comment Taiwan

◆ Taipei Times, 2023-6-12: Taiwanese government actively courts Chinese tourists by the hundred thousand, immigration authorities hand out insult after insult to people whose skins are a bit too brown... besides, over 1,000 nurses, have come from Hong Kong and are unable to obtain residency to work ◆ Economist, 2023-5-31: Taiwan's would-be presidents all promise a way to peace. Sadly, it is not entirely within their power. ◆Washington Examiner, 2023-6-1: Elbridge Colby : "If Taiwan is so blithe about its own defense, why should Americans stick their necks out? ◆ The Guardian, 2023-5-24: Taiwan's main political parties and an overwhelming majority of Taiwan's people reject the prospect of Chinese rule, but there are large differences in their plans for protecting Taiwan - the KMT says the best way forward is to have friendlier ties with China, DPP's Lai has been described as more “green” (pro-independence) than Tsai Ing-wen ◆ The Guardian, 2023-5-22: over 90% of the world's semiconductors are made in the place many US officials think could be the site of the next global conflict: Taiwan. ◆ Fortune, 2023-5-21: Warren Buffett told Japan's Nikkei that the threat of war was a “consideration” in dumping the bulk of the stake in TSMC. Musk told the Financial Times that a conflict over Taiwan is inevitable. His comments did not go over well in Taiwan ◆ Washington Post, 2023-5-18: it is now a very serious question whether the United States can defeat a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. To avert war with China, the U.S. must prioritize Taiwan over Ukraine

◆ New York Times, 2023-5-17: As China looms over Taiwan's Presidential race, the opposition picks a moderate Hou Yu-ih, trying to appeal to voters wary of Beijing ◆ New York Times, 2023-5-11: Taiwan's world-dominating microchip sector was built by its strategic asset, TSMC's skilled employees. But a demographic crisis, demanding work culture and flagging interest threaten its lead ◆ DW (Germany), 2023-5-12: While Taiwan has historically limited its missile forces to defensive assets, CSIS indicated the island has started to develop missiles designed for strike missions. ◆ Washington Times, 2023-5-9: Taipei unnerved by investor fears, apocalyptic rhetoric, Taiwanese officials are trying to tone down alarmist comments made by U.S. investment gurus and policymakers about the risks of a clash with China, "the fearmongering talk coming out of Washington isn't helping" ◆ Business Insider, 2023-5-3: In first-of-its-kind drill, US Army special operators train to defend Taiwan against Chinese attack, while the "ultimate backstop" remains America's nuclear capabilities, according to the Pentagon's National Defense Strategy ◆ Daily Express, UK, 2023-5-3: WW3 fears as Taiwan issues a threatening statement about how it intends to handle imminent China invasion ◆ CNN, 2023-4-20: complaints at high levels of both the Taiwanese and US governments about the lack of preparation and poor morale in the Taiwanese military ◆ The Register, 2023-4-22: Taiwan asks US if it could chill out on the anti-China rhetoric "We're trying to run a chip business here" ◆ New York Times, 2023-4-18: Fear of China is pitting Taiwan's people against each other ◆ Brookings, 2023-4-15: Anxiety about China's growing military capabilities to threaten Taiwan... has fed American impulses to alter longstanding policy, and to increasingly view challenges confronting Taiwan through a military lens ◆ Nikkei Asia, 2023-4-7: Taiwan's choice: peace or war, ex-president says after China trip ◆ FoxNews, 2023-4-6: Taiwan residents are in apparent agreement in believing the U.S. will not come to their aid ◆ The Guardian, 2023-3-28: (ex-president) Ma Ying-jeou's "we are all Chinese" message is starkly at odds with vision of president Tsai Ing-wen, who seeks support from Washington ◆ USNI, 2023-3-21: U.S. Needs Air Superiority, Ship-Killing Weapons to Defend Taiwan, Pacific Air Forces Commander Says... he doesn’t think China wants to engage in this fight. ◆ Economist, 2023-3-9: An invasion would almost certainly begin with massive missile and rocket strikes on Taiwan. These would quickly destroy much of Taiwan’s navy, air force and air defences. Taiwan could resist an attack on its own only for days or weeks ◆ FoxNews, 2023-3-7: Why does the U.S. keep on professing the maintenance of regional peace and stability while covertly formulating a plan for the destruction of Taiwan?" Chinese foreign minister Qin asked. ◆ FoxNews, 2023-3-7: House China committee chair says Xi ‘deadly serious’ about invading Taiwan ◆ Economist, 2023-3-6: Taiwan has not made up its mind how or even whether to defend itself...yet numb to China's threat. ◆ Foreign Policy, 2023-3-2: Should China launch an all-out invasion, however, Taiwan would likely succumb within a few days once its air force of just 470 combat aircraft was overwhelmed... ◆ USNI, 2023-3-2: Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl testified before the House Armed Services Committee that he does not think China will attempt to invade Taiwan before 2027. ◆ Washington Post, 2023-2-28: The Russian invasion has allowed the United States to conduct a dry run of exactly the sort of policies that deterring or defeating a Chinese attack on Taiwan would require: active defense industrial production lines, an efficient logistics network ...a coalition of allies ... ◆ New York Times, 2023-2-27: the Chinese are prepared to wage a much broader type of warfare that would reach deep into American society. The U.S. economy is heavily dependent on Chinese resources and manufactured goods ◆ Washington Post, ABC news, 2023-2-27: CIA chief: Xi Jinping has instructed his country's military to “be ready by 2027” to invade Taiwan; China has some doubt on ability to invade Taiwan ◆ WSJ, Fox News, 2023-2-23: The U.S. is preparing to send 100 to 200 troops to Taiwan for training amid rising tensions with China; The Wall Street Journal described the planned troop increase in the coming months as the largest deployment of American forces in Taiwan in decades. ◆ Washington Examiner, 2023-2-23: Taiwan views Russia's war in Ukraine as a fate that could await it if it doesn't take the proper steps needed to defend its democratic island nation from a potential Chinese invasion.◆ TIME, 2023-2-23: Winning the tech war with China depended entirely upon persuading U.S. allies—particularly Taiwan, the Netherlands, and Japan—to follow the U.S. lead and adopt similar export control regulations ◆ Aljazeera, 2023-2-23: CIA Director William Burns recently said although Xi was likely “unsettled” by Russia’s failures in Ukraine, he had still told China’s military to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027.◆ Washington Post, 2023-2-22: Our best chance of preventing an invasion of Taiwan, and of essentially preventing World War III, is to put actual hard power on Taiwan ◆ Economist, 2023-2-18: China still relies on Russia for certain crucial military components, which makes the friendship central to any plans China might have to invade Taiwan (CBS 2023-2-19: China considering providing "lethal support" to aid Russian invasion of Ukraine, Blinken says) ◆ Council on Foreign Relations, 2023-2-12: the unpredictable nature of ADIZ violations is intended to keep the status quo around Taiwan unstable and ambiguous in order to facilitate strategic surprise ◆ CNN, 2023-2-9: More US firms in Taiwan say they're seeing 'significant disruption' due to rising tension with China - elevated concern from global headquarters, increased shipping, insurance or financial costs, as well as staff anxiety ◆ New York Times, 2023-2-1: The United States is increasing its military presence in the Philippines , the Philippines is among the most geographically close to Taiwan...is crucial to countering China in the event it attacks Taiwan ◆ Forbes, 2023-1-31: China's lack of capacity for amphibious assault as evidence that it will not be ready for war so quickly. China's use of civilian ferries in military exercises makes it difficult to predict when, and if, China will invade Taiwan. ◆ Fortune, 2023-1-29: WSJ: Seth Cropsey warned of a possible war with China over Taiwan. "If Lai Ching-te, (a fierce supporter of Taiwan's independence) does win (in 2024), Beijing could move quickly to invade".◆ Wall Street Journal, 2023-1-26: Washington is strategically unprepared for a crisis and Biden's policies are hampering deterrence ; If Lai Ching-te (a staunch proponent of the island's independence) does win, Beijing could move quickly to invade. ◆ The Hill, 2023-1-23: the U.S. defense industrial base is not currently equipped to support a protracted conventional war...How do you effectively deter if you don’t have sufficient stockpiles of the kinds of munitions you’re going to need for a China-Taiwan Strait kind of scenario? ◆ Bloomberg, 2023-1-21: A more effective structure would de-emphasize vulnerable combat aircraft and surface ships and emphasize instead land-based anti-air and anti-ship capabilities. This is what some commentators have called the "porcupine strategy" ◆ WSJ, 2023-1-23: Taiwan is much more important (than Ukraine) to our security and prosperity. Any tanks we can spare should go to Taipei. ◆ New York Times, 2023-1-21: Glaser warns that symbolic victories may not be worth the cost of provoking China ... "But the bottom line is, this is a fight over symbolism" said Dan Blumenthal ◆ USA Today, 2023-1-20: Taiwan's envoy to the US says her island has learned lessons from Ukraine's war that will help it deter, defend against an attack by China. Among the lessons: preparing for the kind of all-of-society fight Ukrainians are waging against Russia ◆ AFP, 2023-1-21: Blinken sees lower US tensions with China but risks on Taiwan ◆ CNN, 2023-1-20: In Taiwan, ex-conscripts feel unprepared for potential China conflict ◆ WSJ, 2023-1-19: The Heritage Foundation's latest 'Index of U.S. Military Strength' warns of declining power in the U.S. Navy and Air Force. Taiwan is ramping up its spending on defense but its conscription and readiness are underwhelming. ◆ Economist, 2023-1-19: TSMC is playing a subtle game of diplomacy in which its business interests come first ◆ Star & Strips 2023-1-19: Taiwan defense experts expect few US boots on the ground if war breaks out with China ◆ The WEEK (UK), 2023-1-19: China's "compounding troubles" — the demographic challenges, the pandemic and a troubled property market — could prompt President Xi Jingping to take rash action. ◆ New York Post, 2023-1-14: the U.S. needs to speed up its military shipments to Taiwan, specifically long-range bombers with long-range anti-ship missiles. ◆The SUN, 2023-1-14: Taking Taiwan could even require Beijing to muster a force of two million troops, ...US should help arm Taiwan with missiles to DESTROY Shanghai to stop Chinese invasion, says ex-general ◆ TIME, 2023-1-7: the threat of a costly armed engagement may encourage Beijing to pursue non-military scenarios to try to coerce Taiwan under its control. ◆Washington Post, 2023-1-9: Taiwan needs to be prepared to withstand a lengthy siege but has not stockpiled nearly enough energy, food, medicine or ammunition. It has only about 10 days of natural gas supplies in reserve... Unfortunately, a lot of Taiwanese still don’t seem to grasp how perilous their situation is. ◆ CNN, 2023-1-9: CSIS War game suggests Chinese invasion of Taiwan would fail at a huge cost to US, Chinese and Taiwanese militaries

