"We would prefer to be a small family with self autonomy rather than an abused spouse within a larger family. We want to be the masters of Taiwan, and not of some accessory of Greater China. For the benefit of this generation, and for the next, we have to strive together to establish our own country and our own government."
I wrote this 33 years ago in my book Taiwanese Independence and Establishing a Nation without fear of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) of Chiang Kai-shek (
We can look at this from another angle now that we are a modern, multicultural society. Reinterpreting Taiwan's situation will enable us to expand our outlook and find a new foothold from which Taiwan can launch itself into the future.
For the people of Taiwan it is of the utmost importance to
cultivate a more international outlook if we are to find a place in the world.
Taiwan is an island state joined to the Asian continent. To the east is the Pacific, the world's largest ocean; to the west and north is the Taiwan Strait that connects with the East China Sea and South China Sea, and to the south we have the Bashi Channel.
Whether you see Taiwan as an island just off China, or see Taiwan more centrally, surrounded by water and other countries, nothing has really changed to any degree. The only thing that has changed is the way we perceive Taiwan.
For a very long time, over half a century of politicized education under the KMT, the majority of Taiwanese have had their thinking manipulated so that they see Taiwan in relation to China.
They believe that for a nation to be strong, for it to be able to deal with other powers on the international stage, it should have a long history, extensive lands, a rich heritage, beautiful scenery and abundant resources. And they view Taiwan as a small country with no alternative but to listen to the dictates of larger ones.
This thinking is flawed, and the current trends of internationalization are moving in the direction of maintaining peace and economic cooperation. A nation's military might and the size of the nation's territory are not the sole indicators of how strong it is.
The strength of a modern nation should be measured on the political, social, economic, technological, educational, cultural and military levels. Nowadays we emphasize the comprehensive and well-rounded development of a nation, particularly in terms of what it means for democratic freedoms and human rights.
Taiwan cannot pretend that it is a large country, but neither does it need to sell itself short as a part of China in order to enjoy the benefits of a stronger nation.
Taiwan is neither big nor small, and we should compare our strengths and weaknesses, not our size, with other countries. We need to compare our democracy and human rights with those of others, not compete with dictators and warmongers.
The boundless ocean stretches out before us, and this should enable us to have an equally boundless vision.
If Taiwan wants to develop into a player on the international stage, we need to affirm our inherent value and spirit and cultivate the ability to see further to replace the traditional mentality of falling into line.
We should see the island of Taiwan as our base and the ocean as a territory over which no one can hold exclusive rights. This is what I mean by looking at Taiwan from a new angle.
Chen Lung-chu is the chairman of the Taiwan New Century Foundation.
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