關於 we would like to formal ，我們在網路上蒐集到這些相關的討論、資訊與評價

【超感謝❗️美國🇺🇸國會友人支持 #台美FTA】

美國聯邦眾議員 #麥可蓮 Representative Lisa McClain 等23位友我議員聯名致函美國拜登總統 President Joe Biden ，呼籲 #美國🇺🇸與 #台灣🇹🇼簽署 #自由貿易協定(FTA)

信件中提到以下重點⬇️ #真的很重要

🔸呼籲美國政府與台灣簽署自由貿易協定（FTA），此將能為台美雙方帶來經濟及安全利益。

🔸🔸台灣是美國對抗中共在東南亞影響力與軍力擴張的堅實盟友，台美FTA可展現美國維護其印太盟邦的安全與繁榮。

✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️

外交部誠摯感謝美國國會友人再次力挺台灣及台美FTA的堅定立場❗️

🔸台美擁有長期緊密的經貿關係，深化雙邊經貿關係對兩國及區域經濟均為互惠互利。

🔸🔸外交部將與國內相關部會共同努力，持續推動洽簽台美FTA，並在既有良好基礎上，進一步深化台美經貿投資連結及全面友好夥伴關係。

#真朋友真進展
#台美友好

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MOFA would like to thank Representative Lisa McClain and the 22 other members of congress for their letter to #US President Joe Biden requesting the pursuit of a formal free trade agreement with #Taiwan.

As well as pointing out the significant economic benefits for both parties, particularly in the #tech, #food and #energy sectors, the letter referred to Taiwan’s track record as a steadfast ally in the fight against the expansion of CCP influence and military power in #SouthEastAsia.

Taiwan will endeavor to pave the way for the signing of such an #FTA at home, in the hope of deepening trade and investment ties with the US and continuing to make #RealProgress as the #RealFriends we are.

Thank you, Representative John Curtis, Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, Rep. Ralph Norman, Rep. Adam Kinzinger , Rep. Randy Feenstra, U.S. Representative Young Kim, Representative Matt Gaetz, Congresswoman Kat Cammack, Congressman Burgess Owens, Representative Rick Crawford, Rep. Claudia Tenney, Congressman Scott Franklin, U.S. Representative Barry Moore, Rep. Elise Stefanik, Congressman Jeff Van Drew, Congressman John Rutherford, Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Congressman Bruce Westerman, Representative Stephanie Bice, Congressman Carlos A. Gimenez, Congressman Tom Emmer and Congressman Tracey Mann.

Jenna Cody :

Is Taiwan a real China?
No, and with the exception of a few intervening decades - here’s the part that’ll surprise you - it never has been.

This’ll blow your mind too: that it never has been doesn’t matter.

So let’s start with what doesn’t actually matter.

Until the 1600s, Taiwan was indigenous. Indigenous Taiwanese are not Chinese, they’re Austronesian. Then it was a Dutch colony (note: I do not say “it was Dutch”, I say it was a Dutch colony). Then it was taken over by Ming loyalists at the end of the Ming dynasty (the Ming loyalists were breakaways, not a part of the new Qing court. Any overlap in Ming rule and Ming loyalist conquest of Taiwan was so brief as to be inconsequential).

Only then, in the late 1600s, was it taken over by the Chinese (Qing). But here’s the thing, it was more like a colony of the Qing, treated as - to use Emma Teng’s wording in Taiwan’s Imagined Geography - a barrier or barricade keeping the ‘real’ Qing China safe. In fact, the Qing didn’t even want Taiwan at first, the emperor called it “a ball of mud beyond the pale of civilization”. Prior to that, and to a great extent at that time, there was no concept on the part of China that Taiwan was Chinese, even though Chinese immigrants began moving to Taiwan under Dutch colonial rule (mostly encouraged by the Dutch, to work as laborers). When the Spanish landed in the north of Taiwan, it was the Dutch, not the Chinese, who kicked them out.

Under Qing colonial rule - and yes, I am choosing my words carefully - China only controlled the Western half of Taiwan. They didn’t even have maps for the eastern half. That’s how uninterested in it they were. I can’t say that the Qing controlled “Taiwan”, they only had power over part of it.

