Lithuania, which has never received overseas aid from Taiwan, has done so much for the nation this year.
Not only did it donate much-needed COVID-19 vaccines last month — at about the same time that seasonal rains finally brought an end to Taiwan’s crippling water shortage — but it has demonstrated resolve in developing relations with Taipei even in the face of pressure from Beijing.
Taiwan and Lithuania are joined in standing up for what is right, but how can Taiwan return the favor?
For many years now, Lithuania has suffered from a social issue that could even be regarded as existential. That is, its suicide rate is one of the highest in the world, and certainly the highest in the EU. It is higher even than in South Korea, with the massive social pressure that exists in that country.
One of the main reasons for Lithuania’s high suicide rate is its geographical position, in the high latitudes of the northern hemisphere, which means that it sees very little sunlight for long periods, leading to seasonal affective disorder among its population.
Once again, the power of nature over human society is displayed.
This is precisely where Taiwan can help. Taiwan is a sub-tropical island, and has sunshine throughout the year. After the COVID-19 pandemic abates, a tourism sector should be developed specifically for Lithuanians to visit Taiwan during winter months.
In the meantime, a range of Taiwanese products, resplendent and full of tropical atmosphere, should be sent to Lithuania. For example, boxes of pineapple cakes with pictures of sun and sand on the packaging.
The power of gift-giving should not be underestimated.
According to research by Yale University social psychologist John Bargh, people have the ability to extrapolate abstract concepts from material things. For example, if you hand a hot cup of coffee to a person you are talking to, that person is more likely to regard you as a “warm” person than if you had handed them a cup of iced coffee; if you invite a guest to sit on a comfortable sofa, they are more likely to consider you a “gentle” person than if you had asked them to sit on a hard bench.
Taiwanese should therefore make hay while the sun shines, and prepare all kinds of products that can be associated with the sun and the tropics before winter arrives in the northern hemisphere, and send them to their Lithuanian brothers and sisters to help them get through the long year.
Chang Jim-way is a junior-high school teacher.
Translated by Paul Cooper
Weeks into the craze, nobody quite knows what to make of the OpenClaw mania sweeping China, marked by viral photos of retirees lining up for installation events and users gathering in red claw hats. The queues and cosplay inspired by the “raising a lobster” trend make for irresistible China clickbait. However, the West is fixating on the least important part of the story. As a consumer craze, OpenClaw — the AI agent designed to do tasks on a user’s behalf — would likely burn out. Without some developer background, it is too glitchy and technically awkward for true mainstream adoption,
Out of 64 participating universities in this year’s Stars Program — through which schools directly recommend their top students to universities for admission — only 19 filled their admissions quotas. There were 922 vacancies, down more than 200 from last year; top universities had 37 unfilled places, 40 fewer than last year. The original purpose of the Stars Program was to expand admissions to a wider range of students. However, certain departments at elite universities that failed to meet their admissions quotas are not improving. Vacancies at top universities are linked to students’ program preferences on their applications, but inappropriate admission
On Monday, a group of bipartisan US senators arrived in Taiwan to support the nation’s special defense bill to counter Chinese threats. At the same time, Beijing announced that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had invited Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) to visit China, a move to make the KMT a pawn in its proxy warfare against Taiwan and the US. Since her inauguration as KMT chair last year, Cheng, widely seen as a pro-China figure, has made no secret of her desire to interact with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and meet with Xi, naming it a
Taiwan-South Korea relations face a critical test, as a deadline forces both sides to confront a long-simmering issue. Taipei has requested that Seoul correct its classification of Taiwan in South Korea’s e-arrival system, where it has been labeled as “China (Taiwan)” since Feb. 24 last year. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs set today as a clear deadline for revision, warning that failure to act would trigger reciprocal measures beginning tomorrow. Taipei has already signaled its willingness to respond. Beginning on March 1, the government changed the designation of South Koreans on the alien resident certificates from the “Republic of Korea” to “South
RSS