Lien's Trip to China
Honorary KMT Chairman Lien Chan is following up last April's historic Chinese visit with another this year. He's leaving Thursday, April 14. Since he added the "honorary" title, the Chinese could hardly not accord him even more honors befitting a high-profile provincial minion - so he gets to meet with PRC President Hu Jintao on Sunday.
Hu's most generous gift to Lien and Taiwan last year was a pair of giant pandas. He's expected to offer more goodwill this year - probably in the form of more non-cashable currency. The big question in some people's minds: Will Hu take President Chen's bait and announce that he embraces the 1992 consensus and explicitly state that it means that Beijing can interpret "one China" as the PRC and Taipei can can interpret it as the ROC?
Chen indicated during his meeting last week with Ma Ying-jeou that he would proceed with cross-strait dialogue if Hu makes such a public statement. The farce, as Chen pointed out, is that he actually recognizes that there are two Chinas. It's only the PRC that doesn't accept the existence of the ROC. It would indeed be fascinating if Hu made a clear statement in support of "one China, each side with its own interpretation."
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Populism Unpopular in Hong Kong
Poor President Chen. Suffering dismal popularity ratings at home in Taiwan, you'd expect that comrades in Hong Kong would at least recognize his good faith in actively managing cross-strait relations. Sadly not. Apparently, Chen is almost as unpopular in Hong Kong as in Taiwan. See this Angus-Reid poll. However, it appears Hong Kongers are on the "Ma Phenomenon" bandwagon. At least they won't hurl "Hong Kong Foot" as an epithet at the handsome KMT chairman.
Poor President Chen. Suffering dismal popularity ratings at home in Taiwan, you'd expect that comrades in Hong Kong would at least recognize his good faith in actively managing cross-strait relations. Sadly not. Apparently, Chen is almost as unpopular in Hong Kong as in Taiwan. See this Angus-Reid poll. However, it appears Hong Kongers are on the "Ma Phenomenon" bandwagon. At least they won't hurl "Hong Kong Foot" as an epithet at the handsome KMT chairman.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Preserving a "Traditional" Way of Life
If I ever get back to my erstwhile occupation as a translator, I want to be sure that I have as many opportunities to get source text in traditional characters as possible. That's why I "signed" this online petition. 16,000 "signatures" and counting.
Maybe I've been in Taiwan too long, but it just seems crazy to me that the UN would adopt the upstart simplified characters when even people in China seem to prefer traditional ones in intellectual and even commercial pursuits. Or maybe the UN has taken a position similar to President Chen's re pandas: keep them (traditional characters) in their natural environment for conservation reasons.
Update 4/11: After a few weeks of this story coming into and out of the news, Taiwan's foreign ministry has explained that the UN told it that in fact, traditional characters have not been used there since 1971. A sad day for Taiwan's media workers ... and anyone else worldwide who picked up the story and never double-checked it.
I was kind of wondering whether it was an April Fool's prank, but a quick google news search yielded a March 24 story
If I ever get back to my erstwhile occupation as a translator, I want to be sure that I have as many opportunities to get source text in traditional characters as possible. That's why I "signed" this online petition. 16,000 "signatures" and counting.
Maybe I've been in Taiwan too long, but it just seems crazy to me that the UN would adopt the upstart simplified characters when even people in China seem to prefer traditional ones in intellectual and even commercial pursuits. Or maybe the UN has taken a position similar to President Chen's re pandas: keep them (traditional characters) in their natural environment for conservation reasons.
Update 4/11: After a few weeks of this story coming into and out of the news, Taiwan's foreign ministry has explained that the UN told it that in fact, traditional characters have not been used there since 1971. A sad day for Taiwan's media workers ... and anyone else worldwide who picked up the story and never double-checked it.
I was kind of wondering whether it was an April Fool's prank, but a quick google news search yielded a March 24 story
Monday, April 03, 2006
Bian-Ma Hui
Watching the end of the meeting between Ma Ying-jeou and Chen Shui-bian.
Well, it's a start.
Really, though, it's mostly an argument about words.
