遭台当局污蔑对台“渗透”，TikTok否认在台设立分公司******
【环球时报特约记者 陈立非 李 耀】民进党当局近日以字节跳动在台设立分公司为由对其进行审查，其旗下短视频平台TikTok以书面方式回复台湾“中央社”表示，近期媒体报道不实，“TikTok在台并无设立分公司”。
亲绿的《自由时报》日前声称，2018年3月成立的台湾“升洋国际生技有限公司”今年11月变更登记为“字节跳动台湾股份有限公司”，由台湾人出资，地址登记在台中市东区十甲路，董监事都是台湾人，资本额为1200万元新台币。对此，台当局声称，根据“两岸人民关系条例”规定，大陆网络社交平台不得在台湾经营相关业务。陆委会称，事件已进入司法程序。
然而，TikTok 19日回应近期的争议表示，并没有在台设立分公司。台“中央社”20日称，得到回应之后，该媒体记者前往公司登记地址，发现它设在一处住宅区大楼内，管理员表示没听说有什么字节跳动台湾公司在这里，并称整栋大楼几乎以住户为主，商业办公室较少。记者询问多名住户，大家都没听说大楼内设立了字节跳动公司。
近年来，民进党当局不断对在岛内年轻人之间颇为流行的TikTok大开杀戒，污蔑其对台湾“渗透”，还声称平台上有不少大陆“假新闻”。民进党“九合一”选举惨败后，蔡英文辞去民进党主席，后又由桃园市长郑文灿召集民进党检讨小组归纳败选原因，把“防疫”“兵役”和“TikTok”列为三大原因，开始新一轮对TikTok的追杀——先是唐凤主导的数字发展部门下令，限制公务机关通信设备及场所使用TikTok；之后台“财政部长”苏建荣19日声称，会进一步了解TikTok是否涉及逃漏税，3个月内提交报告。台“国安局”还抹黑称，解放军在TikTok“置入文宣”，“加强统战”，因此通告台湾各“部会”，尤其是“国防部”，并称要实时掌控分析“大陆网军”攻击。
即便民进党当局如此无理取闹地阻挡，依然挡不住TikTok在岛内的流行。台湾知名主持人陶晶莹近日开始使用TikTok，她对平台上的视频滤镜评论称，“难怪小孩迷上”，立刻掀起热议。民进党前“立委”郭正亮批评台当局称，TikTok被禁造成的民怨，甚至可能超过延长兵役的争议，因为台湾使用TikTok的用户超过500万，而兵役延长受影响的人很少。他说，很多人从TikTok上获得收入，经济不景气时，这种微小收入就显得无比重要。“中广”董事长赵少康称，年轻人爱看TikTok有他们的道理，平台上也确实有嘲讽民进党的内容，“受不了就直接禁掉，怎会怕年轻人怕成这样？”
“反中牌黔驴技穷，蔡英文必须转念”，新党前主席郁慕明19日以此为题评论称，民进党黔驴技穷，如果不继续打“反中牌”，接下来的选战都不知怎么打了。但大陆持续发展壮大已是定局，中华民族复兴进程更是势不可当；只剩一年半任期的蔡英文，实在应该仔细想想，自己要留下怎样的历史定位。台湾中时电子报刊登的一篇评论称，老百姓要的是真正的资讯安全，现在台湾网络诈骗、色情泛滥，网军更是大肆横行，唐凤怎么不去管管？台湾《旺报》20日发表社评称， 禁了TikTok，民众还有其他渠道获得信息，仍然能了解蔡英文当局所作所为，这次“九合一”选举青年觉醒，如果民进党不能虚心检讨败选原因，继续用“抗中牌”，2024年胜选也难。
中新网评：美国众议长选举“连续剧”暴露美式民主痼疾******
中新网北京1月9日电(蒋鲤)在15轮投票表决后，美国众议院议长选举这场“连续剧”终于落下帷幕，众议院共和党领袖凯文·麦卡锡最终成功当选第55任美国众议院议长。这是美国国会过去164年来耗时最久的一次议长选举记录，将美国“对抗式民主”的弊端暴露无遗。
资料图：美国众议院共和党领袖麦卡锡。中新社记者 沙晗汀摄
由于两党对立加剧、党派内斗、利益分配不均等因素，众议长选举陷入一场拉锯战。在此次众议长竞选中，美国民主党议员继续抱团，多轮投票中，一票不投麦卡锡，共和党右翼“强硬派”领头的约20人小团体也拒绝投票麦卡锡。
麦卡锡的当选之路一波三折，除了本人的“政治投机派”角色在国会不受欢迎外，与共和党内部政治分歧关系密切。
一方面，共和党党内反对者认为，麦卡锡对民主党态度过于软弱，无力对抗民主党控制的参议院和拜登政府，另一方面，因为共和党的多数优势微弱，党内一些影响力较小的派系的政治力量则被放大，有利于他们巩固自己的选票。
此外，党内反对者也认为，自己的选票没有换取更多利益，希望以此作为筹码换取麦卡锡更大的让步，比如让他们获得众议院重要委员会中的职务。
作为仅次于美国总统、副总统的政坛三号人物，众议院议长通常由众议院多数党领袖担任，选举几乎没有悬念。然而，麦卡锡此次为当选，不得不做出多个关键让步，其中可能包括恢复一项罢黜议长动议机制，使得众议长的权力被削弱，难以掌控众议院。
美国有线电视新闻网CNN称，麦卡锡在这场不合时宜的政治勒索中作出让步，这种绥靖政策只会让极端主义势力更加强大。
这场引发全世界围观的尴尬选举暴露出美国政治存在严重的对立和分化。在权力博弈思维的裹挟下，党派利益凌驾于国家和人民利益之上，美国两党相互拆台，陷入“为反对而反对”的无脑对垒。而即便是一党内，也会因为利益分配问题产生不同的小派系，相互对抗，选票变成了谋利益的工具。
从国会山骚乱到打破记历史记录的15轮众议长选举，“对抗式民主”让美国政治陷入瓶颈，长期对抗势必会让政客们丧失客观公正的判断能力，其政治阶层是否有能力治理国家也会引发质疑。
两党之争和党派内斗进一步放大了美国政治体制弊病，美国所谓的“民主”形象，让全世界大跌眼镜。鼓吹以选民利益为先的美式选举，变成了政客们利益置换的游戏，进一步彰显出美国“民主政治”日渐失能，不断极化的党争已使美国政治制度陷入死循环。
House speaker election reveals deep-rooted problems in U.S. democracy
(ECNS) -- The Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was elected as the 55th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives after 15 ballots. As the most grueling House speaker election in the past 164 years, the election has highlighted the defects of the country’s "confrontational democracy".
