On Monday, Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) pointed out that the two biggest challenges facing the government are sinicization and the international marginalization of Taiwan.
Lu's definition of "sinicization" encompasses more than the cultural and social aspects, because it also stresses the economic aspects. In this regard, she is definitely right.
There are those who will probably question what is the difference between "economic sinicization" and "economic integration?" Isn't economic integration precisely the core of free trade, which happens to be the goal of organizations such as the WTO?
The problem is that "integration" is the combining of parts into a larger whole. After integration takes place, something new is produced. This is different from having one part taken over or engulfed by another part, which is exactly what happens with sinicization. What is taking place across the Taiwan Strait is an "economic sinicization," rather than an "economic integration." The flow of capital, technology, know-how and manpower is almost entirely one way -- from Taiwan to China. When Taiwan's economy is sucked dry, it will collapse, while the Chinese market continues to thrive.
Moreover, all the economic integrations taking place in other parts of the world will not bring upon the participating countries the kind of destruction economic sinicization will bring to Taiwan if it is allowed to continue at the current rate -- political extinction and a sovereignty crisis. There are many reasons why economic sinicization could have a devastating impact on Taiwan.
First and foremost, China has never ceased being open and up front about its intention to take Taiwan over, even if force must be used to bring Taiwan to its knees. Many optimists believe that, despite its refusal to denounce the use of force against Taiwan, China couldn't possibly attempt a takeover because of the foreseeable devastation it would do to Taiwan's economy. After all, a rich and wealthy Taiwan could only be good for Chinese economic development, so they think. But, if the economic sinicization continues at the current rate, Taiwan will eventually lose its economic value. Will China care about any potential economic losses to Taiwan then? Even Vice President Lu has indicated that there have always been those in the Chinese military who believe that Taiwan's economy can always be rebuilt after Taiwan is united with the motherland.
Secondly, the economic sinicization over the past years has hastened the cultural and social sinicization of Taiwan, further aggravating the identity crisis in Taiwan. Now, despite all the complaints about the invasion of Western pop culture, no amount of economic integration with the West can turn such integration into a threat to the host countries' political identity. Economic sinicization can have such a unique impact on Taiwan not only because of historical cross-strait ties, but also because of the past KMT regime's education of the Taiwanese people.
As for the international marginalization of Taiwan, China of course deserves the most thanks. Not only is Taiwan the only country in the world excluded from the UN, it also continues to be an outcast from the WHO. In terms of diplomacy, Taiwan can't even make any breakthroughs in Asia, let alone other parts of the world. Not only does Taiwan not have a formal diplomatic relationship with any country in Asia, but the fact that China has reached an agreement with ASEAN members to establish the largest free-trade zone in the world can only marginalize and isolate Taiwan further.
While Lu's remarks may be on the mark, very few people in Taiwan are listening.
As strategic tensions escalate across the vast Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan has emerged as more than a potential flashpoint. It is the fulcrum upon which the credibility of the evolving American-led strategy of integrated deterrence now rests. How the US and regional powers like Japan respond to Taiwan’s defense, and how credible the deterrent against Chinese aggression proves to be, will profoundly shape the Indo-Pacific security architecture for years to come. A successful defense of Taiwan through strengthened deterrence in the Indo-Pacific would enhance the credibility of the US-led alliance system and underpin America’s global preeminence, while a failure of integrated deterrence would
The Executive Yuan recently revised a page of its Web site on ethnic groups in Taiwan, replacing the term “Han” (漢族) with “the rest of the population.” The page, which was updated on March 24, describes the composition of Taiwan’s registered households as indigenous (2.5 percent), foreign origin (1.2 percent) and the rest of the population (96.2 percent). The change was picked up by a social media user and amplified by local media, sparking heated discussion over the weekend. The pan-blue and pro-China camp called it a politically motivated desinicization attempt to obscure the Han Chinese ethnicity of most Taiwanese.
On Wednesday last week, the Rossiyskaya Gazeta published an article by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) asserting the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) territorial claim over Taiwan effective 1945, predicated upon instruments such as the 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation. The article further contended that this de jure and de facto status was subsequently reaffirmed by UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 1971. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly issued a statement categorically repudiating these assertions. In addition to the reasons put forward by the ministry, I believe that China’s assertions are open to questions in international
The Legislative Yuan passed an amendment on Friday last week to add four national holidays and make Workers’ Day a national holiday for all sectors — a move referred to as “four plus one.” The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who used their combined legislative majority to push the bill through its third reading, claim the holidays were chosen based on their inherent significance and social relevance. However, in passing the amendment, they have stuck to the traditional mindset of taking a holiday just for the sake of it, failing to make good use of
RSS