Comments by Richard Lawless, a deputy undersecretary at the US Department of Defense, regarding the controversial NT$610.8 billion (US$18 billion) budget for arms from the US, stirred up debate this week. Unfortunately, the reaction of most opposition politicians reflects the immaturity of this nation's democracy: National security continues to be subservient to the interests of political parties.
Lawless indicated that a failure to approve the budget would give China reason to believe that military intimidation is an effective means in bringing about unification, and would also turn Taiwan into a "liability rather than a partner" in the eyes of its friends. While some people feel that such talk is less than diplomatic, it is unfortunately an understatement of the cruel predicament this country faces.
Bluntly put, Taiwan should shoulder responsibility for its defense to the best of its ability. Otherwise, before long, no one will take its need for defense seriously.
The opposition camp's reaction to these comments was sadly predictable. The most vulgar example was People First Party (PFP) Legislator Sun Ta-chien (
For his part, PFP Chairman James Soong's (
Soong's remarks were, of course, at odds with the position held by the rest of the world -- that China is a threat not only to peace in the Taiwan Strait but to the entire region. He is daydreaming if he thinks that the removal of the DPP government would result in China withdrawing its hundreds of missiles aimed at this country.
He also said that the US' Taiwan Relations Act requires the US to "provide" rather than "sell" arms to Taiwan -- whatever that means. While the US government is no "mafia boss," it is certainly no charitable organization either.
The problem with the pan-blue camp is that it feels it has to oppose whatever the government proposes to make the government look bad in the minds of voters. In other words, it is completely incapable of transcending petty party rivalries in dealing with the issue of national security. To make matters worse, members of the opposition are incapable of separating their personal hatred of the DPP from debate on critical issues. These days, it's strictly personal.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
When Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) sits down with US President Donald Trump in Beijing on Thursday next week, Xi is unlikely to demand a dramatic public betrayal of Taiwan. He does not need to. Beijing’s preferred victory is smaller, quieter and in some ways far more dangerous: a subtle shift in American wording that appears technical, but carries major strategic meaning. The ask is simple: replace the longstanding US formulation that Washington “does not support Taiwan independence” with a harder one — that Washington “opposes” Taiwan independence. One word changes; a deterrence structure built over decades begins to shift.
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