Arms Package on Agenda!

This just in! Reuters is reporting that after 41 failed attempts, the legislature will consider the arms package.

Taiwan's ruling party managed to get a $11 billion U.S. arms package, which it sees as key to keeping the balance of power with China, on to parliament's agenda on Tuesday after being stalled by the opposition 41 times.

Many security analysts see the Taiwan Strait, which separates China and Taiwan, as one of Asia's most dangerous flashpoints.

The United States, which recognises China and not Taiwan, offered the package of advanced weapons in 2001. Taiwan has since cut its budget for the arms from $18 billion to $11 billion

Lawmakers from Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and their allies voted 12 to 5 in a sub-committee responsible for setting parliament agenda while many opposition lawmakers were in a separate meeting. But the victory could be short-lived as the opposition Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT), which once ruled all China, and People First Party control a slim parliamentary majority and vowed to overturn the decision on Friday.

[Taiwan]

Rev. Moon, Neil Bush and Taiwan

CommonDreams today linked an interesting article on Presidential brother Neil Bush, who has been traveling all over Asia recently with the Moonie cult leader Sun Myung Moon, including our fair isle:

As the president was trumpeting a 35-page National Security Council document titled "Our National Strategy for Victory in Iraq", Neil has been touting his company's prospectus. Over the past six months, Neil Bush has been shepherded around several former Soviet republics by a man wanted for fraud by Russian authorities, and has showed up in the Philippines and Taiwan at the side of a self-styled messiah.

Neil Bush will do anything with anyone, as both articles note:

Reverend Moon is the latest in a line of unusual partners for Neil Bush in recent years, including the son of former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, and fugitive Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky, who has been promoting the younger Bush's educational software company, Ignite!, according to the Washington Post.

and CommonDreams points out, comically:

Stained by his involvement in the savings and loan debacle, Neil Bush's reputation was further soiled by revelations contained in a deposition that was part of his divorce from his wife Sharon. In those documents, Bush revealed details about rewarding business deals and a series of sexual encounters with women in Asia.

Sharon Bush's lawyer, Marshall Davis Brown, questioned Bush about an August 2002 contract with Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp., a firm backed by Jiang Mianheng, the son of former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, that would pay him two million dollars in stock over five years: "You have absolutely no educational background in semiconductors do you?"

"That's correct," Bush responded.

"And you have absolutely over the last 10, 15, 20 years not a lot of demonstrable business experience that would bring about a company investing two million dollars in you?" Brown persisted.

In the deposition, Bush also admitted to having had a series of sexual encounters with Asian woman, while on trips to Thailand and Hong Kong. According to Bush, the women knocked on his door, entered and engaged in sex with him. According to a CNN report, Bush "said he did not know if they were prostitutes because they never asked for money and he did not pay them".

Apparently Neil has been rubbing elbows with a number of Taiwan's leaders, as Alternet observes. Their article says:

Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the South Korean giant of the religious right who owns the Washington Times, is on a 100-city speaking tour to promote his $200 billion "Peace King Tunnel" dream. As he describes it, the tunnel would be both a monument to his magnificence, and a totem to his prophecy of a unified Planet Earth. In this vision, the United Nations would be reinvented as an instrument of God's plan, and democracy and sexual freedom would crumble in the face of this faith-based glory.

This tunnel would connect Alaska to Russia. Moon is not the first person to have imagined such a project, as Harry Turtledove wrote a great SF novel about a tunnel under the Atlantic, and before he got lost in Xanth, Piers Anthony pictured a trans-Pacific tunnel in his classic trilogy Battle Circle. It's a shame Moon thinks so small, eh? Meanwhile Moon apparently wowed 'em in Taipei:

The Taiwan paper similarly revealed high-powered support for Moon, describing Republic of China Vice President Annette Lu as listening "rapt" to his speech.

I'll bet Annette was just jealous that Moon not only had his own set of worshippers, but was able to say even crazier things than she does, such as claiming that Caucasians are descended from polar bears.

"The white race is descended from polar bears. Animals blend with the environment for camouflage. In the same way, the white race appears as they do because their ancestors lived in the wilderness of snow, and looking for water their eyes became the color of water, blue. Caucasian hair is many colors, because there are many colors in the environment. The coloring is not God's creation but due to the environment. They had to hunt everyday, so they became excited about seeing blood. So the white race history has always been stained by blood. Who eliminated the American Indians? White people. How can we understand that? The white race is the polar bear race. They came through the Scandinavian Peninsula and to Great Britain, the island of pirates. In what can you take pride? They tried to conquer the world."

