City Forums

Jack Anderson, WaPo, Aug 9, 1979. ROC officials considered sending letter bombs to people whose politics they didn't like in the US, but the idea was scotched by Chiang Ching-guo, according to a Senate report.

At New Bloom Brian H writes on Ko Wen-je and the Shanghai forum controversy. Ko agreed to welcome a CCP official as a stand-in for the Mayor of Shanghai. The hooha among the Greens, including very stupid accusations that about Ko's politics (of course he is Green, stop it with the purity tests) is a good example of the short-sightedness of so many in the Green camp. Ko was criticized for hosting a CCP flunky instead of the mayor of Shanghai -- as if the mayor of Shanghai were an independent elected official and not a CCP flunky.

Greens need to take the long view on this -- Ko is still electable and as a non-DPPer can garner a portion of the Blue vote, making him strong for the mayoralty in the next election. Taiwanese like to give a second chance after providing a warning -- so I expect he will win but with a smaller winning margin (like Ma for his second presidential term) -- and in any case, at the moment it appears the KMT nomination is likely to go to Alex Tsai, a blithering mainlander ideologue, instead of some deserving practiced politician. Another four years of Ko would be very good for the DPP, as Ko may be able to make progress cleaning up the cronyism that infests the city government after years of Blue control, and he will take the political hit for doing that (not the DPP). Moreover, another Ko term will demonstrate that the earth will spin placidly on even if the mayor of Taipei isn't Deep Blue, as well as create momentum for alternative parties, which the DPP needs to foster if it wants to prevent the KMT from rising again. After that the DPP can give Ko's presidential ambitions a quiet smile, and show him the door.

By contrast, Kaohsiung has no answer yet for its city forum from any of the five cities invited (FocusTw)...

Kaohsiung sent out invitations to Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Xiamen and Fuzhou in June for the Global Harbor Cities Forum it initiated and will host Sept. 6-8, but the five cities have neither confirmed nor rejected it, Hsu told reporters at the city's press conference held for the forum.

What does this mean? Well, if China had a policy, then they would execute it. But dithering like this over a minor international exchange is a strong signal that China has no idea what it is doing.
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Daily Links:

• Global Expat Rankings: Taiwan number 1
• New Bloom: How KMT Chair Hung's comments on the National Palace Museum treasures reveal the KMT's imagination of its own privileged position
• Doug "Peace in our Time" Bandow at CATO writes another tremendously stupid post advocating selling out Taiwan
• Welcome mat fades for Taiwanese businessmen in China
• Chinese overseas community: watched, surveilled, controlled
• Taiwan machine makers should "look south"
• 600K migrant workers in Taiwan

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[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!

Then and Now: Mt Banping

The image above, from the East Asia Image Collection, shows Banpingshan in what is now Kaohsiung (map link), in the Japanese era. Wiki says:

During the Qing Dynasty rule of Taiwan, the mountain was the site of the most important limestone quarry in Taiwan. After the quarry was closed in 1997, the mountain was turned into a nature park. Vegetation is used for its slope protection and the old cement plant's grit removal pond was transformed into Banping Lake Wetland Park in the neighboring Zuoying District.

I got to searching for some images and stories about the limestone quarry, and I found this thesis about fengshui and Banpingshan which was filled with pics. In the abstract the thesis says that "Because of the specific geology, the geomantic records describe Banping Mountain as a dangerous mountain implying ill omens." The two images above, according to the text, show the mountain as it appeared between 1895 and 1950. The angle is nearly the same as in the image at the top. The mountain was originally over 200 meters high, but extensive limestone quarrying over two centuries removed the top layer of the mountain, reducing its height to 200 meters by 1895 and then again to its current 180 meters. The graphic below is from that thesis, the topmost line is the original Qing height, the middle line is the Japanese era height, and the green line is the extant mountain.

In 1917 the Japanese built a concrete firm below the quarry, which eventually was transferred to the incoming KMT after the war. Three concrete firms eventually ended up there. The text of the thesis does not say, but this image above I think shows the concrete and limestone in the post-1950 period.

Another shot of the concrete company and the quarry, taken in 1961, according to the text.

Here is Banping Mountain today, from Wiki. This speech notes that in 2004 the Kaohsiung city government decided to whack away the southern tip of the mountain to put in a road. The Kaohsiung metro tunneled right through the center of it. Today it is a nature park and wetland district with walkways and good views over the city.
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[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!

Cihou Fort, Kaohsiung

Dogs get out of the sun at the fort's entrance.

Yesterday gave the legs a test with a day spent walking around Kaohsiung. Lovely weather and great company made it a perfect day.

One of our stops was Cihou Fort, the Qing Dynasty gun battery located outside Kaohsiung harbor (map link). The fort is easy to get to: just take the metro to Shiziwan, then walk to the ferry, take the ferry across the harbor (5 mins, $15 nt), then walk half a kilometer or so to the fort entrance. Entrance is free.

The walk up offers some good views over the city, including one of a hospital being torn down. Note where the power shovel is parked...

Wiki notes:

First fortifications were built in 1720 (during Kangxi's reign and Qing rule). After Japanese expedition in 1874 Chinese authorities constructed a modern fort, which in 1880 had new Armstrong's guns installed. It played no part in the Sino-French War; the fighting in Taiwan took place around Keelung and during blockade French ships did not approach the port.

Taiwan was ceded to Japan according to the Treaty of Shimonoseki in the aftermath of the first Sino-Japanese war. The local troops, however, fought on. On 12 October 1895, escadre commanded by admiral Arichi Shinanojo (cruisers Yoshino, Naniwa, Akitsushima, Yaeyama, Saien (ex Chinese Jiyuan, captured in Weihaiwei) and corvette Hiei) arrived at Kaohsiung and prompted the foreigners to evacuate, as they would conduct the attack on the next day. The foreigners boarded gunboat HMS Tweed and two tugs and withdrew (only to return once the fight was over). At 7 am, 13 October, Japanese ships "opened fire on the Takow [Kaohsiung] forts at a range of about 6,000 yards. For the first half hour, the forts responded, but after this their guns were silent...The forts fired twenty four rounds, the best shot being from the 8-inch B.L. Armstrong guns in Apes' Hill fort, which struck the water about 500 yards from the Naniwa Kan."The Japanese troops seized the forts in early afternoon, suffering no casualties (4 Chinese soldiers were killed).

