Taiwan's democracy is in the midst of the most trying period of its young life.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
In the absence of outside threats and interference, formal independence would surely be the top choice for most Taiwanese. Simply put, it's the unavoidable development of a growing democracy. Therefore, any attempt at eradicating the idea of Taiwan's independence is tantamount to putting a straitjacket on Taiwan's democracy itself.
Lien's playing footsie with Beijing on the "One China" principle is an act of treachery, whether he is legally prosecuted or not. But his selling out of democracy to a despotic collective made evident his contempt for the former.
The common thread of all three "accomplishments" underscores his resolve to subvert Taiwan's democracy in cahoots with his Beijing handlers. Depending on how much other pan-blue leaders fall in line behind him, a new wave of assault on democracy could ensue.
Most likely, the Legislative Yuan, in which the pan-blue camp currently enjoys a majority, would be cranked up another notch in an attempt to further paralyze the government of President Chen Shui-bian (
Foremost among their goals is to accentuate the inefficiency of democracy. Taiwan's democracy could then be so insidiously discredited that the gap of living a regular life within a democracy (as in Taiwan) and without democracy (as in China), would seem to be narrowed.
But if the pan-blue leadership were to continue on the same obstructionist path after Lien's trip to Beijing, regular folks would soon realize that the pan-blue leaders, now in full and overt collaboration with Beijing, intend to destabilize Chen's government and bring about the surrender of Taiwan to China.
These people know that if Taiwan were to become a second Hong Kong, they would fare even worse -- likely much worse -- ? than today's Hong Kong people. The only ones that would enjoy special privileges would be pan-blue leaders.
As soon as people reach that conclusion, they -- ? including pan-blue supporters, with the exception of those marginal die-hards -- ? would turn against the pan-blue leaders. By that time the initial euphoria of seeing the image of the KMT making up with the Chinese Communist Party and the accompanying false sense of approaching peace would have evaporated, replaced by the anxiety of the prospect of losing, once and for all, the hard-earned freedom of choice.
Between China and Taiwan, freedom will prove to be the one gap that can't be narrowed.
Ultimately, it's the fear of irreversibly losing freedom -- ? the other face of democracy -- that could play a major role in bringing Taiwan back from the brink.
Huang Jei-hsuan
California
President William Lai (賴清德) attended a dinner held by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) when representatives from the group visited Taiwan in October. In a speech at the event, Lai highlighted similarities in the geopolitical challenges faced by Israel and Taiwan, saying that the two countries “stand on the front line against authoritarianism.” Lai noted how Taiwan had “immediately condemned” the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas and had provided humanitarian aid. Lai was heavily criticized from some quarters for standing with AIPAC and Israel. On Nov. 4, the Taipei Times published an opinion article (“Speak out on the
The image was oddly quiet. No speeches, no flags, no dramatic announcements — just a Chinese cargo ship cutting through arctic ice and arriving in Britain in October. The Istanbul Bridge completed a journey that once existed only in theory, shaving weeks off traditional shipping routes. On paper, it was a story about efficiency. In strategic terms, it was about timing. Much like politics, arriving early matters. Especially when the route, the rules and the traffic are still undefined. For years, global politics has trained us to watch the loud moments: warships in the Taiwan Strait, sanctions announced at news conferences, leaders trading
Eighty-seven percent of Taiwan’s energy supply this year came from burning fossil fuels, with more than 47 percent of that from gas-fired power generation. The figures attracted international attention since they were in October published in a Reuters report, which highlighted the fragility and structural challenges of Taiwan’s energy sector, accumulated through long-standing policy choices. The nation’s overreliance on natural gas is proving unstable and inadequate. The rising use of natural gas does not project an image of a Taiwan committed to a green energy transition; rather, it seems that Taiwan is attempting to patch up structural gaps in lieu of
News about expanding security cooperation between Israel and Taiwan, including the visits of Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) in September and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) this month, as well as growing ties in areas such as missile defense and cybersecurity, should not be viewed as isolated events. The emphasis on missile defense, including Taiwan’s newly introduced T-Dome project, is simply the most visible sign of a deeper trend that has been taking shape quietly over the past two to three years. Taipei is seeking to expand security and defense cooperation with Israel, something officials
RSS