comment Tsai Ing-wen
      Taiwan's president
    
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     Spiegel.de, Le Monde, CNN, BBC, TIME comment Tsai Ing-wen     Taiwan media comment Tsai Ing-wen

     Taiwan's new president Lai Ching-te (William Lai) on office since May 2024 -  click to read !!

 

Tsai Ing-wen      VS.      JD Vance and prominent Republicans, e.g., Elbridge Colby 

Tsai Ing-wen

JD Vance and Elbridge Colby 

Politico (2024-11-23): Former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said that the United States should prioritize helping Ukraine despite the looming threat of a Chinese cross-strait invasion of the self-governing island.

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. Samuel Paparo said  that supplying weapons to Ukraine had begun to affect the U.S. military's ability to prepare for a conflict in Asia.  Trump allies who have argued that American support for Ukraine is disadvantageous to the United States in the Indo-Pacific. 

 

Trump has suggested that Taiwan “should pay”(protection fee) and has also called for the island to boost defense spending to 10 percent of GDP.   But Tsai Ing-wen said “We would have some difficulty accepting an arbitrary figure” .


CFR.org (Council on Foreign Relations, 2024-7-19): Some prominent Republicans, including Vance, have argued that providing military assistance to Ukraine detracts from the ability to deter a Chinese attack on Taiwan. They advocate for the United States to draw down support for Ukraine and instead surge resources into the Indo-Pacific. As Vance recently stated, “the thing that we can control now is making it costly for them to invade Taiwan, and we're not doing that because we're sending all the damn weapons to Ukraine and not Taiwan.”

American Reservative  (2024-7-6) Taiwan's government often argues that its security is closely linked to that of Ukraine, the world should be “defending Taiwan by defending Ukraine”;  U.S. military support for Ukraine “does not detract from the defense of places such as Taiwan.” Unfortunately, this simply isn't true. 

Elbridge Colby (May 11 2024, Taipei Times):  China could strike with little warning. Leaders in Taipei must take this message to heart.  The US must do everything in its power to get Taiwan these weapons as quickly as possible. Yet Taiwanese leaders themselves have undermined this effort by urging the US to send key weapons, industrial base attention, and money to Ukraine rather than Taiwan.  There are few visible indicators of a society preparing to repel an attack as one might see in, say, Israel.  Indeed, Taiwanese leaders often appear more concerned about advertising their concern for the plight of others than about ensuring their own defenses, arguing, for example, that “the defense of Ukraine is also the defense of Taiwan.”Taiwan may be banking on the idea that China will not invade. But there's a reason that it's a truism that basing one's strategy and defense posture on hope is unwise.  For an island facing the very realistic prospect of conquest by a far stronger military, it is incredibly reckless — not least because China is very clearly preparing to invade Taiwan.   Taiwan may be thinking that,  the US can always be counted on to come to its rescue.  But our leaders cannot and realistically will not ask the American people to sacrifice for Taiwan at a cost that would be intolerable to the US.

Washington Examiner (2023-6-1) some traditional Republicans (e.g., Elbridge Colbybelieve that American support for Ukraine will sap the resources and attention needed to defend Taiwan.

 

Newsweek (2024-11-27) : Logistics aside, the weapons and munitions sought by Ukraine and Taiwan are also different. Kyiv needs artillery barrels and shells, armored vehicles, minesweepers, and air defense systems. For the time being, Taipei must prioritize anti-ship missiles, sea mines, and naval drones. The claim that supporting Ukraine comes at the expense of Taiwan (or Israel) is baseless and unfounded.

 


 

   

pic.: No.1 "comment Tsai Ing-wen" on Yandex of Russia, 2024-11-29, 2024-8-8, 2024-5-13, 2024-2-6, 2024-1-1, 2023-11-20;    pic.: No.1 "comment Taiwan president"
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 No.1 "comment Tsai Ing-wen" on Microsoft Bing at 2024-8-8, 2024-7-22, 2024-5-20, 2024-5-13, 2024-2-6, 2023-11-20 
 

 


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No.1 "comment Tsai Ing-wen" on MetaGER, 2024-8-8, 2024-5-13, 2023-11-20, 2023-8-8, 2023-8-1;  No.1 "comment Taiwan president"  on  MetaGER.de 2024-5-20 

 


 

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news  /   BBC (2024-5-19,  interviews with Tsai Ing-wen ):  Domestically, Tsai Ing-wen has been criticised for not doing enough for the economy – the rising cost of living, unaffordable housing and a lack of jobs cost her party young voters in January's election.  And her biggest critics fear that she has made the island of 23 million more, rather than less, unsafe.   The trickier job is to find allies who would risk irking the world's second largest economy.  Tokyo and Manila are both deeply reluctant to vow support for Taiwan.    yahoo.com/news/taiwans-steely-leader-rewrote-book-222513120.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall   
news  /    Council on Foreign Relations, 2024-8-9: Tsai Ing-wen was unable to lead a cultural shift within Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND), which is known for its conservatism, its attachment to legacy platforms such as fighter jets and large surface warships, and its skepticism toward adopting an asymmetric approach to defense. Tellingly, all her defense ministers were retired generals not known for innovative thinking. 