The Chinese text says the fort's commander ran away when the Japanese appeared. The gun crews, incompetent though they were, bravely soldiered on, firing a few rounds. Wiki adds that the fort, designed by a British engineer, consists of three parts:

...fortified barracks, around rectangular square, with close-defence parapet on the roof. Of the two gates, one leads to the battery, the other used to be a main southern gate. It bore a Chinese inscription, which could be translated as "Mighty blow to the South" – the characters for "mighty blow" were shot away by a shell from Yoshino. The rest, still visible, serve as ironic remainder of history.

Much of the fort still remains, since it was still used in the KMT period. It was restored in the early 1990s by the Kaohsiung city government.

The gate.

A pan of the interior.

The barracks and other rooms, all locked.

The parapet where the four 7" guns were mounted.

Gun site.

Good views over the nearby sea.

Half the fort.

Rear gate.

Well worth a visit on a day trip out here, Cihou Fort remains an evocative historical site of Taiwan as a nexus of colonial interest from Imperial Japan, the Manchu Empire, and the European powers.
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[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!

Leisurely time out of Meinong

Drew of Taiwan in Cycles rocks down the enjoyable 27.

Saturday Drew of Taiwan in Cycles and I headed out to Meinong in Kaohsiung county city Municipality for a small exploration of the roads and hills north of the city. There's a lot out there, and we're already planning a return. Drew's post is here. Click READ MORE....

Yacht What

A farmer contemplates a field in Yunlin.

The Taiwan government is so droll. Upon being criticized for building 115 slots for yachts at ports in Taiwan last year, the government replied:

The project is not limited to pleasure yachts from high income people, but anyone can use the docks if they have a yacht, the agency said, adding that “it is like being able to park in a parking lot if there are empty spots.”

Did you hear that folks? Anyone can use them! Which is good, because I was wondering what do with my collection of yachts....  the story is actually more complex. Building up yacht tourism in Taiwan was one of President Ma's projects for his first administration (FocusTaiwan), and three Taiwan ports were chosen for expansion in Tainan, Yilan, and Keelung (Badouzi).  To promote the industry and Taiwan as a yachting destination, the industry staged its first yacht show this year.

News item from today about Taiwan, a world center of quality yacht manufacturing:

Alexander Marine, builder of Ocean Alexander yachts, announced the expansion of its manufacturing facility in Taiwan. The company said “record-breaking sales this past summer” culminated in 9 new yacht sales, requiring the expansion in the city of Kaohsiung. Sales trends have shown an increase in larger yachts, and the yard will expand to meet the demand for them.

.......

The yard in China will be closed so the company “can consolidate key personnel with many years of boatbuilding experience into one yard.”

Taiwan is actually known as the yacht kingdom and usually only trails the major industrialized nations -- UK, US, Germany, Italy, etc -- in the production of yachts. Horizon in Taiwan is the number ten maker of yachts in the world and Taiwan beat out Germany this year to move into the number six slot in the world. However, total industry production peaked at $350 million in 2008 and never recovered from the double whammy of the Great Recession and the entrance of Chinese firms into the market. Despite the threat, the government has ambitious plans for a yacht complex in Kaohsiung based on predictions of market growth that have not materialized.....
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Daily Links:

• Taiwan dollar to appreciate.
• Minimum wage up to 115 NT
• Parents of Chinese students in Taiwan to be allowed short visits

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[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!

Turncoat Yang Chiu-hsing to run for K-town Mayor for the KMT?

Yum.

KMT Minister without Portfolio Yang Chiu-hsiung has filed an application for membership in the KMT, according to news reports.

Minister Without Portfolio Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興) yesterday filed an application for party membership with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) amid speculation about a bid for the Greater Kaohsiung mayoral election.

There have been several days of media reports that Yang plans to run as the KMT candidate for Kaohsiung city. Yang has been denying that he plans to run for mayor of K-town.

Those of you with long memories will recall that Yang left the DPP in a huff in 2010 after failing to win the nomination for the upgraded Kaohsiung municipality. The nomination process caused much complaint within the DPP and Yang was not the only DPPer rankled by it. He had been county chief, while current Kaohsiung mayor Chen Chu had been mayor at that time. However, unifying the city and county eliminated the country chief position, Yang's job. Yang ran against Chen Chu as an independent.  Chen Chu won re-election while Yang, a talented and popular administrator who might have recovered a position in the DPP had he been patient, went on to become Minister without Portfolio in the current Administration.
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Daily Links:

• Aussie News: Taiwan's Youth are deserting the country. Amazing how you can talk about the economic issues yet never talk about why they are happening.....
• J Michael with a beautiful essay on why Taiwan's youth are saving the country.
• Filmmaker sneaks Chinese photographer into military base
• IMPORTANT: Warm Oolong Tea: Taiwan reportedly lobbying US congress for help getting submarines

  ...a number of officials inside the halls of Congress have stated that Taiwanese officials from its TECRO office in DC have approached them in recent months regarding ways in which the sale could be facilitated. The officials stated that the the talks focused primarily upon finding a third country that would be willing to transfer the blueprints and expertise to the United States, and then transferred to Taiwan, where the submarines would be built. American defense companies, most likely General Dynamics or Northrop Grumman, would be contracted to implement the weapon systems and electronics into the completed submarines.

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[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!

Reed U Collection

Canoeing at Takow, Formosa." Illustrated London News Vol 96, No. 2651 (8 February 1890):181. Engraving from sketch by Mr. Edmund Grimani, who lived in Takow for several months. This is from the fantastic collection at Reed U. Once again, just want to alert readers to this wonderful resource.
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[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums! Delenda est, baby.

