Taiwan has been invited to participate in the World Health Assembly (WHA) this year as an observer (no voting rights) using the name "Chinese Taipei." This could be viewed as a victory as the WHA has failed to allow Taiwan to participate, even using a different moniker, for the past 12 years. President Ma Ying-jeou's flexible, moderate pragmatism and warming ties with Mainland China could be credited for the long-awaited invitation. Critics, however, fear that Taiwan has "downgraded" it's international status by not using the name "Taiwan" or "Republic of China." President Ma today contended that "Taiwan will enjoy the same rights and will have the same obligations as other WHA observers," and noted that the island is called “Chinese Taipei” in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and joined the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) in 1991 also using that name.
"This shows that harmonious and amiable cross-strait relations complement rather than conflict with Taiwan's goal of international participation," President Ma explained.
Taiwan's membership in the WHA should help the island establish closer ties with member nations "at a time when the world is facing a possible swine flu outbreak...and improve its preparations for emergencies." The health and safety of Taiwanese citizens "should not involve any unnecessary confrontation to highlight some specific ideology," the president reasoned.
More information is available here.
Showing posts with label Ma Ying-jeou. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ma Ying-jeou. Show all posts
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九)
Congratulations to Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and his running mate Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), Kuomintang (KMT) presidential and vice-presidential candidates, who recently defeated the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), presidential and vice-presidential condenders, respectively. I delve deeper into Taiwanese politics and government in my new travel guide, Taipei In A Day Includes: Taiwan From A To Z, First Edition.
Ma, a former justice minister, Taipei mayor and KMT chairman, ran on a platform of "clean government" and economic change, themes which resonated with voters after the final four years of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) administration were marred by personal scandals involving his family and a lagging economy. Due in large part to economic concerns, the KMT trounced President Chen and his party in recent legislative elections, winning 86 of 113 seats. In the recent presidential election, Ma and his party won by approximately 17% of the vote, giving the "pan blue" camp control of both the executive and legislative branches. While many on Taiwan are elated that the new president will be able to implement his economic initiatives relatively unhindered, some on Taiwan, such as former President Lee, worry about the need for checks and balances in a democracy. Let's hope President Ma and his dedicated team can remain above petty political squabbles and remain focused on turning the economy around.
Born in Hong Kong (he and his family moved to Taiwan when he was one) and educated in law at Taiwan's top-ranking National Taiwan University and in the U.S. at NYU and Harvard, Ma held a high-profile news conference in English with local and international reporters immediately after his victory to answer queries related to his political and economic positions. He gave concrete proposals and demonstrated a pragmatic approach to working with allies as well as a keen understanding of some of the harsh political realities, namely dealing with Mainland China, that he will soon be facing. Ma Ying-jeou and his administration will take office on May 20, 2008.
Ma, a former justice minister, Taipei mayor and KMT chairman, ran on a platform of "clean government" and economic change, themes which resonated with voters after the final four years of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) administration were marred by personal scandals involving his family and a lagging economy. Due in large part to economic concerns, the KMT trounced President Chen and his party in recent legislative elections, winning 86 of 113 seats. In the recent presidential election, Ma and his party won by approximately 17% of the vote, giving the "pan blue" camp control of both the executive and legislative branches. While many on Taiwan are elated that the new president will be able to implement his economic initiatives relatively unhindered, some on Taiwan, such as former President Lee, worry about the need for checks and balances in a democracy. Let's hope President Ma and his dedicated team can remain above petty political squabbles and remain focused on turning the economy around.
Born in Hong Kong (he and his family moved to Taiwan when he was one) and educated in law at Taiwan's top-ranking National Taiwan University and in the U.S. at NYU and Harvard, Ma held a high-profile news conference in English with local and international reporters immediately after his victory to answer queries related to his political and economic positions. He gave concrete proposals and demonstrated a pragmatic approach to working with allies as well as a keen understanding of some of the harsh political realities, namely dealing with Mainland China, that he will soon be facing. Ma Ying-jeou and his administration will take office on May 20, 2008.
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