I'll leave it to Feiren to write a more complete analysis. I just have to say both men are pretty impressive. Ma speaks very well and looks very reasonable, but he's just not as foxy as Chen. I've seen him speak a few times in person using English and he knows how to use humor, but he doesn't really make laugh.
This may be the first time I've seen Chen in a conversational context and it's the first time I've understood his appeal. He makes me laugh. The most amusing part of his "conversation" with Ma was when he asked him to define the boundaries of ROC under his "one China, each his own interpretation" ('92 consensus) model.
Watching the end of the meeting between Ma Ying-jeou and Chen Shui-bian.
Well, it's a start.
Really, though, it's mostly an argument about words.
I'll leave it to Feiren to write a more complete analysis. I just have to say both men are pretty impressive. Ma speaks very well and looks very reasonable, but he's just not as foxy as Chen. I've seen him speak a few times in person using English and he knows how to use humor, but he doesn't really make laugh.
This may be the first time I've seen Chen in a conversational context and it's the first time I've understood his appeal. He makes me laugh. The most amusing part of his "conversation" with Ma was when he asked him to define the boundaries of ROC under his "one China, each his own interpretation" ('92 consensus) model.
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Washington Post Ma interview
Michael Turton over at The View From Taiwan says he'll "be watching this one[Ma Ying Jeou's US trip] closely, as it will be an important test of the fairness and accuracy of US media."
Rank will kick things off by a review of Edward Cody's interview with Ma in the Washington Post.
In fact, there is a fierce debate going on over Taiwan's economy. The pro-China parties say that Chen is ignoring the economy while the pro-Taiwan parties and press say that the reason Taiwan's economy is growing slowly is because Taiwan's industrial base is being hollowed out investment in China.
In spite of that investment, Taiwan's economy has been making modest but consistent gains over the past 18 months. Taiwan is also undergoing a difficult transition from a manufacturing economy to an service-oriented knowledge economy. But whoever wins the next election will have difficulties meeting expectations of fast economic growth that were created during Taiwan's boom days as it industrialzed. Those days are not going to come back no matter who is president simply because Taiwan relatively mature economy is simply not going to grow at a rate of 10 percent.
Ma's supposed appeal to women and this quote are both misleading. While Ma does appeal to some segments of Taiwan's newly-minted middle class, I have often heard working class Taiwanese women (especially down south) say that he is not manly enough and that he comes off as being weak. So his appeal may not be universal.
Taiwanese tend to get excited about meeting celebrities. So just because Ms. Chen thinks it would be cool to meet Ma, it does not necessarily follow that she will vote for him. You can see this if you follow two candidates from different parties as they canvas a traditional market. There will be shouts of Dongsuan (Elected!) for both candidates and gifts of turnips (sign of good luck and prosperity) for both candidates. In other words, the warmth of a reception is no guaruntee that votes will be delivered.
Calling Taiwanese a dialect is a sure sign of bias. And Ma has hardly smoothed things over with Wang, who is still smarting from the thrashing Ma gave him. This is a good example of how the personal usually trumps political principle in Taiwan. Wang could well defect in 2008 or wait in the wings for the conclsuion of a disasterous first term for Ma and then run on some kind of pro-Taiwan ticket in 2008.
Ma's position, as he repeated on TV, is that Taiwan does not need and cannot afford 'unreasonable' arms purchases. At the core of Ma position is the proposition that Taiwan does not need to buy weapons from the US because he is going to defuse tensions with China by not confronting China. This is not only dangerous since the one of the few things in the outside world that China's leadership seems to understand and respect is military power, but also unpersuasive since the US is concerned that Taiwan is effectively disarming itself while China is vastly expanding its military arsenal. The arms purchases are unreasonable for Ma because as a Chinese nationalist he does not see China as a threat to Taiwan.
Michael Turton over at The View From Taiwan says he'll "be watching this one[Ma Ying Jeou's US trip] closely, as it will be an important test of the fairness and accuracy of US media."
Rank will kick things off by a review of Edward Cody's interview with Ma in the Washington Post.
