Two phenomena and two facts were observed in the primary elections of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. On the Democratic side, in the state primaries, a growing number of voters chose "uncommitted," particularly noticeable in Michigan. On the Republican side, despite Trump consistently leading, there are still contenders like young Nikki Haley putting up a strong fight. On March 5th (Super Tuesday), twelve states held simultaneous primaries for both parties' presidential nominations, competing for the number of delegates supporting each candidate at the national conventions. The results showed that Biden won all twelve Democratic primaries, but voter turnout was not high. On the other hand, Trump won eleven states against his young opponent Haley (small but significant votes went to Haley, Haley won Vermont). These results revealed a clear dissatisfaction among American voters with both parties' nominations – they both are senior political figures.

Two notable facts emerged: Firstly, they are both senior, way passed retirement age. One wonders why they must seek office, especially the White House. Secondly, both carry the traditional (aged) political ideologies of their respective parties. When it comes to dealing with international issues, especially the challenges posed by a rising China and a divisive U.S. their policies have been one-sided, focusing on blaming China and anti-China sentiments without a clear and convincing strategy. Surprisingly, both entertained no approach to maintaining positive U.S.-China relations, leveraging American advantages, promoting cooperation, and pursuing a win-win China strategy.

Worse yet, voters feel they don't have good choices. This is the dilemma facing American voters in 2024. Currently, the two elderly candidates from two parties engage in political maneuvering on various issues, seeking the votes of a slim majority. Still, they lack any innovative proposals that could unite the nation. This is why the people are dissatisfied, and they are reluctant to take a clear stance to endorse the two senior candidates. Why can't experienced senior politicians contribute to national or international affairs without clinging to power? This is a true test of good democracy; the people and media should encourage senior political figures to serve the nation outside of the election process.
 
The results of Taiwan's presidential election are in. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) secured a victory with the support of only 28% of the voters. They elected Lai Ching-te, known as the "Golden Grandson Taiwanese for Independence" and gained insufficient control of the Legislative Yuan (DPP is a minority.), despite the DPP's political dominance. The DPP win is a narrow victory, with underlying risks of potential future defeats. The Kuomintang (KMT), represented by candidate Hou You-yi and running mate Zhao Shao-kang, lost the election due to many reasons, including the failure to form a pre-election alliance with the People First Party. This article does not aim to make a post-election analysis, as numerous domestic and international authors have already done so. This author wishes to bring one observation to the readers' attention. Former President Ma Ying-jeou maintained a low profile during this election, yet, from preliminary opinion polls, primary party operations, various commentaries, media coverage, and public opinion polls, somehow Ma Ying-jeou and his achievements had entered the media's discussions. This author, upon observing this, believes that this phenomenon is worth discussing. This phenomenon may have substantive implications for Taiwan's future and cross-strait relations and how senior political figures not in administration may serve an important cause.
 
Looking at Tsai Ing-wen's performance since taking office, there are no significant achievements but rather evident failures, particularly in corruption, personnel management, diplomacy, arms procurement, vaccine acquisition, and crisis handling. The DPP has been criticized for its incompetence and pursuit of personal gains. Tsai's political stance of resisting China's gestures, promoting de-Chinese (Taiwanization), and seeking colonial protection from the U.S. may have made some superficial gains, but it comes with significant drawbacks. Firstly, in its efforts to confiscate the KMT's party assets (reducing the century-old KMT party to financial straits), the DPP has alienated many just and principled people, including women and military and civil servant groups.
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Retreat to Taiwan after losing the civil war, the KMT did not practice the one-person-one-vote democracy, instead under its one-party rule, it adhered to Sun Yat-sen's doctrine, Three Principles of the People, advancing Taiwan to the status of the Four Asian Tigers. Before the DPP's de-Chinese efforts, Taiwan's education system was quite successful, emphasizing compulsory civic education, academic and cultural values, and moral virtues. The education of children and young people over several generations has laid the foundation for Taiwan's achievements in academia, industry, and technology, as well as fostering a society with a kind demeanor and refined cultural values.

The above education system affected the generation of Ma Ying-jeou and beyond, in addition to the above-mentioned characteristics, Ma possessed a handsome appearance and a strong physique acquired by a commitment to physical fitness through running. After studying in the U.S., Ma decided to return to Taiwan for public service. Starting as the English secretary to President Chiang Ching-kuo, he gradually moved into politics, winning elections, becoming the mayor of Taipei, and eventually serving as the President of the Republic of China. Ma Ying-jeou earned a reputation for honesty and integrity, leaving a positive impression in the hearts of the Taiwanese people.

