TSR-Taiwan

Taiwan's Incoming President Pledges to Halt Dollar Diplomacy
(DPA, May 10, 2008) Taiwan's incoming President Ma Ying-jeou said Saturday that Taipei will stop using dollar diplomacy to win recognition from foreign countries as the practice has tarnished Taiwan's image.

Secret Diplomatic Fund Flows to Taiwan Officials: Fraud Suspect
(Taiwan News, May 8, 2008) The diplomatic scandal took a shocking twist night as the Chinese-Singaporean middleman, Wu Shih-tsai, said he withdrew US$9.8 million from their account and gave it to former foreign minister James Huang's aide Chang Chiang-sheng so he could take it back to Taiwan, at former vice premier Chiou I-jen's instruction.

3 Taiwan Officials Quit in Diplomatic Furor
(New York Times, May 7, 2008) The foreign minister of Taiwan and two other top officials resigned on Tuesday over a botched attempt to win diplomatic recognition from Papua New Guinea, a scandal that has stirred public outrage against the departing government just two weeks before it is to step down.

Taiwan's Vice Premier Under Suspicion in Scandal Over Diplomatic Outreach Funds (Washington Post, May 6, 2008) Taiwanese prosecutors announced that Vice Premier Chiou I-jen is suspected of corruption in connection with a diplomatic scandal involving an alleged attempt to defraud the government of nearly $30 million.

Taiwan's Vice Premier Quits Ruling Party Amid Scandal over Diplomatic Bungle (AP, May 5, 2008) Taiwan's vice premier, Chiou I-jen, quit the ruling party Monday to take responsibility for a diplomatic bungle that cost the government millions of dollars.

Taiwan Scandal over Missing Fund Expands
(AP, May 4, 2008) A scandal over a multimillion-dollar diplomatic bungle in Taiwan expanded Sunday after another member, Vice Minister of Defense Ko Cheng-heng, of outgoing President Chen Shui-bian's inner circle was questioned by prosecutors.

$30 Million Lost in Diplomatic Scandal, Taiwan Says
(Washington Post, May 4, 2008) Two middlemen entrusted with almost $30 million in Taiwanese government funds as part of a secret effort to forge diplomatic relations with Papua New Guinea made off with the money and are refusing to give it back, according to officials in Taiwan.

Taiwan Prosecutors Quiz Minister on Funds
(Bloomberg, May 3, 2008) Taiwan prosecutors questioned Foreign Minister James Huang and Vice Premier Chiou I-jen as part of a probe into the alleged embezzlement by two middlemen of $29.8 million earmarked as aid for Papua New Guinea.

Taiwan Loses US$30 Million in Diplomatic Bungle Involving Papua New Guinea (AP, May 2, 2008) Taiwan is seeking one of its citizens for his alleged role in an apparent multimillion-dollar fraud involving a failed attempt to lure Papua New Guinea to transfer diplomatic recognition from Beijing to Taipei.

WHO Bid to Use ‘Taiwan’ as Title: Chen
(Taipei Times, Apr 11, 2008) The nation will apply for WHO membership and World Health Assembly (WHA) observer status under the name “Taiwan” this year, the Presidential Office said. The decision was announced after President Chen Shui-bian chaired a high-level national security meeting at the Presidential Office.

Taiwan to Axe "China" from Name of Mandarin Chinese
(Reuters, Feb. 14, 2008) Taiwan plans to change the name of its official Mandarin Chinese language in public schools to a term that avoids referring to China, a curriculum planner said on Thursday, another move to distance the self-ruled island from Beijing.

Taiwan's Middle Class Hit by Ailing Economy
(Reuters, Jan. 17, 2008) More businesses are shutting their doors as consumption flags. Closures reached 40,800 in the first 11 months of last year, more than the total for any other entire year since records were kept, government data shows.

Taiwan Severs Diplomatic Ties with Malawi
(Taiwan News, Jan. 15, 2008) Taiwan announced the decision to sever its diplomatic relations with Republic of Malawi - one of the few countries that had kept diplomatic ties with Taiwan for 42 years. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China had offered Malawi US$6 billion in financial loans and development projects to end diplomatic ties with Taiwan and to establish ties with China.