Here in Taiwan, a strong majority has consistently told poll-takers that maintenance of the status quo is the wisest course, expressing unwillingness to embrace reunification but uneasiness about the possibility that a passionate quest for independence could lead to war. A dip in the island's economic growth has added another argument, raising fears that Chen's independence drive is diverting official attention from economic concerns. In casual conversations last week, residents of the capital, Taipei, repeatedly emphasized worries that Chen's priorities were out of balance.The problem here of course is that residents of Taipei City tend to be anti-Chen because of the high proportion of mainlanders in Taipei. Foreign journalists and others consistently make the mistake of conflating views they hear in Taipei with those of the rest of Taiwan. And then they wonder why the KMT doesn't always win.
In fact, there is a fierce debate going on over Taiwan's economy. The pro-China parties say that Chen is ignoring the economy while the pro-Taiwan parties and press say that the reason Taiwan's economy is growing slowly is because Taiwan's industrial base is being hollowed out investment in China.
In spite of that investment, Taiwan's economy has been making modest but consistent gains over the past 18 months. Taiwan is also undergoing a difficult transition from a manufacturing economy to an service-oriented knowledge economy. But whoever wins the next election will have difficulties meeting expectations of fast economic growth that were created during Taiwan's boom days as it industrialzed. Those days are not going to come back no matter who is president simply because Taiwan relatively mature economy is simply not going to grow at a rate of 10 percent.
Ma, the mayor of Taipei, has the movie-star looks and sleaze-free appeal to capitalize on the new political winds, Taiwanese analysts said, provided nothing blows him off course during the next two years. Women on both sides of the Taiwan Strait especially appreciate him. Hearing that a friend was about to interview Ma, Chen Hui-ting, a 24-year-old college student, said: "Wow, that's so cool to be meeting Ma. Say hi to him for me."
Ma's supposed appeal to women and this quote are both misleading. While Ma does appeal to some segments of Taiwan's newly-minted middle class, I have often heard working class Taiwanese women (especially down south) say that he is not manly enough and that he comes off as being weak. So his appeal may not be universal.
Taiwanese tend to get excited about meeting celebrities. So just because Ms. Chen thinks it would be cool to meet Ma, it does not necessarily follow that she will vote for him. You can see this if you follow two candidates from different parties as they canvas a traditional market. There will be shouts of Dongsuan (Elected!) for both candidates and gifts of turnips (sign of good luck and prosperity) for both candidates. In other words, the warmth of a reception is no guaruntee that votes will be delivered.
But he has left nothing to chance. To broaden his appeal among Taiwan's native population -- who provide Chen his base -- Ma has been studying Taiwanese dialect and renewing ties to the man he defeated to become Nationalist chairman, Wang Jin-pyng, the parliamentary speaker and a native Taiwanese.
Calling Taiwanese a dialect is a sure sign of bias. And Ma has hardly smoothed things over with Wang, who is still smarting from the thrashing Ma gave him. This is a good example of how the personal usually trumps political principle in Taiwan. Wang could well defect in 2008 or wait in the wings for the conclsuion of a disasterous first term for Ma and then run on some kind of pro-Taiwan ticket in 2008.
The son of a Nationalist general who came from the mainland with the defeated Chiang Kai-shek in 1949, Ma has been a party activist since his student days.The KMT didn't have party activists when MA was cronying his way up the ranks and allegedly spying on Taiwanese activists at Harvard. But Ma's 'activist days' are worth looking at partly because of his involvement in the Diaoyutai Islands movement, a touchstone for Chinese nationalism in Taiwan. One of the more telling omissions in Cody's interview is his failure to address Ma's Chinese nationalism. What many foreigners believe they are getting in Ma is a western-educated English speaking politician they can deal with and who shares or understands US interests. While Ma is genuinely committed to democracy and rule of law, he is also a fairly hardcore Chinese nationalist who will almost certainly tilt Taiwan sharply toward China and away from the US.
Despite his promise to smooth relations with China, Ma is likely to face hostile questions in Washington about why his party's legislative majority has blocked an $18.2 billion arms sale proposed by the Bush administration five years ago and pushed without success by Chen.