The Taiwan Badlands

This weekend I had the opportunity to spend some time in the Taiwan Moonscape, the area of badlands in southern Taiwan. I had never seen the area up close and personal, merely ridden through it on a bike. One thing I hadn't understood was how big they were. The map below should give some idea of the extent of this 100,000 hectare formation which crops out as badlands in the area around Tianliao, with a thickness variously given as 3-4 kms (source), spreading across southern Taiwan from Chiayi to Kaohsiung. Mudstone formations are also found in Kenting near Hengchun and in Taitung. Walking around in the area naturally caused me to wonder: what was its origin?

Extent of the badlands in southern Taiwan, the Gutingkeng Formation (source).

Taiwan's badlands are unique, being the only badland formation on earth in a tropical area with good rainfall. The others in Italy, the US, and elsewhere, are all in arid or semi-arid regions. Badlands typically consist of weak sedimentary rock and fall into two basic types: calanchi, with pinnacles or sharp peaked ridges, as in Taiwan, and biancane, which are more rounded.

This paper on the history of the rivers in the area observes that the badlands are undergoing uplift. As the Philippine Plate shoves its way northwest toward China, it pushes the crust up, causing the area to tilt toward the ocean and lifting it up. The effect of this uplift can be seen in this picture below, which shows how the rock layers lie on their sides perpendicular to the ground, instead of parallel to it:

The mudstone exposed in the foothills area of southwestern Taiwan is a sedimentary rock formed several million years ago (source). It is usually referred to as Pleistocene in origin. It is cut through with layers of limestone in places, which are quarried by Taiwan's ubiquitous gravel industry. The mudstone area is also the location of mud volcanoes, which track one of the region's major NE to SW running faults. At the famous hot springs site of Guanziling the hot springs crop out through this deposit of mudstone.

The mudstone layer itself, as far as I was able to ascertain, is a deposit of marine sediments that formed during the late Cenozoic period (Pliocene/Pleistocene) as a giant sedimentary basin was gradually filled in with silt and clay and then uplifted to its current position by the action of the Philippine Plate.

One interesting idiosyncrasy of these badlands is that the bare slopes are mostly south facing. The reason for this is solar radiation (source), not monsoon rains or typhoons as one might think. During the long dry season, the sun heats the slopes, making them inhospitable to vegetation, and causing them to crack, speeding weathering. The result is the south-facing bare slopes so typical of the badlands area. According to this article, because of the massive precipitation and sedimentation, the Erhjeng River, which drains the area of mudstone, yields 1.3 x 10⁷ tons of sediment annually, the highest rate of sediment discharge in Taiwan.
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[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums! Delenda est, baby.

Biking Weekend in the South

Went offline for a couple of days to visit friends down south and test my new toy, my Tokina 100mm macro as a travel lens. We're heading for Sabah again in February, perhaps to ride the length of North Borneo (if you'd like to come, contact me), so I thought I'd see how the lens worked on the road. Meanwhile had a great time revisiting some nifty little places I'd enjoyed two years ago when I did Pingtung County for the County government. Click on the READ MORE for more more more.

Gaoping Great Lakes Controversy

Map of Gaoping Great Lakes Project (source). Google satellite image of area.

Marc Reisner's Cadillac Desert remains one of the great books on water policy, and one of the things he notes in it is how water projects develop a life of their own, with justifications and shapes shifting over time, but with the drive to build the dam thing no matter how bad a dog it is never dying. Are we seeing this in the Gaoping Great Lakes Project? The Taipei Times reports on a protest:

Environmentalists and farmers from Pingtung County and Greater Kaohsiung yesterday staged a protest against the Gaoping Great Lakes (高屏大湖) project, which they fear would divert water used for farming and damage local soybean production.

A project of the Water Resources Agency’s (WRA) Southern Region Water Resources Office, it would build five manmade lakes in a nearly 700-hectare area covering many farms at the border of Pingtung County’s Ligang Township (里港) and Greater Kaohsiung’s Meinong District (美濃).

The project was originally part of the Jiyang artificial lake project, which passed an environmental impact assessment in 2002, for cross-border water channeling and to save water during dry seasons.

After severe flooding in the south caused by Typhoon Morakot in August 2009, the project was modified to become part of a southern Taiwan water stabilization project by the WRA. It was further modified into a three-phase project, with the first artificial lake — covering about 200 hectares — being constructed in the first stage.

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The project aims to channel excess water from the Nanhua Reservoir (南化水庫) and the Gaoping River Dam (高屏溪攔河堰), but the only time the two areas have excess water is in summer, Yang said.

Moreover, since the target areas do not suffer from a water shortage during summer, he questioned why the government should spend billions of dollars to construct manmade lakes that would have very limited benefits.

The lakes have a depth of just 12m. This website observes that not only are the soybean farmers and workers in the area protesting, but in Ligang the Thai Shrimp farming and vegetable farming will also suffer from water shortages if pond E is built. Because locals are so dead set against the project, the legislature has canceled the budget on several occasions, it reports.

Another view (source).

Another article states the government's position on the young soybean impact:

水利署進一步指出，農委會資料顯示，我國毛豆「複種面積」於100年度達7,338公頃，其中位於高屏大湖第一期工程（E湖區）範圍內之「種植面積」為188.86公頃，佔全國毛豆種植面積2.57%，亦僅佔高屏地區種植毛豆之土地面積2,497公頃的7.56%，故高屏大湖計畫並未排擠原有毛豆種植面積。

The irrigation authorities, citing the Council of Agriculture, say that the total area of the first and second soybean crop is 7,338 hectares, of which the initial development, E area, represents just 188.86 hectares, or 2.57% of the (re)planted area, or 7.56% of the Pingtung young soybean land area of 2,497 hectares.

The farmers respond that the first crop and the second crop are not identical -- the government is engaging in mathematical sleight of hand, lowballing the estimate by playing with the first crop vs the total area planted. According to the farmers, soybeans are planted in spring and fall in Taiwan. Thus, the effective area lost to the farmers is 367 hectares (twice the government's estimate) because two season's worth of production, first and second crop, is lost.