The election once reached a stalemate due to intense partisan strife, inner-party struggle among the Republicans, uneven distribution of interests, and more. Democratic Party members forged a close alliance, refusing to vote for McCarthy, while about 20 Republicans also declined to cast ballots for the GOP leader.
Except for his unpopular role as a "political speculator" in Congress, McCarthy’s hard-won election can be attributed to turmoil within the Republican Party.
On the one hand, opponents in the Republican Party believe that the GOP leader's attitude toward the Democrats is too weak to confront the Senate controlled by Democrats and the Biden administration.
On the other hand, the political power of some less influential factions in the Republican Party has been amplified due to the Party’s weak majority advantage in the House of Representatives, which is conducive to consolidating their ticket warehouses.
Meanwhile, these opponents believe that their votes failed to win them more benefits, hoping to use this as a bargaining chip for McCarthy's further concessions, such as getting them positions in important House Committees.
As the third political figure after the President and Vice President of the U.S., the speaker, by tradition, is the head of the majority party in the House of Representatives.
But McCarthy has made many concessions in order to bring the ultra conservatives along, involving what’s known as the “motion to vacate,” a mechanism by which members can force a vote to depose the speaker. The reported concessions will empower individual members at the expense of McCarthy’s sway as speaker.
CNN thought the concessions he made during this unseemly political shakedown would only make the extremist faction more powerful.
This embarrassing election, which has drawn global attention, exposed the serious opposition and polarization in American politics. Both Democrats and Republicans put their interests before that of the country and its people, attacking and opposing each other irrationally.
Besides, different factions arise within a single party and confront each other because of the distribution of interests. Votes have become a tool to win more benefits.
From Capitol riots to the House Speaker election with record-breaking ballots, "confrontational democracy" has become a bottleneck of American politics. Long-term confrontation will surely impede politicians to think objectively and fairly while their capacity of governing the country will also raise doubts among the public.
Both parties’ struggle and infighting among the Republicans have further amplified the defects of the American political system, with its "democratic" image shocking the world.
The U.S.-style election, which advocates putting voters' interests first, has become a game of interest exchange among politicians. In addition, it further demonstrates the malfunction of American "democratic politics" and the constantly polarized party struggle that has trapped the American political system into an infinite cycle.