The DPP's pursuit of political power, in principle, is understandable, but its actions, from former president Chen Shui-bian's shameless corruption to the continuation of corrupt practices under Tsai Ing-wen, have completely eroded the party's founding principles of pursuing democracy. The DPP government's control of media, support of online (internet) armies, and interference of the judiciary system make it inevitable for the Taiwanese people to recall Ma Ying-jeou and his administration. Setting aside ideological differences (regarding unification and China's official name and sovereignty) and just focusing solely on achievements, the people of Taiwan of course recognize the importance of the economy and the benefits of trade relations with the mainland.

Ma Ying-jeou successfully negotiated the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) with the mainland, resulting in a significant annual trade surplus for Taiwan. He also achieved the "Three Links," facilitating cross-strait exchanges in communication and transportation. More importantly, Ma had productive meetings with Xi Jinping, in contrast, the DPP has no caliber of personnel, sincerity, and skills to engage in meaningful dialogue with high-level mainland officials. Hence, The DPP administration has had repeated diplomatic setbacks and loss of diplomatic recognition. These discerning observations are evident to many people in Taiwan, including learned intellectuals and inclined students.

Therefore, when the media mentions Ma Ying-jeou, older generations naturally reminisce about the past, comparing it to the present. Younger people, being valued or pursued in elections, naturally develop a comparative understanding. The decline in the DPP's hardcore support to 28% is therefore not difficult to comprehend in light of these considerations.

The situation in Taiwan has been influenced by the DPP's approach of blindly embracing the U.S. policy of anti-China stance, creating a tense atmosphere and potentially leading Taiwan towards a war, akin to the crisis faced by Ukraine. This is primarily driven by a few politicians with connections to foreign forces, particularly the U.S. and Japan. They are determined to maintain their hold on power, disregarding the future destiny of Taiwan for generations to come.

The way the DPP handled incidents like the killing of mainland fishermen off Kinmen Island is pushing Taiwan to war. This highlights the need for Taiwanese people to unite to safeguard people's welfare and future. The author notes the above observation and must emphasize that Ma is not only younger than Biden and Trump but also healthier in physical condition. Ma may be the only political figure in Taiwan capable of engaging in a meaningful dialogue with high-level officials from mainland China in a civil capacity encouraged by the people.
When Ma Ying-jeou suggests that Taiwan should trust the mainland, it is indeed a wise statement. Both sides are descendants of the Chinese civilization, and achieving peaceful coexistence requires sincerity and trust. The people in Taiwan should recognize Ma as an asset not to be wasted. They should urge and support Ma Ying-jeou, by any democratic means, to act on their behalf and to devote his time and energy to seek cross-strait peace which will benefit future generations. This author believes that in a mature and good democracy, the people should encourage senior political figures to serve the nation in a civil capacity.



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Most young people nowadays have no idea what it feels like to be poor. The following short story may help those born with a silver spoon in their mouths to gain some understanding。
 
I don't know when "GDS Meat Sauce" was first introduced, but I remember tasting it for the first time in 1964, the year I taught in Keelung. At that time, this meat sauce, priced at six NT dollars per can, was truly delicious and luxurious for me. However, for a poor teacher with a monthly income of only 800 NT dollars, or 20 U.S. dollars then, supporting a family of three (at that time, my daughter had not been born yet), it was indeed an "unaffordable luxury"!
 
For over 70 years, besides its price, the look, packaging, and especially the taste of this meat sauce has remained unchanged and all these years, my family has rarely been without it! Why is it? That's the story I am telling now.
 
 
The Fulfillment of Serious Teaching
 
In the 1950s, the easiest job for college graduates to find was teaching and it seemed that most graduates of foreign language departments who did not go abroad for advanced study became English teachers. I was one of those.
 
I have worked in six different industries in my lifetime, and teaching is still one of my favorite jobs to this day because it has brought me tremendous fulfillment! Watching my students progress from learning the ABCs to being able to write, read, and speak English fluently gives me a sense of satisfaction and self-affirmation that is indescribable and eternal! I firmly believe that if I had kept teaching for two more years, the three classes of students who performed poorly on their entries and were labeled as "low-performing classes" would have far surpassed the "good students" of the same grade level at the time (in fact, this was proven during a "Keelung City First Year English Quiz Competition" before I left the teaching profession). Unfortunately, the meager salary was not enough to sustain my basic living expenses, so I had to give up my aspirations and beloved job to seek other means of livelihood.
 