No matter what Annette says, she will never be able to match that. The Taipei Times covered the story on 12/2:

Moon Sun-myung, founder of South Korea's Unification Church, was in Taiwan on Wednesday to launch a global peace campaign and promote the formation of "ideal families."

Ideal families? Yeesh.

[Taiwan] [Bush]

Wings Taiwan

Les of Wings Taiwan dropped me a line about his great blog today. Its stated purpose is:

Wings Taiwan's aim is to promote: the development and preservation of flying sites in Taiwan, safe and responsible flying, the sharing of skills and information among pilots, organized flying activities, and a positive public image for the sport.

I love blogs that focus on specific issues, as they are always very informative. Just consider this sample question that tests the visitor's knowledge:

When would you expect to find thermal turbulence?

I usually encounter thermal turbulence when I utter such phrases as "I'm sorry, honey, I maxxed out the credit card today" or "My, but that expensive new dress you just bought sure makes you look fat." I'm sure many fliers have had similar experiences....

[Taiwan] [Taiwan Blogs]

Forward Progress on the Arms Purchase?

MeiZhongTai posts on the recent announcement by the President that he wanted to see defense spending increased to three percent:

Saturday, President Chen Shui-bian announced that he intended to see defense spending increased to three percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) by the time he leaves office in 2008.* That same day, Tseng Yung-chuan, the KMT's Party Whip, indicated the KMT may allow debate of the arms purchases requested by the Ministry of Defense if the administration increases defense spending to three percent of GDP. It is unclear which of these statements was made first.

Taiwan-watchers may recall that that former AIT head and longtime Taiwan expert Richard Bush met recently with KMT leaders to discuss their intransigence on the arms purchase. US decision-makers have also been calling for Taiwan to boost military spending to 3% of GDP. With both the KMT and the DPP suddenly making concessions on the arms purchase, it's pretty clear that this announcement is related to that recent visit by Bush. I'm gratified that Beltway officialdom took my advice to send someone with clout over here to break KMT heads (gratitude for my good advice may be shown by a large deposit in a Swiss bank account with my name on it). MZT adds:

If one thought the move to three percent might still hold the key to cooperation, KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou offered a new spin on why the Blues have been obstructing the arms procurement (one really starts to wonder if they have a reason after the numerous changing explanations). The arms must be shown to be appropriate for Taiwan's defense needs and not simply a "cash-for-friendship" purchase. Ma claims this has been the Blue's reason for obstruction all along. I have long worried that the rationale for the purchase offered by Lee Teng-hui and others would come back to bite them and it appears to have done so.

MeiZhongTai is wrong here, I think. The "protection money" argument has not come back to bite its supporters (like this writer). The fact is that it is difficult to respond to the critique that the arms purchase is "protection money" because the remaining weapons in the weapons package are so useless, especially the most expensive ones, the submarines. The Blues, for all that their rationale remains a moving target, are essentially right: the arms package at least strongly appears to be protection money. The US could make that argument disappear overnight simply by offering the island another 300 modern fighters, increased training and cooperation, and copious quantities of ammunition and spare parts, or perhaps other clearly useful weapons -- attack helicopters, anti-ship missiles, and so on -- and deleting the submarines. At the moment, the Blues appear correct and there is no getting around that. In reality, both Blues and Greens agree that the arms purchase is protection money, but they disagree on whether that is a good thing or not. And when both Blues and Greens agree on the nature of reality.....

MZT also points out the KMT spin on the referendum:

Lest one become optimistic and think the impasse is history, Mr. Tseng elaborated on the offer, saying that the Patriot missiles were off the table because in his view, they had been voted down in the 2004 referendum. The Pan Greens will surely disagree with that interpretation of the referendum.

MZT is too kind. My more pompous polemical self can't help but point out that the KMT is lying through its teeth. The referendum was overwhelmingly supported, but failed to get enough votes to make it valid, an entirely different set of affairs than them being "voted down." But then it is redundant to refer to "KMT lies."

Once again, it behooves me to point out that the Blue's real objections are to the Patriot missiles, which are likely to be very useful even though there are not enough of them. The Blues fear them so much that they will not even discuss them. That, more than anything else, reveals who is holding Vader's leash here.

