The presidential election is over, but political clouds hover over the country. The stock market has slumped as supporters of the pan-blue camp continue protesting. Anxiety is etched on the faces of many. And all this has pointlessly come about because the losing team will not accept the results of a democratic process.
Perhaps Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
But more sober observers have questions that demand answers: Why have they brought their supporters out onto the streets? Their demands -- a recount of the ballots and an investigation into Friday's shooting -- are already being carried out by the judiciary and the police anyway. And why are they continuing to stir up the emotions of these crowds? Does it befit a would-be leader to fight to the bitter end and force the entire country to pay a painful price for it?
This is not just a matter of unstable people in pan-blue crowds. Lien and Soong are trying to divert the frustrations of their supporters to protect their political careers from slipping into oblivion. They are trying to avoid a repeat of the election aftermath in 2000, in which former president Lee Teng-hui (
Public servants who campaigned for the pan-blue camp must also save face, while those aiming to run in the legislative elections at the end of the year must use this opportunity to fortify support bases. And so, they are taking to the streets in an all-out struggle to save their political lives. For them, the legislative election campaign has begun, long before the dust from the presidential election can settle.
Four years ago, President Chen Shui-bian (
The fuss over this election has taken a terrible toll on the reputation of politicians, significantly affected the lives of ordinary people and caused considerable concern among business and religious groups. This raises several worrying questions about unity and harmony within the nation. In light of this, Lien and Soong should respect the wish of all people for stability, put their trust in the legal system and cease fueling public protests.
Chen should continue to play down his victory and work towards securing harmonious relations between the political parties. The end of the election should be accompanied by an end to the bitterness that is injuring all of us.
In their recent op-ed “Trump Should Rein In Taiwan” in Foreign Policy magazine, Christopher Chivvis and Stephen Wertheim argued that the US should pressure President William Lai (賴清德) to “tone it down” to de-escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait — as if Taiwan’s words are more of a threat to peace than Beijing’s actions. It is an old argument dressed up in new concern: that Washington must rein in Taipei to avoid war. However, this narrative gets it backward. Taiwan is not the problem; China is. Calls for a so-called “grand bargain” with Beijing — where the US pressures Taiwan into concessions
The term “assassin’s mace” originates from Chinese folklore, describing a concealed weapon used by a weaker hero to defeat a stronger adversary with an unexpected strike. In more general military parlance, the concept refers to an asymmetric capability that targets a critical vulnerability of an adversary. China has found its modern equivalent of the assassin’s mace with its high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) weapons, which are nuclear warheads detonated at a high altitude, emitting intense electromagnetic radiation capable of disabling and destroying electronics. An assassin’s mace weapon possesses two essential characteristics: strategic surprise and the ability to neutralize a core dependency.
Chinese President and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Chairman Xi Jinping (習近平) said in a politburo speech late last month that his party must protect the “bottom line” to prevent systemic threats. The tone of his address was grave, revealing deep anxieties about China’s current state of affairs. Essentially, what he worries most about is systemic threats to China’s normal development as a country. The US-China trade war has turned white hot: China’s export orders have plummeted, Chinese firms and enterprises are shutting up shop, and local debt risks are mounting daily, causing China’s economy to flag externally and hemorrhage internally. China’s
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) were born under the sign of Gemini. Geminis are known for their intelligence, creativity, adaptability and flexibility. It is unlikely, then, that the trade conflict between the US and China would escalate into a catastrophic collision. It is more probable that both sides would seek a way to de-escalate, paving the way for a Trump-Xi summit that allows the global economy some breathing room. Practically speaking, China and the US have vulnerabilities, and a prolonged trade war would be damaging for both. In the US, the electoral system means that public opinion
RSS