Nauru cuts ties with Taiwan after Lai elected president

Nauru cuts ties with Taiwan after Lai elected president

2024-01-15

One of Taiwan’s last diplomatic allies has cut ties in favor of Beijing, just days after the presidential election. The Micronesian island of Nauru said Monday that it was switching diplomatic recognition, in a move confirmed by China. Taiwan’s Presidential Office condemned Beijing for “retaliating against democracy” by poaching an ally. It also criticized Nauru for demanding exorbitant aid from Taiwan, and quote, comparing offers between Taiwan and China. We hear from the foreign ministry.

Tien Chung-kwang
Deputy foreign minister
China has long schemed to poach our diplomatic allies. This was initiated at a critical moment, right after our country completed its general election in accordance to our democratic process. Their intent is to attack the democracy and freedom that the Taiwanese people take pride in, to brazenly show the world the evil of communist totalitarianism. We severely condemn China’s bullying against democratic Taiwan. Back in 2023, we had already obtained intelligence about China proactively engaging Nauru’s political figures, seeking to use economic offers to induce a diplomatic switch. Nauru was comparing the offers of Taiwan and China. The amounts I cannot disclose here, but I must say that the amounts were far greater than what we propose to our other diplomatic allies.

This isn’t the first time Nauru cut ties with Taiwan. It first broke relations in 2002, but resumed ties in 2005 when China failed to meet its aid promises. According to Taiwan’s government, the switch will have minimal economic impact due to the low volume of trade with Nauru. Taiwan is now left with 12 diplomatic allies.

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中國選後惡劣出招諾魯二度轉向中國與我斷交

2024-01-15

總統大選剛落幕，我國友邦諾魯今天突然與台灣斷交，中國外交部隨即證實跟諾魯建交。總統府表示，北京當局此舉是對民主價值的報復，外交部痛批中國處心積慮掠奪台灣邦交國，也譴責諾魯開出天價援助，還拿台灣跟中國比價，拿不到援助就突襲式斷交。

[[外交部次長田中光]]
“中國歷年來處心積慮謀奪我們邦交國，並且選在我國依據民主程序，完成大選後的關鍵時刻啟動，其意圖意在打擊台灣人民引以為傲的民主自由，赤裸裸的向世界展現共產極權的本質，對民主台灣的強權霸凌，予以最嚴厲的譴責。2023年已經掌握了一些情資，中國積極的接觸諾魯的政要，利用經濟援助誘使該國外交轉向，(諾魯)就中國及台灣提供的援助方案進行比價，金額方面我就不方便在這裡提，但我必須說這個金額是遠遠超過我們一般對邦交國所能提出的”

這已經不是諾魯首度斷交，2002年第一次分手台灣，與中國建交，但對方沒履行援助，2005年又回頭建交。經濟部表示，雙邊貿易總值僅23萬7千多美元，經貿影響微乎其微。目前台灣邦交國剩12國。

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US delegation meets President Tsai, President-elect Lai after election

In line with precedent, the U.S. has sent a senior delegation to Taiwan in a personal capacity just after the election. The group includes former National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, former Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, and AIT Chair Laura Rosenberger. They were received by President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday, before meeting President-elect Lai Ching-te at the DPP headquarters. During their stay, they will meet other top political leaders, to discuss issues like cross-strait stability after the election.

In the wake of the election, the U.S. has sent senior former officials to Taiwan in a personal capacity, in line with precedent. The delegation includes former U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, and AIT Chair Laura Rosenberger. They arrived on Sunday and were received by President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday.

Tsai Ing-wen
President
Your visit is highly meaningful. It fully demonstrates U.S. support for Taiwan’s democracy and highlights the close and staunch partnership between Taiwan and the U.S. We hope that Taiwan-U.S. relations will continue to advance and serve as a key driving force in regional and global prosperity and development.

Stephen Hadley
Former US national security adviser
I am very honored to have the opportunity to meet with you today to reaffirm that the American commitment to Taiwan is rock-solid, principled and bipartisan, and that the United States stands with his friends. We look forward to continuity in the relationship between Taiwan and the United States under the new administration and for common efforts to preserve cross-strait peace and stability.

James Steinberg
Former US deputy secretary of state
…based on our unofficial but warm relationship, our insistence on exclusively peaceful means to address the cross-strait issues, the importance of dialogue and the avoidance of unilateral efforts to change the status quo.

The delegation also visited the DPP headquarters to meet President-elect Lai Ching-te and Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim.

Lai Ching-te
President-elect
Building on the foundation laid by President Tsai Ing-wen, we will continue to safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We also hope that the U.S. will continue to support Taiwan and deepen mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation in various fields.

