Taiwan Opposition Leader Promises to Build Bridge to Peace — Liepāja Says: Start with a Regular Bridge

Taiwan opposition party "Kuomintang" leader Gena Livuna has announced she wants to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping to build a "symbolic bridge to peace." This news is received with skepticism in Liepāja — especially around the Karosta Canal area, where local residents have been listening to promises about bridge construction for years, which would actually split the city in half and create even more drama than now.

"I don't think one meeting can solve all the issues that have been accumulating for nearly a century," says Gena, apparently unaware that in Liepāja we've been trying to solve the question of one single bridge for 20 years. While Taiwan thinks about symbolic bridges, we could use even just a regular concrete bridge so we wouldn't have to drive around the entire city when we want to get from one side to the other.

Particularly amusing is Gena's claim that "political efforts are also needed." In Liepāja, political efforts regarding the Karosta Canal bridge have been ongoing since independence was restored, but the result is the same as Gena's conversation prospects with Xi — lots of talking, few concrete results.

While Taiwan tries to avoid choosing between the US and China, in Liepāja we chose long ago — our bridge will be better than any Riga bridge, if only it ever gets built. Local commentator Gunārs from Karosta states: "Let her first try to build a regular bridge, then she can think about symbolic ones."