India does not celebrate the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II of England. Nor does Algeria have street parties on July 14. Nations emerging from the shadow of colonial tutelage tend not to have warm fuzzy feelings for the high days and holidays of their former masters. So it is interesting that, if the Republic of China (ROC) is dead, as former president Lee Teng-hui (
On Saturday Lee gave an impassioned speech about why Taiwan had to change its name from the Republic of China to Taiwan. His reasons were twofold.
First, he said, most countries and their inhabitants had never heard of the Republic of China or, if they had, they believed it ceased to be in 1949. That the Chiang Kai-shek (
Irredentism is not regarded as a desirable trait in countries these days and a country that in its very name seems to suggest implacable irredentism is hardly showing its best face in public.
Lee's second reason was the rather obvious one that it is hard for Taiwanese to work for the betterment of their country when there is so much ambiguity over what that country actually is. Why should a Taiwanese care about keeping assets or paying taxes in Taiwan for its benefit when half the political spectrum is occupied by parties that would hand over to Beijing any benefits that have accrued at the earliest opportunity? Just as Markus Wolfe, the East German spymaster, at his treason trial asked which country it was that he was supposed to have betrayed -- since the county he worked for no longer existed and the country prosecuting him was a recognized enemy -- any Taiwanese might ask which country he is supposed to be loyal to. A particularly bitter irony here is that those who would in ordinary circumstances be the greatest of patriots were "Taiwan" a real state are exactly the ones preparing to go into exile if the blue camp wins the presidential election -- with the inevitable disastrous consequences for Taiwan's autonomy.
We agree with Lee about the necessity of a name change. But we are well aware that this is something not easily brought about. That is no reason, of course, to avoid trying. But there are some easier targets that contribute to Taiwan's identity confusion that might be attended to first. Coming up, in fact, is one of the biggest -- the absurdity of Double Ten Day. Why should the people of Taiwan celebrate something that only has meaning to their mainland Chinese colonial oppressors. Remember, Taiwan was already a Japanese colony in 1911, and it has never, except in KMT mythology, been returned to Chinese sovereignty. Why should Taiwanese celebrate something that happened in a foreign country as their national day? Obviously no reason at all.
So if, according to Lee, President Chen Shui-bian (
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
As Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s party won by a landslide in Sunday’s parliamentary election, it is a good time to take another look at recent developments in the Maldivian foreign policy. While Muizzu has been promoting his “Maldives First” policy, the agenda seems to have lost sight of a number of factors. Contemporary Maldivian policy serves as a stark illustration of how a blend of missteps in public posturing, populist agendas and inattentive leadership can lead to diplomatic setbacks and damage a country’s long-term foreign policy priorities. Over the past few months, Maldivian foreign policy has entangled itself in playing
A group of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers led by the party’s legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (?) are to visit Beijing for four days this week, but some have questioned the timing and purpose of the visit, which demonstrates the KMT caucus’ increasing arrogance. Fu on Wednesday last week confirmed that following an invitation by Beijing, he would lead a group of lawmakers to China from Thursday to Sunday to discuss tourism and agricultural exports, but he refused to say whether they would meet with Chinese officials. That the visit is taking place during the legislative session and in the aftermath