US Army journal calls for return of American bases to raise cost of Chinese invasion

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/09/22
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In an article in the latest issue of a journal published by the U.S. Army, the author makes the case for basing American troops in Taiwan.

In the September-October issue of Miltary Review, Captian Walker D. Mills of the U.S. Marine Corps asserts that the U.S. should consider basing soldiers in Taiwan to serve as a deterrent against an assault by People's Liberation Army (PLA) forces on the country. Mills argues that this is necessary to make the U.S. government's stance clear to avoid a miscalculation with China, as the balance of forces in the region are starting to tip in China's favor, and the need to deter China from an attack would result in U.S. involvement.

Walker argues that China's intentions are difficult to predict and that the U.S. miscalculated in the case of the Korea War when it believed the communist country would not get involved. He said that after the removal of U.S. bases in 1979 and the severing of the military alliance between the two countries, the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act put in place afterward made the nature of the relationship between the U.S. and Taiwan more ambiguous.

He said that because the act does not explicitly require the U.S. to defend Taiwan in the event of an attack and the sporadic nature of the arms sales and transits by U.S. Navy ships, the U.S. commitment to the country is lowered. This opens the door for a Chinese attack because of its ambiguity.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 09/22/2020
By: Stacy Hsu and Chiang Yi-ching

Washington, Sept. 21 (CNA) There is a possibility that China is using information from a massive database of influential figures to identify individuals and institutions in Taiwan that could be exploited, according to American researcher Christopher Balding.

The database, which was compiled by the China-based tech firm Zhenhua Data Information Technology Co., purportedly contains the personal information of some 2.4 million politicians, academics and military officials around the world.

Since a Zhenhua Data employee leaked the database to Balding in 2019, the American researcher has been working with the cybersecurity firm Internet 2.0 to recover and analyze the information, Balding said last week, when he released his findings for the first time to several media outlets internationally.

So far, Balding and the Australia-based firm have recovered 10 percent of the data, which includes the personal information of 52,000 Americans, 35,000 Australians and nearly 10,000 British citizens, according to a report on Voice of America.    [FULL  STORY]

“I admire his commitment to democracy," said 85-year old Buddhist leader via pre-recorded video

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/09/19
By: Teng Pei-ju, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

NEW TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama expressed their grief over the passing of former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) during a memorial ceremony on Saturday morning (Sept. 19).

In the auditorium of a Christian university full of solemnity, approximately 800 top government officials, foreign envoys, party leaders, and other prominent figures paid their tribute to the late president. Among them were the U.S. delegation led by Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Keith Krach, as well as a Japanese delegation led by former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori.

The ceremony began shortly after Lee’s family members, carrying Lee’s image and urn, arrived at the auditorium. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) conferred a posthumous presidential citation on Lee, who died on July 30 at the age of 97, in recognition of the late president’s contributions to the country.

President Tsai Ing-wen confers a posthumous presidential citation on Lee Teng-hui. (CNA photo)

“As we pay our last respects and honor his lifelong contributions and devotion to our nation, we must not forget that Taiwan’s future is now in our hands,” remarked Tsai after making three bows in front of Lee’s image. “His spirit will guide the nation and the people of Taiwan as we continue along the path of democracy, freedom, diversity and openness,” she said, reading out the late president’s achievements as a public servant for nearly five decades.   [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 09/19/2020
By: Emerson Lim and Pan Tzu-yu

Taipei, Sept. 19 (CNA) American Under Secretary of State Keith Krach concluded a low-keyed visit to Taiwan Saturday afternoon, departing with his delegation less than 48 hours after they arrived for the memorial service of former President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝).

Shortly after the memorial service ended, Krach and his delegation departed from Songshan Airport in Taipei on a commercial charter flight at around 1 p.m., according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

"Krach fully utilized his time of less of 48 hours in Taiwan," MOFA said. "He met with high-level government officials and people from various sectors and held discussions with them on many issues."

MOFA and other relevant government agencies will continue to work with the U.S. on the issues discussed, to strengthen bilateral economic ties and to deepen the global partnership, which is based on shared values, according to the statement.    [FULL  STORY]

NEVER FORGET: Liao Chih-ping, who was only four when his father was arrested, said the sacrifices made by the previous generation should always be remembered

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 20, 2020
By: William Hetherington / Staff writer, with CNA

The son of a White Terror-era victim, speaking at a memorial event yesterday, said he hoped that Taiwanese would speak up about the era and not forget the previous generation’s sacrifices.

The annual event — which normally takes place the day before the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday and commemorates victims of political persecution — was delayed by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Liao Chih-ping (廖至平), said he was only four years old when his father, Liao Jui-fa (廖瑞發), was arrested during the White Terror era.

“The only image of my father I have in my mind is that of his picture, which was next to his urn in our family living room,” he said.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan Intertnational
Date:18 September, 2020
By: John Van Trieste

Miaoli town lights up with street fair to mark end of Ghost Month[/caption] Night markets are a commonplace part of daily life in Taiwan, but some are special enough to draw in people from distant corners of the island. Such is the case with one market in Miaoli County that, unusually, is only open for one night every year.

At the end of the seventh lunar month, a tense period in the traditional calendar comes to an end, and people can breathe easy once again. It’s at this time that spirits return to the underworld after a month of being allowed to roam freely through the world of the living.

Tradition holds that the final night of this “Ghost Month” is a bad time to be outdoors. Who knows what kind of ghosts looking for some last-minute mischief you might come across? But in the Miaoli County town of Yuanli, that tradition has been turned on its head.

Instead, a great street fair is held, and only on this exact night. Though it’s not too different from night markets that open more regularly, people still come from far away to check this particular market out.    [FULL  STORY]