Ma's position, as he repeated on TV, is that Taiwan does not need and cannot afford 'unreasonable' arms purchases. At the core of Ma position is the proposition that Taiwan does not need to buy weapons from the US because he is going to defuse tensions with China by not confronting China. This is not only dangerous since the one of the few things in the outside world that China's leadership seems to understand and respect is military power, but also unpersuasive since the US is concerned that Taiwan is effectively disarming itself while China is vastly expanding its military arsenal. The arms purchases are unreasonable for Ma because as a Chinese nationalist he does not see China as a threat to Taiwan.
Ma said the Bush administration was unwise to accept Chen's decision on the unification council with only a mild reaction. U.S. and Taiwanese officials had negotiated the language carefully, leading Chen to abandon his stated intention to "abolish" the council in favor of the "ceased to function" formulation. Largely on that basis, the administration accepted Chen's contention that the status quo was not changed by his decision.
But Ma, citing his training as a lawyer, said the Chinese word Chen used in fact means "terminate," which does imply a change in the status quo. In addition, he said, no matter what the language, Chen's decision to stand up and announce the end of an official symbol of willingness to get along with China amounted to provocation.
Rank agrees with Ma analysis of the term 'zhongzhi' which means terminate and is a legal term of art. If a contract is terminated it means that it existed in the past but that it no longer exists now. By terminating the Council, Chen is admitting that the Council once existed, but it no longer exists now. In any event, it is clear that here in Taiwan, all shades of the political spectrum agree that the Council no longer exists, and Chen has pointedly refused to publicly affirm that the Council still exists as the US State Department has asked him to do.
Ma, by the way, is not admitted to the bar in Taiwan because he could not pass the notoriously difficult bar exam (less than 1 percent of candidates passed in 1970s and 1980s) although he did graduate from National Taiwan University with a degree in law. Chen, Frank Hsieh, and Su Chen-tsang, in contrast, are all admitted lawyers.
His last comment about the US's being gullible is one that I think he should have left unsaid. He tried a similar line with the obviously well-prepped interviewer in his recent BBC interview where he said that the interviewer didn't understand Taiwan's relations with China. Rather than engage in a serious discussion of ideas, Ma is showing a tendency to dismiss foreigners who disagree with him as being gullible or failing to understand the 'impenetrable' mysteries of the east. His English may be fluent, but his mind, Rank fears, is shut tight.
Pandas ProtestGreen rallies in Taiwan are characterized by a carnival atmosphere and lots of creative signs and costumes. One of the best at yesterday's rally was the 'China Panda Brigade' at the front of the march. They demanded the right to decide their own future--a takeoff on China's proposed gift of two pandas to Taiwan.
In this photo from the Chinese-language China Times, members of the Panda Brigade are holding signs that say Freedom Of Press, Internet Freedom, We Want Democracy and Freedom.
Friday, March 17, 2006
A weekend of rallies
Not too many people are getting fired up about the rallies that we are to witness this weekend - one to "protect" Taiwan and one to protest the cessation (or termination, or abolishment - depending on your point of view) of the National Unification Council and National Unification Guidelines.
A United Evening Express editorial a week or so ago basically said: "Enough already with all these political party-organized rallies!" I agree. Five years ago, I thought they were kind of fun, but they get tiresome. In any case, I wonder how many places there are in the world where political parties organize rallies. At least in Thailand, the protests against Thaksin are ostensibly organized by something called the People's Alliance for Democracy - even if political opponents are really behind it.
Cracks have appeared in the DPP over the latest rally ... and I think maybe they will organize fewer such rallies in the future. However the echoes of the "two bullets" fired on March 19, 2004 will no doubt continue reverberating for some time.
Not too many people are getting fired up about the rallies that we are to witness this weekend - one to "protect" Taiwan and one to protest the cessation (or termination, or abolishment - depending on your point of view) of the National Unification Council and National Unification Guidelines.
A United Evening Express editorial a week or so ago basically said: "Enough already with all these political party-organized rallies!" I agree. Five years ago, I thought they were kind of fun, but they get tiresome. In any case, I wonder how many places there are in the world where political parties organize rallies. At least in Thailand, the protests against Thaksin are ostensibly organized by something called the People's Alliance for Democracy - even if political opponents are really behind it.