[Taiwan] [US] [China] [US Foreign Policy]

Bush Admin Spying on Patriotic Americans and Taiwan

The Baltimore Group draws some scary conclusions about the anti-American Bush Admnistration's war on its own citizens:

I think the keys are in the existence of a federal database of communications and individuals who disagree with Bush administration policies, who voice their disagreement through protest and advocacy, and that these people are in no way accused of committing any crimes or being associated with terror groups.

"The burgeoning use of national security letters coincided with an unannounced decision to deposit all the information they yield into government data banks -- and to share those private records widely, in the federal government and beyond." The Bush administration is spying on people who oppose them and then spreading the word about who those people are? Beyond the federal government?!? Does this mean they share the identities, activities, and beliefs of Americans who have been accused of no crimes with foreign governments? Will peaceful advocates for a free Palestine in the US have their identities and communications passed on to the Israeli government? Will people working for a free Tibet, an independent Taiwan, or religious freedoms inside of China have their identities and communications passed on to the Chinese government?

Inasmuch as the US and China have cooperated in anti-terrorism activities in the past, this represents a real possibility....

[Taiwan] [China] [US] [President Torquemada] [Taiwan Independence] [Tibet]

Yu announces DPP chairmanship bid

Presidential Secretary General Yu Shyi-kun (游錫堃) formally announced his candidacy for the chairmanship of the governing Democratic Progressive Party the other day. I like Yu, but wanted to see someone younger. In any case the announcement was notable for a couple of things:

"The DPP did poorly in the recent elections. This means that the people decided to teach the party a lesson so that it learns to be introspective and humble. This is undoubtedly the DPP's most difficult time," Yu said.

"The opposition has made considerable progress. Therefore, the DPP will have to accelerate reforms. I don't talk much, but I keep my word. I will prove that I can win back the people's trust and respect with concrete actions," Yu added.

If elected, Yu vowed that he would lead the party in expediting internal reforms and "win back the trust and esteem of people, and to write history again with ideals."

Yu submitted his resignation as presidential secretary general on Thursday, when he first confirmed his intention to run for DPP chair. President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has yet approved Yu's resignation. Yu had also quit his position as a DPP Central Standing Committee member on the same day in order to run for the race as an ordinary DPP partisan.

Yu was not, however, the only candidate in the running for the DPP chair. On Friday, DPP Legislator Trong Chai (蔡同榮) collected his registration form and former DPP Chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) also asked his aide to collect a form Saturday, although the aid declined to comment whether the form was in fact for Lin or a candidate which Lin intended top champion.

The 64-year-old Lin issued an open letter on Friday to expound to "all DPP members" his ideas about the competition for the chairmanship. Seen by most people as a respectable DPP heavyweight, Lin contended in his letter that neither incumbent ranking government officials nor those intending to run in the 2008 presidential election should run for the chairmanship.

In accordance with Lin's criterion, since Yu had already tendered his resignation as presidential aide, opponent Chai and reporters asked yesterday whether he was intending to run in the 2008 presidential election.

"No DPP member should talk about the 2008 presidential race at this juncture," Yu responded, after unveiling his view that the party must work hard to regain voters' trust and support (emphasis mine).

Lin I-hsiung is a great old member of the DPP, widely respected. It is good that some of the top people realize that the Chairmanship can't be used as a stepping stone for the presidency. What's really needed is a professional electioneer who can coordinate the next two campaigns. Perhaps they can hire someone for the Vice Chairman position.

Yu's acceptance of "being taught a lesson" is a touching and culturally appropriate display of contrition, but note that he is prepared to argue that point.

He argued that the DPP government had not really failed in delivering its promises over the past five years and began his campaign with the slogan of "selflessness, inflexibility and dependability," reflecting his opinion that "the DPP must fulfill more, since it has made many pledges."

The Blues' obstructionism is the fundamental reason Taiwan is not being governed properly -- which is not to deny the DPP's flatpeter reactions to many of its problems -- and the DPP must focus on that message, and hammer away at the pro-China parties whenever it gets the chance.

UPDATE: I wanted to add that I suspect the reason Su quit is so that he could run for President in '08. The whole resignation thing was just a bit of sleight of hand to get him out of the post.

