Taipei Times
Date: Jan 06, 2020
By: Walter Lohman

There is always so much bad news. Some of it, like the helicopter crash last week that killed General Shen Yi-ming (沈一鳴) and his colleagues, is genuinely heartbreaking. So much of the rest of it is just the nature of the news cycle — supercharged by social media.

Yet, there are so many good things happening in the world — especially as regards Taiwan.

First, the obvious. Taiwan is holding its seventh consecutive free Presidential election and ninth consecutive national election for the LY. For goodness sake! Think about that. There is no culturally-Chinese polity in the world with such a thorough-going commitment to liberal democratic governance — while in China proper, it is fully absent.

Second, Taiwan relations with its most critical friend — the US — are closer than any time since 1979. I’m studiously avoiding Taiwan politics on the eve of its elections. But it would be wrong to ignore how good things have been lately: Five major arms packages in three years, multiple expanded Presidential transits through the US, increased “diplomatic” coordination across a range of issues, and a Congress more supportive of Taiwan than at any time since it passed the Taiwan Relations Act.    [FULL  STORY]