In the afternoon, the delegation met separately with KMT Chair Eric Chu, TPP Chair Ko Wen-je, and New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih. During their three-day stay in Taiwan, the group will visit political leaders to exchange views on key issues, such as deepening Taiwan-U.S. ties and cross-strait stability in the wake of the election.

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Electoral reform urged to support small parties

In this past election, a minor party ran for the first time and placed fifth in the party-list vote. This was the Taiwan Obasan Political Equality Party, which advocates for children’s rights, labor rights, and environmental protection. Despite winning nearly 130,000 votes, it fell short of the threshold needed to secure a legislative seat. It also failed to meet the threshold for getting government subsidies. On Monday, the party thanked its supporters in a press event. But it criticized the election system for being unfriendly to small parties.

Women chant slogans with children in tow. They’re members of the Taiwan Obasan Political Equality Party, which ranked fifth in the 2024 party-list election, after the KMT, DPP, TPP, and New Power Party.

Lin Shih-han
Taiwan Obasan Political Equality Party
Under the current rules, election deposits are returned based on the share of votes received. So that makes smaller parties poorer and poorer with each election. Last year, the Ministry of the Interior proposed an amendment to the Public Officials Election and Recall Act, aiming to adjust the threshold for deposit returns so that it’s based on the total number of votes, rather than the vote share. But the amendment was blocked by KMT and DPP lawmakers. We want smaller deposits that don’t deter smaller parties from participating in politics. We also want to adjust the threshold for deposit returns and how the refunds are calculated.

The party says current rules discourage political participation. In the party-list election, a party needs at least 5% of the votes cast to secure party-list seats. It needs at least 3% of the vote to qualify for an annual government subsidy of NT$50 per vote – a lifeline for small political parties. In this past election, only the DPP, KMT and TPP met the 3% threshold, entitling them to more than NT$100 million in subsidies a year. The New Power Party fell short with 350,000 votes, or 2.5% of the total. The Taiwan Obasan Political Equality Party came in fifth with 0.97%, which meant that donations from supporters were not tax-deductible.

Shen Pei-ling
Taiwan Obasan Political Equality Party
Before the electoral system is reformed, please support the Taiwan Obasan Political Equality Party with monthly donations. That way we can continue to produce good policy proposals, run creative political campaigns, and engage in dialogue with society.

Hsu Ying-tsz
Taiwan Obasan Political Equality Party
During campaigning, I spoke about how tough it is for a small party. I didn’t put the focus on me personally. And then it turned out we won more than 10,000 votes, so I was a bit surprised. We will continue moving forward. We have another candidate running for city councilor in Zhongli. The two of us will continue to work on issues important to Zhongli.

In order to submit a party list, the Taiwan Obasan Political Equality Party fielded 10 candidates for district seats, and several of them won more than 10,000 votes. The party says it’s the world’s only all-women grassroots party. It’s seeking continued support, so that it can bring greater diversity to Taiwan politics.

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Shih Ming-teh dies aged 83 after battling cancer

Democracy pioneer Shih Ming-teh has died after a long battle against liver cancer. He was 83. The former DPP chair died in the early hours of Monday at Taipei Veterans General Hospital. Hailed as the Nelson Mandela of Taiwan, he fought for democracy during the Martial Law era. He spent 25 years as a political prisoner. Although he split from the DPP in the year 2000, his death has drawn condolences from the leaders of his former party.

Tall and slim, the young Shih Ming-teh was prominent in the democracy movement of the Martial Law era. His presence is documented in these black and white photos.

Shih Ming-teh was born in 1941 in Kaohsiung’s Yancheng District. He was the fourth child in his family, with three older brothers. His father was arrested during the February 28 massacre, leaving him with a deep distrust of authoritarianism.

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Shih Ming-teh’s father was called Shih Kuo-tsui. He was Taiwan’s first practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, and he specialized in bone-setting and massage. He had more than one wife. My uncle is his oldest grandson from his first wife. So my older cousin and I refer to Shih Kuo-tsui as our Granduncle. During the Kaohsiung Incident, my uncle was implicated due to his familial connection.

Shih Ming-teh is best known for organizing the 1979 Kaohsiung Incident, which made him a top political criminal. Despite having plastic surgery to aid escape, he was caught and repeatedly imprisoned, even facing the death penalty. Hailed as the Nelson Mandela of Taiwan, he spent 25 years behind bars in total, but his dedication to democracy never wavered.

After he was released from prison for the last time, Shih Ming-teh was elected DPP chair in 2004. At the time, he was an ardent supporter of Chen Shui-bian. But due to ideological differences, he quit the party in 2000 and launched an anticorruption movement against then-President Chen. The move caused a rift with many in his former party.

Dressed in red, ex-DPP Chair Shih Ming-teh said he was defending his own reputation. Following the anti-corruption movement, he slowly faded from the political scene.

Lai Kuen-cheng
Former DPP lawmaker
After he served as party chair, he called for reconciliation with the opposition party. At the time, that didn’t sit well with a lot of people.

Despite his split from the DPP, the Presidential Office and party itself have both paid tribute following his death. Vice President Lai Ching-te thanked him for his contributions to Taiwan. Former President Chen took to Facebook, describing him as, quote, the hero of an era and a lonely pioneer of democracy, and wishing that he rests in peace.

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Experts predict change in government’s housing policy

As dust settles on the 2024 election, experts are predicting changes in the government’s housing policy. President-elect Lai Ching-te may rethink his predecessor’s anti-speculation crackdown. According to real-estate experts, the 2024 election indicates failure in the DPP’s approach to speculation. But Lai is expected to continue current housing subsidies, and potentially even expand them.

Lee Tung-jung
Real estate broker association
The Lai administration will basically continue three policies from the Tsai administration. He’ll continue rental subsidies and perhaps even increase them.

Days after the election, experts are weighing in on the outcome’s impact on the housing market. President-elect Lai Ching-te is expected to continue the Tsai administration’s generous housing subsidies, ban on pre-sale transfers, and policy of strict market regulation. But a big U-turn could be coming on the government’s speculation crackdown.

Lee Tung-jung
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Right now the anti-speculation policies include Version 2 of the anti-hoarding policy. Basically all the policies that could be put in place have been enacted. It would seem as if these anti-speculation measures would be well-received by young people. But actually, that has not been the case at all. Young adults still can’t afford to buy or rent. In other words, we need a review of policies affecting young people’s ability to buy and rent a home.

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The housing market won’t change much as a whole. But it is worth noting that, since the Tsai administration had policies that focused on central and southern Taiwan, we expect overall performance in those areas to be stronger than before.

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This year’s housing market can be described in two words. The first one is “changing.” That is the market could change from bullish to bearish. The second is “flattening,” meaning that instead of falling, the market will flatten. Transaction volume may rise slightly, but prices will stay flat.

The expert expects that this year, market volatility will be minor, and that the greatest risks will continue to be geopolitical tensions and cross-strait relations. A mixed year lies ahead, he said, adding that a careful but not pessimistic approach is in order.

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Hong Kong student photographer wins IPA commendation

Originally from Hong Kong, Enoch Cheung came to Taiwan to pursue an education and his passion for photography. The International Photography Awards has now recognized Cheung for photographs he took at the 2023 national middle school table tennis competition. Cheung said he hopes to continue using photography to capture every moment he can.

To an athlete, every swing of the paddle is the release of years of accumulated practice. What Enoch Cheung loves most is capturing these moments through his lens.

Cheung took up photography as a middle schooler in Hong Kong. He was drawn to Taiwan for university because of its liberal educational environment.

Enoch Cheung
Hong Kong immigrant
I think the photography environment here is in every way better than in Hong Kong. So after high school I decided to come to Taiwan to study.

Sporting events are Cheung’s favorite subject to photograph. Capturing the slightest movements with the flick of a shutter is a challenge as well as an accomplishment. In 2023, he photographed the national middle school table tennis competition. The photos earned him both an official selection and honorable mention in the non-professional sports category of the year’s International Photography Awards.

Enoch Cheung
Hong Kong immigrant
I rushed up the bleachers and shot from above. Just then, the player was making a save, followed by a forehand smash. I was just in time for the shot. By far the most important thing is winning an award for sports photography. It’s a record of my journey from starting out in Hong Kong to now. Winning an award for your photos isn’t an easy thing.

Still in his junior year of college, Cheung often goes out into his community to teach other photography enthusiasts. He encourages them to keep practicing, and they will see a change in themselves.

Enoch Cheung
Hong Kong immigrant
After practicing consistently, you can see progress from the early photos to now. The improvement is very clear. For example, suppose you shoot an athlete who doesn’t look very fierce. But then you keep shooting them until they win the championship. There’s such a sense of achievement.

Cheung says that he wishes to keep photographing sports. He also does not rule out staying to work in Taiwanese media after graduation, helping to tell each athlete’s story through his camera.

This story was provided by the program "We Are Family"
Funded by New Immigrant Development Fund

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