2017 - 3rd Quarter
Taiwan as the Switzerland of Asia!
Events in recent weeks have proven to be very positive for Taiwan. The Taipei Summer Universiade has concluded and is judged by all to be a major success. ...
Tsai Ing-wen and Transformational Leadership
One of the most important considerations facing the president of any nation is what legacy they wish to leave. Will they simply be seen as a caretaker who avoided disasters? Or will they go down in history as having been transformative? ...
Taiwan Already Enjoys Independence
Taiwan has hosted the 29th Summer Universiade Games with participants from over 135 nations. Bravo, the Formosan Black Bear, is the mascot for the games, yet with all this going on, the question still comes up, is Taiwan (ROC) an independent country? Taiwan is doing well in the medal count, but let's discuss some of the issues here and get acquainted with new vocabulary, starting with a past article in the Taipei Times. ...
The Sacred and Profane in Taiwan
The Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) commemoration of the July 7, 1937 Marco Polo Bridge Incident once again highlights the party's schizophrenic personality as well as the doublespeak that such identification constantly creates for party members. ...
July 15's Significance for Taiwanese
Call it coincidence or call it pure chance, but for the symbolic-minded, it is remarkably fated that the celebrations of US Independence Day (July 4), French Bastille Day, (July 14) and Taiwan's lifting of Martial Law (July 15) all fall within a two-week period. ...
Hong Kong and the Big Lie: Promises, Promises
Like the fabled warning to beware the Ides of March, so July 1, 2017 has rolled round and the fabled promise of the People's Republic of China (PRC) that it would grant Hong Kong free elections of its Chief Executive in twenty years has come and gone. In short, China's leadership appears to have never really taken that promise seriously. ...