The Worry of Meager Wages
 
In 1964, a monthly income of 800 NT dollars (20 U.S. dollars then), in today’s sense, is probably equivalent to 20,000 NT dollars or 650 U.S. dollars to support a family of three, including paying rent! The tightness of life can be imagined and that was how I spent the first year of my career! I never stopped worrying about making ends meet for my family each month. The greatest pleasure of indulging in desires for me was going to the night market by the canal in Keelung on the day I received my salary and eating from a roadside stall. Just a bowl of noodles, some braised dishes, and a small basket of steamed spareribs made a scrumptious feast for me and my small family! It was a great pleasure and a huge expense to me but only insignificant in the eyes of ordinary people. What I paid for that “luxurious” meal would appear in the numbers of the month's income shortfall, so while enjoying the "delicacy," I was also bearing a huge psychological burden.
 
"Mutual Support" Friends
 
In that year, I also made a few friends, including a teacher named Li Yanyi, with whom I had a "mutual support" relationship. My monthly salary could barely cover twenty days of living expenses, so I often had to ask him for help. Each time, I borrowed around 200 yuan from him. Yanyi was a very honest and straightforward person. When lending me money, he would sometimes say to me, "Ambrose, I can only lend you money for ten days. After ten days, I won't have any food to eat either." (Five years later, I got him out of teaching and offered him a job at a travel service company of which I was hired as a general manager and that changed his life. Later he found another job in a Japanese company, Kanematsu Corporation, and years later he was promoted to higher and higher managerial positions in that company until he retired.)
 
In the year I was teaching, a few friends and I occasionally got together to have potluck dinners at each other's homes because we couldn't afford to dine out. At that, none of us could afford to treat the others. Looking back, even though we were a bit financially strapped at the time, we all lived happily because the ideals and hopes filling young people's hearts dispelled all the worries of economic hardship.
 
Relief in Hard Times
 
In August of '54, my younger brother, Anthony, visited me in Keelung for the first time during his summer break. Learning of his visit filled me with joy, but it also caused me anxiety because I didn't have the means to host him for a few days. As he arrived, he brought two cans of Carnation milk powder as a gift for our son, his nephew. Amidst my mixed feelings of joy and worry, I suddenly saw a solution to my predicament upon seeing those cans of milk powder! I quietly took the milk powder to a nearby familiar grocery store, negotiated with the owner, and exchanged them for four cans of GDS meat sauce cans, a few eggs, some pickled vegetables, and snacks. On the way home, my worries vanished, and I greeted my brother with a big smile.
 
From then on, I developed a deep affection for GDS meat sauce. In the years to come, whether needed or not, there will always be a can or two stored at home—a taste that once brought me comfort in troubled times. For decades, every time I saw that pork meat sauce, I felt like meeting an old friend, exuding immense warmth, and of course, evoking the memories of the hardships of the past and I seemed to hear it saying to me: "Thank you for never abandoning me all these years!"
 
Turning Point in Life
 
In that teaching year, I also attempted to find a better-paying job to improve my life, but after applying to several trading companies, I always failed to get hired. The reason was the same—because I couldn't speak Taiwanese! (In those days, most people in Keelung didn't speak Mandarin, especially the elderly.)
 
At the end of 1965, 20th Century Fox Film Corp. came to Taiwan to film "The Sand Pebbles," directed by Robert Wise, who had just won an Oscar for "Sound of Music” and The West Side Story”. The leading actors were Steve McQueen and Candice Bergen. The filming in Taiwan lasted for six months, requiring eight interpreters to be assigned to work with eight department heads. After two months of training, I was fortunately selected as one of the eight translators, earning a monthly salary of NT$8,400, or 210 U.S. dollars which was 10.7 times my previous salary. Even luckier, I was chosen as the interpreter/assistant for Superintendent, Mr. Herbert Cheek, a heavyweight figure at Fox during the filming period, and the boss of the seven department heads whom the other seven interpreters worked for.
 
