tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post6493889661539807418..comments2023-10-22T18:25:39.688+08:00Comments on The View from Taiwan: Wikileaks and TaiwanMichael Turtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-46515952088270922322011-09-14T14:30:38.451+08:002011-09-14T14:30:38.451+08:00"I've been ignoring the Wikileaks stuff c..."I've been ignoring the Wikileaks stuff coming out in a great gush of blood from the bleeding wound of American diplomacy, partly because I'm deeply uncomfortable with the exposure of US diplomacy, since secrecy is necessary to diplomacy."<br /><br />Michael, it's good to hear you are developing a conscience about the very rightness, or lack-thereof regarding Wikileaks and it's pilfering of what are supposed to be discreetly documents. Once out there in the media, I suppose, any of us should feel free to comment on them. Still and all, people have to stop treating Julian Assange as some sort of modern day hero of Robin Hood proportions.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15907060405795620941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-36213834900263343512011-09-10T00:04:06.687+08:002011-09-10T00:04:06.687+08:00"The principle of Foreigners Validate can alw..."The principle of Foreigners Validate can always be countered by the principle of Only Chinese Can Understand Chinese."<br /><br />Ha ha, I'm stealing that -- great way of putting it. Nice analysis of Wikileaks too. It's TMZ for news junkies. But given the sheer number of them, and their coverage of the whole world, they seem bound to shake things up some places -- just maybe not Taiwan or China.Dnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-80785367334554153412011-09-09T21:15:54.407+08:002011-09-09T21:15:54.407+08:00Hi Michael,
I totally agree with what you said. P...Hi Michael,<br /><br />I totally agree with what you said. People may wonder why these Wikileaks cables have drawn so much interests among Taiwanese media and people.<br /><br />First of all. These are gossips, and people like gossips. People like to read politician A criticizing politician B, especially when they came from the same party. Ha.<br /><br />Second, while these cables did not tell us too many things that we don't know. These information came from the reports of a third party -- the AIT officials. They didn't come from UDN (to bash the green) nor Liberty Times (to criticize the blue). That is why I think they have incited so much interests. In a polarized media world like Taiwan, "the third voice" is somewhat meaningful to local readers as well as the media people.<br /><br />The difference between the Chinese-language media and the English-language media (like the one I work for) is that the former tends to focus more on people-to-people conversation (because that sells newspapers and boosts TV ratings) while the latter tries to focus on "issues," such as the 1992 Consensus, ECFA and unification. I may be biased on this point (ha) but this is my observation.<br /><br />"Why are Taiwanese politicians so honest to US officials?" local media asked. In my opinion, that is because all local politicians and political parties want to impress the US and thus gain "favors" from the Americans in the long run.<br /><br /><br />ChrisChris Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08741744278825416944noreply@blogger.com