Media observers think that the change in leadership at the China Times (
They said that while it is relatively easy to pass on the paper's tangible assets such as stock and employees, the paper's abstract assets will not be so easily inherited.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
"The abstract assets refer to the socio-political relations established by Yu, the profound impact created by the paper's editorials and the great respect the employees have for Yu," said Yu Kuo-chi (
Yu made the comments in the wake of the announcement made on Tuesday that 92-year-old Yu, one of Taiwan's media gurus, is retiring and passing his media enterprise on to his son Yu Chien-hsin (
Yu Kuo-chi said that for a leader of his age, it is natural for Yu to plan ahead while he is still able. But there are obvious disparities between the younger and older Yu, especially in terms of leadership and charisma.
Having growing up during a turbulent era in China and receiving an excellent education at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Yu is intelligent, focused and has an amazing amount of energy and a will to succeed, Yu Kuo-chi said.
"In contrast to his father, the younger Yu grew up in a comfortable environment and is less knowledgeable and devoted."
Those close to the Yu family remain skeptical of Yu Chien-hsin's leadership ability. They viewed this shift in power as an inevitable yet reluctant move.
"When Yu and the senior staff at the paper were engaged in any discussions, Yu Chien-hsin usually stood aside and remained silent. Yu seldom asked for his son for advice," said a senior employee of the newspaper, implying that Yu has doubts about his son's ability.
Media watchers said that as long as the older Yu is alive, his influence at the paper would continue.
"It's sort of a tradition in Asian enterprises that their founders remain influential in their business until the day they die," said a senior journalist, who once work-ed for the China Times.
The China Times, founded in 1950, has been rated one of the three most influential newspapers in Taiwan. Under Yu's management, the paper quickly defeated its rivals in its early years as a result of Yu's successful marketing strategies.
In addition to being a powerful media enterprise, the paper is best-known as a cradle for cultivating prominent journalists in Taiwan. People attribute this to Yu's willingness to help and encourage talented, young journalists.
"Yu is more than willing to offer the young and inexperienced opportunities to express their creativity and follow their ambitions. Anyone with novel ideas and a sharp pen will be treated very well by the China Times," said the journalist.
"However, Yu is also criticized for his cruelty in driving people away when they burned out."
It is a well-known fact that Yu has been the true commander of the paper for the past 51 years. He personally reviews the editorials every day and guides the political direction of the paper.
The journalist said Yu is an influential player in politics, but sometimes his editorials become unintelligible when he tries to please all political parties.
GEARING UP: An invasion would be difficult and would strain China’s forces, but it has conducted large-scale training supporting an invasion scenario, the report said China increased its military pressure on Taiwan last year and took other steps in preparation for a potential invasion, an annual report published by the US Department of Defense on Wednesday showed. “Throughout 2023, Beijing continued to erode longstanding norms in and around Taiwan by employing a range of pressure tactics against Taiwan,” the report said, which is titled “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China (PRC) 2024.” The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) “is preparing for a contingency to unify Taiwan with the PRC by force, if perceived as necessary by Beijing, while simultaneously deterring, delaying or denying
‘ONE BRIDGE’: The US president-elect met with Akie Abe on Dec. 15 in Florida and the two discussed a potential Taiwan-China conflict’s implications for world peace US president-elect Donald Trump has described Taiwan as “a major issue for world peace” during a meeting with Akie Abe, the widow of late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, Japanese newspaper the Yomiuri Shimbun quoted sources as saying in a report yesterday. Trump met with Akie Abe on Dec. 15 at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where the two discussed the Russo-Ukrainian war and the situation in the Taiwan Strait. During the meeting, Trump spoke on the implications for world peace of a potential Taiwan-China conflict, which “indicated his administration’s stance of placing importance on dealing with the situation in
QUICK LOOK: The amendments include stricter recall requirements and Constitutional Court procedures, as well as a big increase in local governments’ budgets Portions of controversial amendments to tighten requirements for recalling officials and Constitutional Court procedures were passed by opposition lawmakers yesterday following clashes between lawmakers in the morning, as Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members tried to block Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators from entering the chamber. Parts of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) and Constitutional Court Procedure Act (憲法訴訟法) passed the third reading yesterday. The legislature was still voting on various amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) as of press time last night, after the session was extended to midnight. Amendments to Article 4
ALLIANCE: Washington continues to implement its policy of normalizing arms sales to Taiwan and helps enhance its defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said US President Joe Biden on Friday agreed to provide US$571.3 million in defense support for Taiwan, the White House said, while the US State Department approved the potential sale of US$265 million in military equipment. Biden had delegated to the secretary of state the authority “to direct the drawdown of up to US$571.3 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan,” the White House said in a statement. However, it did not provide specific details about this latest package, which was the third of its kind to
RSS