In an expected twist, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang yesterday named himself — and not Frank Hsieh — as convener of the party's new China Affairs Committee.

Several senior government officials have argued for the validity of the recent “Ma the bumbler” article by The Economist. But it is the Ma administration that has provided the strongest evidence to justify the magazine's assessment.

Taichung City Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) yesterday reiterated his support of President Ma Ying-jeou in the upcoming election for Kuomintang chairperson, stressing that he has no ambition for the party's top post.

The finance minister saying Taiwan is not in danger of falling off a fiscal cliff is as preposterous as the Central Weather Bureau director-general reassuring residents that Hurricane Sandy will not hit Taiwan. But that's what happened at the Legislative Yuan on Monday.

Talk of cost cuts has been dominating the news cycle in Taiwan. Lawmakers on Monday questioned Executive Yuan Secretary-General Steven Chen (陳士魁) over the Cabinet's proposal to cut the annual bonuses of retired state employees, while at the same time bracing for possible legislative allowance cuts themselves.

Taiwanese filmmaker Chang Jung-chi's movie “Touch of the Light” has won the KNN Movie Award (Audience Award) at the 17th Busan International Film Festival, according to the festival's online final report released Saturday.

The Republic of China is celebrating its National Day next week under a gloomy atmosphere. Annual economic growth dropped from 4.03 percent last year to the government-estimated 1.66 percent this year. The public is now talking more about a lost decade of stagnant income, high cost of living and exodus of local talent than the golden decade envisioned by President Ma Ying-jeou from his Double Tenth address last year.

Some local travel agencies criticized the Tourism Bureau for what they see as its slow response to the possible sudden surge of tourists during the mainland Chinese National Day “Golden Week.”

Local magazine Business Today really hit a nerve when it ran a story on Sept. 12 about a National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) graduate who ended up as a “Taiwanese laborer” in Australia.

The Executive Yuan yesterday reiterated the Republic of China's sovereignty over the Tiaoyutai Islands and said that it rejects the Japanese government's “so-called purchase” of the islands from a Japan-recognized private owner. The Executive Yuan described the deal as invalid and illegal. The Foreign Ministry asked Taiwan's representative to Japan to return “in the shortest possible time” after it expressed Taiwan's “stern protest” against Japan's decision.