We may have to wait for a few days before the winner of the US presidential election is officially announced; a situation that brings back memories of 2000's interminable wrangling. However, the ending of the controversy between George W. Bush and Al Gore in 2000 made us confident in US democracy in that the losing side had the grace to accept that loss as part of the process of the rule of law and abide by it, controversial though it was.
Today, the Taiwan High Court will deliver its verdict in the lawsuit challenging the results of our own presidential election. On the eve of the verdict, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
But let's leave Lien's insanity aside. The reason the whole world paid attention to the outcome of the US election is that the US is the only remaining super-power and that it still assumes the role of policing the world. The re-elected Bush will thus influence global conflict and instability over the next four years. Allies of the US have high hopes for the Bush administration in its second term, while its enemies are watching it with covetous eyes. Given the US' position as the world's perceived democratic benchmark, dictatorships across the globe must to a certain extent view the election as a joke and hope that something will go wrong -- such as civil unrest, irregularities or vote rigging. Such scenarios would make every criticism directed at democracy by the world's dictators seem legitimate.
Regardless of what happens, the US is one of the world's oldest democracies. The lesson the world can learn from election lies in its electoral culture; how a stable, mature two-party political system works, the media's role in the electoral process and the accuracy of opinion polls and voter behavior. Research into these issues will become the foundation of political science theory around the world.
As an ally of the US, Taiwan is surely interested in the re-election of Bush. We are not concerned about the possibility of the Bush administration shifting its Taiwan policy. After all, the US is already a mature democracy. Taiwan-US relations have steadily developed on the basis of a long-term friendship. Although there were some ups and downs in the past, Taiwan-US relations are unlikely to alter unless a drastic change takes place across the Taiwan Strait.
We are concerned about the election because Taiwan-US relations are complex. We hope that post-election legal squabbling will not damage the image of US democracy. An incident-free outcome will help Taiwan and the US continue to boost their bilateral exchanges. Taipei needs to get on with talking to Washington about the proposed arms procurement plan, as well as our efforts to enter the World Health Organization and other international bodies.
As vote counting trickled in yesterday, people in this country were on edge -- as if we are participating in the election ourselves -- because Taiwan and the US are partners.
Finally, we hope that the blue camp and Beijing will be inspired by the democratic spirit of this election. If they can be inspired, the value of democratic elections will be impervious to criticism.
US President Donald Trump has gotten off to a head-spinning start in his foreign policy. He has pressured Denmark to cede Greenland to the United States, threatened to take over the Panama Canal, urged Canada to become the 51st US state, unilaterally renamed the Gulf of Mexico to “the Gulf of America” and announced plans for the United States to annex and administer Gaza. He has imposed and then suspended 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico for their roles in the flow of fentanyl into the United States, while at the same time increasing tariffs on China by 10
As an American living in Taiwan, I have to confess how impressed I have been over the years by the Chinese Communist Party’s wholehearted embrace of high-speed rail and electric vehicles, and this at a time when my own democratic country has chosen a leader openly committed to doing everything in his power to put obstacles in the way of sustainable energy across the board — and democracy to boot. It really does make me wonder: “Are those of us right who hold that democracy is the right way to go?” Has Taiwan made the wrong choice? Many in China obviously
US President Donald Trump last week announced plans to impose reciprocal tariffs on eight countries. As Taiwan, a key hub for semiconductor manufacturing, is among them, the policy would significantly affect the country. In response, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) dispatched two officials to the US for negotiations, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC) board of directors convened its first-ever meeting in the US. Those developments highlight how the US’ unstable trade policies are posing a growing threat to Taiwan. Can the US truly gain an advantage in chip manufacturing by reversing trade liberalization? Is it realistic to
Last week, 24 Republican representatives in the US Congress proposed a resolution calling for US President Donald Trump’s administration to abandon the US’ “one China” policy, calling it outdated, counterproductive and not reflective of reality, and to restore official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, enter bilateral free-trade agreement negotiations and support its entry into international organizations. That is an exciting and inspiring development. To help the US government and other nations further understand that Taiwan is not a part of China, that those “one China” policies are contrary to the fact that the two countries across the Taiwan Strait are independent and
RSS