◆ The WEEK (UK), 2023-1-10: Bloomberg:“calls growing” among American politicians for a commitment to get involved if Beijing invades the island. ◆ Forbes, 2023-1-9: the extended-range JASSM-ER that helped to win the war in CSIS War game ◆ Asia Nikkei, 2023-1-6: reserves, supposedly 2 million strong, are a paper force, with "no way whatsoever" to reinforce existing units in combat ◆ The American SPECTATOR, 2023-1-5: coming crisis over Taiwan is now popularly treated as a foregone conclusion...What is more likely is that China will wait a while longer, probably until the early 2030s. ◆ Forbes, 2023-1-2: Economics, often takes a back seat to geopolitics and national pride (questions of sovereignty and the hyper-sensitivities of China's leadership) ◆ The Hill, 2023-1-3: America's ‘strategic ambiguity’ on Taiwan gets more dangerous by the day ◆ Financial Times, 2023-1-2: Taiwan's move to extend military conscription will not address broader strategic shortfalls... expert has long urged them to build a territorial defence force, a force which could operate as an urban guerrilla under a more decentralised command ◆ The Guardian, 2023-1-1: Ukraine is in the headlines now. But a whole new world of conflict is about to erupt，Taiwan, North Korea, Iran and Palestine are all potential flashpoints

◆ The Hill, 2022-12-30: Mark Esper says Taiwan is “not prepared enough” for a potential Chinese invasion ◆ The Guardian, 2022-12-30: Extending conscription may make Taiwan feel safer – but at the cost of alienating its young people ◆ Deutsche Welle, 2022-12-30: US support for Taiwan is double edged: both essential to its survival, and risking dragging Taiwan into a much bigger conflict. ◆ Reuters, 2022-12-28: China's government criticised Taiwan on Wednesday for seeking to use the Taiwanese people as "cannon fodder" by extending compulsory military service from four months to one year starting in 2024 ◆ Wall Street Journal, 2022-12-28: Military conscription is a good start, but leaders in Taipei need to act with greater urgency still ◆ New York Times, 2022-12-26: With Record Military Incursions, China Warns Taiwan and U.S. ; 71 military aircraft buzzed the airspace near Taiwan ◆ Politico, 2022-12-27: The U.S. has pledged to deploy so much firepower to the Indo-Pacific in 2023 that China won’t even consider invading Taiwan. Lawmakers and allies say it’s already too late ◆ Modern War Institute at West point, 2022-12-19: Taiwan has mostly accepted the need to shift to a “porcupine strategy” ... implementation has been slow. And Taiwan has neglected to cultivate the guerrilla-style resistance forces that will be necessary to counter an occupation. ◆ Politico (eu), 2022-12-20: the consequences of war in Asia would be just as devastating for the Continent. if Taiwan wants to alter Beijing's cost-benefit calculus and deter an invasion, it must move boldly and quickly to bolster its defense. ◆ War on the Rocks,2022-12-19: Biden's National Security Strategy of October 2022 tilted toward strategic ambiguity. ◆ CNN , 2022-12-17: The population pool is decreasing, so Taiwan is actively considering whether to resume conscription to meet our military needs ◆ National Interest, 2022-12-11: China Isn't Ready to Invade Taiwan - two major challenges: unfinished military modernization and high casualty potential ◆ 1945, 2022-12-12: the likelihood of a Chinese move to take Taiwan by force is as close to inevitable as it gets. The reason: in China's thinking that the United States has embarked on a course to prevent Taiwan from ever reunifying with China ◆ The Atlantic, 2022-12-3: Taiwanese people seem blissfully oblivious of a looming conflict with China. The U.S. can't afford that luxury ◆ The WEEK (UK), 2022-12-4 : A RAND Corporation study predicted that a yearlong war would cut the U.S.'s gross domestic product by 5 to 10 percent — but it would slash China's by 25 to 35 percent. ◆ Economist, 2022-11-29: many Taiwanese are tired of squabbles over national identity, especially after Ms Tsai's refusal last year to accept an offer of much-needed vaccines from China ◆ Wall Street Journal, 2022-11-28: Taiwan Ruling Party's election drubbing could ease tension with China and persuade Chinese leaders that they can peacefully influence politics there.

◆ Reuters, 2022-11-27: Tsai had tried to frame the elections as more than just a local vote, saying the world is watching how Taiwan defends its democracy amid tensions with China... But her strategy failed to win public support.◆ Bloomberg, 2022-11-26: Taiwan Counts Votes in Elections Set to Shape Presidential Race ; Expert: The winners of elections will have a say in who get picked to in the subsequent presidential elections ◆ DW (Germany), 2022-11-26: China said the result shows that "mainstream public opinion in the island is for peace, stability and a good life ◆Washington Post, 2022-11-23: Despite consistent prodding from Washington, however, Taipei is also not nationalistic enough in the sense that it hasn’t engaged in the kind of military preparation necessary to deter an attack. Its political leaders are reluctant to reduce their dependence on U.S. protection ◆ Wall Street Journal, 2022-11-23: ...the persistent fecklessness of Taiwanese government's defense policy, whose bottom line is that the island should be defended by others while Taiwan's youth can continue to play video games.◆ Economist, 2022-11-24: Where might conflict flare up in 2023? Keep an eye on Taiwan and the South China Sea—and the Himalayas ◆ Fortune, 2022-11-19: U.S. restrictions on selling advanced computer chips to China could make invading Taiwan more tempting to Beijing. U.S. faces ‘immediate Great Depression’ if China seizes Taiwan’s semiconductor industry ◆Wall Street Journal, 2022-11-22: In Taiwan, a Shaky Status Quo Prevails; The people here have little desire either to yield to Beijing or to provoke a war ◆ Economist, 2022-11-18: Will Taiwan be the Ukraine of Asia? The status quo is breaking down, making war more likely ◆ CNN's meanwhile in China, 2022-11-14: For Beijing, no red line is starker or more crucial than its claim over Taiwan ...The Chinese believe the US goal is to keep China down so we can contain it. And the US believes China's goal is to make the world safer for authoritarian states, push the US out of Asia and weaken its alliance system

◆ CNN, 2022-11-13: Biden's repeated statements on the American obligation to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion have done little to lower the temperature.◆Washington Post, 2022-11-13: Congress seeks to arm Taiwan quickly before the bullets start flying Economist, 2022-11-10: International attention is always welcome in Taiwan's quest for global recognition ◆ NY Times, briefing, 2022-11-11: Taiwan is the top issue. Biden has taken a bolder stance on Taiwan than previous U.S. presidents. ◆ Washington Examiner, 2022-11-11: commander of U.S. Strategic Command: This Ukraine crisis is just the warmup, the Taiwan war may be the next world war ◆ Washington Post, 2022-11-10: Beijing might also resort to force to stem what it sees ... a growing Taiwan-centric identity — as well as deepening U.S.-Taiwan security ties ◆ DW (Germany), 2022-11-8: Beijing denies having an accelerated timeline on Taiwan "reunification" ◆Washington Times, 2022-11-8: It would take at least a decade to design and build new types of ships and aircraft to counter China's threats... US Forces in the Indo-Pacific may not be able to defend Taiwan successfully today ◆ Newsweek, 2022-11-8: Beijing's forces have "a lot of work to do" before attempting what would be one of the most difficult military campaigns in modern history ◆ National Interest, 2022-11-4: Washington should mediate a political solution between Moscow and Kyiv and refocus its global efforts on deterring Beijing from invading Taiwan ◆ USNI, 2022-11-7: Pentagon official: China will increase pressure on Taiwan in next two years rather than invade ◆ The Atlantic, 2022-11-7: Because Taiwan is an island, it will be difficult to resupply in the event of hostilities; Taiwan needs support now ◆ Fox News, 2022-11-4: If China conquers Taiwan, it would be huge blow to US national security, economy ◆ FoxNews, Reuters, Hill,Vice, 2022-10-31: US to Put Nuclear-Capable B52s in Australia as Taiwan Invasion Fears Grow ◆ Fortune, 2022-10-30: China's Xi Jinping now has 'unlimited power' and could use Taiwan as a distraction from 'internal problems'

◆ CNN, 2022-10-27: A hot war in Asia remains unlikely in the foreseeable future ◆ Washington Post, 2022-10-28: Taiwan, missiles and spying set to be China’s priorities under new Xi term ◆ WarOnTheRocks, 2022-10-28:U.S. support for Ukraine and other dynamics have led some to question if the current administration is truly prioritizing Taiwan ◆ SCMP, 2022-10-30: Tsai administration accused of stalling decision due to plan's unpopularity with young voters; Better training needed if Taiwan extends mandatory military service, experts say◆ US News, 2022-10-27: Russia's Sechin Says U.S. attempts to create its own complex microchip industry showed that "Taiwan's return to its native harbour" was "on schedule" ◆ The Guardian, 2022-10-25: Xi Jinping's party purge prompts fears of greater Taiwan invasion risk ◆Voice of America, 2022-10-22: Analysts say even though Beijing doesn’t want to go to war to reunify the two sides, it may feel forced to do so if the current trend of U.S.-Taiwan relations continues ◆ New York Times, 2022-10-20: The longer, written version of Xi's speech also stated that China has strengthened its “strategic initiative for China’s complete reunification,” suggesting greater urgency for its future plans ◆ Newsweek, 2022-10-21: Beijing has responded to the U.S. Navy's warning of a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan as soon as this year by cautioning Washington against any intervention on the sensitive geopolitical issue ◆ Daily Express, 2022-10-21: the 'Weakness' of US could 'encourage' China's efforts to blockade Taiwan; Experts urged the US to stand firm against Beijing ◆ The Diplomat, 2022-10-21: recent polling has indicated over 50 percent of Americans support coming to Taiwan’s defense if an invasion were to occur ◆ BBC, 2022-10-18: China is pursuing unification with Taiwan "on a much faster timeline" than previously expected, Blinken says, Beijing had decided the status quo was no longer acceptable ◆ New York Times, 2022-10-19: the Chinese leader is unlikely to seek military conflict, either to divert attention from domestic challenges or to act before China's power peaks. ◆ CNBC, 2022-10-18: Political watchers say the speech showed that Xi is not be keen to take Taiwan by force ◆ Reuters,2022-10-17: Analysis-Xi's new generals face tough military challenges post-congress; the conundrum for the PLA is the lack of operational experience ◆ New York Times,2022-10-16: On Taiwan, Xi Jinping (at CCP Congress) warns against international 'interference'......China is still exerting what Xi also uses in the speech — 'strategic patience’