[Taiwan] [DPP]

Chinese force Taiwanese businessmen to spy on .... Falun Gong

Taiwan News reports that a Chinese defector claims China forces local businessmen to spy on the Falun Gong:

Many of the entertainment venues such as nightclubs and bars are actually traps to frame the Taiwanese businessmen as they engage in sexual acts with prostitutes," said Hao.

Prostitution, and paying for sexual favors, is illegal in China and offenders are sent for re-education at labor-camps.

After the businessmen had been "caught," for various offenses, Hao would inform the police and when the businessmen had been arrested, they would call on "councilman" Hao for help to extricate them from their predicaments.

Hao would then persuade the businessmen to collect information on Taiwan, in particular, the activities of the Falung Gong religious group, in exchange for exoneration or a lighter penalty.

If true, then the level of paranoia in China about the Falun Gong has reached terrific heights. But the Chinese have excellent information sources about Taiwan and must know that Falun Gong is insignificant here. I guess they saw this van parked at a tourist site in Taiwan...



....and assumed the dastardly Taiwanese are in league with the Falun Gong. Still, this stinks of disinformation, distortion by absurdity.


[Taiwan] [China] [Falun Gong]

Why don't I Blog on Iraq More?

The Peking Duck offered a thread recently that discussed the alleged silence of liberal blogs on the elections in Iraq. Richard's essay was almost perfect, but I wanted to discuss it myself. As I said in the comments there.....

I didn't blog on Iraq much because, frankly, I don't like contemplating that criminal stupidity that is consuming both Iraq and my country. It's just too painful for me to look at any more. I literally push it from my mind.

Another problem is that I cannot contemplate Iraq without a deep, explosive, killing anger. And I don't like feeling angry and hateful.

Finally. What was there to say? Fussell writes on this issue in the best book on WWII, Wartime: Understanding and Behavior in the Second World War when he notes that while WWI created an outpouring of poetry and novels outraged with the war, but the far worse horror of WWII resulted only in ..... silence. I think there is a lot of the same problem. Here the analogue is Vietnam and Iraq -- the first produced a steady stream of movies, art, and literature, the second......nada.

Silence. I no longer become outraged, so much as more and more distressed and dislocated.....and silent. The President of US announced a couple of days ago that he would be damned if he would obey the Constitution, and the NY Times defended his use of the Constitution as a doormat, not in forthright explication, but with careful rhetoric that was like the hollow clang of an empty suit of armor. I feel like the lead character in Dark City, who awakens every night at midnight to find that everyone else is asleep and the city is re-arranging itself around him. To speak is to bang on the car doors of the sleeping denizens of Dark City, expecting them to wake up, but instead, they go right on dreaming, unaware that the world they knew has been transformed into something unutterably evil. What use is speech in the face of that? For the me the United States I knew has become like a phantom limb, sending me itches of a previous wholeness.....

As I noted at Peking Duck, all this was so predictable. Many things in my life I have failed to foresee, and others I plunged into like damned doomed troopers in a Wilfred Owen poem, but Iraq was a future whose nature was already written in our past. Two years ago I argued in this thread here on April 1, 2003 in conversation with spl_cadet:

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

So what if they weren't as nasty? How is that supposed to make us commit atrocities?

spl_cadet, we committed atrocities in a number of places when facing guerilla warfare, which we face now. The Iraqis are not stupid. They know that if the US army is stressed enough it will begin indiscriminate warfare against civilians. Already the Army is asking the Administration for more liberal rules, and is taking a tougher stance on civilians. The Iraqis do not have to defeat us on the battlefield. There are many ways we can lose this war, and one way is if we lose ourselves.

I am against this war, precisely because I know what it will do to my country's military and reputation abroad. We seem like madmen to the rest of the world now. I live overseas, you know. And if I see the worst happening in this war, it is because of my experiences with the incompetence and venality of the current Administration, and the nature of international politics and above all, the dehumanizing effects of war on both the Army that fights and the People that watch. Calls to "String 'em up!" scare me. War is madness.

So do I. That's why, like a good democratic citizen, I carefully monitor its behavior and hold it accountable for its actions. I do not take my leaders' word for anything, and neither should you. A democracy cannot function if people who profoundly disagree with current policy are told that they hate they country and that whenever the Administration declares war, everyone should shut up. That's not how democracy is supposed to operate. Indeed, it is in precisely these times that people should speak up the loudest.

Maybe. I sure hope so. I'd hate to think what our military and economy will look like after a year of this. Of course, they are already racking up Syria and Iran next. Did you see Powell's speech?