Of course, that estimate is only for the E area, phase 1. Once phase 2 and phase 3 are completed, the farmers point out, they will cover 500 hectares -- meaning that two crops of production totalling 500 hectares are lost, effectively 1000 hectares of production. Total soybean production in the area is only 2,497 hectares for all seasons.

That article says that some soybean farmers are arguing the project isn't about water at all, but about gravel. As the project plan makes clear (google "1.2 開發行為之內容" and see section 1.2), creation of the lakes, 12 meters deep, will necessitate the removal of millions of cubic of meters of gravel, a material in high demand in Taiwan, which whoever owns the land and sells the gravel can make an easy and quick profit off of. More need not be said....

ADDED: See good comment below arguing main issue is really tiny amount of water provided. I was really just curious to understand why such an obvious dog of a project was still being completed.
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[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums! Delenda est, baby.

Looking Backward: Free Economic Zones in Taiwan

Anyone remember the promises? 6-6-3? The Golden Decade? All that good stuff? Yeah, they foundered somewhere off the Diaoyutai. President Ma's ROC National Day Address offered a kind of apology for ignoring the economy in the form of still more promises...

In his National Day address titled “Forging Ahead Together with Composure in the Face of Adversity,” Ma sought to tackle economic issues and said his administration would focus its efforts on boosting the development of service industries, raising salaries and eliminating investment barriers to create more job opportunities.

“To bolster of national security and Taiwan’s interests, we will relax regulations on foreign investments to create a friendlier and more convenient investment environment. In the future, liberalization will become the norm and barriers the exception,” Ma said at a National Day ceremony in front of the Presidential Office.

Ma said relaxing regulations on foreign investment would create a better investment environment and more jobs, and he promised that the government would strike a balance between labor rights and foreign investment.

Why the need to strike a balance between labor rights and foreign investment? It seems an unsubtle hint that the government is going to make another half-hearted attempt to bring in Chinese workers via some kind of increased foreign labor plan, something that keeps being proposed by KMTers (over the last two decades) and opposed by everyone else, including many in the KMT. The government has already relaxed the rules on foreign labor to allow another 80,000 workers on top of the record-high 440,000 foreign workers already present in Taiwan. The new rules say that any business that relocates from China to Taiwan will be able to recruit additional foreign labor. Moreover, overseas firms that establish an enterprise in Taiwan will be able to recruit 5-10% of their labor force from overseas. Wonder how that would work with Chinese firms? Would they be able to bring in labor from China?

In any case there already is a loophole through which Chinese labor is entering Taiwan in a trickle -- a business can open an associated school and hand out "scholarships" and "internships", then bring in Chinese "students" (read: workers) via that route. I've heard this is already happening. Would like more confirmation.....

The Ma Administration also plans to erect "Free Economic Demonstration Zones" around Taiwan. The first one is slated for K-town, already under development. WantWant ChinaTimes has some simply penetrating commentary:

Taiwan's Council for Economic Planning and Development announced recently that a draft plan for showcase free economic zones will be presented in November before its scheduled introduction next year, aimed at attracting investment to boost exports.

The free economic zones, which are part of President Ma Ying-jeou's policies formulated to achieve his Golden Decade vision, are based on the traditional model that ensures rapid economic development through free trade.

The Ma Administration's policies are the policies of the 1960s: low-cost labor and economic development zones.

The FEDZ plan, according to another WantWant piece, offers foreign investors terms more favorable than the WTO mandates, while offering China "only" what the WTO mandates.

A Taipei times commentary observed that in many cases, FTAs forbid labor payment discrimination systems. This means that the FEDZ policy may hamper Taiwan's ability to sign FTAs -- another broken Ma promise, recall -- as outgoing labor minister Jennifer Wang observed as she went out the door. Both that commentary and the WantWant commentary make exactly the same point: if low-wage labor in Taiwan grows, it will only bring in dirty, labor-intensive industries....from the TT commentary:

If a policy of decoupling the wages paid to foreign workers from those paid to native workers is to have the desired effect of increasing job opportunities for Taiwanese workers, it will have to be a nationwide policy, not one limited to certain special zones. Furthermore, if special zones were to promote differential wages for foreign migrant workers as an attraction, it is very likely that most of the investors it would attract would be labor-intensive manufacturers, and that is not in keeping with the original purpose for which special zones were set up.

The whole purpose of the original export zones was to get foreign makers to invest, bring in expertise, and upgrade the skills of Taiwan workers. The wave of science parks help foster growth in tech industries. Now it's 1960 again....

...worse, we all know what those industries will want: free land in the zone, subsidized labor (foreign workers at low cost), subsidized water, and subsidized electricity. The profits of such firms will come, essentially from the pockets of taxpayers in the form of government subsidies.
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Daily Links:

• Drew's excellent write-up of the great Double 10 ride of Taichung cyclists. I couldn't make it, really regret it. 
• Apple Analyst on Taiwan and China road trip
• Universal guffaws at the MOD's request that Apple maps blur the location of a sensitive radar.
• Dunhua Road Bike Lanes Kaput
• The ROC government places four ads in major US papers. Stop the insanity, please.
• I don't usually recommend pieces from CSIS, which generally is an Establishment echo chamber, but Brad Glosserman's piece on the way China's leaders appear to view things is quite interesting. 
• Sanity Break: Dave 2X's excellent bird photos from Taiwan

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[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums! Delenda est, baby.

DPP leads in local governance

Kaohsiung under Chen Chu is hosting a conference on Sustainable Transportation. With peak oil coming faster than everyone thinks, such events are really important. Drew Kerslake posted the news to his blog:

Just wanted to let you know about a transport-sharing conference and citywide carfree activities that will be held in Kaohsiung later this month.

We're just trying to spread the word about these very important events which will discuss an under-addressed mode of sustainable transportation. With the theme "Sharing is Cool!," the conference will feature a panel of international experts and researchers discussing the many different modes and faces of shared transport.

