance on bilingual nation goal

Tsai Jr-keng 蔡志鏗

Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) on May 28 told a national cultural meeting that the government would not make Taiwan a “bilingual nation” that uses Chinese and English.

However, when asked by reporters after the event, the Ministry of Education said it would continue to implement a policy to gradually make Taiwan a bilingual nation. As there were no follow-up questions, there is confusion about who is in charge of the policy.

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Vice President William Lai (賴清德) have strongly pushed bilingualism.

US approves a US$120m defense sale

Taipei Times

A RIM-66 missile is launched from a navy ship during a drill on May 17.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense

Washington has approved a proposed sale of US$120 million in spare parts for ships and systems, and related equipment to Taiwan, the fourth Taipei-bound defense package approved by the administration of US President Joe Biden.

Taiwan’s geopolitical challenges

Eric Chiou 邱奕宏

On May 10, US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a US congressional hearing that China was “working hard” to build a military capable of taking Taiwan despite US intervention. She said the situation was “critical or acute between now and 2030.”

In March last year, US Admiral Phil Davidson, the head of US Indo-Pacific Command at the time, also said that the Chinese threat against Taiwan would manifest during this decade, “in fact, in the next six years.”

On May 3 this year, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley said that China had set a target of 2027 to possess the military capability to invade Taiwan.

Repeal law on Sun’s portrait, flag

Huang Di-ying 黃帝穎

During a scuffle between lawmakers in the Legislative Yuan’s main chamber, a portrait of Republic of China (ROC) founder Sun Yat-sen (孫中山) was damaged by a cup of water thrown by a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator. According to customary practice, the legislature may ask the KMT for compensation.

The misconduct not only involves compensation under civil law, but also pertains to Article 160 of the Criminal Code, which states that “a person who with purpose to insult the founder the Republic of China, Dr Sun Yat-sen, openly damages, removes, or dishonors his portrait” is subject to imprisonment for not more than one year.

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