MEDIA: Over at Japan Focus, Japan, the lost decade, the East Asian Model, and the US financial crisis. Freedom of the press steps backwards in Taiwan. DPP says government interfering in Chen Shui-bian case. More charges filed against Chen Shui-bian. Imagine that. Wonderful G-2 cooperation partner China once again messes with US ships. Pentagon plays it down. Because the right approach to China is to pretend that nothing happened -- they'll never do it again if you do that. DPP will protest assembly and parade law with 24 hour sit-in. China plans economic zone aimed at Taiwan. The stock market here has risen 40% this year, world's biggest rise, and foreign fund inflows have spiked on the China investment news. FDI inflows are good news. Only 6% of world games tickets sold. It's firefly season in Yilan.David comments on the amazing Taidu activist Su Beng Claudia Jean with the latest update on the protesters in Tainan arrested by the police. Sponge Bear on the Senkakus/Diaoyutai issue in the context of the current KMT Japan-bashing, along with a few tart comments for Tom Plate's excessively stupid recent commentary on Taiwan and China. David again with a widely-circulated post on freedom of assembly Biking in Taiwan on a ride in Taipei. With great pics, as always. Taiwanese Culture: to boldly go where no man has gone before...and erect a KTV there Pashan hits Hsuehshan. TIME blog on the latest Chinese harassment of US naval vessels. Todd does Tung Blossoms. Michella experiences the silliness of politicians firsthand. But isn't the question really why people continue to vote for gangsters, showboaters, and self-centered ignoramuses? Or is it why politics is full of such people? There must be a better way.....
SPECIAL: The People's Daily brings you a rant about Japan and Taiwan independence. A load of historically uninformed, illogical effluent, unintentionally funny. Note that while Ma Ying-jeou thinks the Treaty of Taipei has given Taiwan to the ROC, the PRC says it is the Cairo Declaration. Yup -- that's the best they can do.
SAD TO REPORT: Our Clare lost out in the competition for the World's Best Job to some journalist ringer guy (no, I'm not linking, no more publicity for that guy). My condolences to the awesome Clare.
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6 comments:
Was it noodles in the picture? (麵線)
台北市民
While I am no insider, I suspect that this recent ship harrassment has not gone as much under the radar as you think. Something tells me the Pentagon is taking notes and that some very bristly discourse will be going on that the peons that we are will not hear about. Stuff like this also improves the hand of the China-threat crowd in Washington as well as the hawks in all of the countries around the South China Sea. It certainly won't make Australia feel worse about its announcement this week that it would be beefing up its navy to counter capabilities by certain naval powers in the area.
I actually think China is stupid for allowing this sort of thing. It really exposes the hole in the "peaceful rise" theory.
One more link: DPP Chair Tsai Ing-wen speaks in DCReally important for the DPP's take on things to get to Washington. Mainstream media, as Michael has covered, is slowly eating away at Taiwan's sovereignty with Ma bending over and letting it all happen.
Choice quote: "Later, a State Department diplomat in the audience said that Tsai’s presentation had shown a level of “sophistication and elegance” that was not evident during the administration of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and asked what assurances she could give Washington that relations would be smoother if the DPP returned to power."
It's not merely about being able to speak English, though the Mandarin political discourse in Taiwan is certainly very immature in many ways. Powerful ideas like separation of powers + balance of power are not commonly discussed. I would say that Washington also has zero understanding of the changes Chen did bring about in consolidating Taiwanese democracy (remember the army had to reassure everyone they weren't going to try to kill Chen after he was elected...), even if Chen couldn't articulate this into English.
I hope Tsai runs in 2012. She is a smart cookie.
Was it noodles in the picture?---
nissin
http://www.nissinfoods.com/
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http://www.realclearworld.com/articles/2009/05/ninety_years_of_chinese_nation.html
a few more links to share if anyone is interested:
1. A few summers ago, the Chinese went bonkers for the book "Currency Wars” by Song Hongbing (about Rothchild/Rockefeller banking conspiracy). This year a new book came out that is making the rounds called Unhappy China
2. A short 3D video of what the 2010 TaipeiExpo will look like. (Chungshan N. Rd and surrounding area). Another one can be viewed here3. An excellent collection of photos from Taipei in the 50s These are from the Life collection. This person sorted out all the good ones.
4. Some other photos of Taipei in the 80s
5. A good china thread on tickerforum worth reading. There is an interesting comment about that new $100B Asian development fund and the IMF. (basically follows what I believe, that is China doesn't want anything to do with the IMF long term). Also a AEPrichard Letter on QE and a Andy Xie letter. (the former MS analyst that got shitcanned for that email).
6. Hoping Island update: anyone that goes swimming there be prepared for massive construction. They are ripping down the old snack bar (so no beer/food available) and building a new concrete structure. Construction trash is everywhere. On the positive side, it is free to get in now.
7. The new civil plaza is coming along as well in Keelung photos here, but I have a feeling they will make the #1 biggest design mistake that every Taiwan designer seems to botch, that is no shade for seating.
8. Lastly, a Aesop fable to share:
A free Taiwanese turtle is ferrying animals across a river so they can get to high ground and escape a flood. The CCP scorpion repeatedly asks to be taken but the turtle refuses. Finally all the animals are across except the scorpion who pleads his case one last time. He convinces the turtle by telling him that it would be foolish for the scorpion to sting him because then he would die as well.
About halfway across the river, the CCP scorpion indeed does sting the turtle. The free Taiwanese turtle, dying, asks why since now they would both die. The CCP scorpion responds that it was his nature to do so.
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