India does not celebrate the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II of England. Nor does Algeria have street parties on July 14. Nations emerging from the shadow of colonial tutelage tend not to have warm fuzzy feelings for the high days and holidays of their former masters. So it is interesting that, if the Republic of China (ROC) is dead, as former president Lee Teng-hui (
On Saturday Lee gave an impassioned speech about why Taiwan had to change its name from the Republic of China to Taiwan. His reasons were twofold.
First, he said, most countries and their inhabitants had never heard of the Republic of China or, if they had, they believed it ceased to be in 1949. That the Chiang Kai-shek (
Irredentism is not regarded as a desirable trait in countries these days and a country that in its very name seems to suggest implacable irredentism is hardly showing its best face in public.
Lee's second reason was the rather obvious one that it is hard for Taiwanese to work for the betterment of their country when there is so much ambiguity over what that country actually is. Why should a Taiwanese care about keeping assets or paying taxes in Taiwan for its benefit when half the political spectrum is occupied by parties that would hand over to Beijing any benefits that have accrued at the earliest opportunity? Just as Markus Wolfe, the East German spymaster, at his treason trial asked which country it was that he was supposed to have betrayed -- since the county he worked for no longer existed and the country prosecuting him was a recognized enemy -- any Taiwanese might ask which country he is supposed to be loyal to. A particularly bitter irony here is that those who would in ordinary circumstances be the greatest of patriots were "Taiwan" a real state are exactly the ones preparing to go into exile if the blue camp wins the presidential election -- with the inevitable disastrous consequences for Taiwan's autonomy.
We agree with Lee about the necessity of a name change. But we are well aware that this is something not easily brought about. That is no reason, of course, to avoid trying. But there are some easier targets that contribute to Taiwan's identity confusion that might be attended to first. Coming up, in fact, is one of the biggest -- the absurdity of Double Ten Day. Why should the people of Taiwan celebrate something that only has meaning to their mainland Chinese colonial oppressors. Remember, Taiwan was already a Japanese colony in 1911, and it has never, except in KMT mythology, been returned to Chinese sovereignty. Why should Taiwanese celebrate something that happened in a foreign country as their national day? Obviously no reason at all.
So if, according to Lee, President Chen Shui-bian (
It is employment pass renewal season in Singapore, and the new regime is dominating the conversation at after-work cocktails on Fridays. From September, overseas employees on a work visa would need to fulfill the city-state’s new points-based system, and earn a minimum salary threshold to stay in their jobs. While this mirrors what happens in other countries, it risks turning foreign companies away, and could tarnish the nation’s image as a global business hub. The program was announced in 2022 in a bid to promote fair hiring practices. Points are awarded for how a candidate’s salary compares with local peers, along
China last month enacted legislation to punish —including with the death penalty — “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists.” The country’s leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), need to be reminded about what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has said and done in the past. They should think about whether those historical figures were also die-hard advocates of Taiwanese independence. The Taiwanese Communist Party was established in the Shanghai French Concession in April 1928, with a political charter that included the slogans “Long live the independence of the Taiwanese people” and “Establish a republic of Taiwan.” The CCP sent a representative, Peng
Japan and the Philippines on Monday signed a defense agreement that would facilitate joint drills between them. The pact was made “as both face an increasingly assertive China,” and is in line with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s “effort to forge security alliances to bolster the Philippine military’s limited ability to defend its territorial interests in the South China Sea,” The Associated Press (AP) said. The pact also comes on the heels of comments by former US deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, who said at a forum on Tuesday last week that China’s recent aggression toward the Philippines in
The Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday announced that the military would hold its annual Han Kuang exercises from July 22 to 26. Military officers said the exercises would feature unscripted war games, and a decentralized command and control structure. This year’s exercises underline the recent reforms in Taiwan’s military as it transitions from a top-down command structure to one where autonomy is pushed down to the front lines to improve decisionmaking and adaptability. Militaries around the world have been observing and studying Russia’s war in Ukraine. They have seen that the Ukrainian military has been much quicker to adapt to