What is a coup d'etat? It is an assumption of national authority through an illegal procedure. According to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan's (
He panicked when both President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) pointed out his conspiracy by calling the opposition's mass protests from March 21 through 27 an "aborted coup d'etat." Because of his fear of public criticism, he slyly claimed that Chen viewed the Taiwanese people's expression of opinion as a coup, a statement I think is balderdash! This could be best described as "confusing the public," and "the more concealed, the more conspicuous."
Public demonstrations are considered quite normal in a democratic country. If a demonstration gets out of control when violence occurs, both the law and the police will deal with it. How can a demonstration be mixed up with a coup? Taiwan is already a mature democratic county, and the Taiwanese people do not easily believe in politicians' populism in light of their democratic sensibility. The nationalization of Taiwan's military is laudable, and military officers will never become adventurists' tools for stealing the nation. It's tragic that Lien actually intended to steal the country in the post-election chaos.
Lien's made the attempt because his desire for power blinded his wisdom -- a result of his serious misjudging of the overall situation.
First, for the US, Lien's accusation against Chen of "stealing the nation" was a reflection of his unwillingness to lose the presidential election, as well as his intention of stealing Taiwan by illegal means. He even fantasized that the US would interfere with Taiwan's affairs due to its supposed distrust of Chen. Do not forget that Lien's strategists have constantly urged Washington to announce that the election was invalid, and to send US representatives to monitor a re-election, forcing voters to abandon Chen and vote for Lien. This is an example of Lien's blindness.
Second, for China, didn't Lien's strategist, independent Legislator Sisy Chen (陳文茜), who personally declared war against the president, say that Chen's re-election victory would leave Zhongnanhai no choice but to attack Taiwan?
Third, Lien knows that it's hard to rile Taiwan's military troops, and that a military coup is absolutely impossible. Therefore, his dream was to unite with Washington and Beijing to oppose Chen. If Beijing had clearly announced its intention to attack Taiwan if Chen was re-elected, and Washington announced its distrust in Chen and even canceled its promise to help Taiwan protect itself, the military would have had no choice but to abandon Chen in order to save Taiwan. This is yet another example of Lien's blindness.
The US plays the key role among the three parties that Lien was betting on -- Washington, Beijing and the military. After the US made clear its attitude, Lien could only hold a funeral for his coup on March 27. The ruin of his coup dream was a good thing not only for the Taiwanese people but also for himself. If he can wake up and hand over the party leadership and assets, the KMT's new generation will be able to carry out active reforms, turning the party into a balancing force in Taiwan. It would be a wise choice for Lien to "redeem his sins by good deeds," as the Chinese proverb goes.
Ruan Ming is a visiting professor at Tamkang University and a former special assistant to the late general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, Hu Yaobang.
TRANSLATED BY EDDY CHANG
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