Note that the Qing were Manchu, which at the time of their conquest had not been a part of China: China itself essentially became a Manchu imperial holding, and Taiwan did as well, once they were convinced it was not a “ball of mud” but actually worth taking. Taiwan was not treated the same way as the rest of “Qing China”, and was not administered as a province until (I believe) 1887. So that’s around 200 years of Taiwan being a colony of the Qing.

What happened in the late 19th century to change China’s mind? Japan. A Japanese ship was shipwrecked in eastern Taiwan in the 1870s, and the crew was killed by hostile indigenous people in what is known as the Mudan Incident. A Japanese emissary mission went to China to inquire about what could be done, only to be told that China had no control there and if they went to eastern Taiwan, they did so at their own peril. China had not intended to imply that Taiwan wasn’t theirs, but they did. Japan - and other foreign powers, as France also attempted an invasion - were showing an interest in Taiwan, so China decided to cement its claim, started mapping the entire island, and made it a province.

So, I suppose for a decade or so Taiwan was a part of China. A China that no longer exists.

It remained a province until 1895, when it was ceded to Japan after the (first) Sino-Japanese War. Before that could happen, Taiwan declared itself a Republic, although it was essentially a Qing puppet state (though the history here is interesting - correspondence at the time indicates that the leaders of this ‘Republic of Taiwan’ considered themselves Chinese, and the tiger flag hints at this as well. However, the constitution was a very republican document, not something you’d expect to see in Qing-era China.) That lasted for less than a year, when the Japanese took it by force.

This is important for two reasons - the first is that some interpretations of IR theory state that when a colonial holding is released, it should revert to the state it was in before it was taken as a colony. In this case, that would actually be The Republic of Taiwan, not Qing-era China. Secondly, it puts to rest all notions that there was no Taiwan autonomy movement prior to 1947.

In any case, it would be impossible to revert to its previous state, as the government that controlled it - the Qing empire - no longer exists. The current government of China - the PRC - has never controlled it.

After the Japanese colonial era, there is a whole web of treaties and agreements that do not satisfactorily settle the status of Taiwan. None of them actually do so - those which explicitly state that Taiwan is to be given to the Republic of China (such as the Cairo declaration) are non-binding. Those that are binding do not settle the status of Taiwan (neither the treaty of San Francisco nor the Treaty of Taipei definitively say that Taiwan is a part of China, or even which China it is - the Treaty of Taipei sets out what nationality the Taiwanese are to be considered, but that doesn’t determine territorial claims). Treaty-wise, the status of Taiwan is “undetermined”.

Under more modern interpretations, what a state needs to be a state is…lessee…a contiguous territory, a government, a military, a currency…maybe I’m forgetting something, but Taiwan has all of it. For all intents and purposes it is independent already.

In fact, in the time when all of these agreements were made, the Allied powers weren’t as sure as you might have learned about what to do with Taiwan. They weren’t a big fan of Chiang Kai-shek, didn’t want it to go Communist, and discussed an Allied trusteeship (which would have led to independence) or backing local autonomy movements (which did exist). That it became what it did - “the ROC” but not China - was an accident (as Hsiao-ting Lin lays out in Accidental State).

In fact, the KMT knew this, and at the time the foreign minister (George Yeh) stated something to the effect that they were aware they were ‘squatters’ in Taiwan.

Since then, it’s true that the ROC claims to be the rightful government of Taiwan, however, that hardly matters when considering the future of Taiwan simply because they have no choice. To divest themselves of all such claims (and, presumably, change their name) would be considered by the PRC to be a declaration of formal independence. So that they have not done so is not a sign that they wish to retain the claim, merely that they wish to avoid a war.

It’s also true that most Taiwanese are ethnically “Han” (alongside indigenous and Hakka, although Hakka are, according to many, technically Han…but I don’t think that’s relevant here). But biology is not destiny: what ethnicity someone is shouldn’t determine what government they must be ruled by.