◆ VOA,2022-10-16: Despite Tough Words, Japan Might Not Enter a Taiwan War ◆ USNI news, 2022-10-18: China is looking to speed up its timeline for taking control of Taiwan to 2027 ◆ NPR, 2022-10-18: there's evidence to suggest that from China's point of view, what they really want is control, not that kind of symbolic unification ◆ Washington Post, 2022-10-16: Xi: the party had already created a “new choice” for humanity with its unique path to modernization — a nod to China's emergence as an alternative to Western democracies. ◆ The SUN (UK),2022-10-16: an authority on China's military, recently warned the country is convinced it needs to hit America "hard and early " in a surprise Pearl Harbor-style attack to invade Taiwan. ◆ TIME, 2022-10-11: Defending far-off Taiwan ...is about defending Americans' security, liberties, and prosperity ◆Washington Post, 2022-10-12: Xi's looming third term in China raises threat of war over Taiwan... “Before, leaders talked about unification as something to be achieved in the long run. Now, it's number one on the agenda.”◆Wall Street Journal, 2022-10-10: Mr. Xi may be disinclined to wait, given the risk of a more assertive president in Taipei in May 2024 or Washington in January 2025. Beijing's recent rhetoric has been consistent with this hypothesis ◆ Economist, 2022-10-10: In Washington, there is talk of intelligence that the pla has been told to be in a position to take Taiwan by 2027...The liberal political order is at stake ◆ CBS News,2022-10-9: while much of the world thought an invasion might be imminent, polls showed that a majority of Taiwanese think that is unlikely any time soon, if ever..."This is not a matter of if they will invade, it's a matter of when they will invade" ◆ NY Times, 2022-10-5: the U.S. was intensifying efforts to build a giant stockpile of weapons in Taiwan, turning it into a “porcupine” bristling with armaments to discourage aggression from mainland China ◆ Forbes, 2022-10-3: Defense Secretary Austin: Chinese Invasion Of Taiwan Not 'Imminent'; “What we do see is China moving to establish what we would call a new normal". ◆ CBS News,2022-9-18: Biden tells <60 Minutes> U.S. forces, U.S. men and women would defend Taiwan, but White House says this is not official U.S. policy ◆ Wall Street Journal,2022-9-19: China Is Capable of Blockading Taiwan, U.S. Navy Commander Says◆ The Global and Mail (Canada), 2022-9-10: Taiwan's long-term survival prospects are much worse than Ukraine's... it would probably take Taiwan five years of defence spending at 5 per cent of GDP, ... a return to several years of conscription and large active reserves in the Israeli model◆ NY Times,2022-9-10: Drones -the latest front in China's mounting campaign of intimidation and psychological warfare ◆ New York Times, 2022-9-9: The "silicon shield"...If it is clear that China will be better off with a steady flow of chips from Taiwan, peace is likely to prevail ◆ NY Times, 2022-9-4: Washington is increasingly wary that an emboldened China might invade Taiwan in the coming years. ◆ abc news, 2022-9-5: Taiwan's weaknesses on that front, chiefly in two areas: its reserves and civilian defense force.◆ NY Times, 2022-8-25: China could try to impose a blockade to force the island into concessions or as a precursor to wider military action ◆ NY Times, 2022-8-21: critics argued the tensions over Taiwan showed that Washington needed stronger military and economic strategies.◆ SCMP, 2022-8-21: PLA adopts nuclear deterrence to stop foreign intervention on Taiwan: analysts

◆ SCMP, 2022-8-23: Beijing's sorties across the median line responded to Taiwan's "diplomatic salami" ; Taiwan was also inching away from the status quo with its history textbooks for schoolchildren downplaying a China-centric view of history on the island ◆ NY Times, 2022-8-11: Taiwan, which has struggled with accidents and morale in the face of such a would-be foe as China. By many accounts, Taiwan's forces are poorly equipped and understaffed ◆ Economist, 2022-8-10: Ms Pelosi's visit has allowed Beijing to move to a new level of military activity unchallenged, which will make it harder for America to defend Taiwan. ◆ New York Times, 2022-8-7: After China's Military Spectacle, Options Narrow for Winning Over Taiwan

The ROC on Taiwan, has its own constitution, independently elected president and military forces, However, Taiwan's image was tarnished or damaged for having benefits by any means, and having principal human rights problems, including:

● Ethics of Taiwan politicians : ♣ New Yorker (2022-11-21): When the Chinese test-fired the ballistic missiles, Tsai Ing-wen didn’t tell the public that they flew over the island; that became known only after it was announced by Japanese leaders. When a Chinese drone flew into Taiwan's airspace, Tsai Ing-wen's government reacted with similar reserve... the government looks like it doesn't know what it's doing,”♣ al jazeera, 2022-5-30: Taiwan legislature erupts in violence over "secret expenses" bill / KMT lawmakers try to block bill they say could be used to overturn ex-President Chen Shui-bian’s corruption conviction. ♣ Guardian, 2021-7-12: China accused Taiwan has rejected China's offers as fake altruism. ... putting politics above its people♣ United Daily, 3-11-2021, editorial: smear, fragmentation, low dirty means ... Pan Green's propaganda campaign already beyond the critical point of morality. udn.com/news/story/7338/5309442 ♣ China Times, 3-12-2021: Ruling party ignoring bottom line of morality is grief of the country. ♣ The Liberty Times, editorial (7-21-2020) reports only 2.3% Taiwanese politicians are trustworthy and have professional ethics, according to a survey half year ago, 56% Taiwanese note elected representatives (lawmakers, councilman, etc) care their own interest, only 9.3% think they care "national interest". ♣ Washington Post (7-22-2020) reports: In a major speech in January 2019, Xi (Chinese president) offered an ultimatum to Taiwan to come to the table for unification talks or face annexation by force. However, Taiwan's government was tight-lipped about this ultimatum, so that even famous commentator and analyst know nothing about it, otherwise pro-Independence Tsai I. W. may not easily continue in presidential office in Jan. 2020, because, according to National Interest (6-16-2020): more than 60.3 percent of the respondents opposed Taiwan's independence if it is followed by China’s military invasion...

Taiwanese personality○

● democracy : ● Economist, 2022-11-29: many Taiwanese are tired of squabbles over national identity, especially after Ms Tsai’s refusal last year to accept an offer of much-needed vaccines from China ... ● Wall Street Journal, 2022-11-28: Taiwan Ruling Party's election drubbing could ease tension with China and persuade Chinese leaders that they can peacefully influence politics there. ● US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released at 2022-4-12 : In 2020 presidential and legislative elections, President Tsai Ing-wen won re-election,...there were allegations of vote buying by candidates and supporters of both major political parties. ● al jazeera, 2022-5-30: Taiwan legislature erupts in violence over "secret expenses" bill / KMT lawmakers try to block bill they say could be used to overturn ex-President Chen Shui-bian’s corruption conviction.● United Daily(聯合報) , 2022-5-9, editorial: Taiwan's news reports seem to be free, but in recent years, the speech market has tended to be "Homogeneity" (單一化); particularly, the state apparatus controls the media very deeply ● USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices, 2021-3-30: There were allegations of vote buying by candidates and supporters of both major political parties (KMT and DPP) in Presidential election. ● Economist EIU Democracy Index 2019 shows Taiwan is "Flawed democracy", overall score is lower than 2015's and 2016's, the scores of "political culture", "political participation" are low (5.63, 6.11). ● <DW> of Germany (Chinese edition, 12-25-2020) and <RFI> of France (Chinese edition, 12-27-2020) both quoted <Yazhou Zhoukan > (亞洲周刊) criticizing Taiwan's new democratic authoritarianism. ● N.Y. Times 12-3-2019: soft underbelly of Taiwanese politics: patronage networks. they continue to allow community leaders, farmers’ associations and even organized-crime figures to buy votes. ● New York Times, 1-11-2020: Taiwan’s young and vibrant, if messy at times, democratic society. ● <China Times> 2-26-2020, editorial: more and more uncontrolled admin. power and withered legislative power, freedom of speech was suppressed by admin. and judicial power at all levels, ...as for political culture, partisan, stand and ideology matter. ● <Foreign Policy>, 2015: Taiwan politics belongs to mega-corporations (not the people) and is controlled by the political parties. ● Apple Daily, editorial, 12-14-2019: Taiwan gov. shows authoritarianism political culture, ignoring and being hostile to those critics. ● Apple Daily, editorial, 12-7-2019: in this bad election morality age, Taiwan president becomes a low threshold, min. qualification criteria position, and a laughingstock. ● <UDN> editorial,12-6-2018: Taiwan's democracy exists in name only ...; ● <United Daily News>, editorial opinion, 6-23-2019: The operation of democracy usually strays off most public-opinions, big-data became a sharp-weapon for politicians to manipulate the will of the people ... fail to solve the adverse situation of reversing democracy; ● <United Daily News>, Opinion, 3-7-2017: Now it seems hard to keep Taiwan's skin-deep democracy ... the people's "livelihood" was sacrificed for politics ...● <United Daily> editorial 1-8-2020, <UDN> editorial (聯合報社論) 11-14-2019／Taiwan's democracy turns into grave 。 (民主設計的良意，如今變成私欲墳場 https://udn.com/news/story/11321/4163629) democracy & freedom○

● freedom of speech : ● US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released at 2023-3-20 : Reporters faced the threat of legal action under the liberal libel laws. ● US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released at 2022-4-12 : CTi News was forced off the air after the National Communications Commission declined to renew its broadcast license. Opposition politicians and some academics and commentators claimed the decision was politically motivated retaliation for CTi News’ criticism of the ruling party. ● RSF, <Reporters Sans Frontieres>, France, 2022-5-3: Taiwan's press freedom situation has been "impaired" by some "serious problems". ● USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices, 2021-3-30: Opposition politicians and some media outlets criticized these provisions (a new law criminalized receiving direction or funding from prohibited Chinese sources to conduct political activities) as overly broad and potentially detrimental to freedom of expression, including for the press. Opposition politicians and some academics and commentators claimed NCC’s decision not to renew the license was politically motivated retaliation for CTi News’ criticism of the ruling party. ● Global Times, 2021-3-29 : Taiwan DPP's dark "online army" underbelly in misinformation campaign , the DPP's "online army" which manipulated and meddled in an online public opinion field of more than 20 million people on the island. "The DPP can collude with social media such as PTT, Facebook, print media, electronic media, and TV programs". globaltimes.cn/page/202103/1219763.shtml ● USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices, 3-11-2020: Journalists said they faced pressure from management to submit news stories to complement or support the content of paid advertisements. Oxford university (UK) Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism: Only 24% Taiwanese trust in local news which remains one of the lowest in Oxford survey. < Reporters Sans Frontieres> (RSF, France) , 4-18-2019: Taiwan’s journalists are suffering from a very polarized media environment dominated by sensationalism and the pursuit of profit. Although President Tsai Ing-wen has said she wants to continue developing press freedom in Taiwan, few concrete measures have been taken to improve journalists’ editorial independence and encourage media to raise the quality of the public debate. Beijing is exploiting this weakness by putting pressure on Taiwanese media owners, who often have business interests on the mainland. ● China Times, editorial <中時社論> , 3-9-2020: Political power forms threats (penalty fine and suspending the license) to certain media ... Secretly bullying by (gov.-related) cyber force. ● Apple Daily 12-4-2019 editorial : All political parties and many politicians found cyber-forces who are mean, base, cruel and dark to destroy target's image and reputation by secretly ways, without moral bottom line ... ● UDN 12-7-2019 editorial: The number of fake news spread by Pan-Green coalition (ruling party) is far more (and more vile) than that sent by ordinary people ● Apple Daily 3-29-2019 editorial opinion: Democracy & Freedom of speech is the bottom line which should never be lost, the government should not create chilling effect by fishing in trouble water. ● The China Times 12-14-2019 editorial : the gov. seriously harmed free speech by investigating those messages shared or published on the net by the masses ● The China Times 3-29-2019 headline news: Democracy on the surface, anti-democracy to the bone is not allowed. ● US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released at 3-13-2019: the impact of the concentration of media ownership on freedom of the press, self-censorship continued. ● N.Y. Times 12-3-2019: Social media platforms are another key battleground (Chn-TW): Nearly 90 percent of Taiwan’s population is active on them, and traditional news outlets have been known to republish fake posts without fact-checking. According to Reuters, Chinese government agencies have paid Taiwanese news outlets to publish pro-Beijing content. freedom of speech○