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

What's incredible is that after two years of defeat and dishonor and destruction of two countries, anyone supports this war.

[US] [Bush] [Iraq]

KMT Gets an Early Start on Looting and Lying

The KMT generated some premature tragicomedy today as the incoming County Chief for Taipei County, one of the DPP strongholds taken in the recent local elections, had his first of many gaffes to come. The incoming KMT officeholder, Chou Hsi-wei, announced that the previous county chief Su's office was too luxurious for his own very humble self, and immediately went out and blew NT$5 million on new offices on the floor below the old ones. The United Daily News, a pro-KMT paper, called it the "新縣長辦公室風波" -- The New County Chief Office Incident.

The really great thing about this is that KMT party Chairman and Great White Hope Ma Ying-jeou, who naturally backed the incoming chief, stuck his nose into the conflict and his thumb into his own eye, when he said that there was no way that Chou had the authority to order the the County government to make such a decision:

台北縣長周錫瑋還未上任，即將進駐的新縣長辦公室風波不斷，台北市長馬英九說，周錫瑋還沒就任，根本無法命令縣府裝修新縣長辦公室。縣府人員認為，完全按照周錫瑋的意思去做。

This being Taiwan, where only what's on paper is real, county government officials swung into action and produced Chou's signature on the relevant documents, saying that Chou had insisted on it. Chou later apologized and said he'd use his own money to effect the changes.

There are several things that struck me as interesting. One is Ma's appalling political judgment -- shouldn't someone cautioned him not to open his mouth until all the facts were available? This was a small bit of egg on the face, but it is exactly the kind of thing people tend to remember. Why didn't he pick up the phone and call Chou to get the facts clear? Why didn't he wait to see which way the wind was blowing?

Think anyone believes Chou when he says that Su's offices were too opulent?

It's a small incident, and it may not mean anything, but it is indicative of poor political judgment, poor communications, and shoot-from-the-hip protectiveness. I do not expect the luster to wear off Ma for quite a while. But sooner or later, if stuff like this continues, it will.

Of course, in the meantime, the people of Taiwan are going to learn that the only entity "taught a lesson" during the elections was...the electorate. If they are willing to learn it, of course.

[Taiwan] [KMT]

Taiwan to Build Airfield in the Spratlys

The Ministry of National Defense announced yesterday that Taiwan would engender even more international complications build an airfield in the Spratlys to help with supply and rescue missions.

TAIPEI - Vice Minister of National Defense Huo Shou-yeh confirmed Thursday that the Taiwan government will build an airfield on one of the biggest islets of the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

The minister emphasized that the airport to be located on Taiping Island, is not intended for military use but humanitarian purposes such as emergency sea rescue efforts.

Hou said that the plan to build the airfield was proposed by the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) and that the Ministry of National Defense (MND) would assist by sending soldiers for construction.

Plans for the airfield provide for basic facilities, including a 1,150-meter runway and a control tower.

The minister said the airfield will only be capable of handling the takeoff and landing of C130 aircraft, not other military aircraft, fighters or anti-submarine aircraft, so the airfield will not pose any military threat to the surrounding islets.

....

Shi pointed out that the government currently has 200 Coast Guard officers stationed on Taiping Island, and that it takes eight days and costs NT$40 million in fuel expenses for the Coast Guard to carry out one resupplying mission by sea between Taiwan and Taiping Island.

....

He said the plan to build the airfield was first included in the Ministry of the Interior's policy guidelines on the Spratlys in 1993, adding that China and Malaysia have competed to build airfields on islands or reefs of the Spratlys in recent years to affirm their sovereignty claims.

My own opinion is that Taiwan ought to give this stuff up, as it will only needlessly infuriate neighboring nations whose goodwill it requires.

[Taiwan] [Spratlys]

More Government Outlays for Feng Shui

A few months ago the government decided to redesign the entrance of the main train station in Taipei due to feng shui, at no little cost to government budgets. Apparently the derision that arose over that decision was not enough to deter Yilan from doing the same thing:

Yilan County Council has decided to spend NT$20 million changing the position of the front gate of the council building because councilors have decided that the building had bad feng shui.

The Yilan Council Building cost NT$700 million to build and was completed in 2001. The structure, designed in the image of a huge sailboat, won the National Golden Award for Architecture thanks to its unique style.

