Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Overview of the presidential debate

Taipei Times Editorial

The nation’s three presidential candidates yesterday clashed at the first platform presentation organized by the Central Election Commission, with each candidate scrapping over various issues.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), was first to speak, followed by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Vice President William Lai (賴清德) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲).

Taiwan retains No.1 in Asia on freedom index

Taipei Times

Taiwan ranked 12th among 165 jurisdictions around the world and first in Asia in this year’s Human Freedom Index with a score of 8.56, retaining its position from the previous year.

The index, compiled by the Washington-based Cato Institute and the Vancouver-based Frasier Institute, ranked 165 jurisdictions for “personal,” “economic” and “human” freedom in 2021, the most recent year for which sufficient data were available, the report said.

Taiwan scored 7.97 for economic freedom, or ranking 11th in the world — up from 24th in 2020 — and 8.98 for personal freedom, 12th and unchanged from 2020.

China trade report just another bully’s tool

Yen Huai-shing 顏慧欣

China last week announced that Taiwan’s ban on imports of certain Chinese goods constituted a “trade barrier.” Some say they worry the announcement would affect the nation’s Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) application. Beijing’s next move is unclear, but the Chinese trade report is unlikely to affect Taiwan’s participation in the trade agreement.

Some say China could block Taiwan’s trade bloc entry by pressuring one or two members, using trade-barrier probes as leverage. This is overthinking it.

First, everyone knows China does not want Taiwan to join the CPTPP. It would try to block Taiwan’s entry with or without the report. Taiwan’s trade bloc eligibility is not a concern.

Indigenous sub undergoing harbor acceptance test

Taipei Times

Taiwan’s first indigenous defense submarine prototype, the Hai Kun (海鯤, SS-711), is undergoing a harbor acceptance test, a navy official said yesterday.

Admiral Huang Shu-kuang (黃曙光), who heads the Indigenous Defense Submarine program, said that personnel are training on the Hai Kun’s systems and equipment, and the next step would be a sea acceptance test (SAT) in the second quarter of next year.

The submarine was initially launched on Sept. 28, after seven years in development, he said, adding that the program has been supervised and audited by the Legislative Yuan, the Control Yuan and other government agencies, and no problems have been found.

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