The recent focus on the "middle line" of the Taiwan Strait reveals a few things very important to the people of Taiwan -- the delicate and volatile nature of the relationship between the two sides of the Strait, and the potential threat that China poses to Taiwan. Unfortunately, way too many people in this country do not seem to realize the true nature of Taiwan's relationship with China and continue to harbor unrealistic expectations and fantasies about a "Chinese motherland."
What caused the sudden interest in the middle line was a news story published on Monday by a newspaper in Hong Kong, theWen Wei Po, alleging that Chinese fighter jets had successfully fended off a group of Taiwanese fighter jets that tried to cross the middle line. The newspaper then went on to quote a high-ranking Chinese military official as saying that Taiwanese naval aircraft would be "crushed" if they dare any provocation.
In view of the highly sensitive, if not strenuous, relationship between China, the US and Taiwan over the past months, and the compromising attitude demonstrated in President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) inaugural speech with respect to major issues of concern to both countries, it is virtually impossible to believe that there can be any deliberate provocation on the part of Taiwan. In fact, the Ministry of National Defense has already denied the story -- that there had been any crossing of the middle line, whether deliberate or inadvertent, by any of its aircraft.
However, all the recent discussions about the middle line has revealed that, although it did not happen this time, an inadvertent crossing of the line by either side is a possibility that cannot be ruled out. The middle line is an imaginary line drawn by the US in the middle of the Strait in 1951. While Taiwan's government knows about its location, pilots of fighter jets typically have to rely on instructions from the control tower to avoid crossing the line inadvertently. As for whether the Chinese government knows about it, upon inquiry by lawmakers in the Legislative Yuan, Minister of National Defense Lee Jye (李傑) answered "I don't know." However, he went on to explain that, judging from the consistent flight patterns of Chinese fighter jets, the other side "ought to" know about it.
In other words, although the US in all likelihood had communicated to Beijing the location of the middle line, the two sides of the Strait had been relying on "tactful understanding" about where this critical line is, in the absence of any direct confirmation from the other side. In view of China's hostility toward this country -- as evident from the large number of Chinese missiles targeting Taiwan and the threats by the Taiwan Affairs Office in recent days -- one cannot help but wonder whether peace in the Strait is hanging by a very thin thread.
If China intends to start a war in the Strait, one cannot rule out the possibility that it may do so by claiming provocative crossings of the middle line by Taiwanese fighters or by attacking such jets in alleged self-defense. In particular, since Wen Wei Po is known as a mouthpiece of Beijing, the coercive undertone of the news story in question cannot be overlooked.
What the incident should reveal to the people of Taiwan is that, in reality, China is an enemy state that could barely be kept behind a middle line, the location of which most people did not even know about until Lee made it public this week. Yet, under the circumstances, many people continue to feel a confused sense of national identity. The middle line of the Strait goes a long way in revealing the genuine nature of the cross-strait relationship. The problem is some people just don't want to face the reality.
There is much evidence that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is sending soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — and is learning lessons for a future war against Taiwan. Until now, the CCP has claimed that they have not sent PLA personnel to support Russian aggression. On 18 April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinskiy announced that the CCP is supplying war supplies such as gunpowder, artillery, and weapons subcomponents to Russia. When Zelinskiy announced on 9 April that the Ukrainian Army had captured two Chinese nationals fighting with Russians on the front line with details
On a quiet lane in Taipei’s central Daan District (大安), an otherwise unremarkable high-rise is marked by a police guard and a tawdry A4 printout from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicating an “embassy area.” Keen observers would see the emblem of the Holy See, one of Taiwan’s 12 so-called “diplomatic allies.” Unlike Taipei’s other embassies and quasi-consulates, no national flag flies there, nor is there a plaque indicating what country’s embassy this is. Visitors hoping to sign a condolence book for the late Pope Francis would instead have to visit the Italian Trade Office, adjacent to Taipei 101. The death of
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), joined by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), held a protest on Saturday on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei. They were essentially standing for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which is anxious about the mass recall campaign against KMT legislators. President William Lai (賴清德) said that if the opposition parties truly wanted to fight dictatorship, they should do so in Tiananmen Square — and at the very least, refrain from groveling to Chinese officials during their visits to China, alluding to meetings between KMT members and Chinese authorities. Now that China has been defined as a foreign hostile force,
RSS