Renamed Memorial for Chiang Kai-shek Opens
(AFP, Jan. 2, 2008) Taiwan's Chiang Kai-shek memorial hall reopened with a new name as part of the government's efforts to downplay his controversial legacy. Chiang is remembered by his supporters as the leader who laid the foundations of Taiwan's economic prosperity and safeguarded the island from Chinese invasion.

AmCham Head Blasts Problem of Leadership
(China Post, Dec. 14, 2007) What Taiwan needs is good political leaders, the outgoing executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei writes in a summarization of his long experiences in Taiwan.

Six Hurt in Crash at Taipei Memorial Renaming
(Straits Times, Dec. 7, 2007) The Taiwan government's latest move to rename the memorial hall dedicated to late president Chiang Kai-shek took a bloody turn. A bitter row over the dismantling of two plaques from the monument bearing the name of the late strongman turned violent when an agitated lorry driver drove his vehicle into a crowd outside the site, injuring six people.

Taiwan Opposition Says Govt Tries to Downplay Leader Legacy
(AFP, Dec. 6, 2007) Taiwan's opposition denounced a government plan to remove the name of late president Chiang Kai-shek from a memorial gate, saying it was the latest move aimed at downplaying his legacy.

In Battle with China for Allies, Taiwan Resorts to Riskier Tactics By Jonathan Adams (International Herald Tribune, May 8, 2008) A scandal here over a bungled Taiwan attempt to forge official ties with Papua New Guinea has thrown a spotlight on the long-running, shadowy war between China and Taiwan for allies. China has gained a distinct edge in that global contest as its booming economy has swelled state coffers and its diplomacy has grown more sophisticated, experts say.

Meet Taiwan’s Conciliator-Elect
(Newsweek, Apr. 7, 2008) You now have a strong mandate. What do you think the Taiwanese people want? They want a vibrant economy, a clean government, a society with equitable distribution of wealth and a peaceful Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan Public Mood Index
(Global Views, Mar. 2008) The trust index for the KMT fall 1.5 point from last month to 52.4, and the trust index for KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung also loses 1.6 point to 53.6. Despite the loss, both indexes stay in the level of “winning some public approval.”

A Legacy of Lost Hopes in Taiwan
(LA Times, Mar. 10, 2008) As President Chen prepares to step down after the March 22 election, he leaves a legacy of broken dreams and missed opportunities, an eight-year rule marked by particularly tense relations with China, strained links with Washington, a limping economy and a battered bureaucracy.

Common Yet Different Democracies By Kurt Campbell
(Taipei Times, Jan. 23, 2008) While there is much that separates the US and Taiwan -- very different histories, national aspirations and worldviews -- there are still important things that unite them. The US and Taiwan each possesses among the most active and participatory democracies in the world and the intensity of the two presidential campaigns are cases in point.

Let Taiwanese Decide on China Ties: Chen
(Straits Times, Jan. 2, 2008) Taiwan's ties with China should be determined by the Taiwanese - and not by Beijing or Washington, President Chen Shui-bian says. His comments came in the wake of mounting pressure from China and the United States on Taiwan to abort a contentious referendum which could potentially destabilize cross-strait ties.

Taiwan Ups Anti-Chiang Kai-Shek Action
(Associated Press, Dec. 8, 2007) Workmen began removing giant Chinese characters from a memorial previously dedicated to Chiang Kai-shek, the latest action in the Taiwan government's campaign to eradicate the ''one China'' legacy of the late dictator.

Taiwan Leader Defends Move to Downplay Chiang Legacy
(Agence France Presse, Dec. 7, 2007) Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian Thursday defended a move to take the name of Chiang Kai-shek off a memorial gate, calling the late leader a "dictator" who should not be honored.

Taiwan Public Mood Index and Party Identification Tracking Analysis in Taiwan (Global Views Monthly, Nov. 2007) Monthly polls on various public issues by Global Views Monthly, Both Taiwan Public Mood Index (TPMI) and Political Confidence Index (PCI) hit record how since the survey started in June 2006. TPMI almost slides to the bottom of the “losing some public approval” level.