@PLMattis Accuracy and evidence should come before rhetoric.
If the source was truly a DPP source, then provide the evidence.
If you do not know who the source was, then why publicly assign political responsibility before the facts are confirmed?
@PLMattis This raises a serious question: what level of verification is required before an American think tank publicly makes such assertions?
Taiwan's political environment is highly sensitive. Public figures, researchers, and think tanks should be especially careful with their words.
@PLMattis If the source later turns out not to be connected to the DPP at all, then your statement would have unfairly blamed an entire political party based on an unverified claim.
@PLMattis What concerns me most is not your opinion, but your standard of evidence.
If you were not even certain who the source was, why did you publicly label it as a "DPP source"?
As a researcher associated with an American think tank, shouldn't accuracy come before public accusations?
@PLMattis If a think tank claims to understand Taiwan, yet fails to appreciate the sensitivity of these issues and the realities of Taiwan's information environment, then people are justified in asking whether it truly understands Taiwan at all.
@PLMattis , or between those who seek to preserve Taiwan's democratic system and those who are willing to accommodate Beijing's interests.
This is precisely why many Taiwanese are questioning your judgment.
@PLMattis As an American think tank operating in and commenting on Taiwan-related affairs, you should be especially cautious with your words and actions.
Instead, your remarks have created the impression that you cannot distinguish between friends and adversaries,
@PLMattis The credibility and judgment of American think tanks are increasingly being questioned.
Virtually everyone in Taiwan is aware of the serious problem of pro-CCP media influence and Chinese information operations within our media environment.
@PLMattis Does President Trump know that an American think tank is publicly using this kind of language while appearing to defend forces that many view as hostile to American interests?
@PLMattis You seem eager to defend the Kuomintang, a party that many people in Taiwan believe has become increasingly accommodating toward the CCP. Yet you describe the Democratic Progressive Party, which has generally been viewed as more pro-American, as "foolish."
@PLMattis Whether you believe it or not, I think your actions are pushing American interests toward a cliff.
I am curious: when you used the phrase "a foolish DPP source," do you realize that such rhetoric may indirectly help the Chinese Communist Party's goal of promoting unification?