The site's comment /   Although Tsai admits to a sneaking admiration for Margaret Thatcher because of her toughness as a female leader,  and Tsai says she made a return to a year of military service for all men over the age of 18 (to against China)... But the truth is Tsai did it under pressure from the US   ──   Financial Times, 2022-12-27:  The conscription reform follows years of increasing US pressure on Taiwan to strengthen its defences.   Financial Times (UK), 2021-9-15 : Washington keeps scolding Taipei over its supposed lack of preparation against an ever mightier Beijing.  Even China's official media GT ( 2021-10-26 ) mocks Tsai's weakness.   "My sense was that they were afraid" : Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) returning from Taiwan said " they're feeling much closer to conflict – a conflict they do not want.", according to RawStory (Aug. 2022).    Lai Ching-te takes up the mantle from his DPP predecessor Tsai Ing-wen since May 20, 2024.

 

comment Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen
the part you may not know

 

comments

cold-blooded

 

 

 The Tsai Ing-Wen government values politics and money above human lives

 

Economist at 2022-11-29 reported many Taiwanese are tired of squabbles over national identity, especially after president Tsai's refusal to accept an offer of much-needed vaccines from China during a severe coronavirus outbreak.   Guardian, 2021-7-12: Taiwan has rejected China's offers as fake altruism. ... putting politics above its people theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/12/taiwan-tech-companies-buy-10m-covid-vaccine-doses-in-deal-that-sidesteps-china

The Guardian, 2021-6-14:  it still seemed “in the DPP’s electoral interest not to get any China vaccines". "It would be foolish to say no".    theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/14/how-taiwan-struggle-for-covid-vaccines-is-inflaming-tensions-with-china

 

  New York Times, 2021-9-2: Taiwan released a statement announcing that the BioNTech vaccine would be prioritized for those between the ages of 12 and 17, with leftover doses administered to those between 18 and 22, the island has fully vaccinated just under 4 percent of its population.    Associated Press , 2021-4-8: seniors are between 1,300 and 8,700 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than those 5-17.    But, Tsai Ing-wen's government gave older people (aged 60) lower priorities to get inoculated.   The gov. eliminated senior citizens aged 65-75 from vaccination list from very beginning, later gave those aged 50~99 and weak people with severe illness 10th ~ 6th low priorities to get vaccinated.   United Daily (2021-9-18): electoral consideration decide who has priority to get jabbed.  Taiwan's death rates were very bad.    (ps: youngsters are CPP's base for elections )
 CGTN, 2021-8-29: The local authority... jeopardizing people's lives with a chaotic sluggish vaccination schedule. news.cgtn.com/news/2021-08-29/Taiwan-faces-slow-vaccination-amid-sporadic-local-vaccination-deaths--137wrdNqLAI/index.html   

 

TIME, 2021-7-25: Taiwan's president Tsai blamedthe vaccine shortage on interference from Beijing, which didn't stop her popularity from plunging...Terry Gou became Taiwan’s vaccine hero, he volunteered to buy five million doses of Pfizer-BNT vaccines for Taiwan —but the government took nearly a month to allow him to begin the process.


New York Times, 2021-7-12: China’s Taiwan Affairs Office also praised the agreement, though ... if the island’s government “had considered the life, health and well-being of Taiwan compatriots, this issue could have been resolved sooner.”  nytimes.com/2021/07/12/world/asia/taiwan-biontech-vaccine.html   

Global Times, 2021-7-11: The successful purchase has met the long-held expectations of the Taiwan public.... a new round of public lambasting against Tsai Ing-wen's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority for putting political interests above public health protectionglobaltimes.cn/page/202107/1228398.shtml
 