My experience working at Fox for six months changed my life. I witnessed the professionalism and efficiency of a top-tier American film company's staff, providing me with immense inspiration and guidance at the age of 25. The benefits I gained in terms of life experience and training far exceeded the economic improvement, which was unexpected but one of the greatest blessings in my life.
  
I'll save the insights and experiences from my time at Fox, including how I met and worked with Mr. Robert Wise and Steve McQueen for another story-writing, as it diverges too far from the current topic.
 
"How many people have you helped?"
 
The wisdom of ancient Chinese sages is truly admirable. There's a saying: "A thousand ounces of gold cannot buy the youth of a poor man." Looking back on my life, I am grateful for experiencing that period of financial hardship when I first entered society because poverty is the greatest force that motivates a person to strive for better. During that time, as I received help from friends, I made a vow in my heart: when I have the means in the future, I must take care of my family and help my friends in need. For decades, I have never forgotten my promise. Even now, every time I see GDS meat sauce, while reminiscing, it feels like it's asking me, "Ambrose Wang, how many people have you helped during this time?"
 

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It took less than 250 years for the United States to become a great independent country from a colony. Its war of independence was short and smooth owing to good luck, the right timing, and being far from a power struggle, In the early years, most of the immigrants to North America were the Anglo-Saxons, and a small number of immigrants from the European continent. The native Indians of North America were driven westward by new settlers and killed. The eighteenth century coincided with the struggle for hegemony and mutual destruction among European powers and the rise of the ideology of democracy and liberalism. The immigrants in North America were dissatisfied with the high taxes imposed by their mother country Great Britain. They took advantage of the competition among Britain, France, Spain, and other countries for hegemony and colonial interests, and launched a revolution for independence. After the founding of the country, they continued to expand and expand. The native Indians were exterminated and reduced to vassal groups, and a federal state (the U.S.) was established, which expanded from thirteen states in 1776 to fifty states today.
 
There were two world wars in the twentieth century. The U.S. almost completely stayed out of the First World War (7/28/1914-11/11/1918) until near the end of the last year. It can be said that it won without any damage. During the Second World War (1939-1945), the U.S. made war profits from an advantageous position, far away from the Eurasian theaters. It did not join the war until Japan attacked Pearl Harbor (12/7/1941). The battlefield was far away from the American mainland, so after the war, the U.S. became the world's strongest economy capable of assisting the ruined world to recover and become the world's most powerful country. After WW II, Russia was also a victorious country and it promoted communism and created the Soviet Union to absorb Northeastern European states and post-war East Germany. The U.S. occupied West Germany, Japan, and the Philippines, thus forming two major confrontational blocs, the East and the West.
 
In the East-West confrontation, the U.S. established a world grand strategy of anti-communism alliance to fight against the communist countries led by the Soviet Union. The U.S. cleverly took advantage of China's need to revitalize its economy, opened to China, and launched an all-out effort to isolate and suppress the Soviet economic system, which eventually led to its collapse in 1991 and the disintegration of the Soviet Union. As a result, the U.S. became the single largest hegemon in the world. However, the basic global strategy of the U.S. since WW II has always been to maintain its hegemony, not allowing other countries to surpass the U.S. in competition. This can be seen clearly when the U.S. launched suppression against the European Union and Japan when their economic growth approached that of the U.S. economy. Therefore, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and as China grew rapidly in economic strength, the U.S. began to pay attention to China's rise and targeted China into the ranks of hostile communist countries. However, due to the Muslim-Islamic terrorist group's attack on the U.S. homeland (9/11/2001) incident, the U.S. had to focus on the 'war on terrorism' which led to the Iraq War and Middle East entanglement, thereby delaying its anti-China action.
 
The strategy of the U.S. to counter Russia and China began after WW II. In Europe, it established NATO to contain Russia, and in Asia, it united with its allies (Japan, South Korea, Philippines, etc.) to contain China. The U.S.'s anti-China policy over the years can be described as 'Three Axes'. In the following, the author will explain these three axes, analyze their effectiveness, and make predictions.
 
