The fourth Republic of China-Central America Summit was held Thursday, with a sideline ceremony for the signing of Taiwan's first free-trade agreement, with Panama. President Chen Shui-bian's (
In contrast with the challenges Chen has faced in the domestic arena, he has shown impressive progress in foreign affairs. He has made three overseas visits and declared his determination to uphold commitments made by his predecessors to Taipei's allies. Not only were foreign ties stengthened, but during transit stops in the US, Chen also made public appearances and met with prominent political figures, helping to solidify US-Taiwan relations.
Even more importantly, through his overseas visits and large-scale diplomatic campaigns, Chen has pressured the bureaucrats in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the nation's embassies to take a more proactive approach to relations with other countries. On his trips Chen has been able to see for himself the fruits of the country's foreign-aid projects as well as gaining an understanding of where mistakes have been made.
In order to maintain foreign ties in the face of Beijing's obstructionism, Taiwan often offers financial aid to its allies. Even though this practice has been condemned by lawmakers as "dollar diplomacy," the efforts to help allies in South and Central America, and Africa develop agricultural industries and improve infrastructure have had a positive impact. These efforts also supplement the campaign by developed democracies to stabilize international order. As Vice President Annette Lu (
On the other hand, the government cannot continue to provide money, equipment and technological resources without paying attention to how these are used. Many developing countries are not sufficiently democratized and foreign-aid money ends up lining the pockets of a handful of politicians. Naturally, the opposition parties and democratic reformers in these countries will blame the governments that provided the funds.
Chen has been gradually changing all this. The government now relies less on individual aid packages and more on strengthening interactions on a collective basis. The goal is for Taiwan to eventually become a member of these collectives, furthering its links with international economic organizations in the future. The government is also trying to ensure that all foreign aid projects are transparent, to reduce the risk of criticism both at home and abroad. It is also encouraging the private sector, along with overseas Taiwanese, to assist the nation's diplomatic personnel in their work.
Day Sheng-tung (
Former president Lee Teng-hui (
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
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