The Guardian, 2021-6-14: Drew Thompson (a former US Defense officer) said there were scientific and transparency concerns about China’s vaccines, but if the Fosun offer is legitimate, refusing it is “entirely political”. “Pfizer and BioNTech have a huge incentive to ensure that the Fosun product is equivalent, so I would think there is no concern,” he said. “There’s no reason not to take it.” theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/14/how-taiwan-struggle-for-covid-vaccines-is-inflaming-tensions-with-china
 

Fortune, 2021-7-12: Fosun Pharma (China) is currently importing German-made BioNTech doses to distribute in Hong Kong and Macau—not manufacturing the doses itself—but Taiwanese officials have said that buying vaccines from the mainland Chinese firm raises concerns about “security, efficacy, and legal issues.”fortune.com/2021/07/12/taiwan-covid-vaccine-biontech-deal-fosun-tsmc-foxconn/

 

Bloomberg, 2021-7-26  : The high fatality rate in Taiwan is due to the virus wave hitting older people, with 90% of deaths occurring in those aged 60 or older .  Taiwan's CDC said 97% of those who died of Covid-19 were over 50 (2021-7-4)  New York Times, 2021-8-24, warne"the vast majority of people dying from Covid-19 are people who are older and unvaccinated".  "Americans over 60... not vaccinated, are at extreme risk"

 

UDN (2021-6-7) : It's hard for severe CovID patients to apply for having Remdesivir (medicine).   WSWS (2022-12-1):  Taiwan in the top ten in the world for CovID cases per million people. It also currently has the second-highest deaths per million.


 


 

      

  

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2023-11-20, 2023-8-8, 2023-8-1(Chinese version)  ; No.1 "comment Tsai Ing-Wen" on Ecosia (Germany), 2024-2-6, 2023-11-20, 2023-8-8 (Chinese) 


 

value
votes
above
national security


Spiegel Germany
:  Tsai Ing-Wen won presidential election under the slogan "resist China, defend Taiwan"(“抗中保台”)
spiegel.de/ausland/taiwan-die-alte-praesidentin-ist-auch-die-neue-a-77e5c3a6-96af-47c8-8ef7-8a86760ff968

But the truth is :
Tsai Ing-Wen values votes above "defending Taiwan". 

 

  knowing that China might attack at any time, Tsai Ing-Wen did nothing about military reform.

 Washington Post, 2023-1-9: Taiwan FM:  "China might attack at any time." most of leaders have awaked to the danger  washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/01/09/taiwan-china-invasion-defense-ukraine/
 New York Times, 2022-6-13:  former defense minister of Taiwan:  "who knows when the P.L.A. might choose to invade Taiwan".
  National Review: 2022-9-29: Taiwan FM: "It's going to be very hard to guess when that will happen (invasion)"
 Wall Street Journal, 2021-10-27: The Fight for Taiwan Could Come Soon.
  Global Times, 2021-10-26: If cross-Straits war breaks out, sudden surrender of Tsai authorities is expected
 

  Tsai Ing-Wen kept postponing mobilization and extending compulsory military service
◆  Financial Times (UK), 2021-9-15 : Washington keeps scolding Taipei over its supposed lack of preparation against an ever mightier Beijing. 

◆  Washington Post (2022-11-23): "To mobilize for its own defense, or submit to a fourth round of imperial subjection, this time by China's Communist Party"! 

  Financial Times (UK), 7-12-2020 : Politicians in Taiwan are even afraid to discuss these issues with the public because they believe Taiwanese are not willing to sacrifice...

  New York Times, 2022-6-19:   ...politicians have electoral considerations. Extending military conscription, would probably not be very popular nytimes.com/2022/06/19/briefing/taiwan-china-russia-ukraine.html   
◆  Breaking Defense, 2022-3-11 :  Until recently, President Tsai has appeared reluctant to discuss how Taiwanese citizens can help defend their country.
 

 

  VICE, 2022-9-28:  president's prescriptions have been piecemeal, for years, security specialists have urged Taipei to emulate countries like Israel and Finland, with their whole-of-country defense efforts

  New York Times, 2022-6-13: Taiwan’s defenses are, by many accounts, ill-equipped and understaffed. The mandatory military service is seen by many as too short...

