2008 April | The View from Taiwan

Entries for April, 2008

Bonnie Glaser for CSIS on Taiwan-China Relations

Apr.30, 2008 in China, Cross-Strait relations, KMT, Ma Ying-jeou, US

The Nelson Report has the latest from CSIS’ Bonnie Glaser on Ma Ying-jeou’s victory and what the US should be doing. Glaser is normally a first class commentator on Taiwan affairs, but this one is well-below her usual standards….
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CHINA-TAIWAN…with President-elect Ma’s inauguration getting closer, Beijing is still locked in a debate over what, and when [...]

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Controversy over Lai as MAC head Continues

Apr.29, 2008 in Cross-Strait relations, KMT, Lien Chan, MAC, Ma Ying-jeou

I blogged the other day on the MAC appointment of Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛), a Taiwan Solidarity Union politician who was also Taiwan’s WHO negotiator and whom, I was told by someone who had worked with her, is an anti-globalization lefty. The incoming premier appointed Lai to head up the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), Taiwan’s chief [...]

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US Weapons Give Taiwan Confidence to Seek Peace with China

Apr.29, 2008 in AIT, Ma Ying-jeou, Taiwan-US relations, military and defense

A moment of silence for Bo Yang, the famed mainlander writer, critic, and gadfly jailed under the KMT, who died yesterday at the age of 88, of lung disease. If you haven’t laughed your way through his satirical collection of writing on Chinese culture called The Ugly Chinaman, you should….(Wiki on Bo Yang)
In case you [...]

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"Pro-Independence" Politician to head MAC: Yawn

Apr.28, 2008 in China, Cross-Strait relations, KMT, MAC, SEF, TSU

That sucking sound you heard today was for once not jobs going to China but instead, the collective in-breath of the world media. Big news today was that Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛), a politician from the “pro-independence” (”surprise choice“; “counter to the pervasive mood of thawing“; “pro-independence figure“) Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) was appointed to head [...]

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On Tap on Taiwan Around the World….

Apr.28, 2008 in China, India, Taiwan independence

The International Affairs Forum offers two pieces that touch on Taiwan this week. The first is a long address by an Indian scholar on Taiwan. It offers a good example, I think, of how Taiwan is understood elsewhere…..an excerpt:
In like manner,although much smaller in area, Taiwan has a much higher level of technological sophistication than [...]

Tainan May Jam 3-4th

Apr.28, 2008 in events

The annual Tainan May Jam is upon us once more. The date is the weekend of May 3-4, or next weekend. Last year’s information is the same as this year’s, so dig in…
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TAINAN MAY JAM 2007 2008The Tainan May Jam is a cross cultural original music event, featuring all kinds of Music, from: “Temple” to [...]

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One Problem, Two coverages: Tibet and Taiwan

Apr.27, 2008 in China, Hu Jintao, Taiwan independence, Tibet

WaPo has an article on the recent offer by China to negotiate with Tibet, and the usual noises of criticism by China’s colonial officialdom of the Dalai Lama…..look at the opening paragraphs:
Less than 24 hours after China offered to meet with an envoy of the Dalai Lama, state-controlled news media on Saturday kept up their [...]

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Prof Says Housing Bubble on its way

Apr.27, 2008 in Chinese investment, economy, land laws, real estate

A leading researcher on real estate in Taiwan has warned that the housing market is looking a lot like a bubble…
After two and half a years of brisk business, the Taiwan housing market, especially that of Taipei, appears to have inflated a major bubble, warned Chin-o Chang, professor of land management science at the National [...]

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Commonwealth on the Educational System here

Apr.26, 2008 in Education in Taiwan

Commonwealth Magazine has a hard-hitting article on the educational system here. It’s long and well worth a look:
Not only does this unending practice destroy a student’s appetite for learning, but exam scores in various subjects also isolate students from one another. Among classmates, a fierce competition exists, but a spirit of mutual aid is lacking. [...]

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And so it begins….? I think not.

Apr.26, 2008 in KMT, Ma Ying-jeou, Singapore, dissent, lawsuits

After the legislative and presidential elections, several KMT heavyweights, including the President and Veep-elects, pointed to Singapore as a model for one-party rule.
As many of you are aware, Singapore has a reputation for using lawsuits by the ruling party’s politicians to suppress dissent. Is Taiwan moving in that direction? The Deputy Mayor of Taipei, a [...]

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Four Volume Set: The Politics of Modern Taiwan

Apr.26, 2008 in Taiwan resources

Routledge announces:

Politics of Modern TaiwanEdited by Dafydd FellISBN: 9780415440417Published April 24 2008 by Routledge.
This new Routledge Major Work is a four-volume collection which gathers the best and most influential research on the contemporary politics of Taiwan. Although the collected materials are in English, they include contributions from leading Taiwan experts in Europe, the United States, [...]

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Nelson Report: Andrew Card to Lead US Delegation

Apr.25, 2008 in Bush, China, Cross-Strait relations, Ma Ying-jeou, Missiles

Many news sources are reporting that Andrew Card, with longstanding ties to the Bush family, will be sent to represent the US at Ma’s swearing-in. The Nelson Report, the Washington Insider Report, with the latest on that and the Administration:
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TAIWAN…a final quick note…Administration sources had hinted for some time that the White House would try [...]

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Torch in Oz: Priceless Commentary

Apr.24, 2008 in Australia, China, Olympics

A classic piece on the Torch in Oz. The whole thing must be read, from the Chinese guards in a shoving match with Aussie police, to Beijing’s busing in protesters to drown out the pro-democracy voices:
If I hadn’t seen the circus with my own eyes, I’d think the $2 million we spent running a torch [...]

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Those Choosy Voters in Our Maturing Democracy

Apr.24, 2008 in 2004 Presidential election, 2008 Presidential Election, DPP, Elections, KMT

Taiwan Journal hosts a commentary by David Lorenzo of Virginia Wesleyan on how the election confirms Taiwan’s maturing democracy. This article describes what has become the new, and very widespread CW:
Taiwan’s recent presidential election did more than just determine the future of its executive branch and signal future directions in policy with China. It also [...]

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The Ma Dilemma in Foreign Relations: "If Taiwan can have better relations with China…"

Apr.24, 2008 in Ma Ying-jeou, Paraguay, Taiwan independence, democracy, diplomacy

There’s a new democratic wind blowing in Paraguay, and according to a report in the Paraguayan paper La Nacion and a recent Taiwan News editorial, things in Paraguay are looking grim for Taiwan (Espanol to Ingles translation by Google):
Taiwan announced today that it will strengthen its communications with the Paraguayan president-elect, former Catholic Bishop Fernando [...]

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