Racist propaganda
Is not the timing of the recent little furore in your letters pages over allegations of racism in Taiwan brought by Callum McGovern (Letters, Jan. 21, page 8) perhaps somewhat serendipitous given the revelation in today’s news of just what will be inscribed on the red envelopes that Chinese billionaire philanthropist Chen Guangbiao (陳光標) plans to give out to poor Taiwanese prior to this Lunar New Year?
“The day is cold, the ground freezing, but the people’s hearts are warm. The Chinese race is one family and a fire in the winter (中華民族一家親,冬天裡的一把火).”
To ascribe the term “family” (with its implicit connotation of moral obligations) to other people on the basis of race alone is pure racial collectivism and ought to be condemned by every decent person. Whether a person is Chinese, American, Japanese, English, Vietnamese, French or whatever other nationality in origin, or whether the color of their skin is black, white or yellow is of no moral import whatsoever. What is of moral import is, in the words of murdered civil rights activist Martin Luther King, the “content of a person’s character.” Period.
I do not condemn Chen’s wish to help the poor, even though I suspect this particular help may be partly a propaganda stunt, but he could have easily phrased that description differently, for instance replacing the words: “The Chinese race is one family and a fire in the winter” with the non--collectivist and non--racialist: “Everyone needs a fire in the winter” (人人在冬天需要火爐). Such an inscription would preserve the benevolent nature of his intentions in handing out red envelopes to the poor, while rejecting unfortunate racial collectivist propaganda.
As it stands, Chen’s inscription is not a little ironic — a fire is indeed a likely outcome when one member of the “family” threatens the other member with more than 1,000 missiles.
MICHAEL FAGAN
Tainan
Trying to force a partnership between Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and Intel Corp would be a wildly complex ordeal. Already, the reported request from the Trump administration for TSMC to take a controlling stake in Intel’s US factories is facing valid questions about feasibility from all sides. Washington would likely not support a foreign company operating Intel’s domestic factories, Reuters reported — just look at how that is going over in the steel sector. Meanwhile, many in Taiwan are concerned about the company being forced to transfer its bleeding-edge tech capabilities and give up its strategic advantage. This is especially
US President Donald Trump’s second administration has gotten off to a fast start with a blizzard of initiatives focused on domestic commitments made during his campaign. His tariff-based approach to re-ordering global trade in a manner more favorable to the United States appears to be in its infancy, but the significant scale and scope are undeniable. That said, while China looms largest on the list of national security challenges, to date we have heard little from the administration, bar the 10 percent tariffs directed at China, on specific priorities vis-a-vis China. The Congressional hearings for President Trump’s cabinet have, so far,
US political scientist Francis Fukuyama, during an interview with the UK’s Times Radio, reacted to US President Donald Trump’s overturning of decades of US foreign policy by saying that “the chance for serious instability is very great.” That is something of an understatement. Fukuyama said that Trump’s apparent moves to expand US territory and that he “seems to be actively siding with” authoritarian states is concerning, not just for Europe, but also for Taiwan. He said that “if I were China I would see this as a golden opportunity” to annex Taiwan, and that every European country needs to think
For years, the use of insecure smart home appliances and other Internet-connected devices has resulted in personal data leaks. Many smart devices require users’ location, contact details or access to cameras and microphones to set up, which expose people’s personal information, but are unnecessary to use the product. As a result, data breaches and security incidents continue to emerge worldwide through smartphone apps, smart speakers, TVs, air fryers and robot vacuums. Last week, another major data breach was added to the list: Mars Hydro, a Chinese company that makes Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as LED grow lights and the
RSS