Cracks have appeared in the DPP over the latest rally ... and I think maybe they will organize fewer such rallies in the future. However the echoes of the "two bullets" fired on March 19, 2004 will no doubt continue reverberating for some time.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
VOA Correction
This is of interest. VOA has apologized for adding misinformation into the flap over the National Unification Guidelines and National Unification Council. Here is a report on the apology.
Actually, most international media were reporting that the NUG and NUC were "abolished" or "scrapped" even after the Presidential Office took extra pains to emphasize which wording they were using (NOT synonyms for abolish or scrap; see Feiren's post below). Will they be apologizing too?
This is of interest. VOA has apologized for adding misinformation into the flap over the National Unification Guidelines and National Unification Council. Here is a report on the apology.
Actually, most international media were reporting that the NUG and NUC were "abolished" or "scrapped" even after the Presidential Office took extra pains to emphasize which wording they were using (NOT synonyms for abolish or scrap; see Feiren's post below). Will they be apologizing too?
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Recall and Impeachment
The KMT and PFP are being their irrepressible selves!
I was wondering why I have been reading in English about impeachment (tanhe) but in Chinese about recall (bamian) initiatives planned by the opposition.
Turns out, they are pursuing both courses. I explained recall procecures somewhat in the post below.
To my understanding, for impeachment lawmakers propose an impeachment case (usually because of unconsitutional behavior on the part of officials) and the Council of Grand Justices makes a ruling. If it's in favor of impeachment, then the official has to step down. Doesn't sound like it would have much of a chance of succeeding.
However, I haven't looked up the legal basis of this, so I'm unsure if I've gotten it right ...
UPDATE (March 3): OK, I've looked it up. From the president's website.
According to the most recent constitutional amendments for August 2004. Half of all legislators can initiate impeachment (this is feasible, since the opposition has the legislative majority). Then 2/3 of all legislators must pass the resolution, which is then referred to the Council of Grand Justices for a ruling (shenli; unlikely that 2/3 of lawmakers would pass the resolution, since about 100 of 225 wouldn't play ball and even if they did pass it, the Grand Justices are unlikely to rule in favor of impeachment).
I'm still a bit uncertain about the grounds for impeachment, but a previous amendment says the reasons for impeachment are either causing civil strife (fan neiluan) or treason (waihuanzui). I guess the opposition is going for causing civil strife.
This really reminds me of how the pan blues took all possible judicial remedies to court after the 2004 election, instead of focusing their energy on the one remedy that stood the best chance of succeeding. Of course in this case, they've chosen two dead-end routes - all in the name of "expressing strong dissatisfaction." Spinning their wheels.
The KMT and PFP are being their irrepressible selves!
I was wondering why I have been reading in English about impeachment (tanhe) but in Chinese about recall (bamian) initiatives planned by the opposition.
Turns out, they are pursuing both courses. I explained recall procecures somewhat in the post below.
To my understanding, for impeachment lawmakers propose an impeachment case (usually because of unconsitutional behavior on the part of officials) and the Council of Grand Justices makes a ruling. If it's in favor of impeachment, then the official has to step down. Doesn't sound like it would have much of a chance of succeeding.
However, I haven't looked up the legal basis of this, so I'm unsure if I've gotten it right ...
UPDATE (March 3): OK, I've looked it up. From the president's website.
According to the most recent constitutional amendments for August 2004. Half of all legislators can initiate impeachment (this is feasible, since the opposition has the legislative majority). Then 2/3 of all legislators must pass the resolution, which is then referred to the Council of Grand Justices for a ruling (shenli; unlikely that 2/3 of lawmakers would pass the resolution, since about 100 of 225 wouldn't play ball and even if they did pass it, the Grand Justices are unlikely to rule in favor of impeachment).
I'm still a bit uncertain about the grounds for impeachment, but a previous amendment says the reasons for impeachment are either causing civil strife (fan neiluan) or treason (waihuanzui). I guess the opposition is going for causing civil strife.