● Family New York times, Pew Research Institute, 2021-11-28: unlike most other countries put family first, Taiwanese ranked Material well-being above family. Marry for money not love

● women ● The Guardian (UK), 2023-6-8: The belated #MeToo reckoning has exposed the deeply patriarchal norms that still govern Taiwanese society... in formal legal proceedings victims were unlikely to succeed. ● DW (Germany), 2023-6-13: Taiwan's culture remains conservative, and chauvinism still exists in workplaces and politics.。 victims may be "judged" by the public for sharing details....they may not be treated justly, ...the existing mechanisms are inadequate. ● SCMP, 2023-6-11: NTU prof. Tso Chen-dong: the DPP has greatly disappointed the public as ... referring to the party's pledges to promote gender equality and human rights. DPP had long focused on LGBTQ equality, rather than women's rights. ● United Daily, editorial, 2023-6-4 : sexual harassment and bully become the ruling DPP's norm women

● justice: ● National ChungCheng University (ccu.edu), 2023-2-13: study found the percentage of Taiwanese trust in the judges is 32.8%.● National ChungCheng University, 2022-2-14: study found 2/3 Taiwanese are not satisfied with the quality of judgment of criminal cases ● United Daily, editorial , 2022-1-25 : More people suffered fear from invisible and delicate social control and threats by DPP government' flank and judiciary (prosecutor, police) ... ● USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices, 2021-3-30: Some political commentators and academics, however, publicly questioned the impartiality of judges and prosecutors involved in high profile, politically sensitive cases. ● USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices, 3-11-2020: Some political commentators and academics, publicly questioned the impartiality of judges and prosecutors involved in high profile, politically sensitive cases. US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released at 3-13-2019 pointed out that justice ministry was insufficiently independent and conducted politically motivated investigations of politicians (in <Corruption and Lack of Transparency in Government> section), ... ● The United Daily, 1-6-2020, editorial: Taiwanese don't trust law-enforcement because of government abusing power and playing with the law. : ●　The United Daily, Focus, 11-30-2019: 　The prosecutors and Taiwan's 'FBI'　were questioned a lot for years for their political investigations and conducts ...in recent years, the judiciary giving services to DPP almost became a routine...:● UDN 10-20-2019: politics overrode justice ● The Liberty Times, head-line news, 3-16-2019: Taiwan PM is not satisfied with Judicial reform ● The Liberty Times, head-page, The China Times, head-page, 12-8-2018: Taiwan P.M. (賴清德): Taiwan has not made significant progress on judicial reform, which is roiling with public discontent; ● <The United Daily>, 06-18-2016, head page news: Taiwan's prosecutors admit usually following order to conclude legal cases. ● <USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices>, 2016-2018, public trust on Taiwan's judiciary system keeps falling down. ● <United Daily>, opinion column, 12-16-2017: Taiwan's public voice with a heavy heart : The prosecutors should abide by the law too... don't be a political tool. judiciary

● corruption : ● TaiwanPlus, 2023-3-6: A poll has found that 85% of people in Taiwan think public prosecutors can be subject to political influence. A majority said they believed prosecutors engage in corruption behaviour when handling cases ● China Times, 2023-6-26: Taiwan ruling party's corruption - structural, collective and overall (結構性、集體性、全面性貪腐) ; has already crossed the bottom line, and being out of control. chinatimes.com/opinion/20230626004425-262101?chdtv brief ● Voice of America, 2022-11-23: "black gold"-"heijin." Corruption in Local Politics ● Avios, 2022-6-28: Scandals and corruption have plagued the Taiwanese armed forces ● Economist, 2022-8-2: Taiwan needs to do more to combat corruption and waste in its armed forces ● US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released at 2022-4-12 :13 high-ranking officials, 79 mid-level, 93 low-level, and 18 elected officials were indicted for corruption. the Ministry of Justice and the Judicial Yuan referred six officials to the Control Yuan for criminal investigation, including former minister of justice Tseng Yung-fu, former prosecutor general Wu Ying-chao, and two others for investigation of noncriminal misconduct... In 2020 presidential and legislative elections, President Tsai Ing-wen won re-election,...there were allegations of vote buying by candidates and supporters of both major political parties. ● USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices, 2021-3-30: Significant human rights issues included: the existence of criminal libel laws and serious acts of corruption. ● Transparency International 1-29-2019: Taiwan has stagnated in the Corruption Perspective Index rankings since 2011 with its score 61~63 (dropped 2 spots this year), in contrast, South Korea improved by 3 points in 2017. ● China Times, editorial , 2022-6-1, "The whole DPP party backups corruption, a shame of Taiwan's democracy": When the corruption scandal broke out in 2008, all DPP members gave ex-President Chen Shui-bian a cold shoulder, Chen's daughter 陳幸妤 was mad and shouted："Has anyone in DPP not taken money from my father ?? ", which shocked all fields, therefore, pan-Green Coalition has been involved in Chen's case.(綠營因此遭扁綁架事出有因)。● In platform presentation at 12-25-2019, Nationalist Party Presidential candidate Han criticized President Tsai has allowed top officials around grow very corrupt, Tsai refuted KMT was more serious, People First Party candidate Song said that speaking of corruption and unfair judiciary, KMT and DPP are about the same. ● Apple Daily (12-7-2018) editorial : Taiwan's corruption is off the charts by collusions between government officials and business owners, furthermore, Taiwan's underworld going wild to assist government officials, business and some elected representatives (e.g., legislators) in corruption has been ahead of most corrupt countries, e.g., China, Indonesia, Brazil, Philippines, Vietnam, the stinky rotten food-chain crossing pan-Blue (Nationalist, KMT) and pan-Green (DPP) resurges after Taiwan's elections...● Liberty Times, 1-12-2020, editorial: The administration's rottenness (腐壞氣息) smells already. corruption●

● medical : ● Taiwan ranks No. 249 in World's Best Hospitals by Newsweek and Statista in 2023 ● Bloomberg's CovID ranking: Taiwan's 3-month case-fatality rate ranks the last twice in 2021 ● Lancet / Measuring universal health coverage Taiwan is behind countries of Asia& Pacific like Japan, Singapore, S. Korea, Australia, NZ, Kuwait, Qatar ● Taiwan has only one hospital was included and ranked No. 249 in Newsweek's top 250 "World's Best Hospitals" in 2023 ● Guardian (UK), 2022-5-9: The death of a two-year-old boy last month highlighted communication failures exacerbated by Taiwan’s entrenched bureaucracy. ● al jazeera, 2022-5-30: The fatalities have notably included the sudden deaths of several very young children, which many Taiwanese attribute to failures of the healthcare system. ● China Times, editorial, 2021-9-8: The government ignores human lives of high-risk older populations. Using vaccine to draw votes is "cold-blood", "losing their souls " chinatimes.com/opinion/20210907005525-262101?chdtv ● United Daily, editorial, 2021-9-4: Taiwan's vaccination policy is based upon government's selfishness and special purpose. ● National Taiwan University professor, King ChwanChuen, 2021-9-1: CDC should not turn into a election campaign center. ● UDN 2021-5-31, editorial: Taiwan's government fails to purchase enough CovID-19 vaccines, and stop civil org. to purchase from the west for saving its political face. Till end May, patients are not easy to apply for and have CovID-19 medicine, which cause more deaths, Taiwan cares money more than human lives hospitals, CovID19●

● pirate : ● USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices, 2021-3-30: some indigenous rights advocates argued a large amount of indigenous land was seized and privatized decades ago, depriving indigenous communities of the right to participate in the development of these traditional territories. ● Green Peace, 5-2-2019: It remains our view that Taiwanese fisheries still have many serious problems, both environmental and social, and that the need for reform is clear and urgent. ● Lowy Institute & <the interpreter>, 5-2-2019: Taiwan ...illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing... Taiwan has so far refused to adopt the Work in Fishing Convention. ● EU warned in 2015 Taiwan with a yellow card for illegal fishing till 6 '19. ● US state government - 2019 Trafficking in persons report, Jun. 2019: fishermen working on Taiwan-flagged and -owned fishing vessels experience non- or under-payment of wages, long working hours, physical abuse, lack of food or medical care, denial of sleep, and poor living conditions while indebted to complex, multinational brokerage networks. Migrant fishermen have reported senior crewmembers employ such coercive tactics as threats of physical violence, beatings, withholding of food and water, and pay deductions to retain their labor. ● Freedom House, June 2019: labor advocates report poor implementation, citing ongoing mistreatment and abuse of foreign fishermen on Taiwanese vessels.

○
● privacy : ● The China Times (中時) , editorial , 2023-5-23: 23 millions of Taiwanese household administration data and 28 millions of labor insurance data have been leaked and were sold to fraud groups - all personal data of Taiwanese were sold out, Taiwan government looked the other way as its citizens were in fraud for leakage of their personal data ● US Naval Institute , May, 2022 : Taiwan has extensive networks of closed-circuit TV cameras, and issued a national health insurance smartcard that tracks medical histories. ● Amnesty International, June, 2021 :The government took several measures to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus, some of which threatened the right to privacy. ● People's Daily, 10-15-2020, commentary: Taiwan's Intelligence strictly monitors its own people, which is called "Green Terror". ● The China Times (中國時報), 1-6-2021: the human rights protected by the Constitution has been in danger for a long time... The government had not admitted the "skynet - electronic fence" until law-makers questioned them a number of times... ● New York Post 4-25-2020 : Taiwan deals CovID with "a lot more authoritarian.", "almost everyone is tracked.". ● Apple Daily 11-10-2020: Taiwanese health & medical data/information was forced without agreement of the party to be opened on purpose of business and academic use. ● The United Daily News (聯合報) , editorial, 3-31-2019 : Taiwan is a backward country on personal-data protection. Taiwan plans to sell general public's personal data and digital human rights (e.g., people's medical health data without giving any notice ), peep at whatever on the net , and even monitor all the citizens, nothing people would normally notice ... (brief https://udn.com/news/story/7338/3728815) ; ● EU General Data Protection Regulation - GDPR was given to effect at 5-25-2018, Taiwan is far behind, even is going in an opposite way / Apple Daily 蘋果日報, 5-28-2018, National Taiwan University Law School professor 林鈺雄 privacy○
● secret police : ● Law maker (2023-6-2): What an authoritarian era in Taiwan ? (「這是什麼威權時代嗎」) / Dr. Su Hung-dah (蘇宏達), dean of the College of Social Sciences, National Taiwan University, reveals he was threatened by National Security Bureau ( state machine ) that "we can watch your LINE" (a popular online app. ) ● USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices, 2021-3-30: Members of the security forces committed some abuses. ● The United Daily News, editorial opinion (9-19-2018) : "secret police" (「東廠們」) have been active around us ... ● The Liberty Times, head-page, The China Times, head-page, 12-8-2018: Taiwan P.M. (賴清德): "Secret Police event" (「東廠事件」) has seriously damaged public trust on the government...; ● Apple Daily 12-4-2019 editorial : All political parties and many politicians found their cyber-forces to secretly attack targets... , the dark force are mean, base, cruel and dark to destroy target's image and reputation, they executed without moral bottom line and military discipline (brief). ● The United Daily News, editorial 11-30-2019: The state machine was abused as government's "tributaries". ● UDN 11-3-2018, Intel. sys. (NSB) confirmed their investigations of Facebook and other's communities on the net. All internet platform service providers in Taiwan were requested to hand in all users' personal information/data (intel denied). ● <Apple Daily (蘋果日報)> 11-7-2018 editorial opinion: by whatever name ( "secret police" or "national security bureau") it is called, what "it" did secretly were always more than what it admitted. Taiwan's Intelligence and secret-agent systems keep on governing the country ... they're true Prime Minister (行政院長), ...So many suspected political murder cases remain unsolved (ref to 2018.7.26【政經看民視】 FTV, "政經看民視", 7-26-2018; SET(三立電視), 9-24-2013 "Secret agents govern the nation (特務治國)" www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBdZCdYrwF4; Era TV, 年代電視, 9-22-2013; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1b4R2m6K3g; "Secret agent systems resurgence to control the nation (特務復辟治國)" repression, oppression○

