Because of the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) failure to win a legislative majority, President Chen Shui-bian (
The honeymoon for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and party Chairman Lien Chan (
Soong returned to Taiwan from the US on Monday to attend the funeral of former first lady Faina Chiang Fang-liang (
The public recently voted in support of the current state of affairs -- steady growth. All parties must listen to this judgment in a humble manner, end the power struggles and try to understand that the national interest lies in cooperation. When Chen resigned as party chairman, he moved toward the political high ground of a "president for all." He should now take the initiative and invite party leaders to offer input on major policies and seek as much cooperation from them as possible under the circumstances.
In the 20 days remaining in this legislative session, a number of important issues remain unresolved, including the confirmation of Control Yuan appointments, the arms procurement bill, the Organic Law of the Executive Yuan (
All parties must make the national interest their top priority and seek a practical solution to defense needs and the cost of necessary arms, rather than using the issue as a tool for political struggle.
The political establishment now faces a comprehensive reshuffle. The stances of the pan-blue and pan-green camps are consequently adjusting to the new situation, and this may reduce the level of political extremism on show. It should now become possible for various problems to be dealt with through clearer channels of communication. With this, Taiwan can only begin moving forward again.
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