This is the start of my third year publishing a biweekly column here. Most of these op-eds have concerned contemporary issues of law and justice in mainland China, Taiwan or both, as well as political-legal questions arising from the cross-strait reconciliation that began in 2008 with Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou's inauguration.
I try to play the role of a constructive critic, pointing out problems that require attention and suggesting possible improvements. Regarding mainland China, I am neither pro- nor anti-communist but seek improvements in the government that exists.
On Taiwan, I am neither 'green' (pro-Democratic Progressive Party) nor 'blue' (pro-Kuomintang) but am a supporter of the island's remarkable democratic and institutional transformation of the past two decades, a momentous development in Chinese history. Of greatest importance to me are open democratic governance, human rights and the rule of law.
However, amid a rising nationalistic tide of late, I was not surprised to read an attack on my standpoint by Zhao Nianyu, a researcher on Taiwan affairs at Shanghai's Institute of International Studies. Like nationalists in many countries, he asks why foreigners who don't agree with him don't 'mind their own business'.
Why would a foreign commentator suggest that the very important cross-strait Economic Co-operation Framework Agreement (ECFA) ought to receive article-by-article scrutiny before Taiwan's legislature approves it? Why would he maintain that the corruption conviction of Taiwan's former president, Chen Shui-bian, should be based on a trial that did not raise serious doubts about the actions of prosecution and court?
Why would the commentator urge the Ministry of Justice to stop trying to discipline Chen's dynamic defence lawyer? Why would the commentator call for an independent commission to investigate allegations that corruption prosecutions may have been 'selective'? And why would he ask the Taiwanese government to grant an entry visa to Rebiya Kadeer, a leader of the Uygur independence movement living in exile in Washington?
To Zhao, there is only one possible answer. After studying many of my essays, he concludes that I must be 'green'. He accuses me of appearing to be an objective observer who has Taiwan's best interests at heart, but covertly advocating Taiwan independence and the fall of Ma's KMT government.