This really reminds me of how the pan blues took all possible judicial remedies to court after the 2004 election, instead of focusing their energy on the one remedy that stood the best chance of succeeding. Of course in this case, they've chosen two dead-end routes - all in the name of "expressing strong dissatisfaction." Spinning their wheels.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
A Refresher on Recall
I was in the newsroom yesterday translating the news about KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou saying the threshold to passing a recall vote is very high. I asked news colleagues what the threshold was and I got blank stares. I haven't seen any English papers this morning, but just in case this hasn't been explained, here goes:
As far as the KMT and whoever else signs on will get is making the motion (they need a quarter of lawmakers to "initiate" it). Of course, they need to get it into the general assembly of the Legislative Yuan, which won't be a problem with the pan blue advantage in numbers in the Procedure Committee.
If the pan green lawmakers cooperate, they can run a vote on the motion soon and lose, since the threshold is 2/3 (and the pan greens won 100 of 225 seats in the last election).
However, the pan greens will probably insist on cross-party negotiaions, which would delay the recall vote in the LY by probably 4 months.
Then it wouldn't pass because of the 2/3 threshold.
Even if it did pass, the Central Election Commission would than have to run a nationwide recall referendum, and the LY recall proposal would have to be accepted by 50% + 1 of voters.
I was in the newsroom yesterday translating the news about KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou saying the threshold to passing a recall vote is very high. I asked news colleagues what the threshold was and I got blank stares. I haven't seen any English papers this morning, but just in case this hasn't been explained, here goes:
As far as the KMT and whoever else signs on will get is making the motion (they need a quarter of lawmakers to "initiate" it). Of course, they need to get it into the general assembly of the Legislative Yuan, which won't be a problem with the pan blue advantage in numbers in the Procedure Committee.
If the pan green lawmakers cooperate, they can run a vote on the motion soon and lose, since the threshold is 2/3 (and the pan greens won 100 of 225 seats in the last election).
However, the pan greens will probably insist on cross-party negotiaions, which would delay the recall vote in the LY by probably 4 months.
Then it wouldn't pass because of the 2/3 threshold.
Even if it did pass, the Central Election Commission would than have to run a nationwide recall referendum, and the LY recall proposal would have to be accepted by 50% + 1 of voters.
Monday, February 27, 2006
The China Times is reporting that Chen Shui-bian has 'terminated' zhong1zhi3 the National Unification Council and the National Unification Guidelines. More specifically, he has terminated the operations of the Council, halted its funding, transferred its personnel, and will notify the Executive Yuan. The 'applicability' shi4yong4 of the Guidelines has also been terminated. The terms 'terminate' and 'applicability' are legal terms. A party to a contract may terminate a contract while a court decides whether a law applies to a given set of facts. Rank raises the issue because in the countdown to the announcement, some of the local press spilled a lot of ink about how the US was pressuring Chen not to 'abolish' fei4chu2 the council.
Chen will issue a presidential decree formalizing the decision tomorrow "if time permits." This is obviously symbolic since tomorrow is the 59th anniversary of the February 28th uprising on 28 February 1947 against the KMT and the second anniversary of the 2004 'Hands across Taiwan' rally.
Chen will issue a presidential decree formalizing the decision tomorrow "if time permits." This is obviously symbolic since tomorrow is the 59th anniversary of the February 28th uprising on 28 February 1947 against the KMT and the second anniversary of the 2004 'Hands across Taiwan' rally.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Rank
Curling for Asians
There are 1001 news tidbits that I could be blogging here, but I'm afraid I'm not finding the time.
One story that caught my attention yesterday was an Olympic news feature about curling. The reporter's angle was that this "strange" (mosheng; as in a sport no-one really knows about) sport is attracting a lot of attention in Turin (or Torino) because it's easy to understand.
The reporter ends by noting that there is no optimal body type for curling; therefore it is suitable for Asians. Man, all these years we Canadians have excelled at a sport that we can practice with a beer in hand while sporting a beer gut (for a lower center of gravity, you understand) ... with barely anyone else taking notice as we haul in medals. Now the Asians are going to be coming in with their typical diligence and a will to prove that the beer gut isn't even necessary. That's so cold, man. I need a beer. What the hell - make it a Taiwan Beer.