Mass-transit promotional activities planned for the city run through now until September 19, culminating in a carfree day with various activities and prizes for city residents. See more information here: http://www.dscc.url.tw/2010freecar/main.html

Sessions are free to attend for Kaohsiung residents and for students (advanced registration is required).

Attached please find a press release about the event. For more information, please visit http://kaohsiung.sharetransport.org (English) or http://www.kaohsiung-sharetransport.com.tw/ (Chinese).

Anything you can do to help get the word out would be much appreciated.

I'd be interested to see what a car-free day in Kaohsiung means in practice! But it's a great idea; Taiwan needs to do more stuff like this.

The existence of this progressive conference hosted in Kaohsiung highlights another issue, which is the superior local governance of the DPP as highlighted in a recent poll by Commonwealth magazine. The Taipei Times reported:

The poll, released on Tuesday, showed that local DPP administrators enjoyed higher approval ratings than their Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) counterparts. All six municipalities that received the top marks in the survey were governed by DPP politicians.

In contrast, 16 of the lowest rated municipalities were controlled by KMT members, the most notable being Taichung under Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) — which fell to 18th place this year from a top five place a year ago.

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) was ranked in the bottom five with an approval rating of just over 50 percent.

......

The annual poll, which gave its lowest marks to KMT Taipei County Commissioner Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋) — who is not running for re-election — wrote that KMT politicians had a lower rating overall because of factors including a failure to keep up with public opinion and concerns about rapid changes in cross-strait relations.

Topping the survey were Kaohsiung Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興) with an approval rating of 80 percent, Yilan County Commissioner Lin Tsong-shyan (林聰賢) with 75 percent and Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) with 72 percent.

Rounding up the rest of the top six were Pingtung County, Tainan City and Chiayi County.

Of course, one factor is that the DPP administrators are mostly located in DPP areas, with the exception of Kaohsiung city, which is less pro-DPP than people think, and I-lan. Yet in overwhelmingly Blue Taipei, KMT mayor Hau can't get support, and the fall off in Taipei County from the DPP magistrates to the awful Chou Hsi-wei was palpable. The plummeting score of popular Taichung mayor Jason Hu is also very interesting and may signal a vulnerability in the coming election.

The poll also shows another thing -- that voters make that separation between party loyalty and perceptions of competent governance -- which means that at voting time, they might make that separation too -- competence might count for less than party loyalty.

UPDATE: Frozen Garlic on the Commonwealth Poll with a nifty table

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[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!

Kaoshiung Polls: TVBS has Chen Chu out in front comfortably

When last we saw, DPP turncoat and current Kaohsiung county chief Yang Chiu-hsing had formally announced that he was running as an independent in the election for mayor in the new Kaohsiung municipality against current Kaohsiung city mayor Chen Chu and some KMT sacrificial lamb.

The latest TVBS poll has Chen Chu out in front and actually gaining slightly on Yang. TVBS says if the election were tomorrow on May 27, July 29, and August 10, respectively....

Chen Chu..............62 43 46
Yang Chiu-hsing..... -- 26 28
KMT..................... 26 16 14

Chen Chu's gain is within the margin of error of the poll, so it is hard to say how real it is, especially given TVBS' usual underreporting of pro-Green votes.

What is the situation here? Do we have two candidates from the pan-Green, or two from the pan-Blue? The poll has Chen Chu up over Yang 41-36 in Kaohsiung County, and up 52-20 in Kaohsiung city. But the interesting thing is the numbers by previous election choice. According to TVBS, of voters in the 2005 county chief election, Chen Chu gets 60% of the votes that went for Yang in 2005 plus 12% of the KMT votes. Yang, by contrast, draws 35% of the DPP voters in that election but 45% from KMT voters. Similarly, for voters in the 2006 Kaohsiung mayor election that Chen Chu won by a nose, Chen Chu draws 80% of the DPP votes plus 17% of those who voted KMT, while Yang does even worse: just 10% are DPP voters, vs 36% from KMT voters in that election. For the 2008 presidential election, Yang takes just 15% from DPP voters, but 40% from KMT.

In other words, Yang appears to be drawing the bulk of his support from would-be KMT voters -- the light blues and blue-leaning independent voters. Rather than splitting the Greens, Yang has split the Blues. Chen Chu's performance in Kaohsiung has not only assured her support from DPP voters but also won over the bulk of swing voters as well. Another indicator that Yang is drawing support from the KMT is that support for the KMT's Huang has actually fallen slightly since Yang has entered the race.

Meanwhile Yang's complaints about the DPP administration in the South, and the DPP in general, are simply regurgitating the KMT line about the DPP. If Yang wanted to conciliate them and gather up Green voters, he is taking precisely the wrong line. Commentators are positing that Yang's real function now will be to collect votes for Ma and the KMT in the 2012 election.

Good luck with that.
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[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!

DPP Splits

Seen on an ATM: Attention! The gangster may use the English operation interface to cheat you!

An aspect of the KMT Adminstration's drive to place Taiwan in China's orbit that the international media seldom comment on is role of ECFA and other agreements in supporting local political arrangements. One of these was bluntly pointed out by President Ma yesterday when he claimed that ECFA will create 34,009 (note, that is "09" exactly not "10" or "08") jobs in the five municipalities in Taiwan. Not coincidentally, the year end elections have the mayoral positions for those five municipalities up for grabs, and in all of them the opposition is performing well at this point.

In Kaohsiung DPP politician Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興) has split the DPP -- apparently -- by formally announcing that he is running in the mayoral election for the Greater Kaohsiung Municipality. The pan-Green papers had quite a bit of commentary, with some arguing that Yang may well split the KMT vote since he will need KMT support to make his candidacy go. He has received endorsement from Master Hsing Yun, the pro-China head of Fuoguangshan, it is also reported.

Yang's chances of winning in Kaohsiung are nil; pro-DPP voters will vote overwhelmingly for Chen Chu. Voters in local elections are usually quite saavy -- recall that when James Soong ran for Taipei mayor he got only a handful of votes. Also, the vote consists of both Kaohsiung city and Kaohsiung county. Chen Chu's narrow victory in the last election corresponds to only part of the electorate. In the last election for Kaohsiung County chief in 2005, the DPP polled 353,232 votes to the KMT's 244,015. That coupled with the Kaohsiung city vote likely means that Chen Chu can lose a few thousand votes to Yang and still win. However, the winner of that 2005 Kaohsiung County Chief election? Yang Chiu-hsing. So there may be some sentiment out there for him still....

