Tsai Ing-wen announces her resignation as chairwoman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) after local elections in Taipei, Taiwan Nov 24, 2018. [Photo/Agencies] Taiwan's pro-independence ruling Democratic Progressive Party suffered a big defeat in the local elections on the island, winning only six of the 22 cities and counties, forcing Tsai Ing-wen to announce her resignation as leader of the party. Two experts shared their views with China Daily's Zhang Zhouxiang and Gao Qihui: DPP's stance has been at cost of people's interests The DPP's failure this time was rather heavy. A main reason for this is the DPP has made a series of moves over the two years since it took power that have harmed local residents' interests. In 2017, Taiwan's GDP growth was 2.65 percent, much lower than the world average of 3.7 percent, which in turn caused the living standards of many local families to fall. At the same time, Tsai's pension reform cut the welfare for many retirees. And when floods hit cities on the south of the island this summer, the DPP failed to render effective help to residents. But fundamentally, it is Tsai's refusal to uphold the 1992 Consensus that there is only one China that has brought the cross-Straits relationship to a halt since she took office, which has prevented Taiwan from benefiting from the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations. As a result, the number of mainland tourists to Taiwan has dropped by 40 percent since she entered office, which has caused the bankruptcy of tourism agencies in Taiwan and rising unemployment rates among tourist guides. Agriculture products, which previously accounted for a high percentage of Taiwan's products to the Chinese mainland, also became overstocked. The election shows people on the island consider the DPP's policies to be a failure. The Taiwan voters know where their interests are and if the ruling party chooses to ignore their interests it will pay. - Zhang Hua, an associate researcher at the Institute of Taiwan Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Voters judge administration's policies a resounding failure Although both political figures inside and outside the DPP have more than once challenged it, the DPP has continued to pursue independence for Taiwan. That is why, as soon as it took power in 2016, it overturned all the policies of the previous administration that benefited cross-Straits relations. Politically, it refuses to uphold the 1992 Consensus on one China that has served as the political foundation for the cross-Straits relationship. In economic relations, it has tried to distance itself from the Chinese mainland by curbing cross-Straits trade. While in its external relations, it has tried to get the United States and Japan to act as counterbalances to the Chinese mainland. Even in education and culture, it introduced new history textbooks for high school students, in which large parts of Chinese history were deleted. The majority of these measures have aroused the anger of the local residents because they serve the DPP's selfish political purposes at the cost of the residents' interests, even the island's future. The Chinese mainland has had to take multiple measures to curb the separatist moves of Tsai and the DPP, and it is the Taiwan residents that have suffered most over the past two years. Taiwan lost five of the 22 countries with which it had diplomatic ties, its economy has slowed, the island even had to give up the plan of new nuclear power plants and had to use highly-polluting thermal power plants instead. Instead of correcting their wrongs, Tsai and her colleagues have continually hyped up the cross-Straits issue and blamed the Chinese mainland for intervening in the election, yet they are no longer able to cheat the people. - Liu Xiangping, a senior professor on Taiwan studies, Nanjing University silicone medical bracelets canadasilicone wristbandsfuck cancer braceletwristbands canadacool rubber bracelets
CNS Liuzhou is a Type 054A frigate. The vessel exported to Pakistan is said to be based on this class. [Photo/Xinhua] China recently started construction of an export version of one of its advanced warships and will deliver it to Pakistan as part of a major arms deal, according to China State Shipbuilding Corp, a large State-owned defense contractor. It said the ship is a version of the Chinese Navy's most advanced guided missile frigate, without specifying its type. In late December it said the ship is under construction at its Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai, noting it will be equipped with modern detection and weapon systems and will be capable of anti-ship, anti-submarine and air-defense operations. According to the Pakistani Navy, the ship's class is Type 054AP, which means it is based on the Type 054A of the People's Liberation Army Navy. It previously said four such ships had been ordered. Once constructed, the warship will be one of the largest and technologically advanced platforms of Pakistan's Navy and strengthen the country's capability to respond to future challenges, maintain peace and stability and the balance of power in the Indian Ocean region. It will also support the Pakistani Navy's initiative of securing sea lanes for international shipping by patrolling distant waters, it said in a statement on its twitter account. Type 054A is the best frigate in service with the PLA Navy. Military sources said the ship has a fully loaded displacement of about 4,000 metric tons and is equipped with advanced radars and missiles. About 30 Type 054As are in service with the PLA Navy, observers said. Cao Weidong, a senior researcher at the PLA's Naval Military Studies Research Institute, said that in the past, the Pakistani Navy would ask its Chinese contractors to use Western radars or weapons on ships constructed by Chinese shipbuilders because it believed Western naval technologies were better than Chinese ones. But it seems that all weapons and radars on the new ship will be Chinese products, which reflects our progress in the industry and the Pakistani Navy's confidence in our technology and capability, he said. Cao said there are many nations selling frigates in the market, so Pakistan must have made thorough comparisons in terms of combat capability and costs. I believe the reason they chose our type is that ours is one of the few that can carry out all of the air-defense, anti-ship and anti-submarine tasks, he said, expecting the service of the Chinese frigate to substantially boost Pakistan's defense capability. An insider in China's shipbuilding sector with knowledge of the Type 054AP program told China Daily on condition of anonymity that the ship is the largest and most powerful combat vessel China has ever exported. Based on pictures circulating on the internet, the ship will have vertical launch cells that can fire Chinese HQ-16 air-defense missiles and other kinds of missiles. Vertical launch cells will bring flexibility to the user in terms of weapons portfolio, thus giving it a stronger fighting capability, he said, adding that the Type 054AP is the best frigate Pakistan can access in the international market. The service of Type 054APs will double the combat power of the Pakistani Navy's surface fleet, he said.
