Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

The change in cross-strait dialogue

Taipei Times Editorial

Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was invited to speak at the World Chinese Economic Summit in Malaysia this month. Organizers not only gave him the honorific “His Excellency,” they also changed the title of his speech from Closer economic ties between Taiwan and ASEAN to The role of technology and culture for overseas Chinese in the world economy. Angered by what he saw as attempts to belittle him, Ma wrote his own name card — reading “former Taiwanese president Ma” — and complained about the pressure Beijing was exerting upon him, asking where China’s goodwill had gone.

US Democrats can learn, not KMT

Chin Heng-wei 金恒煒

The US presidential elections are over, with Republican candidate Donald Trump emerging as the winner, while the Republicans also retained their House of Representative and Senate majorities. The questions the whole world is now asking are: Where will Trump take the US? Will the world’s political framework be overturned? What changes will take place in the international state of affairs?

However, few have shown much concern about where the Democratic Party is headed after being beaten so badly.

Spy law proposal passes third reading

Taipei Times

A proposal to bolster laws against espionage passed its third reading in the legislature yesterday.

The amendment would see more severe punishments for military personnel convicted of espionage and breaches of national security, while Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers called for tougher restrictions on retired high-ranking military officers visiting China for political events.

Trump shake-up may save Taiwan

Huang Tien-lin 黃天麟

US president-elect Donald Trump’s victory at the polls caught the majority of observers off-guard, although a cool-headed analysis of the result shows that Trump’s rise to power was primarily driven by a backlash from disadvantaged white and middle-class Americans against the mainstream elite, which centered on issues such as globalization and free trade.

A political novice, Trump’s brand of “nativism” runs contrary to the doctrine of economic integration with China espoused by the pro-China camp in Taiwan. Since the US election, Taiwan’s pan-blue media have described Trump as a “madman,” a “clown” and “unpredictable.”

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