Yang may inspire another DPP politician in Tainan to go it alone. Reportedly, Tainan Mayor Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財) will jump into the race in Tainan since he lost the party primary.

Compare the actions of these two politicians with those of the loser in Taichung, Lin Chia-lung. Lin was decisively beaten by Jason Hu in the last election. He has gracefully stepped aside for Su Chia-chuan this time around. If only everyone in the DPP had that kind of common sense and class.
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Daily Links:

• China, Taiwan to resume talks on adding cross-strait flights.
• Daniel Rosen in WSJ says the US should restart the TIFA talks with Taiwan, as the next stop in its "re-engagement" in Asia. They are slated to resume in December anyway, and TIFA is too modest a goal -- can we have an FTA, pretty please? The CNA published an excellent run down of major trading partners and their attitude toward FTAs with Taiwan this week.
  
• Major League Baseball wants to open the 2011 season right here in Taiwan! But the Giants players are split on the issue.
  
• Last week the MAC was saying that the missiles facing Taiwan should be removed without preconditions, this week it is saying the Anti-Secession Law is impeding cross-strait ties. Go MAC!
• The Hezbollah approach to defending Taiwan, while Brian comments on the recent simulation that shows China taking Taiwan's capital three days into a conflict.
• Remember when the tennis world said Rendy Lu was from Taipei, China and other places. Now the Rogers Cup people have it correct.
  

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[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!

Kaohsiung port takes a hit

I was reading this fascinating article today on wooden molds for making parts for the old Taiwan steam railway trains, when my friend Thomas flipped me a link to the latest blow to Kaohsiung port....it seems that the Danish shipping firm Maersk is pulling out of Kaohsiung:

A Danish giant's decision to pull out of Kaohsiung is seen as a huge blow to the port's future as China gains ground.

The world's largest boxship player has denied it is abandoning its operations in Taiwan in order to concentrate on the growing Chinese market.

Maersk Line told TradeWinds that the decision to pull out of Kaohsiung Port was made as part of a global strategy, which considers each port as a "unique situation".

Tensions have been running high at Kaohsiung since APM Terminals handed over control of piers 76 and 77 to South Korea's Hanjin Pacific at the end of January.

The existing Maersk contract expires in May, and workers at the docks actually struck this month in an attempt to get better severance pay. Maersk is strenuously denying that the decision has anything to do with its investments in China. But as this report observes:

The DPA report in the Liberty Times said Maersk last year stopped the lease on two of its four container terminals at Kaohsiung Port and would not renew the lease for the two remaining terminals when it expires. The reason being is the carrier aims to increase its investment in mainland's Port of Xiamen.

Ranked the world's third busiest container port in the 1980s, Taiwan's largest port has seen its container throughput decline from 10.3 million TEU in 2007 to 8.5 million TEU in 2009. Kaohsiung's demise in recent years has been blamed on the expansion of neighbouring ports, particularly those across the Taiwan Strait on the mainland.

The fall in the global ranking of Kaohsiung port is keenly felt in Taiwan, where international rankings on any scale are an object of much local anxiety. Another report adds (the graph below is from that report):

Indeed, there is evidence that Kaohsiung's share of the East Asian container shipping market has gradually been eroded by the emergence of rival ports in the region over the past few years. The growth of China's port sector has surpassed that of Taiwan as manufacturers have shifted their focus to the Chinese market. The development of Chinese facilities has been aided, in large part, by government tax incentives and low labour costs, which have left their Taiwanese counterparts struggling to compete. As the island's largest port, Kaohsiung has suffered the brunt of the changes and, having been the world's third-largest container port in the 1980s, saw its ranking slip to 22nd in 2008.

World rank of Kaohsiung port in TEUs handled

Kaohsiung has been in a long-term fall-off as Taiwan's factories have moved to China. Another problem for Kaohsiung in maintaining its ranking is that other ports are coming online, including the new port of Taipei in Bali, and the port in Anping in Tainan, a satellite of Kaohsiung. Taiwan currently has seven international ports: Kaohsiung, Anping, Suao, Keelung, Taipei, Hualien, and Taichung. The ROC Yearbook for 2009 says that in 2008, around 74,000 ships visited Taiwan's ports, handling a total of 12.98 million TEUs. The Port of Kaohsiung handled 9.68 million TEUs of cargo, followed by Keelung with 2.06 million TEUs. Since Keelung is being phased out in favor of the new Port of Taipei, which is five times the size of Keelung, it is obvious that Kaohsiung's share of the island's container traffic (which has increased slightly even though Kaohsiung's traffic has decreased) will continue to decline.
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Even More Daily Links

• A majority say they will vote for Hau over Su Tseng-chang if Su runs in December against Hau for Taipei mayor, but then a majority says they think Su will win.
• Ma's approval ratings now at 29 in pro-KMT UDN poll.
• China Times goes hysterical on climate change. No wonder the public doesn't know what to think.
• Taichungers: March 9 is the AmCham Taichung Happy Hour at Leble'dor Restaurant in Taichung, starting at 7
  

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[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!

Kaohsiung to Screen Uighur Leader Bioflick despite Chinese Pressure

In case you ever wondered where those up-to-date hair styles come from, check out the heads... a famous international journalist spotted this for me as we walked in a small town near Taichung.

Ah, AFP. It had a moment in the sun with several excellent and very balanced pieces recently -- causing much wondering email to flit between myself and others who watch the international media -- and now it has reverted to form. The AFP report on the decision of the Kaohsiung Film Festival to screen 10 Conditions of Love despite pressure from China and its servants in Taiwan...note how the AFP report consists entirely of Beijing-centric statements, except for a section lower down with remarks from Kaoshiung Mayor Chen Chu:

Taiwan's second-largest city on Sunday said it will show a controversial documentary about exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer in the coming days despite objections by China.