Curling for Asians
There are 1001 news tidbits that I could be blogging here, but I'm afraid I'm not finding the time.
One story that caught my attention yesterday was an Olympic news feature about curling. The reporter's angle was that this "strange" (mosheng; as in a sport no-one really knows about) sport is attracting a lot of attention in Turin (or Torino) because it's easy to understand.
The reporter ends by noting that there is no optimal body type for curling; therefore it is suitable for Asians. Man, all these years we Canadians have excelled at a sport that we can practice with a beer in hand while sporting a beer gut (for a lower center of gravity, you understand) ... with barely anyone else taking notice as we haul in medals. Now the Asians are going to be coming in with their typical diligence and a will to prove that the beer gut isn't even necessary. That's so cold, man. I need a beer. What the hell - make it a Taiwan Beer.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Rank
Tia-bo
I think I will start another panda-only blog. It seems the panda gifts are the only item I'm interested in posting about.
The Times of Oman pubishes this AP article about how #16 and #19 (or Freedom and Democracy as I insist on calling them)are being taught to respond to the Taiwanese language. Heart-warming.
Updated 1/23: Even more on pandas! Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan are the most popular names so far. Put em together and you have "reunion." It must be destiny that a million Chinese will all come up with the same name in an Internet vote! You'd think that with the famous Chinese penchant for expressing dichotomies, they would have gone for Tong Tong and Du Du, for "reunification v. independence."
Tia-bo
I think I will start another panda-only blog. It seems the panda gifts are the only item I'm interested in posting about.
The Times of Oman pubishes this AP article about how #16 and #19 (or Freedom and Democracy as I insist on calling them)are being taught to respond to the Taiwanese language. Heart-warming.
Updated 1/23: Even more on pandas! Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan are the most popular names so far. Put em together and you have "reunion." It must be destiny that a million Chinese will all come up with the same name in an Internet vote! You'd think that with the famous Chinese penchant for expressing dichotomies, they would have gone for Tong Tong and Du Du, for "reunification v. independence."
Friday, January 06, 2006
Rank
Big Mouth
It appears I put my foot in my mouth a few months ago when I suggested that Big Mouth the Panda would not be selected by Chinese handlers to be sent to Taiwan.
It turns out that the male "#19" panda selected by China is nicknamed Big Mouth and he will be paired with #16 and sent to Taiwan - so long as the authorities here agree.
My argument was that China would perceive it as too much of a risk to send a big mouth to Taiwan, who may spill state secrets. I guess I wasn't really thinking straight. This is a Panda. Pandas only talk in cartoons ...
Updated 2006/01/07: A suggestion comes to me that Taiwan's government should be quick to accept the pair of pandas and just as quickly rename them Democracy (Minzhu) and Freedom (Ziyou) when they arrive. My understanding from the AWSJ is that a contest is being held and 16 and 19 are to have their names revealed on Jan. 28. So maybe those are the names incscribed in their passports, but couldn't they have pet names in Taiwan?
Big Mouth
It appears I put my foot in my mouth a few months ago when I suggested that Big Mouth the Panda would not be selected by Chinese handlers to be sent to Taiwan.
It turns out that the male "#19" panda selected by China is nicknamed Big Mouth and he will be paired with #16 and sent to Taiwan - so long as the authorities here agree.
My argument was that China would perceive it as too much of a risk to send a big mouth to Taiwan, who may spill state secrets. I guess I wasn't really thinking straight. This is a Panda. Pandas only talk in cartoons ...
Updated 2006/01/07: A suggestion comes to me that Taiwan's government should be quick to accept the pair of pandas and just as quickly rename them Democracy (Minzhu) and Freedom (Ziyou) when they arrive. My understanding from the AWSJ is that a contest is being held and 16 and 19 are to have their names revealed on Jan. 28. So maybe those are the names incscribed in their passports, but couldn't they have pet names in Taiwan?
Friday, December 16, 2005
Worst Nightmare
The New Journalist has pulished its "10 nightmare ministers" edition.
Government Information Office Chief Pasuya Yao has topped the list. They arrived at the list of the 10 most unsuitable Cabinet ministers through interviews with 166 legislators.
