In Western tradition, Christmas should be the day when people the world over celebrate the Savior's descent to the human realm. People expect this message of joy to bring peace for all humanity. Unfortunately, the situation this year has been very different. The US, the UK and Japan have all issued high-level alerts for terrorist attacks for fear that international terrorists may take advantage of a time when most people are steeped in merrymaking to launch massive terrorist attacks like ones on Sept. 11, 2001. It is ironic that a time for merrymaking has turned into a time of anxiety.
In Taiwan, we have no choice but to raise a topic that detracts from the fun of Christmas celebrations. For both Westerners and Easterners, the threat they face is only "potential." Whether terrorists will have their way depends on a contest of wits between terrorists and security personnel in various countries. It will not be easy for this gang of criminals to achieve their goals.
In comparison, the threat facing Taiwan is far more serious. The Taiwanese people face a concrete military threat. The language of this threat has been coming continuously from the mouths of People's Liberation Army generals via open media channels, saying that the Chinese military will not hesitate to sacrifice 2 million people to attack and occupy Taiwan.
The American people should recall that soon after the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, some Chinese military brass, in an interview with a Los Angeles Times reporter, threatened to fire long-range missiles at Los Angeles. The strong response from the US media at the time was impressive. Based on the same sentiment, we must reiterate that Beijing has been increasing the number of missiles deployed against Taiwan. The number of missiles is now close to 500. Taiwan certainly has the right and responsibility to tell the international community that Beijing is destroying peace in Asia with its missile deployments and that countries should not be duped by the Chinese Communist Party's charm offensive.
More importantly, President Chen Shui-bian (
In recent years, Chinese society seems to have been emulating the Western tradition of celebrating Christmas. While we are happy to see China's gradual integration into international society, we would also like to remind Beijing that Christmas is not merely about shiny decorations and partying. The day carries with it a message of peace. This is where the spirit of Christmas lies. Why won't China's leaders take the opportunity to consider the happiness and safety of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait?
Two weeks ago, Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) raised hackles in Taiwan by posting to her 2.6 million Instagram followers that she was visiting “Taipei, China.” Yeoh’s post continues a long-standing trend of Chinese propaganda that spreads disinformation about Taiwan’s political status and geography, aimed at deceiving the world into supporting its illegitimate claims to Taiwan, which is not and has never been part of China. Taiwan must respond to this blatant act of cognitive warfare. Failure to respond merely cedes ground to China to continue its efforts to conquer Taiwan in the global consciousness to justify an invasion. Taiwan’s government
This month’s news that Taiwan ranks as Asia’s happiest place according to this year’s World Happiness Report deserves both celebration and reflection. Moving up from 31st to 27th globally and surpassing Singapore as Asia’s happiness leader is gratifying, but the true significance lies deeper than these statistics. As a society at the crossroads of Eastern tradition and Western influence, Taiwan embodies a distinctive approach to happiness worth examining more closely. The report highlights Taiwan’s exceptional habit of sharing meals — 10.1 shared meals out of 14 weekly opportunities, ranking eighth globally. This practice is not merely about food, but represents something more
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
RSS