Kaohsiung, a stronghold of the pro-independence opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), was planning to screen the biopic at the Kaohsiung film festival in October but has moved the screening forward.

The China Times newspaper here quoted hotels in the southern city as saying they'd had thousands of cancellations from mainland tourists after Chinese authorities instructed tour operators to stay away temporarily from the city.

Beijing, which has labelled Kadeer a "criminal" and accused her of inciting ethnic violence in China's far-west Xinjiang region in July that led to nearly 200 deaths, warned the Kaohsiung authorities not to harm cross-strait relations.

Pro-Beijing media formulae abound....

**AFP cites the pro-KMT China Times without informing readers that it is pro-KMT, and then repeats what it says without caveats or alternate points of view. The Taipei Times, more balanced, posted both sides of the claim that the cancellations were the result of screening the film yesterday and again today, the other side saying:

According to Lin Kun-shan (林崑山), the chief of the city’s tourism bureau, however, the occupancy rate of hotels has dropped nationwide because of the recession and the devastation wrought by Typhoon Morakot.

“From January to August this year, the rate declined by 10 percent in Taipei City and Hualien County compared with the same period last year. In Kaoshiung City, it dropped by between 3 percent and 5 percent,” Lin said.

**We are told what Beijing thinks of Kadeer, but not what Kadeer thinks of Beijing. No bias there!

**"...independence from China":

Chen, a top official of the DPP, which favours formal independence from China, tried to play down the significance of the film about Kadeer, called "The 10 Conditions of Love".

The DPP favors independence, period. It doesn't believe Taiwan is part of China (it isn't).

**The Dalai Lama strains ties:

Ties between Taiwan and China, which have improved markedly since the Beijing-friendly government of President Ma Ying-jeou took office last year, looked fragile again as the Dalai Lama's visit strained the relationship.

Here the AFP reporter simply regurgitates the Beijing line that the DL was bad for "relations" between "Taiwan" and "China." Those of us here on the Beautiful Island know that Taiwan has no relations with China -- the KMT has relations with the CCP, and the DL's visit had no effect on those (as the KMT's eager service to Beijing on the Kadeer biopic shows). There were a few delays of visits by emissaries just for show, but the sell-out goes on apace, and really major stuff, the MOU that will permit Beijing to hollow out our financial industry like a gourd, is on track for October, with the ECFA a couple of months behind. The DL had zero effect on that.

Once again, the "tension" only happens in the media. In the real world there is no tension between the CCP and the KMT, just political theatre.

Really, why does AFP even bother to have media reps out here? I feel sorry for the good people of France having to read Xinhua twice every day....

The Foreigner had a good spot today on this topic, writing:

From Taiwan's China Post:

. . . ruling Kuomintang (KMT) Deputy Secretary-General Chang Jung-kung, who handles the party's ties with China, warned [the mayor of the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung] of the risks of screening [a film about Chinese Uigher leader, Rebiya Kadeer].

He said the mayor should give top priority to the public interest of her city, and should “think carefully” if the move affects Kaohsiung's [influx of Chinese tourists].

Mr. Deputy Secretary-General, free speech IS the public interest of Kaohsiung. And Taiwan too...

But as the Taipei Times pointed out, while the KMT itself might be leaping to do Beijing's bidding, the Executive Yuan commendably said the government would not interfere, as there is free speech in Taiwan.

UPDATE: Some excellent comments below. I think it is a good idea to move the screening -- we made our political point, and there is an election soon....
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Daily Links:

• Awesome post from Claudia Jean on Taiwan's environment and land restoration under threat. Not to be missed.

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[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!

Kaohsiung Film Festival to Screen "Ten Conditions of Love"

I'm using the AFP report, which is a classic AFP compilation:

The Kaohsiung Film Festival in the island's second largest city is scheduled to show "Ten Conditions of Love" on the World Uighur Congress leader Rebiya Kadeer, said organiser Liu Hsiu-ying.

"We selected Kadeer's film because it fits one of this year's themes -- 'people power.' Our goal is to promote arts and culture, we hope people will not see it from a political angle," Liu told AFP.

More than 70 films from around the world are scheduled to be screened at the festival between October 16-29, she said, adding it was a coincidence that none of them was from China.

Cue the world media: can't wait to hear all the commentary on how "immature" the Taiwan opposition is, how it "riles" Beijing. And how "restrained" Beijing is because of the "warming ties." Because when you show films, you're immature, but when you butcher people by the thousand in Tibet, you're being statesmanlike.

The AFP article is a classic. The remainder consists of 6 sentences/paragraphs, five of which directly give Beijing's view of things, without any balancing information or viewpoints. I think AFP would save itself a ton of cash if it just closed down its China offices and sourced everything from Xinhua.
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Daily Links:

• Israel, Taiwan, and the UN Disclaimer: I don't agree with everything I link to.
• Asia Times on the Dalai Lama visit, good and some of it subtly snarky. Apparently there is a global news blackout on KMT-CCP communication. Anybody out there want an op-ed?
• A new film about the White Terror.
• Taiwan just enjoyed a US$15 billion surplus in trade with China. Of course China wants the island's industries to relocate there -- that will bring that surplus to China.

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[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!

Kaohsiung Harbor 1980s Photos?

A reader passed along this problem.....

++++++++++++

My father served on the USS Pictor (AF-54) during the Korean War. He passed away on June 1, 2007 and I put together, with the help of my son Jordan, a web site about the ship he served on.

The USS Pictor (AF-54) was completely scrapped on June 16, 1987 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan according to the Release of Contract and Surety letter from the U.S. Maritime Administration.

I am trying to obtain photos taken during the 1980s of Tajenkung Pier in Kaohsiung, Taiwan where the USS Pictor was scrapped. Any information regarding Tajenkung Pier, and the ship scrapping business in Kaohsiung, during the mid to late 1980s, would be most appreciated. I would like to add the information to the USS Pictor web site.