Through all of this, the Taiwanese have evolved their own culture, identity and sense of history. They are diverse in a way unique to Taiwan, having been a part of Austronesian and later Hoklo trade routes through Southeast Asia for millenia. Now, one in five (I’ve heard one in four, actually) Taiwanese children has a foreign parent. The Taiwanese language (which is not Mandarin - that’s a KMT transplant language forced on Taiwanese) is gaining popularity as people discover their history. Visiting Taiwan and China, it is clear where the cultural differences are, not least in terms of civic engagement. This morning, a group of legislators were removed after a weekend-long pro-labor hunger strike in front of the presidential palace. They were not arrested and will not be. Right now, a group of pro-labor protesters is lying down on the tracks at Taipei Main Station to protest the new labor law amendments.

This would never be allowed in China, but Taiwanese take it as a fiercely-guarded basic right.

*

Now, as I said, none of this matters.

What matters is self-determination. If you believe in democracy, you believe that every state (and Taiwan does fit the definition of a state) that wants to be democratic - that already is democratic and wishes to remain that way - has the right to self-determination. In fact, every nation does. You cannot be pro-democracy and also believe that it is acceptable to deprive people of this right, especially if they already have it.

Taiwan is already a democracy. That means it has the right to determine its own future. Period.

Even under the ROC, Taiwan was not allowed to determine its future. The KMT just arrived from China and claimed it. The Taiwanese were never asked if they consented. What do we call it when a foreign government arrives in land they had not previously governed and declares itself the legitimate governing power of that land without the consent of the local people? We call that colonialism.

Under this definition, the ROC can also be said to be a colonial power in Taiwan. They forced Mandarin - previously not a language native to Taiwan - onto the people, taught Chinese history, geography and culture, and insisted that the Taiwanese learn they were Chinese - not Taiwanese (and certainly not Japanese). This was forced on them. It was not chosen. Some, for awhile, swallowed it. Many didn’t. The independence movement only grew, and truly blossomed after democratization - something the Taiwanese fought for and won, not something handed to them by the KMT.

So what matters is what the Taiwanese want, not what the ROC is forced to claim. I cannot stress this enough - if you do not believe Taiwan has the right to this, you do not believe in democracy.

And poll after poll shows it: Taiwanese identify more as Taiwanese than Chinese (those who identify as both primarily identify as Taiwanese, just as I identify as American and Armenian, but primarily as American. Armenian is merely my ethnicity). They overwhelmingly support not unifying with China. The vast majority who support the status quo support one that leads to eventual de jure independence, not unification. The status quo is not - and cannot be - an endgame (if only because China has declared so, but also because it is untenable). Less than 10% want unification. Only a small number (a very small minority) would countenance unification in the future…even if China were to democratize.

The issue isn’t the incompatibility of the systems - it’s that the Taiwanese fundamentally do not see themselves as Chinese.

A change in China’s system won’t change that. It’s not an ethnic nationalism - there is no ethnic argument for Taiwan (or any nation - didn’t we learn in the 20th century what ethnicity-based nation-building leads to? Nothing good). It’s not a jingoistic or xenophobic nationalism - Taiwanese know that to be dangerous. It’s a nationalism based on shared identity, culture, history and civics. The healthiest kind of nationalism there is. Taiwan exists because the Taiwanese identify with it. Period.

There are debates about how long the status quo should go on, and what we should risk to insist on formal recognition. However, the question of whether or not to be Taiwan, not China…

…well, that’s already settled.

The Taiwanese have spoken and they are not Chinese.

Whatever y’all think about that doesn’t matter. That’s what they want, and if you believe in self-determination you will respect it.

If you don’t, good luck with your authoritarian nonsense, but Taiwan wants nothing to do with it.

