Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Risks of having a Beijing city office

Lin Shiou-jeng 林修正

New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) has proposed establishing a representative office for the city in Beijing to facilitate cross-strait exchanges.

Chu has said that he is open to discussion and negotiation of his proposal, but in responding to a statement by the Mainland Affairs Council on Monday that it was inappropriate for local governments to deal with such matters, he maintained that providing a service to Taiwanese expatriates living in China can be “carried out in accordance with the framework of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例).”

Referendum hunger strike begins

Taipei Times

Members of the People Rule Foundation launch a relay hunger strike at the park in front of the Democratic Progressive Party’s headquarters in Taipei yesterday to demand that the government amend the Referendum Act.
Photo: CNA

Members of the People Rule Foundation yesterday began a hunger strike outside the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) headquarters in Taipei, urging the DPP caucus to swiftly pass draft amendments to the Referendum Act (公民投票法), a move they say is crucial for the nation to attain direct democracy.

Advocates ask Trump to raise Lee case with Xi

Taipei Times

A woman kisses a yellow ribbon during a media event in Taipei yesterday in support of Taiwanese human rights advocate Lee Ming-che.
Photo: AP / Chiang Ying-ying

Taiwanese human rights advocates yesterday called on US President Donald Trump to use his visit to Beijing this week to ask for the release of detained democracy advocate Lee Ming-che (李明哲).

Regular people bring hope

Taipei Times Editorial

In view of Taiwan’s predicament on the diplomatic front, the constant wrangling among domestic politicians, the government’s apparent inability to protect taxpayers’ interests, and a slew of vacillating policies and broken promises, it can at times be difficult to view the nation’s future optimistically.

Depressing reports about China’s incessant malicious moves to reduce the nation’s global presence and the promise of judicial reform, which appears to be moving at a snail’s pace, to name just two issues, have made Taiwanese cynical about the government’s pledges to improve the nation and to pessimistically wonder where the country is headed.

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