China’s visa tactics
The National Audit Office’s 2023 Central Government Final Accounts Audit listed 171 countries that grant Taiwanese visa-free entry, a new record.
However, at the end of April, that number had dropped to 166 countries.
In the past few years, following China’s increased pressure on Taiwan, some countries’ visa policies are being readjusted to Taiwan’s detriment. Botswana has canceled its e-visa system’s Taiwan option from its pull-down menu. It forces Taiwanese to choose “China,” leading to Taiwanese travelers being unable to truly enjoy the benefits of e-visa service and treatment.
Kazakhstan and Colombia have similar visa policies.
China is attempting to use foreign diplomatic pressure to isolate Taiwan. This not only affects travel convenience for Taiwanese, but also harms trade and human exchanges between Taiwan and other countries. This move by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) cannot stop Taiwanese support for our own democratic freedoms, but instead deepens feelings of antipathy and resentment toward China. China’s actions halt the development of peace in the Taiwan Strait.
The CCP should stop trying to suppress Taiwan’s national status. Doing so would create a foundation for mutual respect and understanding, and the pursuit of peace and prosperity.
Chang Ya-jou
Taipei
The government and local industries breathed a sigh of relief after Shin Kong Life Insurance Co last week said it would relinquish surface rights for two plots in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投) to Nvidia Corp. The US chip-design giant’s plan to expand its local presence will be crucial for Taiwan to safeguard its core role in the global artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem and to advance the nation’s AI development. The land in dispute is owned by the Taipei City Government, which in 2021 sold the rights to develop and use the two plots of land, codenamed T17 and T18, to the
Taiwan’s first case of African swine fever (ASF) was confirmed on Tuesday evening at a hog farm in Taichung’s Wuci District (梧棲), trigging nationwide emergency measures and stripping Taiwan of its status as the only Asian country free of classical swine fever, ASF and foot-and-mouth disease, a certification it received on May 29. The government on Wednesday set up a Central Emergency Operations Center in Taichung and instituted an immediate five-day ban on transporting and slaughtering hogs, and on feeding pigs kitchen waste. The ban was later extended to 15 days, to account for the incubation period of the virus
The ceasefire in the Middle East is a rare cause for celebration in that war-torn region. Hamas has released all of the living hostages it captured on Oct. 7, 2023, regular combat operations have ceased, and Israel has drawn closer to its Arab neighbors. Israel, with crucial support from the United States, has achieved all of this despite concerted efforts from the forces of darkness to prevent it. Hamas, of course, is a longtime client of Iran, which in turn is a client of China. Two years ago, when Hamas invaded Israel — killing 1,200, kidnapping 251, and brutalizing countless others
Art and cultural events are key for a city’s cultivation of soft power and international image, and how politicians engage with them often defines their success. Representative to Austria Liu Suan-yung’s (劉玄詠) conducting performance and Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen’s (盧秀燕) show of drumming and the Tainan Jazz Festival demonstrate different outcomes when politics meet culture. While a thoughtful and professional engagement can heighten an event’s status and cultural value, indulging in political theater runs the risk of undermining trust and its reception. During a National Day reception celebration in Austria on Oct. 8, Liu, who was formerly director of the
RSS