● int'l fraud : ● United Daily (聯合報), editorial, 2023-5-11 : Taiwan government got no grades on fighting fraud。In today, Taiwanese crimes of fraud have spread all over the world, the criminal methods have deteriorated to abducting people, selling human organs, defrauding money by using the name of the administration...●The China Times (中時) , editorial , 2023-5-8: The head of fraud group,「im.B借貸媒合平台」, has close connection with DPP's top ranking officials such as deputy premier ● Reuters, DW (Germany), 12-31-2020: Chinese court sentences 29 Taiwanese deported from Spain / In recent years, hundreds of Taiwanese nationals, suspected of committing telecoms fraud overseas... ● United Daily, 10-23-2019, editorial: Taiwanese telecom frauds run wild the entire world to damage Taiwan's image. ● CTV evening news, 12-14-2017, EBC TV, 4-9-2017, UDN opinion, 12-24-2017: Taiwan is notorious for its fraud crimes all over the world. quora, 4-16-2016: Taiwan largely sees these telecom frauds/phone scammers as an asset rather than liability... ● China Times, 11-7-2017: It's not easy for Taiwan to clean its bad name of 'fraud-crime empire' because "Rome is not built in one day". (Asia Association of Police Studies, secretary general) international fraud ○

● torture & cruelty : ● Global Times, 2022-12-19: There are forces on the island who are mentally controlling the Taiwan people... ●justsecurity.org, Focus Taiwan, Taipei Times, etc, 2022-5-13: international human rights review panel urges to ban torture and other cruelties ● Global Times (globaltimes.cn/content/1209528.shtml), 12-9-2020: Taiwan authority ‘persecutes mainlanders, pro-reunification activists' by 'Political persecution, framing charge' . Taiwan is far behind and keeps stalling legislating a new law against torture and other cruelty, conclusively advised by international review panel ( Philip Alston, law professor at New York University; Eibe Riedel, former member of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Jerome Cohen, law professor at New York University; and Nisuke Ando, professor emeritus at Kyoto University, etc. ) (ref. to Apple Daily, headline, 12-9-2017) Taiwan's opposition party vice presidential candidate, NTU professor Lin Ruey-Shiung, was subject to electromagnetic wave attacks (French AFP ,Dec. 1, 2011 , Thailand's Bangkok Post, Dec. 3, 2011, Yahoo UK & Ireland, etc. ), Taiwan gov. denied this. ● State violence and white terror (product of state violence) return in Taiwan (United Daily, opinion, 12-21-2017, 12-27-2017). Taiwan's Facebook "Green terror" suppressed free expression...... (Wikipedia 2017, The China Times, public opinion, 11-18-2017). The key-point is state violence (Apple Daily, opinion, 8-16-2013). repression, oppression○

● food safety : ● United Daily (經濟日報社論), 2023-2-1: Food safety is an anxious issue for Taiwanese people ● Global Times, 2022-9-17 : DPP authority is sacrificing the people's interests for their political ends. the Taiwan authorities detected Caesium-137 in the batch of konjaku jelly powder since the island in February relaxed a decade-long ban on imports of "nuclear food" from Japan. ● Scientific Reports Journal, Food Navigator Asia, 2-9-2021: Fish fraud findings: Almost 20% of fish in Taiwan found to be mislabelled - study (Taiwan food scare, including 5 star hotel restaurant foods which the website revealed earlier in 2017). ● The China Times, 10-20-2018 opinion (editorial) https://opinion.chinatimes.com/20181019003889-262101 : Taiwan's food safety failed again and again, Dioxin, Fipronil poison-eggs in last year, Nicarbazin illegal drug residue event in this year. Europe was very cautious about Fipronil event, in contrast, Taiwan did nothing about it. Even worse, Taiwan officials hide Nicarbazin issue from Taiwanese people to baby related business ― indulge business to retrieve problematic eggs and then resell them as promotion goods. Why do high-ranking officials always fudge Taiwanese people's only, and humblest request ？? (brief) ● UDN, 2-17-2019: Gov. did not declared poison eggs until almost sold out... ● The China Times (中國時報), 2-28-2019, opinion (editorial) questions Taiwan officials are trying very hard to hide the epidemic state of Marek's virus in chicken eggs ...○

● int'l drug base :

● Statista 2022-11-18: Offense against narcotics hazard prevention act ranks No.2 crime by the Number committed in Taiwan in 2021 ●

The Diplomat, 2022-5-17

:"patrols of the coast became almost nonexistent and, as a result, it was easy to smuggle guns and drugs into Taiwan.”

● Taiwan is narcotic drugs producing & selling center of Asia (The China Times <Want Weekly>, 9-18-2019). Taiwan was already reduced to be a 'kingdom' of producing narcotic drugs. (United Daily, headline news, 11-2-2017) Philippine President Duterte ... blaming Taiwan-based organised crime behind all this drug traffic... for using his country as a shipping hub. (Reuters, 9-27-2017, The Straits Times, 9-29-2017) Duterte: Triad supplying illegal drugs to PH is based in Taiwan, not China (inquirer.net, 9-26-2017). Taiwan is scandalous for being a major drug transit center & a major drug exporting country, part of Taiwanese government including Judicial sys. refused to improve this issue. (UDN Opinion, 11-6-2017, The China Times, head-page & focus, 4-4-2017, The Liberty Times, 5-12-2017) illegal drugs○

● exploitation , children & women trafficking : ● US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released at 2023-3-20: A rise in the number of reports of child sexual exploitation cases; The NGOs called for increased prosecutions and heavier penalties. ● USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices, 2022-4-12: the number of male victims of child sexual exploitation was increasing and that male and female minors of indigenous heritage were targeted at higher rates than those of other ethnic groups. ● USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices, 2021-3-30: NGOs raised concerns regarding online sexual exploitation of children and reported sex offenders increasingly used cell phones, web cameras, live streaming, apps, and other new technologies to deceive and coerce underage girls and boys into sexual activity. ● US state government - 2019 Trafficking in persons report, Jun. 2019: in the last five years, human traffickers subject foreign men and women to forced labor and sex trafficking in Taiwan, and traffickers subject local men and women to forced labor and local women and children to sex trafficking. ... take advantage of Taiwan and foreign women’s and children’s drug addictions to subject them to sex trafficking. Taiwan traffickers increasingly use the internet, smartphone apps, livestreaming, and other such online technologies to conduct recruitment activities, often targeting child victims, and to mask their identities from law enforcement. ● USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices, March 3, 2017, 4-20-2018: Exploitation of foreign workers, official corruption, some media self-censorship with regard to China, vote buying, etc. prostitution○

● life protection : ● Nature, 2023-6-22: Despite concerns from several nations and international groups (but Taiwan goes down on its knees) , Japan is pressing ahead with plans to release water contaminated by the 2011 meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean ● NY Times, 2021-10-15:Taiwan has a spotty record when it comes to fire safety... severe disrepair as a result of weak management and government neglect. Skyrocketing housing costs in Taiwan’s cities — and a rapidly aging population — have exacerbated these issues in recent years and have outpaced the government’s efforts to resolve them... ● China times, 2021-10-15: Behind the fire sea in Kaohsiung building (城中城) is the government's discrimination and indifference to those underprivileged group who can not afford buying fire-fighting equipments ● UDN 2021-4-1: foolish energy policy kills our lungs, people in southern and middle of Taiwan increasingly got related diseases ● Apple Daily, 2021-4-10, editorial: The bane of Taiwan- backward infrastructures, e.g., no early-warning system for railway train, pollution in stream, dam, reservoir deposition ● The government has not well taken its fundamental responsibility of protecting the safety of people's life and property - why 5/6 bridges badly in need of repair have not done ? government even has never made public the info. and where those bridges are. (ref. to United Daily, 10-9-2019, headline news) why are there so many tall buildings located on the fault-zone? why are poor architectures everywhere on bad geologic grounds ? why are those shit-hole politicians doing nothing and ignoring urban renewal so as to risk millions of old houses and human beings? (ps: may face death in 6 magnitude quake) (full text: https://udn.com/news/story/11321/2974813 聯合報社論／斷層帶上何以建了那麼多高樓？ 2-8-2018, https://udn.com/news/story/7338/2977079 勿讓軟腳樓成坑殺人命陷阱 2-9-2018, https://tw.appledaily.com/headline/daily/20180209/37928659花蓮都更爛政客 2-9-2018)○

● life protection (2) : ● BBC, Independent, 2023-6-20: the drugging of preschool children in Taiwan have sparked widespread alarm on the island. Some teachers at the kindergarten gave children phenobarbital to “make them more compliant”. A rally demanded transparency from the government. ● CIA Fact Book, Dec. 10, 2021: air pollution; water pollution from industrial emissions, raw sewage; contamination of drinking water supplies; trade in endangered species ● Taiwan's CCPI (Climate Change Performance Index - GHG emissions, renewable energy, etc) rank of 2019 is reciprocal third among countries, the score/ranking is from bad to worse since 2017. ● USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices, 2021-3-30: the total number of sexual assaults was seven to 10 times higher than the number reported to police. ● United Daily, 2021-4-10, editorial: The death rate of traffic accident (8+ per day) is higher than hat of many backward countries. Large-bus structure is problematic - Jerry-built or bad safety specification. So many gods are hidden in the detail ● UDN 1-2-2018 udn.com/news/story/7266/2908720, The China Times. 8-6-2016, <食品不安全的年代如何自保>, 2016, etc : Taiwan failed to solve food-safety issue, professors and MDs advised eating at home. Taiwan is dishonest and 'cruel' ― trying to hide, block, delay public-health news, e.g., poisoned eggs, PCV virus vaccine, and Bird-flu more than one time. ref to BBC news : www.bbc.com/zhongwen/trad/chinese_news/2012/03/120304_taiwan_birdflu_investigate. ● Due to bad Income distribution, Taiwan's social security (offender rate) worsens (China Times, 2-25-2020 editorial). ● The China Times 5-9-2018 column : This is an EVIL state apparatus ... The China Times 5-26-2018 column : The government likes to conceal bad news, put paper over the cracks, e.g., air pollution, rupture of diplomatic relationships, ...http://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20180509000843-260109 ● Taiwan's CCPI (Climate Change Performance Index - GHG emissions, renewable energy, etc) rank of 2019 is reciprocal third among countries, the score/ranking is from bad to worse since 2017. ● Apple Daily 12-11-2019, headline news: Taiwan's air pollution is bad to worse, about half population were endangered by PM2.5 and PM10 from top 10 hazardous level companies (China Steel, Taichung Power plant, etc) ● Taiwan administration's policy led to air pollution, toxic pollution in the land and sea ... (The China Times, 1-7-2018 台灣海陸空污染毒害，山海變色 http://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20180107000465-260114。Daily Mail (UK) 7-14-2017 : Shocking underwater video from Taiwan shows ocean floor littered with plastic (bottles) garbage) ●

