At this writing, consumer goods, ranging from toothpaste to cough suppressant medicine containing poisonous diethyleneglycol have been uncovered in four Central American countries, Singapore, Australia and the US.
More than three months ago, contaminated pet food containing toxic protein enhancer resulted in the deaths of many pets. On June 11, Wal-Mart and Tyson Food Co recalled 450,000kg of ground beef. On June 14, Colgate-Palmolive Co issued a warning about counterfeit toothpaste carrying the Colgate label found in four US states. All these incidents have one thing in common -- the source of poison was China.
In November 2002, the SARS epidemic broke out. On March 15, 2003, the WHO issued a global alert about the disease, which originated in Guangdong, China. At the time, scientists suspected the disease was caused by a biogenesis from a wild animal.
In the years since then, doubts about the hypothesis of the transmission from animals to humans began to surface. Some experts said the disease may have been a biochemical reaction at the fundamental genetic material level ?? the rearrangement of human genes in chromosomes caused by industrial pollutants.
Over the past two decades, China has completely abandoned its previous economic policy and pursued socio-capitalism at the expense of its environment and social ethics. As a result, many of its major cities lead the list of the worst polluted cities in the world; 25 percent of deaths in China are caused by respiratory diseases.
Blatant disregard of intellectual property rights is rampant in China. Counterfeit medicine and food stuffs are produced and sold under the eyes of Chinese Communist Party officials.
China has been trying to regain its nationalistic glory by imitating Western approaches to both economic development and military expansion. However, misguided fanaticism, for instance showing off its military capability by knocking down an orbiting space object, will not earn China the respect it seeks. At the same time, the image emanated by a toxic trail circling the globe will earn China nothing but disrespect.
As for Taiwan, given the painful memories of the SARS epidemic, it is highly advisable for the government and the people to seriously consider cutting back existing and possible future ties with China. The risk of any contact with China is too high.
A temporary gain in any shape or form is not worth risking one's health or one's life.
Kengchi Goah is a research fellow of Taiwan Public Policy Council in the US.
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
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
If you had a vision of the future where China did not dominate the global car industry, you can kiss those dreams goodbye. That is because US President Donald Trump’s promised 25 percent tariff on auto imports takes an ax to the only bits of the emerging electric vehicle (EV) supply chain that are not already dominated by Beijing. The biggest losers when the levies take effect this week would be Japan and South Korea. They account for one-third of the cars imported into the US, and as much as two-thirds of those imported from outside North America. (Mexico and Canada, while
I have heard people equate the government’s stance on resisting forced unification with China or the conditional reinstatement of the military court system with the rise of the Nazis before World War II. The comparison is absurd. There is no meaningful parallel between the government and Nazi Germany, nor does such a mindset exist within the general public in Taiwan. It is important to remember that the German public bore some responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. Post-World War II Germany’s transitional justice efforts were rooted in a national reckoning and introspection. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps not