Improving traffic safety for pedestrians

On July 18, a delivery van ran into a young couple walking on a crosswalk at an intersection in New Taipei City’s Sinjhuang District (新莊). Sadly, the woman was killed in front of her male companion. In the wake of the accident, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) announced that his ministry plans to extend the legal regulations concerning large vehicles that do not yield to pedestrians: Drivers would not only be fined for not yielding on pedestrian crossings, but also at intersections where there are no signs forbidding crossing. In addition, the ministry intends to improve the design of roads and ensure that traffic laws are enforced more effectively. France also used to have the problem of drivers not stopping at crosswalks to allow pedestrians to cross. However, the French government introduced legal amendments and improved the law enforcement environment, which gradually created a culture in which vehicles yield to pedestrians. One aspect of France’s legal framework is the definite preference given to pedestrians when deciding liability for accidents. France’s road traffic law, the Highway Code, stipulates that drivers must yield to pedestrians who are crossing the road, or who clearly indicate that they intend to cross, or who are in an area in which pedestrians have priority. Drivers must stop and give way to pedestrians under such circumstances. Drivers who fail to respect pedestrians’ priority may be fined up to 750 euros (US$883) and have their driving license suspended for three years or more. However, the real key factor is the principle, when dealing with traffic accidents, that if a vehicle hits a pedestrian, no matter whether the pedestrian is crossing the road in accordance with regulations or not, the driver will definitely be held liable and must pay compensation. Furthermore, the driver may also be indicted for not

By Chiu Bing-yu 邱秉瑜

EDITORIAL CARTOON

EDITORIAL CARTOON

Qaddafi’s prophecy comes true as foreign powers battle for Libya’s oil

In August 2011, as Libya’s rebels and NATO jets began an assault on Tripoli, then-Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi delivered a speech calling on his supporters to defend the country from foreign invaders. “There is a conspiracy to control Libyan oil and to control Libyan land, to colonize Libya once again. This is impossible, impossible. We will fight until the last man and last woman to defend Libya from east to west, north to south,” he said in a message broadcast by a pro-regime television station. Two months later, he was dragged bleeding and confused from a storm drain in his hometown of Sirte, before being killed. Nine years on, after the outbreak of a second civil war, Qaddafi’s proclamation is not far from the truth — but as the US has retreated from the role it played in his downfall, a constellation of emboldened regional powers has descended on Libya instead. As the battle moves to Sirte, gateway to the country’s oil crescent, a potential showdown over control of Libya’s oil wealth is looming. Sirte’s fortunes turned after Qaddafi’s death; once a gleaming showcase for his vision for Africa, the villas on eucalyptus-lined avenues that belonged to regime apparatchiks were flattened in the revolution, and the city was terrorized by Islamic State before the extremists were driven out in 2016. In violation of an international arms embargo, the city and surrounding desert have been flooded with weapons and fighters in the past few weeks as forces loyal to the government in Tripoli mobilize on one side of the front line, and those fighting for Libyan Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, appointed by the rival parliament in Tobruk, line up on the other. At stake is Libya’s greatest treasure: the largest oil reserves in the entire African continent. The majority of the country’s oil fields are in

By Bethan McKernan

A nuclear arms race in space shows we have learned nothing

Russia’s apparent test-firing of an anti-satellite weapon in outer space on July 15, as alleged by the US and the UK, could be dismissed as another of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annoying provocations. That would be a mistake. The alleged new space weapon should be seen in the broader context of a rapidly evolving, high-tech, high-risk international arms race involving all the major nuclear powers that, largely undiscussed, is spinning out of control. This week sees the 75th anniversary of the US atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, that killed more than 200,000 people, but the absence of public debate or a sense of alarm about the grim advent of sophisticated new nuclear, hypersonic, cyber and space weapons is striking. In the decades after Hiroshima, noisy anti-nuclear “ban the bomb” protests by Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and others spanned the globe. Today, by comparison, an eerie silence reigns. The battle for outer space is only getting going — yet deserves immediate attention. Russia’s alleged development of anti-satellite weapons is almost certainly matched by the US and China, and undermines past undertakings about the peaceful use of space. US Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Non-proliferation Christopher Ford on Monday last week said that Russia and China had already turned space into a “war-fighting domain.” “What [the Russians] are doing is signaling to the world that they’re able to destroy satellites in orbit with other satellites,” Ford said. “This is the sort of thing that could get out of hand and go very badly rather quickly.” The UK called the alleged test “a threat to space systems on which the world depends” — meaning use of such weapons could, in theory, produce an instant global security and communications blackout. Yet in relaunching US space command last year, US President Donald Trump

By Simon Tisdall

EDITORIAL: Green energy supply needs boost

Taiwan’s green energy development entered a new phase this year, as local businesses and energy producers can now trade locally produced renewable energy, a major step toward liberalizing the local energy market. Businesses no longer have to rely entirely on state-owned monopoly Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) for green energy. Until now, Taipower had been the sole buyer of electricity from renewable sources, mostly solar and wind power, by paying fixed rates or through feed-in tariffs. The utility has allocated part of its green energy capacity for free trading. With the opening of the local energy market, manufacturers will likely rush to buy green energy not only to reduce their carbon emissions, but also to comply with the demands of customers such as Apple Inc and Google. The global tech giants have committed to becoming 100 percent carbon neutral across their entire businesses and manufacturing supply chains. Every Apple device sold would have a net zero climate impact by 2030, the company said last month. Taiwan plays an important part in Apple’s supply chain and faces mounting pressure to meet the zero carbon emission requirement to stay on the iPhone maker’s supplier list. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), which counts Apple as its largest customer, last month signed a corporate power purchase agreement with Orsted Taiwan Ltd to purchase the entire output of Orsted’s 920 megawatt (MW) offshore wind farm, in the world’s biggest contract of its kind. The 20-year fixed-price contract is to start once the wind farm begins commercial operations in 2025 and 2026, subject to grid availability and Orsted’s final investment decision. TSMC is to pay a price above the feed-in tariffs that Orsted secured through the nation’s first offshore wind auction in June 2018, the Danish company said. TSMC is not the only manufacturer that faces the challenge of boosting green energy

In remembrance of Lee Teng-hui

All lives eventually come to an end. Over the years, my friendship with former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) had its ups and downs. Lee’s passing was a heavy blow and has left me deeply saddened. We experienced a lot together and the memories have come flooding back. Lee was born several months earlier than me. During World War II, he was studying at Kyoto Imperial University, but halfway through his studies, he was forced to change his name and enter military service. I was studying at Tokyo Imperial University, but went into hiding to avoid military service, and I was later strafed by a US military aircraft and lost my left arm. At the time we did not know each other and had not even heard of each other. After the war, Taipei Imperial University was renamed National Taiwan University (NTU). Taiwanese students who had had their studies at Japan’s imperial universities cut short due to the war were granted an unconditional transfer to complete their degrees at NTU. There were relatively few students at the university, so we all got to know one another. Lee, who was studying agricultural science, another student called Mr A (A君) who was studying economics, and I formed a close bond. We would often eat together and chat about national affairs. Once, when I raised the subject of Taiwanese independence, Lee lambasted then-Taiwan Provincial Government Grain Bureau director Lee Lien-chun’s (李連春) policy of exchanging fertilizer for grain for its “gross exploitation of Taiwanese farmers.” However, he seemed uninterested in general politics. After graduating, Lee joined the US-sponsored Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction. I stayed at NTU to work as a teaching assistant before leaving to study overseas. A few years later, Lee also left Taiwan for overseas studies. On returning to Taiwan, I was appointed head of the

By Peng Ming-min 彭明敏

Electronic IDs pose security problems

As Taiwan is engulfed in worries about Chinese infiltration, news reports have revealed that power inverters made by China’s Huawei Technologies Co are used in the solar panels on the top of the Legislative Yuan’s Zhenjiang House (鎮江會館) on Zhenjiang Street in Taipei. However, what is even more worrying is that Taiwan’s new national electronic identification card (eID) has been subcontracted to the French security firm and eID maker Idemia, which has not only cooperated with the Chinese Public Security Bureau to manufacture eIDs in China, but also makes the new identification cards being issued in Hong Kong. There might be more Chinese influence in Idemia than in the “red supply chain.” After a sample of Hong Kong’s new identification card was approved, a Hong Kong technician wrote an article about the strengths and weaknesses of its anti-counterfeiting features. The technician said that the card maker, Morpho (now Idemia), said on its Web site that it works with China’s Public Security Bureau and provides biometric systems for the Chinese government, immigration agencies and other public offices, and that it is an important player for providers of biometric solutions for immigration control. According to Idemia’s Web site, Morpho was previously a part of Safran Group, which has a long history of doing business with China. In 2017, Morpho was acquired and renamed Idemia. Safran’s Web site shows that as early as 2015, Morpho was supplying biometrics, law enforcement equipment and border control systems to the Public Security Bureau. Before that, the company had provided facial recognition systems for Chinese public security authorities in Shanghai, Tianjin and Wenzhou, and the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Guangzhou. Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) once said: “China is the only country in the world that would like to invade Taiwan. What can we do if we let China handle

By Chen Yi-nan 陳逸南

EDITORIAL CARTOON

EDITORIAL CARTOON

Japan acted like the virus had gone; now it is everywhere

After initial success, Japan is facing a reality check on the coronavirus. The country garnered global attention after containing the first wave of COVID-19 with what it referred to as the “Japan Model” — limited testing and no lockdown, nor any legal means to force businesses to close. The country’s finance minister even suggested a higher “cultural standard” helped contain the disease, but now the island nation is facing a formidable resurgence, with COVID-19 cases hitting records nationwide day after day. Infections first concentrated in the capital have spread to other urban areas, while regions without cases for months have become new hotspots. And the patient demographic — originally younger people less likely to fall seriously ill — is expanding to the elderly, a concern given that Japan is home to the world’s oldest population. Experts say that Japan’s focus on the economy might have been its undoing. As other countries in Asia, which experienced the coronavirus earlier than those in the West, wrestle with new flare ups of COVID-19, Japan now risks becoming a warning for what happens when a country moves too fast to normalize — and does not adjust its strategy when the outbreak changes. While Japan declared a state of emergency to contain the first wave of the virus, it did not compel people to stay home or businesses to shut. That was ended in late May and officials quickly pivoted to a full reopening in an attempt to get the country’s recessionary economy back on track. By June, restaurants and bars were fully open while events like baseball and sumo-wrestling were back on — a stark contrast to other places in the region like Singapore, which were reopening only in cautious phases. Japan’s haste may have been premature, experts say. “This is the result of the government prioritizing

By Lisa Du and Rie Morita

The caudillo of the Kremlin’s regime looks weaker than ever

Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown his regime’s real intentions. By changing the constitution to allow him to remain in office until 2036 and incorporating conservative new language, it has cast off its teetering mask of democratic legitimacy. However, just as Putin has sought to entrench his rule, his regime is looking weaker than ever. In the city of Khabarovsk, tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in recent weeks, chanting, “Putin resign!” They are not alone. While Putin’s approval rating might seem high, it is low by Russian standards. His 59 to 60 percent approval rating in recent months is his lowest since October 1999, when he was prime minister, and it is unlikely to improve significantly for a simple reason: Putin’s tried-and-tested methods to win support have lost their firepower. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Russia hard, in terms of public health and economic fallout. With oil exports, the mainstay of Russia’s economy, down sharply, the government’s budget revenues have cratered. As a result, the Kremlin’s tacit pact with the public — we ensure your basic wellbeing, and you do not complain — is unraveling. Putin’s regime has long sought to divert public attention from domestic problems by touting its foreign-policy victories and its unrelenting battle against a domestic “fifth column.” Putin’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 embodied what have long been his most effective tactics for securing support: xenophobia, anti-Western hysteria and the invocation of a glorious past. His approval rating skyrocketed to more than 85 percent. IMAGE IS EVERYTHING However, for Putin, the impression of broad public support is arguably more important than the support itself. The July 1 plebiscite on the constitutional amendments meant little in practice. The changes had been ratified by the Duma and regional legislatures months before. However, the popular vote gave the Kremlin the opportunity

By Andrei Kolesnikov

EDITORIAL: Financial rules need innovation

In Tatung’s controversial shareholders’ meeting at the end of June, the family-controlled management overstepped its power and self-interpreted the laws to block its opponents’ voting rights. As a result, not only did the Ministry of Economic Affairs reject the company’s registration of new board directors, but the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) also reported the matter to judiciary authorities, saying the company had committed a breach of trust. Soon after, Jko Fintech last month relaunched its investment product Tuofu Bao, which, as expected, attracted NT$150 million (US$5.1 million) from 5,000 investors on its first day. The financial technology company claimed its product complied with the law and had regulatory approval, which the FSC denied. In the end, Jko Fintech had to suspend the service, because it is the commission, not the company, that has the final say. Jko Fintech touted Tuofu Bao as its answer to Alibaba Group’s Yuebao, which has attracted massive deposits from Chinese consumers to become the largest money market fund in China. Tuofu Bao would have allowed users of Jko Fintech’s e-payment platform, Jkopay, to invest cash online in the Jko Multi-Asset Fund, which is managed by Jko Fintech affiliate Jko Asset Management. The company has been promoting Tuofu Bao since 2018, saying it would offer better returns than traditional deposits. Last month was the third time Jko Fintech has unsuccessfully attempted to bring the service to market. What raised eyebrows at the FSC were the company’s claims that the investment service would offer an “expected return of 1.2 to 2.5 percent,” although the company said that it was not guaranteeing annual returns. The commission also took issue with the company’s other claims that Tuofu Bao faces no legal issues and that it does not require FSC approval. Jko Fintech committed the same mistake as Tatung. Whether in the electronics industry or

Richard D. Fisher, Jr. On Taiwan: Taiwan and aircraft carriers

South China Sea exercises in July by two United States Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carriers reminds that Taiwan’s history since mid-1950, and as a free nation, is intertwined with that of the aircraft carrier. Eventually Taiwan will host aircraft carriers, either those built under its democratic government or those imposed on its territory by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). By September 1944, a lack of sufficient carrier airpower and land-based airpower persuaded US Army and Navy leaders to forgo an invasion to wrest Taiwan from Japanese control, thereby sparing Taiwanese considerable wartime destruction. But two days after North Korea’s invasion of South Korea on June 27, 1950, when US President Harry Truman ordered the US Navy’s 7th Fleet to “neutralize” the Taiwan Strait, it was the arrival of the carrier USS Valley Forge on June 29 that added the strength to deter Mao Zedong (毛澤東) from attempting an invasion. In February 1955, after persuading a reluctant Chiang Kai-Shek (蔣介石), seven US carriers helped provide air cover for the evacuation of Taiwanese troops and civilians from the difficult-to-defend Dachen Islands. But Chiang would also benefit from public shows of Washington’s support when he visited US aircraft carriers on four occasions: first the USS Wasp in January 1954 amid the First Taiwan Straits Crisis; then USS Midway in late 1958 during the Second Taiwan Straits Crisis; the USS Constellation in July 1963; and, with his son and successor Chiang Ching-Kuo (蔣經國), the nuclear-powered USS Enterprise in March 1966. Another nuclear-powered carrier, the USS Nimitz, along with the non-nuclear powered USS Independence, would embarrass CCP leader Jiang Zemin (江澤民) by demonstrating the PLA’s inability to prevent Washington from supporting Taiwan, during the Taiwan Straits Crisis of March 1996. But this incident would advance already underway PLA efforts in two directions:

The benefits of a Dalai Lama visit

In 1997, then-president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) took the bold initiative to invite the Dalai Lama to Taiwan as a state guest for the first time in history. His foresight allowed Taiwanese to be exposed to the Tibetan leader, who has earned respect as a great Buddhist teacher. Lee’s passing is a true loss for Tibetans, as he was a strong supporter. Prior to the 1997 visit, much dialogue had taken place. Our delegation would not have anything to do with the then-Mongolian Tibetan Affairs Commission (MTAC), which was a sticking point in Tibet-Taiwan relations, and we had discussed the closure of this office, as it had become irrelevant. In due course, the commission’s role was diminished and later merged with the Ministry of Culture. Scores of Tibetans who had entered Taiwan on different passports were offered residency. His Holiness was allowed entry not only as a religious but also as a political leader. One direct result of the visit was the setting up of the official Tibet Religious Foundation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Taipei. A few days before His Holiness’ visit to Taiwan, I was asked what I thought of the visit. I said that it was a historic visit, as His Holiness would be visiting a Taiwanese territory. If the visit was to be successful, it would be the springboard to visiting China. The visit was extremely well received by both the government and the people of Taiwan. It left a changed view with us that Taiwan was not part of China, but instead a separate entity. In our dialogue with Beijing, they insisted that His Holiness recognize Taiwan as part of China. This was a precondition that Beijing said would lead to future talks. After visiting Taiwan, seeing the vibrant democracy and making many friends, His