● transportation safety ● UDN, CTN, Apple Daily editorial、2021-4-3: NY Times, CNN: train carrying 490 derails / Serious transportation accidents repeat - all are SOP ignoring man-made disasters, no one treats seriously the warning message behind each accident, The gov. is good at risk management and focus-shifting, instead of preventive management in advance, all these lead to tragedy again and again. The event is just a tip of a iceberg, Taiwan should establish a culture respecting human life. Taiwan railway bureau got rigid grading system and reform failure. ● United Daily News 1-20-2020: The death rate caused by traffic accidents in Taiwan is 5 times that in Japan. ● The SUN, BBC (UK) 2-13-2017: "BUS CRASH HORROR!" , Taiwan's tour bus "has come under fire in recent months over safety standards"... ● MSN, Reuters, EuroNews, Mirro(UK), NewsWeek, CNN, etc (2-4-2015) :"Taiwan has had a poor aviation safety record in recent years" . transportation Taiwan's aviation safety●

● Labor rights ● Le Monde diplomatique (France), 2023-2-14: Most migrant workers to higher-income Taiwan incur substantial debt to finance their fees, which binds them to their employers’ whims and exploitation while they pay it off. ● US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released at 2022-4-12: Large enterprises frequently made it difficult for employees to organize an enterprise union through methods such as blacklisting union organizers from promotion or relocating them to other work divisions. ● USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices, 2021-3-30: The right to strike remained highly restricted. 24 percent of foreign fishermen suffered violent physical abuse; 92 percent experienced unlawful wage withholding; 82 percent worked overtime excessively. ● Seafood Source, 3-16-2021: the U.S. Labor Department placed Taiwan on its 2020 List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor. ● National Geographic, 11-25-2020 : Wildlife crimes and human rights abuses plague Taiwanese fishing vessels ...illegal dolphin catching, shark finning, and physical and verbal abuse ... ● USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices, 3-11-2020: The right to strike remained highly regulated. Teachers, civil servants, and defense industry employees do not have the right to strike. Workers in industries such as utilities, hospital services, and telecommunication service providers are allowed to strike only if they maintain basic services during the strike. Authorities may prohibit, limit, or break up a strike during a disaster. For all workers, the law divides labor disputes into “rights disputes” and “adjustment disputes.” Workers are allowed to strike only in adjustment disputes, which include issues such as compensation and working schedules. The law forbids strikes in rights disputes related to violations of collective agreements and employment contracts. foreign laborers

● underworld gang & politics : ● Global Times, 2022-11-28: black (underworld) gold politics and nepotism severely violated what the DPP had pledged to the people ● China Times, 2022-11-27: Tsai's DPP has entangled with Mafia, has abused of power and corrupted (黑道纏身、濫權腐化) ● United Daily, editorial, 2021-5-7: The underworld gang links with the legal syndicate, or the gangsters parasitize the political party, which certainly leads to deviation and collapse of the adm. order. (udn.com/news/story/7338/5439377?from=udn-catehotnews_ch2) ● Apple Daily, 2021-5-7: the country has been ruled by "black-gold" gangsters and bureaucratic factions. The "big guys" of gangs can decide or influence which democratical representatives will reach the stage of electoral campaigns for law-makers, city-councilors, .... President Tsai won't be able to crack down gangsters. ( brief from tw.appledaily.com/forum/20210507/AWDMO7WLEBCAZCIYHGO7UBA4DA/ 趙少康)

democracy ○

● social security ● TaiwanPlus, 2023-5-4:

Taiwan Police Chief Detained for Alleged Fraud Ring Ties

● The China Times (中時) , editorial , 2023-5-5: The "Social security net" is proved to be broken - they fail to protect citizens' personal basic data/information ● 《Yahoo Taiwan》, 2021-11-23: all opposition parties blast the government not fulfilling its promise to patch the loophole of social security network. ●《Next TV news 壹新聞》, 2021-11-23, 12:11: a big loophole in our social security net. ● The China Times, 2-25-2020 editorial: Due to bad Income distribution, Taiwan's social security (offender rate) worsens. ● World Economic Forum (WEF) <Travel and tourism competitiveness report> released at 9-4-2019 shows Taiwan's "safety & security" got an Eastern Asia-pacific average score 6.0, and is worse than world No.5 Hong Kong, No. 6 Singapore , No. 7 UAE, No. 10 New Zealand, 11 Qatar, 13 Japan, 19 Australia, 23 Saudi Arabia. ●《Economist》UK , EIU 「The Safe Cities Index 2019 」 Taiwan's "personal security" dropped 14 places compared with previous yrs. report, Taiwan is worse than neighbors Singapore, Japan, China, Korea...

police
　

● discrimination ● Taipei Times, 2023-6-12: immigration authorities hand out insult after insult to people whose skins are a bit too brown... the reality of its suicidally discriminatory immigration policies is painful for those of us who live and work here. ● USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices, 2021-3-30: The majority of sex discrimination cases reported in 2019 were forced resignations due to pregnancies. Scholars said sex discrimination remained significantly underreported. There was reported discrimination, including employment discrimination, against persons with HIV or AIDS. ● USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices, 3-11-2020: Activists for LGBTI rights said due to victims’ reluctance to lodge formal complaints, discrimination against LGBTI persons was more widespread than suggested by the number of court cases. There was reported discrimination, including employment discrimination, against persons with HIV/AIDS. ● US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released at 3-13-2019 Foreign and PRC-born spouses were reportedly targets of social discrimination outside and, at times, inside the home. Discrimination against LGBTI persons was more widespread than suggested by the number of court cases. Employment discrimination against persons with HIV/AIDS continues, Taipei officials pressured a magazine reporter to drop an investigative report about the city’s breach of personal information for more than 3,000 AIDS patients.

Harvard professor Dr. Joseph Nye advised in 2010 that hard and soft power enable Taiwan to deal with China and expand its international space. Brookings at 1-22-2018 commented that Increasing “soft power” is a low-cost, high-return strategy for Taiwan. However, Taiwan's soft power was behind that of some other Asian's countries, Japan and China, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, India, UAE. Taiwan failed to be included in UK based Monocle's Soft Power list 2010 ~ 2019 and Soft Power 30 by USC Center on Public Diplomacy, 2017 ~ 2019/2020. Besides, according to Washington Post, 5-20-2020: There's a limit to what this soft power can achieve ... Taiwan was unable to compete with China's economic and political clout ... As for Taiwan's military power, Taiwan's administration made a core defense strategy to resist Chinese PLA for 2 weeks, and made assumption that then Americans will always risk their lives to protect home. for details, pls. click Taiwan soft power, Taiwan military.
　

◆ Reuters, 2022-8-7: The ability to enforce a blockade would give Beijing leverage to bring Taiwan to the negotiating table ;A former Chinese defence official :"Seeing how the U.S. and its allies responded to the drills, how confident can Taiwan leaders be in counting on them to come to the rescue should the PLA attack?" ◆ New York Times, 2022-8-2: China is preparing a hostile response of some sort...This is an exceptionally dangerous situation, perhaps more so than Ukraine ◆ CNN,2022-7-29: Pelosi's possible visit potentially triggers the worst cross-strait crisis in decades ... the escalating tension barely made headline news in Taiwan this week. Taiwan has made few comments about the situation. ◆ NY Times, 2022-7-28: The United States and China are on a collision course in the Taiwan Strait. China may soon be capable of seizing democratically ruled Taiwan — even in a fight with the United States. ◆ NY Times, 2022-7-25: Chinese leaders might try to move against the self-governing island over the next year and a half — perhaps by trying to cut off access to all or part of the Taiwan Strait ◆ CNN,2022-7-25: Under Xi, a rising wave of nationalism has swept China, and support for "reuniting" with Taiwan — possibly by force — is running high ◆ Washington Post, 2022-7-23: Many Asian leaders have voiced fears that Russia’s effort to take over Ukraine could embolden China to move aggressively into Taiwan ◆ le Monde (France), 2022-7-21: China appears determined on using force in Taiwan ◆ DW (Germany),2022-7-22: Japan defense report warns Russia's invasion of Ukraine could encourage China to act against Taiwan

◆ Business Insider, 2022-7-21: CIA chief: the Ukraine war likely won't shake China's resolve to invade Taiwan ◆ FoxNews, 2022-7-20: CIA director 'wouldn't rule out' near-term Taiwan invasion ◆ Asia Nikkei (Japan), 2022-7-20: Taiwan's ex-defense chief calls for sweeping military reforms ◆ FoxNews, 2022-7-7: Chinese diplomat says 'reunification' with Taiwan near ◆ Washington Post, 2022-7-3: these steps (asymmetric warfare) may not be enough to repel a far more powerful opponent like China. Taiwan's mandatory military service ... spend more time doing menial labor than learning combat skills. Tactics taught are comparable to those (Gulf War or the Vietnam War) ◆ N.Y. Times, 2022-6-19:Taiwan politicians have electoral considerations. Extending military conscription, for example, would probably not be very popular ◆ New York Times, 2022-6-13: Taiwan's defenses are, by many accounts, ill-equipped and understaffed...Should China invade, Taiwan's defenses will almost certainly crumble unless the United States and its allies help. ◆ AFP, France24, 2022-6-10: China will 'not hesitate to start war' if Taiwan declares independence, Beijing says ◆ NY Times, 2022-6-10: American officials ... worry that China's leader, Xi Jinping, may be willing to go to war over Taiwan in the coming years. ◆ CNN, 2022-6-1: China has the power to take Taiwan, but it would cost an extremely bloody price ...China is more likely to emulate the "shock and awe" bombardments that preceded the US' invasions of Iraq. ◆ full text

◆ ◆ Daily Express (UK), 2022-5-30: Putin is winning his war, China Taiwan is next and that will be so much deadlier ◆ New York Times, 2022-5-27: A 2018 congressionally-mandated assessment warned that America could face a “decisive military defeat” in a war over Taiwan ◆ NY Times, 2022-5-24: the US is trying to walk a fine line between deterrence and provocation... risk pushing President Xi Jinping of China to order an attack on Taiwan ◆ NY Times, 2022-5-24: Former presidents have hinted that the United States would fight for Taiwan but have otherwise remained studiedly vague...Taiwan's defense budget... remains scandalously low ◆ New York Times, 2022-5-23: Biden Says U.S. Military Would Defend Taiwan if China Invaded, dispensing with the “strategic ambiguity” traditionally favored by American presidents ◆ full text