The First Axe: Island Chain Containment
 
After the victory in WW II, the U.S. occupied Japan and cultivated a government system for the defeated nation, and then got involved in the Korean War, which threatened China's security and fear, and eventually, the Sino-US Korean War ended with the division of North and South Korea in a truce but no peace treaty. The U.S. maintained the strategy of allying with Japan and South Korea to fight against the Soviet Union and communist countries, including China. The U.S. joined forces with European nations to organize the NATO alliance to contain the Soviet Union, but in Asia, the U.S. planned to form an island chain from South Korea, Japan, Ryukyu, Taiwan, the Philippines to Singapore to contain China. In this island chain strategy, there is uncertainty about Taiwan's reunification with Mainland China. Therefore, the U.S. has always been unwilling to give up influence in Taiwan and deliberately blur Taiwan's status to suit its island chain strategy. However, China's policy of keeping a low profile induced the U.S. to focus its attention on the Middle East, giving China time to develop and eventually rise to become the world's second-largest economy and the world's largest manufacturer and trader. At the same time, to resist the U.S.’s island chain containment, China has rapidly developed its navy and rocket force to resist island chain threats. Nowadays, the U.S.’s island chain deterrent force must retreat to the second island chain, namely the Guam and Hawaii defense lines. Judging from the current strength and progress of China's navy and air force, the U.S.'s first island chain containment strategy can be said to have hit a steel wall (Ban's door, an Ax master's door), producing no effect at all.
 
The Second Ax: Democracy, Freedom, and Human Rights
 
When the U.S. became independent, it was at the time of the enlightenment of democratic liberalism, and its forefathers indeed wrote democratic freedoms into the Constitution. But since the U.S. became a powerful nation, it has implemented a two-sided policy, that is, it says one thing on the surface, but does another. The former is glossy and propagated through its controlled media. The latter is all based on self-centered interests, often unjust to others. Profit always comes first. Therefore, democracy, freedom, and human rights have become tools of American political diplomacy. In terms of safeguarding the interests of ethnic minorities, the U.S. has no justice for its domestic Indians. It uses the banner of democracy, freedom, and human rights to subvert political power and incite revolution. Its purpose is to remove the regime that is inconsistent with the U.S. interest, rather than for the welfare of the people. Therefore, the regimes supported by the United States are all pro-American. The U.S. has used the banner of democracy, freedom, and human rights to instigate China's Tibet and Xinjiang for many years. However, under the Chinese government's efforts to get rid of poverty and create opportunities for citizens to have a better life, people's livelihood in Tibet and Xinjiang has improved far better than elsewhere in the Muslim world or India. This has been gradually known to all the world. Hence, the second ax of the U.S. has also hit the “Ban’s door”, and there is nothing that can be done.

The Third Ax: New Eight-Power Allied Forces
 
The U.S. participated in the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China and gained benefits. In both world wars, the U.S. had always joined the winning side alliance. Since WW II, the U.S. has also formed military alliances with many countries to maintain its hegemonic leadership position and used the alliance for proxy wars. It used the NATO alliance to encourage Ukraine to join NATO to resist Russia, which led to the current Russia-Ukraine war. In Asia, the U.S. wants to create a New Eight-Nation Alliance (the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and India) to suppress China. It not only threatens China with military force, but also wants to ally to impose sanctions on China in terms of economy (trade and investment), science, and technology. The most obvious effort is in the semiconductor industry where chip manufacturing technology is prohibited from exporting to China. Through subsidies, the U.S. intends to consolidate high-level chip manufacturing in the U.S. However, China's economy has grown in size and its technological foundation has become strong (A recent survey shows that China leads in 7 out of 10 advanced technologies, the U.S. leads only in three with China being next behind.). Many countries are dependent on the Chinese market and their mutual trade. Therefore, this third ax, coercing alliance to disengage with China is also like showing off tricks in front of a skilled master, exhibiting nothing but awkwardness. 
 
Based on the above analysis, China should be able to cope with the current tension between the U.S. and China no matter how treacherous the future would be. However, the Chinese people have never been wary, and they would always rather avoid a war than initiate one. On the other hand, the Americans are accustomed to winning, if not winnable then join the opposing party. Therefore, the U.S. and China competition may not lead to a disastrous ending. The current situation will test China's diplomatic skills. China has many neighboring countries. South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines have all aligned with the U.S. India is presently increasing its troops on the Tibetan border. Although the Chinese People's Liberation Army is competent and not afraid of the threats, but Sun Tzu's Art of War says that war should be the last option. Today, we need to strategize, devote ourselves to diplomacy, and turn conflicts into friendship. Sun Tzu said, the best is to win with strategy, the second best is to win through diplomacy, and the last is to win by military force. The Chinese citizens should cheer their leaders, like Xi Jinping and Wang Yi, to charter a peaceful path.