Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Concern over communist groups

Chen Chi-nung 陳啟濃

Communist organizations have been formed in 39 junior-high and high schools nationwide — all belonging to the Intercollegiate Communists Federation founded by members of Taipei Municipal Chien Kuo High School. The federation says its aim is to facilitate reform at schools and spread “correct communism,” and that it is not linked to the Chinese Communist Party.

It is good for young people to have ideals and aspirations, but they might not truly understand communism or are simply trying to be unconventional or appear avant-garde. Schools should be more proactive in guiding them.

Dangers of social media to society

Mike Chang 張昭仁

US right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was shot dead on Sept. 10 during a public forum at Utah Valley University by an assassin firing from 183m away. He was 31. The suspect, Tyler Robinson, was arrested two days later after being turned in by his father and a friend. Surprisingly, Robinson himself came from a traditional conservative Republican family.

Differences of opinion are natural in a democracy. However, resorting to violence crosses a red line, and the taking of a young political figure on the rise is a tragedy. In stunned response, the US White House ordered the flag to be flown at half-staff at federal sites for four days, while more than 100,000 people at a right-wing rally in the UK mourned Kirk’s death.

Lai inaugurates Abe research center

Taipei Times

President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday lauded the establishment of a research center in Taipei named after late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe as an important platform for developing Taiwan-Japan cooperation.

Speaking during the opening ceremony of the research center at National Chengchi University’s (NCCU) College of International Affairs in Taipei, Lai said Abe, the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history, was not only a great politician, but also a close friend of Taiwan.

Following the Tainan and Hualien earthquakes in 2017 and 2018 respectively, Abe not only expressed condolences to Taiwanese, but also offered help in post-disaster relief and rebuilding, Lai said.

Beijing misreads history on Taiwan

Taipei Times Editorial

An American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) spokesperson on Saturday rebuked a Chinese official for mischaracterizing World War II-era agreements as proving that Taiwan was ceded to China.

The US Department of State later affirmed that the AIT remarks reflect Washington’s long-standing position: Taiwan’s political status remains undetermined and should only be resolved peacefully. The US would continue supporting Taiwan against military, economic, legal and diplomatic pressure from China, and opposes any unilateral attempt to alter the “status quo,” particularly through coercion or force, the United Daily News cited the department as saying.

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