◆ New York Times, 2022-5-7: US presses Taiwan to buy missiles and smaller arms for asymmetric warfare (Suited to Win Against China); But some Taiwanese defense officials are resistant. ◆ Wall Street Journal, 2022-5-4: Since the Chinese economy is 10 times as large as the Russian economy, effective sanctions would be virtually impossible to enforce. Taiwan's lack of preparedness is increasingly dangerous. ◆ Washington Post, 2022-5-4: China won't repeat Putin's Ukraine mistakes in Taiwan. ◆ Economist, 2022-4-20: the main lesson that China will draw from Ukraine is the need for speed—ideally achieving victory within days; Taiwan can learn ...Fighting spirit and the right Western arms may stymie a powerful foe ◆ full text

◆ Japan Times, 2022-4-19: U.S. 'strategic ambiguity' over Taiwan must end! US policy of ambiguity toward Taiwan is now fostering instability in the Indo-Pacific region, by encouraging China to underestimate U.S. resolve... ◆ Wall street Journal, 2022-4-18: Kyiv's successful use of internet to counter Moscow highlights Taiwan's reliance on undersea internet cables that China could cut ◆ Fox News, 2022-4-4: "It's not if China moves into Taiwan, it's when" ◆Wall street Journal, 2022-3-29: Moves under discussion in Taiwan are still far from the kind of major revamp that some experts in the U.S. and elsewhere say is needed to upgrade Taiwan's military ◆ New York Times, 2022-3-20: If Russia succeeds in overtaking Ukraine, it increases the danger for Taiwan ◆ TIME, 2022-3-18: most analysts say that the island would not be able to stop a full-scale invasion on its own—and Ukraine's situation has sparked debate over whether anyone would come to Taiwan's aid ◆ Politico, 2022-3-14: Taiwan's military may be rightly criticized for its poorly coordinated forces, and its government has been hesitant to invest in its own defense...PLA would be more motivated than the Russian forces...China’s deep integration into the global economy and the leverage of Beijing's $1,068 billion in treasury bonds would make Western sanctions more painful to implement ◆ Economist, 2022-3-5: Taiwanese seem too uninterested to fight to defend their land. Taiwan's sloth in reforming its defence capabilities and strengthening its deterrence ◆Washington Post, 2022-3-4: Taiwan's leaders try to calm fears over Ukraine invasion, but citizens worry their island will be next ◆ Yahoo Finance, 2022-3-5: China will put Taiwan on 'back burner' after 'scary' Russia sanctions: Bill Browder ◆ full text

◆ Economist, 2022-2-26: Parallels with Taiwan colour Asian views of the war in Ukraine - Some fear a Chinese invasion has become more likely ◆ New York Times, 2022-2-23: With some seeing parallels to Ukraine, Taiwan steps up its defenses ◆ CNN, 2022-2-3: China's leaders may be watching Ukraine with an eye on Taiwan ◆ USA Today, Yahoo, 2022-2-10, "Chinese Taipei" , the label implies a link to China... younger people have said they feel increasingly distant culturally from the other side. ◆ Brookings, 2022-2-7: why is unification so unpopular in Taiwan? It's the PRC political system; A majority of our respondents — 56% — said Taiwanese culture was similar to Chinese culture. 72% rated China's government as at least somewhat unfriendly. ◆ Washington Post, 2022-1-24: Defending Taiwan is a worthy goal. But are we ready for heavy casualties? it would be a grave mistake for the United States to promise to defend Taiwan without preparing its public — and its soldiers — for the tough fight they could face ◆ New York post, 2022-1-21: Rep. Michael McCaul predicts Chinese invasion of Taiwan after Winter Olympics ◆ New York times, 2022-1-19: China's Growing Menace Hardens Island's Identity...60+% identify as solely Taiwanese ◆ France24, NY Post, Daily Mail(UK), 2021-12-30: China warns US will pay 'unbearable price' for backing Taiwan ◆ NY Times, 2021-12-10: As China has built up its military presence, the U.S. has sought to widen its alliances in the region. A major potential flash point is Taiwan

◆ Financial Times (UK), 2021-12-5: US defence chief warns of China ‘rehearsals’ for attack on Taiwan; Lloyd Austin cites concern over scale and frequency of Beijing’s military sorties ◆ Reuters, 2021-12-3: Blinken says any move by China to invade Taiwan would have 'terrible consequences ◆ NY Times, 2021-11-29: China is developing advanced weapons, leading U.S. officials to push for the first nuclear talks ◆ The Hill, 2021-11-22: as things currently stand, the U.S. can't deter Beijing ◆ NY Times, 2021-11-15: Biden and Xi meet amid tensions in an effort to keep “communication lines open” and avoid military action — American officials remain concerned that the chances of avoiding conflict may be diminishing.◆ CBS, 2021-11-16: Biden's "respectful" virtual summit with China's Xi focuses on "managing strategic risks" like Taiwan...while there had been no major breakthroughs ◆ The Guardian, 2021-11-16: Biden-Xi virtual summit: leaders warn each other over future of Taiwan ...the US is increasingly nervous about the rapid development of Chinese conventional and nuclear military forces.◆ WSJ, FoxNews, 2021-10-25: the island's military is riven with internal problems...Among the most pressing concerns are poor preparation and low morale among the roughly 80,000 Taiwanese who are conscripted each year and the nearly 2.2 million reservists. ◆ NY Times, 2021-10-22: American presidents have spent decades trying to sidestep the question of how forcefully the United States would come to the aid of Taiwan if China invaded it or, more likely, tried to slowly strangle the island in an effort to force it back under the control of the mainland. ◆ Reuters 2021-10-23 : analysts dismissed the president's remark (US has a commitment to defend Taiwan) as a gaffe. it was "patently not true". "A confused U.S. policy weakens deterrence"◆ DW (Germany), 2021-10-23: "In fiscal year 2020, Taiwan was the largest customer of US arms... growing pressure from Congress to ... explicitly commit to defending Taiwan and thus to deterring Beijing....Washington is "slowly adjusting" its course.

◆ NY Times, 2021-10-9 : "starting a fire" : US and China enter dangerous territory over Taiwan... with potential to ignite military conflagration and reshape the regional order ◆ Guardian, 2021-10-10 : Joe Biden’s wavering over what to do about China’s ambitions are fuelling its president’s dangerous swaggering ◆ BBC, 2021-10-6 :China-Taiwan military tensions 'worst in 40 years' ◆ WSJ, 2021-10-7 :U.S. Troops Have Been Deployed in Taiwan for at Least a Year ◆ Financial Times (UK), 2021-10-7 : US special forces secretly training Taiwan’s military; rotations had been occurring for at least a decade... the disclosure could further raise tensions. ◆ Hollywood Reporter, 2021-11-1: While China becomes increasingly reclusive and unwelcoming of Western content, Taiwan has thrown the door open to international co-productions with new incentive schemes ◆ Guardian, 2021-10-5 :The prevailing mood among Washington insiders is to fight if China attempts to conquer Taiwan. hard reality that fighting China over Taiwan risks an almost-certain military defeat – and gambles we won’t stumble into a nuclear war. ◆ Reuters, 2021-10-5 : experts say the island could likely only hold out for a few days in the event of a Chinese attack unless the United States quickly came to its aid ◆ CNN, 2021-10-5 : latest PLA flights represent the largest concentration of Chinese military aircraft ever operating that far from their home bases ◆ Politico, 2021-10-5 : while a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is not imminent...We should think of China’s approach to Taiwan not as a bifurcated decision between war and peace but instead a continuous pressure campaign that can take various lethal and non-lethal forms ◆ New York Times, 2021-10-3 : Beijing sent a record number of planes near the island, ...a display of strength that underscored Chinese demands for unification ◆ Forbes, 2021-10-4 :Easton:“Deterrence could be failing already" “That indicates something big is going on.”. Beijing might initiate an aerial battle in a deliberate way. ◆ The Hill, 2021-10-4 :Taiwan preparing for possible war with China ◆ CNN, 2021-10-4 :professor in Switzerland: "As long as Taiwan doesn't take irreversible steps toward independence/greater autonomous presence on the international scene," combat is unlikely ◆ Financial Times (UK), 2021-9-16 :Taiwan is failing to reorient its military towards an asymmetric strategy, US defence experts are growing exasperated over the Taiwan military’s reluctance to decisively act on their instructions. ◆ New York Times, 2021-8-4: Xi declared China would “strive to achieve the Chinese dream of great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It would undo the hundred years of national humiliation China had been subjected to by foreign powers. “Hong Kong today, Taiwan tomorrow” had turned from a chant to a harbinger

★ pic.: No.1 or top "comment Taiwan" on AOL, 2023-1-2, 2022-10-23, 2022-10-10, 2022-9-11, 2022-8-14, 2022-8-7, 2022-5-23, 2022-4-16, 2022-3-20, 2022-3-4, 2022-1-11, 2022-1-1, 2021-11-21, 2021-10-3, 2021-6-27, 2021-5-1, 3-8-2021, 2-20-2021,1-18-2020, 12-05-2019

★ pic.: No. 1 "comment Taiwan" on US Yahoo, 2022-1-25, 2022-1-11, 2022-1-3, 2021-11-21, 2021-11-16

★ pic.: No. 1 "comment Taiwan" on US Yahoo, 2021-10-10

Taiwan's travel & tourism - 13th in Asia
STATISTA: Leading countries in the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) Published by Statista Research Department, Feb 4, 2021 statista.com/statistics/186639/best-ranked-countries-in-the-travel-and-tourism-competetiveness-index/
Asia Rank	country	score	world Rank
1	Japan	5.4	4
2	Australia	5.1	7
3	China	4.9	13
4	Korea Rep.	4.8	15
5	Hong Kong	4.8	16
6	Singapore	4.8	17
7	New Zealand	4.7	18
8	Malaysia	4.5	25
9	Thailand	4.5	29
10	UAE	4.4	33
11	India	4.4	34
12	Indonesia	4.3	36
13	Taiwan	4.3	37

WEF (World Economic Forum) , May 2022 world Travel and Tourism Development Index weforum.org/reports/travel-and-tourism-development-index-2021/digest
world rank	Asia's rank	economies/countries	score (global average : 4.0)
1	1	Japan	5.2
2	2	USA	5.2
7	3	Australia	5.0
9	4	Singapore	5.0
12	5	China	4.9
15	6	S. Korea	4.8
19	7	Hong Kong	4.6
25	8	UAE	4.5
27	9	New Zealand	4.5
32	10	Indonesia	4.4
33	11	Saudi Arabia	4.3
36	12	Thailand	4.3
38	13	Malaysia	4.3
43	14	Qatar	4.3
52	15	Vietnam	4.1
54	16	India	4.1
74	17	Sri Lanka	3.7
75	18	Philippines	3.7
84	19	Mongolia	3.6
n/a	n/a	Taiwan	n/a
statista.com/statistics/186639/best-ranked-countries-in-the-travel-and-tourism-competetiveness-index/#:~:text=In%202021%2C%20Japan%2C%20the%20United,a% 　 20TTDI%20score%20of%205.1.