Sincerely,

Michael Sepal
sepalmj@aol.com

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...which stimulated a post...

Shipbreaking in Taiwan peaked in the 1980s, when there were over 200 companies operating in Kaohsiung Harbor alone, at that time a world center for the industry. By 1988 this industry had basically passed its prime and the city phased it out:

In 1982, 65 percent of all the ships scrapped in the world came to their end in Taiwan. In 1986, ocean-going vessels totaling 3.69 million tons either sailed or were towed into Taiwan's "Old Ship Demolition Engineering Industry" wharves in Kaohsiung Harbor to be put to the cutting torch, a record year for the industry.

Many steel manufacturing plants, such as Tungho, Haikwang, Chuntai and Lungching, got into the act by renting piers and other space from the Kaohsiung Harbor Bureau, and began reaping big profits since 1965. The plates salvaged from the dismantled ships have been a vital source of cheap scrap metal for the ROC's steel mills, with about 30 percent of the island's domestic steel depending on the supply.

Things started turning sour for the southern port industry last year, however, when a scuttled oil tanker, the Canari, exploded in the harbor, killing 14 workers, injuring scores more and showering the city with red-hot chunks of steel.

Residents stayed close to the explosion and environmentalists began to take notice of the noise, pollution and potential danger of the operations at 24 of Kaohsiung's 37 shipbreaking wharves, and began calling the shipbreakers a "garbage industry" that was endangering and lowering the quality of life in the island port area.

That interesting article from 1988, more than twenty years ago, observes that Kaohsiung phased out the industry in order to expand its port facilities in the hope of overtaking Hong Kong by 1997, and that even then, industries were observed to be relocating away from Taiwan (this old article also tells the story of the transition away from shipbreaking).

A Google image search turns up a smattering of pics. Help?

[Taiwan]

Kaoping Meanderings

Another day, another trip to Kaohsiung on the high speed rail, this time for the Hot Games 2008. The show is the local gaming, entertainment and gambling machine industry's annual shindig. One thing about traveling in Taiwan is that you encounter your own stranger-ness, and the local friendliness, all over again. Everywhere I went people took care of me....(as always, click on these or any photo on the blog to be taken to its FLICKR page)

The show was crowded, both with buyers, and with families who brought their children to test the machines.

Taiwan makes all sorts of sophisticated equipment, incorporating software and digital media, robotics, and innovative game concepts.

Testing the slots.

Looking at the entertainment items.

Here players test a game where a controller the size of a bowling ball moves a ball across bridges and other puzzles. The concept, said the designer, was based on the traditional games of the Taiwan aborigines.

Companies also came in from abroad. Here a Korean maker shows off their golf game. A sensor on the floor detects the ball vector and assigns a location on the screen. The saleslady assured that I could make my money back in six months at $700 per person for a 2 and 1/2 hour round of 18 holes. The game has over 50 world-famous golf courses.

This photo.....

...and this photo recognize Taiwan's status as a major maker of parts and components for gaming machines.

Here the major maker Tommy Bear shows off some Batman figures. I asked....

...the lovely salesgirl where the betel nut girls were, since many foreigners know about them, but she said the manufacturer hadn't brought them.

What's a Taiwan festivity without Cosplay?

In this game based on a Japanese animated TV show, the player reaches between his legs with both hands and grabs his stick....

That evening I went out to Guanshan near the Nantze Export Processing Zone to enjoy Thai food with my friend Jason Cox, the brains behind the excellent blog That's Impossible!: Politics from Taiwan. Jason proved to be wonderful company, and in the morning we hit the streets to sample what Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties had to offer.

When I lived in Kenya I developed an affect for sugar cane. Here a street vendor makes a hungry crew happy. The streets were lined with vendors hoping to snag a buck or two from the tourists heading out to the Guanshan scenic area to play.

Although it isn't longan season, this beefy fellow was offering bags of the stuff.

Urban Kaohsiung: land of expressways.

Jason and I stopped in exciting Da She town to grab coffee and watch the locals drive by.

Hardly had we set cup to lip when a group of fire trucks sped by.

There's no limit to what a scooter can carry.

A good blog should offer images of cultural and historical significance.

Welcome to Da She, where the men are men, the women are women, and the post-accident rehab people make a fortune.

It's always election time somewhere. Here the local DPP candidate for County Chief advertises.

Asleep at the wheel.

Jason, one of the merriest people I know, manages to look serious for a moment as we both implement the admonition on the garbage can behind him.

Mother and daughter plot shopping strategy.

She outed me as a foreigner, so I snapped her photo.

After coffee we headed over to Pingtung to look at the Matzu Temple and meet up with Jason's wife Jennifer. Here a country road takes us home.

Outside of Taliao a betel nut vendor waits for customers.

Crossing the new Kaoping Bridge.

In Pingtung policemen were busy working.....

The interior of the Matsu temple. I've been to this temple before (most recently) and have always enjoyed it. It is one of the island's most beautiful, I think.

Implements of power await a procession.

Inside all that glitters is golden.

A woman chats with her friend.

On the third floor balcony a temple dragon eyes a Christian Church.

Figurines adorn this beautiful temple.

It's now a stereotype on traveler's blogs, but you gotta get a shot of the incense burners.

Beautiful Taiwan women smile for the camera.

After Pingtung we swung north to Meinung, now a tourist mecca with great traffic conditions and stunningly unique souvenirs everywhere.

Along the way I snapped this interesting picture drawn by a local elementary student on the wall of a school, warning kids not to do drugs.

On the way into the mountains we stopped at the Baofa Butterfly Sanctuary next to a nursing home, where outside was this oddly moving movement of an old Taiwanese woman singing a sad Japanese song while this couple danced.

Inside the butterfly cage I snapped this picture of Jason and Jen.

Back in Meinung town we stopped at a tourist market to fondle the totally unique souvenirs....

...and look over the selection of high quality wines. Word to the wise: avoid the banana liquor.

In the evening it was back to the Thai food place for spicy food, beer, and good conversation. Thanks for a really great time, Jason!

[Taiwan]