According to the United Evening News last night, lawmakers cited Yao as being "unprofessional, careless, lazy, rude, and ill-tempered."
No argument here. I was telling this to a GIO employee last night and he said, "They missed arrogant."
The New Journalist has pulished its "10 nightmare ministers" edition.
Government Information Office Chief Pasuya Yao has topped the list. They arrived at the list of the 10 most unsuitable Cabinet ministers through interviews with 166 legislators.
According to the United Evening News last night, lawmakers cited Yao as being "unprofessional, careless, lazy, rude, and ill-tempered."
No argument here. I was telling this to a GIO employee last night and he said, "They missed arrogant."
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Michael Turton has posted about Why the DPP Lost the Election. I agree with much of his analysis, but I also think that the DPP's attempts to capture the middle have also contributed to their problems.
Taiwan and the US are similar politically in that the vote is pretty much split down the middle. The DPP has been following an outdated strategy used by Clinton and Blair in the 1990s to reposition leftist parties back in the mainstream. But what Karl Rove has realized is that without a true left and with parties split down the middle, the key is to energize your base.
The blues, who have lost two straight presidential elections, are energized with the emergence of a viable candidate. Ma energized them even further by threatening to resign as KMT Chairman if the KMT did poorly in Saturday's 3-in-1 elections.
The greens, however, are alienating, rather than mobilizing their base by their attempts to move to the center. Taiwanese nationalists feel let down by a party that fired them up with calls for a new constitution and a new name for the country and then turned around and told them to forget about it.
There's also a lively discussion of Michael's post over on Forumosa.
Taiwan and the US are similar politically in that the vote is pretty much split down the middle. The DPP has been following an outdated strategy used by Clinton and Blair in the 1990s to reposition leftist parties back in the mainstream. But what Karl Rove has realized is that without a true left and with parties split down the middle, the key is to energize your base.
The blues, who have lost two straight presidential elections, are energized with the emergence of a viable candidate. Ma energized them even further by threatening to resign as KMT Chairman if the KMT did poorly in Saturday's 3-in-1 elections.
The greens, however, are alienating, rather than mobilizing their base by their attempts to move to the center. Taiwanese nationalists feel let down by a party that fired them up with calls for a new constitution and a new name for the country and then turned around and told them to forget about it.
There's also a lively discussion of Michael's post over on Forumosa.
Monday, December 05, 2005
Dog Day Night
Every dog has his day … and DogOfTheSouth had his Friday night. I have to say it was some of the best Chinese wedding banquet food I have had. And I was introduced to the magnificence of Maker’s Mark. I learned that Jack Daniel’s is not bourbon. All in all, a very productive evening.
I think we can excuse Dog for reduced posting frequency in consideration of nuptial-related activity … and Congratulations!
Every dog has his day … and DogOfTheSouth had his Friday night. I have to say it was some of the best Chinese wedding banquet food I have had. And I was introduced to the magnificence of Maker’s Mark. I learned that Jack Daniel’s is not bourbon. All in all, a very productive evening.
I think we can excuse Dog for reduced posting frequency in consideration of nuptial-related activity … and Congratulations!
Monday, November 28, 2005
Watching America
This article came with my Google news search email (keywords: Taiwan and Media).
It turns out the the editor William Kern used to work as an editor at the Taiwan News.
The idea is interesting - to provide articles in translation from around the world to show Americans an unvarnished view of how America is portrayed abroad. According to the article linked above, they only provide articles in translation and not English-language editions of foreign publications. However, I believe the articles from People's Daily are just the English-language versions. I'll keep my eye out for interesting Chinese-language articles they might be interested in publishing ...
This article came with my Google news search email (keywords: Taiwan and Media).
It turns out the the editor William Kern used to work as an editor at the Taiwan News.
The idea is interesting - to provide articles in translation from around the world to show Americans an unvarnished view of how America is portrayed abroad. According to the article linked above, they only provide articles in translation and not English-language editions of foreign publications. However, I believe the articles from People's Daily are just the English-language versions. I'll keep my eye out for interesting Chinese-language articles they might be interested in publishing ...
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