With the 18th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre approaching, President Chen Shui-bian (
"The Chinese government must think about how to utilize its growing national strength and learn a lesson from the rise of other big powers," Chen said. "It will bring happiness to the people of China, Taiwan and the world if China transforms itself from the role of a potential invader, attacker and destroyer to a peaceful, safe and constructive force via a democratic system."
Chen made the remarks in the latest issue of his weekly electronic newsletter.
Chen said history has proven that a strong but undemocratic country is often dangerous and aggressive. Three of the most prominent examples were Japan, Germany and the Soviet Union, he said, because their rapidly growing economies and authoritarian rule led to militarism and hegemony.
Since the military crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, Chen said China's military spending has seen double-digit growth each year, well exceeding its economic growth and self-defense requirements.
As China has grown from a regional power to a global military power, Chen said its military buildup has a far-reaching influence on China itself and the world.
Over the past 18 years, China has experienced dramatic changes, but the only thing that remains unchanged is its one-party, authoritarian reign and merciless suppression of freedom and democracy, Chen said.
Likening Chinese Communist Party's rule to the wax and wane of the moon, Chen said that China has its bright side, but there is always the dark side to counter any positive developments.
While most people were overwhelmed by China's economic development, they tended to ignore China's notorious human rights record, social instability and the fact that it is not democratic, free or humane.
From 2003 to 2005, Chen said the frequency of demonstrations and the number of protesters in China has increased by 15 to 18 percent annually.
China has enjoyed unprecedented economic growth since President Hu Jintao (
China has topped the chart of countries detaining journalists over the past eight years, Chen said, and it was hard to imagine that in a knowledge-based age China has more than 300,000 "Internet police" constantly monitoring the on-line activities of Chinese netizens.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
RSS