By Khedroob Thondup

A long way to go for sex equality in Taiwan

Men and women are different, more so than in the obvious physical ways. Men and women think differently, and deal with things differently. Taiwan, as the lighthouse for democracy and freedom in the Chinese-speaking world, is not doing enough to meet its responsibility to fight for social justice and equality. It takes a truly confident and progressive civilization to raise awareness and fight for equal rights. Equal rights are not about fulfilling the needs of just one group, but about meeting the needs of others; it is not about self-freedom, but freedom for all. Whether it is same-sex marriage, LGBT rights, feminism or other social issues, Taiwan has proven to be a truly confident, liberal and free society in including all voices. Feminism has become a trend and a value that the majority of young Taiwanese want to uphold, but with little understanding of its depths. In Taiwan — known for its traditional Chinese cultural values on family, relationships and duty — feminism has limited moral ground to stand on. The concern is not about the complex difficulties of changing traditional Chinese family values, because change takes time and perseverance. The concern is for young members of the “Internet generation” who claim to fly the feminist flag, but are acting in opposition of feminist values. I am a feminist, who acknowledges and accepts the differences between being male and female. It is how nature created us. To many, this “nature” is God. To others, it might be Buddha, or other spiritual figures that people might believe to have destined their gender. To an atheist, it is just nature. Gender roles do not need to be erased, but society should endeavor to elevate and level the role of women to that of men. However, Taiwan’s media coverage of women is filled with perverted sexualized language, judgements and

By Ichen Sun 孫沂楨

EDITORIAL CARTOON

EDITORIAL CARTOON

Hong Kong educators fear being purged ‘like in the Cultural Revolution’

Teachers and professors face crackdowns as authorities fight for the minds of an antagonistic young generation. Thousands of educators in Hong Kong expect the coming weeks to be a nervous time as they prepare for a new academic year. In just a month’s time, universities, schools and even kindergartens across the territory are to be placed under unprecedented scrutiny as they resume classes for the first time after the new National Security Law passed last month, amid calls for the “bad apples” among teachers to be purged. Teachers and schools have come under scathing attack from government officials and the pro-establishment camp since the anti-government protest movement roiled Hong Kong a year ago. Professors and teachers have been widely blamed for “poisoning” young minds with an allegedly heretical and radical agenda, and for producing a young generation antagonistic toward the authorities. Just in the past week, two academics active in politics have been dismissed. This took place the same week as the arrests of four student activists on national security charges and the disqualification of 12 pro-democracy candidates for the legislative election. Benny Tai (戴耀廷), a law professor and one of the founders of the 2014 “Umbrella movement” — much vilified in the Chinese state press — was fired by the University of Hong Kong on Tuesday. Tai was jailed last year on public nuisance charges for leading the civil disobedience movement. China’s liaison office in Hong Kong hailed his sacking “a deed of justice” and accused him of “inciting” students. The China-owned daily Wen Wei Po said it was a long-overdue “riddance of a cancer” from the university. Tai said his dismissal “marks the end of academic freedom in Hong Kong,” and he was “heartbroken to witness the demise of my beloved university.” Shiu Ka-chun (邵家臻), a pro-democracy lawmaker and lecturer in social work who

By Verna Yu

Algeria needs atonement from Paris — not a history lesson

French President Emmanuel Macron set a historian to investigate colonial brutality — but yet more evidence is no substitute for action. Clarifying the past is a notoriously difficult task at the best of times, but exceptionally so in relation to the intensely bloody history of Algeria. France, its former colonizer, has a long record of covering up the atrocities it committed, so the facts are frequently disputed. This has prolonged anger and resentment among the victims of an “imperial adventure” that continues to divide the two nations. Macron wants to change all this and has appointed a renowned expert on North Africa to shed light on “the memory of colonization and the Algerian war” by the end of this year. Universite Sorbonne Paris Nord professor Benjamin Stora’s ultimate objective would be to illuminate the horror of what went on during the 132 years of French conquest in Algeria that started in 1830, but also to help bring about “reconciliation between the French and Algerian peoples,” reads a particularly ambitious Elysee Palace statement. Macron is the first French president to address this scandalously neglected issue since the country’s defeat at the hands of Algerian nationalists in 1962. “The Algerian war is today absent from our political memory and the subject of a conflict of memories like the Holocaust was. We don’t talk about this. We crush it,” Macron told journalists on a trip back from Israel earlier this year. However, Algerian communities in France, as well as in Algeria, are by no means convinced that rapprochement is so close at hand. This is because their collective memory is informed by the hardship that has persisted long after freedom. When victory was achieved after the nearly eight-year Algerian war of independence, the winning forces claimed about 1.5 million Algerians casualties. The dead ranged from men, women and

By Nabila Ramdani