Are you going to today's protest march? Or are you going to be a couch potato and witness it at home? At this time in Taiwan's history, the citizens of our country need to step up to their responsibilities and show up at the protest. Sitting in our cozy homes watching the protest on television will not be enough. With a huge participation rate at the protest, the world will see that Taiwan's fate lies in the peaceful decisions of the peaceful Taiwanese -- in contrast to the "non-peaceful" means China has just formally authorized against Taiwan.
Statistics have shown that more than 80 percent of the Taiwanese population opposes the Anti-Secession Law. How can the Taiwanese verify the accuracy of this poll? The solution is to show up at the protest. Do not allow opinions of political parties to hinder you from attending such an important event. In fact, up to 88.1 percent of the Taiwanese population think that political parties should stop fighting each other and unite.
The protest, although put together by the pan-green camp, is not a propaganda event for the Democratic Progressive Party, but instead is a protest to reveal the dissatisfaction of Taiwan as a unified country towards the Anti-Secession Law.
Maybe you are one of the few who are still ambiguous on your opinion of the law. Why then should you attend the protest? Just think about it. The law gives China full authority to unilaterally determine the future of your homeland. Shouldn't the decision be based upon the votes of you and your neighbors who actually live in Taiwan? Or is it okay for the few elite people of the Chinese Communist government to decide your future?
Even if you are pro-"one China, two systems," you should be voicing your opinions from within Taiwan, not from across the Taiwan Strait. Joining the march does not necessarily mean you are pro-independence, it simply shows the world that you want the future of Taiwan to be decided by the Taiwanese themselves.
Many people say that businesspeople won't attend the protest. Why? Because they fear their prosperity invested in China will diminish if they go against the Chinese government.
These days, money means the world to everyone. But now, I ask the businesspeople to put aside their selfish desires and think about the well-being of the Taiwanese people as a whole. What will really benefit us? The answer is democracy and peace, which are platforms that are going to be supported at the march.
Love Taiwan? Come to today's protest march and join your fellow Taiwanese in a peaceful demonstration against the unjust Anti-Secession Law.
Show the world that the nation of Taiwan is worth supporting. Show the world that Taiwan actually cares about its future by being an active participant in the march for peace, democracy and Taiwan.
Erica Wu
Taipei
The government and local industries breathed a sigh of relief after Shin Kong Life Insurance Co last week said it would relinquish surface rights for two plots in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投) to Nvidia Corp. The US chip-design giant’s plan to expand its local presence will be crucial for Taiwan to safeguard its core role in the global artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem and to advance the nation’s AI development. The land in dispute is owned by the Taipei City Government, which in 2021 sold the rights to develop and use the two plots of land, codenamed T17 and T18, to the
Art and cultural events are key for a city’s cultivation of soft power and international image, and how politicians engage with them often defines their success. Representative to Austria Liu Suan-yung’s (劉玄詠) conducting performance and Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen’s (盧秀燕) show of drumming and the Tainan Jazz Festival demonstrate different outcomes when politics meet culture. While a thoughtful and professional engagement can heighten an event’s status and cultural value, indulging in political theater runs the risk of undermining trust and its reception. During a National Day reception celebration in Austria on Oct. 8, Liu, who was formerly director of the
US President Donald Trump has announced his eagerness to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un while in South Korea for the APEC summit. That implies a possible revival of US-North Korea talks, frozen since 2019. While some would dismiss such a move as appeasement, renewed US engagement with North Korea could benefit Taiwan’s security interests. The long-standing stalemate between Washington and Pyongyang has allowed Beijing to entrench its dominance in the region, creating a myth that only China can “manage” Kim’s rogue nation. That dynamic has allowed Beijing to present itself as an indispensable power broker: extracting concessions from Washington, Seoul
Taiwan’s labor force participation rate among people aged 65 or older was only 9.9 percent for 2023 — far lower than in other advanced countries, Ministry of Labor data showed. The rate is 38.3 percent in South Korea, 25.7 percent in Japan and 31.5 percent in Singapore. On the surface, it might look good that more older adults in Taiwan can retire, but in reality, it reflects policies that make it difficult for elderly people to participate in the labor market. Most workplaces lack age-friendly environments, and few offer retraining programs or flexible job arrangements for employees older than 55. As
RSS