In an article published in the Taipei Times on June 13, former Water Resources Agency section chief Chang Yen-ming (張炎銘) said that people should severely condemn the deed of breaching reservoirs during wartime from the perspective of protecting people’s livelihood and well-being. Based on this, Chang said that Taiwan should abandon the idea that it could, if necessary, attack China’s Three Gorges Dam.
When humanity has reached the free and democratic stage of civilization, it becomes very difficult to justify winning a war through acts of terror that destroy civilian facilities and cause major disasters. This compassionate standpoint is understandable and easy to agree with. The problem is that totalitarian countries remain uncivilized and are under the control of antisocial personalities such as Adolf Hitler.
Such regimes often use propaganda, brainwashing and violence to captivate the population under the pretext of “restoring the glory of the empire” or “the great renewal of the nation.”
While aggressively expanding militarily, they are prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals, even if it means sacrificing the lives of tens or hundreds of millions of people.
For them, bombing power plants and reservoirs takes no more than a flick of the wrist if it serves to paralyze the opposing side. They certainly do not share Chang’s sense of compassion.
With the apparent bombing of the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine, which Chang cited in his article, foreign news reports have increasingly blamed Russia for its destruction.
We do not need to go far back to learn history’s lessons. To consolidate his personal power, former Chinese leader Mao Zedong (毛澤東) launched a series of campaigns such as the “Three Red Banners” and the “Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution,” which led to the deaths of countless millions of “Chinese compatriots.”
To snuff out the fire of democracy in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, Mao’s indirect successor, former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平), did not hold back from sending in the army to shoot countless Chinese and crush them with tanks.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), who is obsessed with his “Chinese Dream,” is an even more sinister dictator than Mao and Deng. He would certainly show no mercy if he ever attacks Taiwan, and he would not care about Taiwanese who call for peace talks or oppose war.
Although Taiwan might not attack the Three Gorges Dam, it cannot be assumed that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army would not attack the Feitsui Dam (翡翠壩) or the Deji Dam (德基壩).
Military simulations should include a worst-case scenario that account for the huge risk of attacks on infrastructure such as hydroelectric power stations and plans to cope with the problems that would suddenly confront a huge number of disaster victims.
It is an urgent task to prepare reserves of armaments and food, and build solid bunkers in hidden areas. Only by surviving the initial, dangerous attack stage — as Ukraine has done — can Taiwan hope to exert its counteroffensive power and join allies who come to help fight a common enemy.
Jhang Shih-hsien is a former head of the National Palace Museum’s conservation department.
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,
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
The US Department of State has removed the phrase “we do not support Taiwan independence” in its updated Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, which instead iterates that “we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means, free from coercion, in a manner acceptable to the people on both sides of the Strait.” This shows a tougher stance rejecting China’s false claims of sovereignty over Taiwan. Since switching formal diplomatic recognition from the Republic of China to the People’s Republic of China in 1979, the US government has continually indicated that it “does not support Taiwan independence.” The phrase was removed in 2022
RSS