But since the opening of the building, four sons of Democratic Progressive Party councilors have died in a series of accidents and numerous DPP councilors have been plagued by lawsuits. As a result, many councilors began to suspect that the building's feng shui is having a bad influence on the councilors' fortunes.

Some DPP councilors even implied that DPP nominee Chen Ding-nan's (陳定南) failure in the Yilan County Magistrate Election was down to the building's feng shui, according to the local media.

............

As the Yilan County Government has not begun the renovations yet, Kuomintang Council Speaker Chang Jian-rong said that the government had better begin construction as soon as possible to let councilors live without fear.

I feel sad for the families that lost their sons, but the fact is that feng shui had zip to do with it. Redesigning the building won't help one whit.

[Taiwan] [feng shui]

Lu Promises Not to Run for Chair as New Poll Puts Chen's Approval at 10%

A poll from TVBS puts Chen's ratings at just 10%.

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) popularity has fallen to a new low of ten percent amid intensified infighting in his Democratic Progressive Party in the wake of its election setback, a survey said yesterday.

The survey by the TVBS cable news channel on Wednesday and Thursday also found that some 33 percent of 945 respondents approved of the performance of Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), despite her strong criticism of the president.

The poll was conducted after Lu changed her mind and agree to continue as the DPP's acting chairman after senior party politicians called for unity amid a rift between the top two leaders.

Readers may recall that TVBS is a pro-KMT station 100% owned by Hong Kong interests, which the Administration went after in a clumsy and stupid move a couple of months back that result in much egg on the DPP's face. Chen's popularity is low, but TVBS is not a credible source of good numbers.

In the meantime the papers are reporting that Vice President Annette Lu will not be running for the DPP chairmanship.

Pundits have speculated that Lu would seek to become the regular DPP chair in an attempt to win the party's presidential nomination in 2008. Lu's decision not to seek the chairmanship helped set the stage for an upcoming duel between Presidential Secretary-general Yu Shyi-kun (游錫堃) and DPP Legislator Trong Chai (蔡同榮).

[Taiwan] [DPP] [TVBS]

Whither Japan and Taiwan Defense Ties

A symposium yesterday called for Japan to move US ground troops based there to Taiwan. Yes, and we can use our wing of flying pigs to protect them....

Japan should suggest that the United States government relocate Japan-based U.S. troops to Taiwan to help ensure regional security, scholars urged yesterday at an international symposium held in Taipei to discuss the transformation of the U.S. military and the framework of Asian security.

In his welcoming remarks, former President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) said that the world has entered a second era of cold war among the U.S., China, and Russia. In light of China's growing military and economic strength, Taiwan should be well equipped with arms to cope with any possible surprise attacks launched by China, he said.

The forum, attended by scholars from Taiwan and Japan was co-hosted by the Taiwan National Security Institute and Japan's Asian Security Forum.

The Taiwan National Security Institute is described at WUFI's website (I can't find any website for it in English):

台灣安保協會是以促進台灣、日本民間之安全保障對話，增進兩國學術交流暨亞太和平為宗旨。　

Its stated purpose is to promote dialogue on Taiwan and Japan security barriers, etc. Unfortunately this doesn't sound so much like dialogue as collective fantasy. What's interesting is that it is just another signal in a long train that Japan and Taiwan are going to draw closer on security matters. WUFI itself is militantly Taiwan nationalist -- the KMT used to circulate rumors that they had terrorist training camps in South America.

[Taiwan] [US] [China] [Japan]

F-22 to Protect Taiwan?

The F-22 was declared operational yesterday and the China-Taiwan problem drew some attention in the mention:

With the Soviet Union gone, defense analysts have cast the F-22 as the weapon of choice for any future U.S. conflict with China, for instance over Taiwan.

"There is a clear role for F-22 here," said Daniel Goure, a former Pentagon strategist now at the Lexington Institute, an Arlington, Virginia, research group with close ties to the U.S. defense establishment.

The article mentions that the fighter wing may be redeployed to Guam next year.

[Taiwan] [US] [China]

New blogs on the roll this saturday

NCCU Junior Writing Class
http://nccujuniorwriting.blogspot.com/


melgeetaiwan's Journal
http://www.livejournal.com/users/melgeetaiwan/

TAIWAN FUN
http://www.livejournal.com/users/texoz/

[Taiwan] [Taiwan Blogs]