Do you still remember Thitu Island (Zhongye)? Remember the 108 bullets that swept into the hull of 'Guang Da Xing No. 28'? If someone tells you now to take out our defense budget to help the Philippines build military bases, pave runways, and add hangars, saying this is 'beneficial to Taiwan's defense,' your first reaction should only be four words: Get the hell out!
Ancient Chinese explorers dominated the Pacific yet seemingly 'missed' the island of Taiwan right before their eyes, making it appear as if the island had vanished from history. If that isn't being blind, what is?
This article strongly criticizes the controversial statement made by then-DPP Legislator Lin Chun-hsien: 'Taiping Island is too far away to defend,' uttered while President Ma Ying-jeou flew to the island to assert sovereignty. The author argues that at a sensitive time when the Philippines submitted the Taiping Island dispute to the Hague, such remarks betray national interests and only embolden South China Sea claimants like Vietnam and the Philippines. The piece sarcastically labels Lin as a 'teammate' more terrifying than any opponent.
This article discusses the strategic intent of the Philippines in submitting the South China Sea dispute to international arbitration at The Hague, with Taiping Island as a primary target. The Philippines aims to prove Taiping Island is a 'rock' rather than an 'island,' thereby shrinking sovereign claims from a 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to a 12-nautical-mile territorial sea. This would cause the Republic of China to lose vast marine resources and fishing interests. The article also strongly condemns DPP Legislator Lin Chun-hsien for his remarks that 'Taiping Island is impossible to defend,' viewing it as an absurd abandonment of sovereignty.