Economist, EIU, THE GLOBAL LIVEABILITY INDEX 2022 Biggest movers down the ranking in the past 12 month Taipei (Taiwan) ranks world No. 53
	City	Location	Rank	Index	Rank Move	Index Move
1	Wellington	New Zealand	50	85.7	-46	-8.0
2	Auckland	New Zealand	34	89.2	-33	-6.8
3	Adelaide	Australia	30	90.7	-27	-3.3
8	Taipei	Taiwan	53	85.1	-20	1.2

2022 Michelin stars comparisons among Asian countries
Michelin cities	number of 3 stars	num. of 2 stars	number of 1 star	total num.
Tokyo (Japan)	12	41	150	203
Hong Kong	7	12	52	71
Kyoto (Japan)	6	19	83	108
Osaka (Japan)	3	11	82	96
Singapore	3	7	41	51
Macau	3	5	7	15
Seoul (Korea)	2	7	24	33
Shanghai (China)	2	8	37	47
Taipei (Taiwan)	1	6	24	31
TaiChung City (Taiwan)	0	1	4	5
Kaohsiung (Taiwan)	0	0	2	2
TaiNan City(Taiwan)	0	0	0	0
Users/88695/Downloads/20220830_PR-MG_TTTK-2022.pdf guide.michelin.com/th/en/article/news-and-views/michelin-guide-singapore-2022-new-starred-restaurants 2022-7-12 guide.michelin.com/en/article/news-and-views/michelin-guide-seoul-2022-eng guide.michelin.com/hk/en/article/news-and-views/michelin-guide-hong-kong-macau-2022-unveiled-today-with-11-newly-starred-restaurants guide.michelin.com/en/article/news-and-views/the-michelin-guide-kyoto-osaka-2022-is-unveiled-en michelin.com/en/press-releases/michelin-guide-2022-shanghai/ guide.michelin.com/en/article/news-and-views/michelin-guide-tokyo-2022-eng 2021-11-29 　 ★ New York Times, 2022-8-18: Taiwanese cuisine — layered, distinct, multiethnic ...has been shaped by many cultural forces, including the island's Indigenous tribes, long-established groups of Fujianese and Hakka people; Japanese ; Chinese immigrants in 1949+... nytimes.com/2022/08/16/dining/taiwanese-cuisine.html

Pew Research Center , 2021-11-18 Where People find Meaning in Life
country	Family	Material well-being	occupation
Australia	56%	22%	29%
NZ	55	19	29
Greece	54	13	25
US	49	18	17
UK	46	12	20
Sweden	45	22	37
Canada	42	22	26
Singapore	29	22	25
Japan	26	16	15
S. Korea	16	19	6
Taiwan	15%	19%	9%

　

Julius Baer Group's Global Wealth and Lifestyle Report 2022 (2022-6-15)
The rankings are done after analyzing the cost of residential property, cars, airfare, business school and other luxuries.
nBloomberg: These are the world's most expensive cities to live in if you're rich
nFinancial Review: If you like luxury, these are the world’s most expensive cities

1 Shanghai, China with four items ranked at the very top and the highest weighted-average price increase (30%).

2 London 　

3 Taipei, Taiwan moved up the ranking, mostly due to the prices of shoes, bicycles, and wine.

4 Hong Kong 　

5 Singapore 　

6 Monaco 　

7 Zurich, Swiss 　

8 Tokyo, Japan is the city which slid the furthest (previously 2^nd), driven by 13 items ranking lower than in the previous year and an average depreciation of -8.8% on the Japanese yen.

9 Sydney, Australia 　

10 Paris, France 　

11. New York 12. Sao Paolo 13. Milan 14. Dubai 15. Bangkok

juliusbaer.com/sg/en/news/julius-baer-publishes-global-wealth-and-lifestyle-report-2022/#:~:text=Shanghai%20is%20still%20the%20most,average%20price%20increase%20(30%25).

　

● NDTV, 2022-8-4: In the first half of 2022, Taiwan's exports amounted to $246.7 billion, while imports totalled $219.0 billion. The trade surplus stood at $27.7 billion. China is the biggest trading partner of Taiwan. Exports to Mainland China are 40 per cent of total exports. Electronic products comprise well over half of Taiwan's trade. Taiwan's economy is dominated by the services sector ndtv.com/business/6-facts-about-economy-of-taiwan-latest-us-china-flashpoint-3223565
● Bloomberg, 2022-8-6: China is Taiwan’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade rising 26% on year to $328.3 billion in 2021. finance.yahoo.com/news/taiwan-says-china-simulating-attack-035002189.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
　

　

　

US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released at 2022-4-12 : In 2020 presidential and legislative elections, President Tsai Ing-wen won re-election,...there were allegations of vote buying by candidates and supporters of both major political parties.

N.Y. Times, 12-1-2019: the soft underbelly of Taiwanese politics: patronage networks.
They continue to allow
community leaders, farmers’ associations and even
organized-crime figures to buy votes
( NY Times, opinion : https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/01/opinion/china-taiwan-election.html ).

　

　

Transparency International, Germany / Global Corruption Barometer - released 2021/2022 comparisons among main Asian countries paid a bribe to ...??
country	people who think government corruption is a big problem	public service users paid a bribe in the previous 12 months	public clinic, health centres	utilities	police	gov. officials	local gov. officials	judges, magis- trates	corruption level increased in previous 12months
Taiwan	90%	17%	9%	28%	67%	19%	20%	15%	38%
Japan	84	2	2	4	10	7	26	6	36
Malaysia	71	13	5	11	30	28	16	12	20
China	62	28	26	17	16	18	18	13	39
S Korea	55	10	6	14	8	26	42	24	17
transparency.org/en/countries/taiwan

★ Transparency International, Taiwan's corruption index ranks No. 7 in Asia & Pacific in 2021

Transparency Int'l , CORRUPTION PERCEPTIONS INDEX, 2021
country of Asia & Pacific	score
New Zealand	score 88 No.1
Singapore	No.4
Hong Kong	No. 12
Australia	No. 18
Japan	No. 18
UAE	No. 24
Bhutan	No. 25
Taiwan	score 68 No. 25
transparency.org/en/cpi/2021
US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices , 2021-3-30 state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/taiwan/ Significant human rights issues included: the existence of criminal libel laws and serious acts of corruption. Authorities prosecuted officials including incumbent and former legislators involved in a high-profile bribery case.

★ <United Daily > editorial, 2022-4-15 (udn.com/news/story/7338/6240482?from=udn_ch2cate6643sub7338_pulldownmenu_v2):

misery index, Taiwan
yr.	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
misery index	4.38	5.06	4.29	3.62	5.94	6.4(Q1 )
★ Gallup's accompanying article, “Global Study Reveals Most Workers Enjoy What They Do”, Taiwan ranks No. 114 out of 122countries. moderndiplomacy.eu/2022/11/10/122-countries-ranked-on-workplace-happiness/ 2022-11-10

World Economic Forum, The Global Risks Report 2022 National Risk Perceptions
Economy	Risk 1	Risk 2	Risk 3	Risk 4	Risk 5
Taiwan, Chn.	Infectious diseases	Extreme weather events	Geopolitization of strategic resources	Failure of cybersecurity measures	Asset bubble bursts in large economies
China	Extreme weather event	Asset bubble bursts in large economies	Infectious diseases	Collapse or lack of social security systems	Geopolitization of strategic resources
Hong Kong	Asset bubble bursts in large economies	Prolonged economic stagnation	Infectious diseases	Interstate conflict	Erosion of social cohesion
Japan	Prolonged economic stagnation	Extreme weather events	Interstate conflict	Failure of cybersecurity measures	Asset bubble bursts in large economies Infectious diseases
Korea	Asset bubble bursts in large economies	Employment and livelihood crises … Debt crises in large economies Human-made environmental Infectious damage diseases	n/a	Debt crises in large economies	Human-made environmental Infectious damage
Singapore	Prolonged economic stagnation	Infectious diseases	Asset bubble bursts in large economies	Failure of cybersecurity measures	Climate action failure
www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Global_Risks_Report_2022.pdf

Taiwan's press freedom RSF 2022-5-3 rsf.org/en/index
Sociocultural context	Reuters Institute survey in 2021: The Taiwanese have one of the lowest levels of trust in media amongst democracies
Political context	The media landscape, although free, is impaired by a strong political polarisation, undeclared advertising, sensationalism, and the pursuit of profit which hinders the work of journalists and can prevent citizens from accessing objective information.
Legal framework	Over the past decades, few concrete measures have been taken by consecutive Taiwanese governments to improve journalists’ editorial independence and encourage media to raise the quality of public debate.
Economic Indicator No .49, Social Indicator No 57, Legislative Indicator No 40, Political Indicator No33, No. 38 Press Freedom Index

Trust in news ? Reuters Institute, 2021
Trust in news overall 31%	Trust in news I used 38%
Trust in news in search 29%	Trust in social media 21%
Public service television remains the most trusted in our survey, followed by the economic news media (CommonWealth and Business Weekly). The rest of the news brands in the polarised media landscape are trusted by one group, but distrusted by another.

Taiwan's COVID-19 performance
World Index	Taiwan's ranks	link
New York Times (2023-2-6, 2023-2-23)	Taiwan's death rate ranks world No.1
Statista, 2022-7-27: Coronavirus (COVID-19) death rate, in countries with confirmed deaths and over 1,000 reported cases as of April 26, 2022, by country	Taiwan ranks No.143, behind NZ, Singapore, Australia, S Korea, Qatar, Mongolia, Israel, Laos, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, China, Malaysia, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, India, Nepal, etc	statista.com/statistics/1105914/coronavirus-death-rates-worldwide/
Nikkei CovID-19 Recovery Index, as of Jul. 31	Taiwan ranks No. 79 , behind Cambodia, Vietnam, UAE, S. Korea, China, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Mongolia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Australia, etc	asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/COVID-19-Recovery-Index/Japan-tumbles-in-COVID-recovery-ranking-as-infections-surge
Bloomberg's CovID Resilience Ranking, 2022-6-29	Taiwan ranks next to the last	bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-resilience-ranking/
Bloomberg CovID Resilience Ranking 2022-5-27	Taiwan ranks the 3rd from the end	bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-resilience-ranking/spanish.html
Bloomberg CovID Resilience Ranking 2021-10-28	Taiwan's "3-month case fatality rate ", 7.7 %, ranks world worst	bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-resilience-ranking/
Bloomberg CovID Resilience Ranking 2021-9-28	Taiwan's "3-month case fatality rate ", 13.4 %, ranks world worst	bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-resilience-ranking/
Nikkei CovID-19 Recovery Index, as of Aug. 31 (released at 2022-9-9)	Taiwan ranks No. 57 , behind Vietnam, Cambodia, UAE, S. Korea, Singapore, New Zealand, Mongolia, China, Australia, Malaysia, Pakistan, India, etc	asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/COVID-19-Recovery-Index/China-slips-in-COVID-recovery-ranking-with-fresh-lockdowns

full details
　

Num. of physicians in Taiwan from '12 to '21 https://www.statista.com/statistics/860217/taiwan-physician-number/
yr	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
number	40,938	41,965	42,961	44,006	44,849	46,356	47,471	49,542	51045	52175
increase		1,027	996	1,045	843	1,507	1,115	2,071	1503	1130

Robert O'Brien expresses thanks