  Global Times,  2021-10-26 :If the DPP authority has the determination to fight until the end, they could change Taiwan's military service system by making it mandatory to serve in the military for all men, like Israel... The DPP authority holds the illusion of realizing "Taiwan secession" by simply relying on US and Western opinion. They are daydreaming.
  Global Times,  2023-12-23 :the US is trying to discipline the DPP authorities, including the current regional leader Tsai Ing-wen and the DPP candidate for the upcoming election Lai Ching-te

 

 

 Eventually, in Dec., 2022, Tsai Ing-wen extended mandatory military service to one year.   ──   But it's very late.
Financial Times, 2022-12-27:  The conscription reform follows years of increasing US pressure on Taiwan to strengthen its defences.
Asia Nikkei, 2023-1-6:  Taiwan has finally taken the long-overdue step of extending its military conscription period for young men

Asia Times, 2024-3-27:  Taiwan's “reserve force” is shambolic and that's being charitable. There is no “territorial” or militia force, either.  Taiwan also lacks a civil defense scheme.  Military service is not widely considered an attractive career in Taiwan. It's a hard life with low pay, bad housing and no GI-Bill sort of benefits... simply isn't respected in traditional Chinese society.
 

 

  Tsai Ing-wen was full of praise for Ukraine's readiness  (FoxNews, 2023-1-9:  Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen pointed to Ukraine holding off the might of the Russian military for more than 300 days, ... due in no small part to Ukraine's readiness.   But she has not beefed up Taiwan's military after 6 years.  Tsai Ing-Wen might be responsible for a disastrous delay.
 

◆  Economist, 2022-3-5:  Taiwan's sloth in reforming its defence capabilities ...
 Asia Nikkei, 2023-1-6:  Its reserves, supposedly 2 million strong, are a paper force
  New York Times (2017-5-18): The nearly two million reservists exist in name only...
 Foreign Policy, 2020-8-20 : Their underlying thinking is that PLA has grown to be too strong for us to fight militarily anyway... Taiwan should just focus on putting up a good show of being tough, buy enough U.S. weapons for display, and pray that Americans come to our rescue

 New York Times, 2022-6-13:  the reservist program, insufficiently rigorous.

◆  VICE, 2022-9-28: president's prescriptions have been piecemeal, and there is no national plan to overhaul the military.

 

 Foreign Policy, 2020-10-19 :  Given these electoral realities, Taiwan's leaders have gravitated toward military showpieces — while hoping that the United States will save the day if China ever attacks.   It could take a decade to retool the Taiwanese and U.S. militaries to mount an effective defense of the island.... With China's rapid military buildup, that may be time that Taiwan does not have
◆   Global Times (2021-10-26): The Tsai Ing-wen's DPP authority holds the illusion of realizing "Taiwan secession" by simply relying on US and Western opinion. They are daydreaming.

   WSJ (2022-11-23):  Taiwan Is Not Preparing for a Real Fight. The persistent fecklessness of their 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

  WSJ (2021-10-25). Poor preparation and low morale are pressing concerns for Taiwan's armed forces

◆  Economist, 2022-4-23: The infantry's strongest skills,... are “painting walls, picking grass and falsifying documents”...

◆  Financial Times, 2023-1-2: Taiwan’s government has announced plans to upgrade its military training, but it still lags far behind China’s PLA in strength and sophisticationTaiwan’s move to extend military conscription is little more than an emergency measure, and will not address broader strategic shortfalls
 Washington Post, 2023-1-9:   most of their leaders have awaked to the danger DM: It won’t be ready overnight. It could take another five or six years.”

 War On The Rocks, 2024-3-21:  Taipei has not made the necessary preparations. Taiwan's navy continues to prioritize small numbers of large surface combatants over acquiring the “large number of small things,”...


 

  Taiwan is weakening itsSilicon Shield

New York Post, 2023-8-15: Vivek Ramaswamy suggests he would let China invade Taiwan once he's had four years to attain US “semiconductor independence.”... because that's rationally in our self-interest (not go to military conflict ).    Politico (2023-8-15): The three top-polling Republicans for the presidential nomination all have one thing in common: they don't want to commit the United States to defend other governments, namely in Ukraine and Taiwan.

The China Times (台灣 中時), 2022-12-22: Tsai Ing-wen was initiative and very proactive in persuading TSMC to open a chip factory in the US.  (蔡英文積極主動勸服台積電前往美國)   ps: Tsai suppose was obedient to Washington.
Foreign Policy, 2023-2-17: Taiwan fears Washington is weakening it silicon shield.

 

 

 

 

 

 

dishonesty

 

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,” “The attitude is ‘Don't look up'." newyorker.com/magazine/2022/11/21/a-dangerous-game-over-taiwan
 

New York Times (2024-2-26): Taipei's approach to sharing information about Chinese activities with the public has not been fully transparent, ... a lack of transparency also prevents the government from communicating the true situation to Taiwan's people.

 

In Dec., 2022, Tsai Ing-wen extended mandatory military service to one year,  eventually .   ──   But she denied the decision was made under US pressure.