Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Taiwan-China ECFA now faces performance test

Taiwan News Editorial

The rubber-stamp passage by the Legislative Yuan of the "Cross-Strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement" with the authoritarian People's Republic of China will not end the controversy over the pact.

President Ma Ying-jeou and senior officials of his rightist Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) government have succeeded in making the disputed pact an accomplished fact despite sharp criticism and street and legislative protests by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party and a wide range of labor, environmental, consumer and civic groups over its potential negative impacts on agriculture, traditional or domestic-market oriented industries, domestic employment and wages, democratic transparency and accountability and Taiwan's economic and political autonomy.

Mailiao residents continue protests

Taipei Times

Residents of Mailiao Township (麥寮) in Yunlin County yesterday staged another protest by blocking three major roads leading to a petrochemical complex owned by the Formosa Plastics Group, but dispersed after drawing complaints from motorists about traffic disruption.

Dissatisfied with the county government’s role in compensation talks, the protesters shouted: “Yunlin County Commissioner Su Chih-feng [蘇治芬], step down,” and complained of “under-the-table operations.”

Door opened to Chinese students

Taipei Times

Taiwan’s colleges and graduate schools will begin accepting Chinese students next spring after the legislature yesterday approved amendments recognizing Chinese certificates and allowing Chinese students to study in Taiwan.

Following rounds of negotiation, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucuses reached consensus by agreeing to write into law that Taiwan will not recognize Chinese certificates in medicine-related areas and that Chinese students will be prohibited from enrolling in departments that deal with national security matters such as national defense, sensitive agricultural technology, aviation, satellite technology and hydrological subjects.

The bizarre world of the KMT is not sustainable

Michael Danielsen

No statements seem too ridiculous in Taiwan, with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and its unbelievable claims. The KMT promotes national policies that bear no relation to the realities on the streets and in the homes of Taiwan. What Taiwan needs is not a fantasy world, but a sustainable future based on harmony between national policies, the wishes of the population and the realities of Taiwan today.

A few examples illustrate the upside-down perspective of Taiwan’s relationship with China, such as President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) considering himself president of China and Taiwan, despite the fact that the whole world recognizes Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) as the president of China.

More Articles...