這學期會話課我選了2016年的 “Designated Survivor”當補充教材，雖然是舊片，但在字彙與片語的豐富度和各種社會、文化、政治議題都有所觸及的廣度是我很喜歡的。這一季的 “Emily in Paris”就不太適合，“The Queen's Gambit”因為不是自己喜歡的類型，所以看了一集就棄看了。私心自然是最喜歡Ridley Scott導演的“Raised by Wolves”，這當然是因為我對與外星文明有關的片毫無抵抗力，而且如果說普羅米修斯是異型前傳的話，那“Raised by Wolves”似乎正走向普羅米修斯前傳。
以下是整理出來的“Designated Survivor”第一季第一集所出現的重要單字和片語，本來是出給學生們當作業的但是沒人交 ~
Designated Survivor E. 1
1. In the vicinity of: approximately
- The club is believed to have paid in the vicinity of €3 million for Domingo.
2. Walk all over sb: to treat someone very badly or defeat them very easily
- If you don't want to work at the weekend, say so - don't let the boss walk all over you.
3. Slave: to work very hard at something
- We slaved away all week at the report.
- I've been slaving over a hot stove 😊 cooking) all morning.
4. not lift/raise a finger to not make any effort to help
- He never lifts a finger to help with the housework.
- (This Congress isn’t gonna lift a finger to help him.)
5. work your ass off: mainly US offensive to work very hard
- I worked my ass off for that man.
- (Everything you and I have worked our ass off for months, gone.)
6. Pass sth off as sth: to pretend that something is a particular thing when it is not
- The dealer was trying to pass off fakes as valuable antiques.
- It's hard to believe anyone would try to pass this nonsense off as literature.
(Langdon actually tried to pass it off as a promotion.)
7. not take sth lying down: not take sth lying down to refuse to be treated badly by someone
- He can't treat you like that! Surely you're not going to take that lying down!
8. Smoke sb/sth out: If you smoke out an animal or person that is hiding, you force them to leave the place where they are by filling it with smoke.
-There will be a tougher approach to smoking out 😊 finding) tax dodgers.
9. Fat chance: used to say that you certainly do not think that something is likely to happen
- "Perhaps they'll invite you." "Fat chance (of that)!"
10. With (all due) respect: used to express polite disagreement in a formal situation
- With all due respect, Sir, I cannot agree with your last statement.
11. Get off on the right/wrong foot: to make a successful/unsuccessful start in something

Ideas to your CNY outfits. A pop of red in every outfit brings the CNY feel up! From formal to casual both of us have showed it to you.
Please comment down below which is your favourite outfits. We would like to know ❤️

Please check out our Valentine's Day LookBook on her channel!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJr32AHAUP0&t=5s

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Music : Two Feet - Her life
All right reserved to the founder.

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All filmed on the Fujifilm X-A2.

In this lesson, you will be learning the expression " to eat tofu" in Chinese.

It's a cute expression to say when you feel being harassed physically~
Also, you will be learning how to say "sexual harassment" (a formal way) in Chinese.

If you like this video lesson, please share it with your friends, we will be appreciate it so sooo much!

And if you would like to see more video lessons or to get our free Chinese learning materials, please go to our webpage
www.smartmandarinchinese.com
Free sign up, then you'll be receiving our free lesson materials.

Thank you so much for watching, see you next time!
(xia4 ci4 jian4) :)
SMART Mandarin

ALL ABOUT KEIGO HERE:

Many commenters are confusing DESU/MASU for KEIGO. DESU/MASU is what one must learn when they are learning Japanese for the first time, it is the polite way of speaking, but KEIGO is like, one level above that, where all the verbs change. In DESU/MASU, To Eat would be "Tabemasu" but in KEIGO it's "Meshiagarimasu". "To See" - Mimasu - "Haikenshimasu/Goranninarimasu­" It is used to show maximum "politeness" and respect. These days, most people don't need it unless they're in a business situation.


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http://ciaela.wordpress.com

Japanese language changes depending on the relationship between the speaker and the listener. While it is common in everyday life to use a combination of formal and informal Japanese, Keigo (敬語) is the most formal/polite way of speaking the Japanese language, and although many may not use it in their daily life, it is very important to know how to speak keigo in business, or when you are in a situation where you must show absolute upmost respect to the listener.

In my experience, I listen to keigo a lot more than I use it, I'm getting better at understanding it, but it wasn't always this way. Still, I am not confident enough to speak it, or even teach it, so I'll leave that to the commenters, if they will be so kind as to teach us a few phrases we can use. 8)

敬語は、日本語の勉強の中で私にとって一番難しいなのです。そうですよ、漢字よりも。今頃、聞くのに慣れても、話すことには全然自信ないです。コメントで、一番使える敬語を教えていただけると、視聴者のためになると思います。私も、敬語で丁寧に話せるようになりたいです。どうしたらいいでしょうか？　よろしくお願いいたします。

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Please watch: "How To Make Japanese Nabe | カレー鍋を作ってみた"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5rg9eM5D8I
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