6. Following A-bian's
7. Beijing recently hinted that the the "one China" concept can be divided into "inside" and "outside." "Inside," both sides of the Strait are equal and Taiwan comprises a part of China as does the mainland. Only to the "outside" would Taiwan be considered part of the PRC. This just means that "equal status" would be used to appease Taiwan; unaware foreigners would end up being used by China to achieve its ends.
8. With the ROC flag outlawed for allegedly representing "two Chinas," and a sign reading "Love From Taiwan" accused of promulgating "one China, one Taiwan," all that is left for Taiwan to use is the name "Formosa."
9. The UN has already lost the spirit of its founding principles and abandoned its international human rights charter -- blind to the fact that China tramples on and violently threatens the self-respect of Taiwan's 23 million citizens. Some UN officials are already piously following the CCP's every word. For example, on a recent visit to Beijing, UN General Secretary Kofi Annan spoke about the Falun Gong. After his visit, however, he turned around and started chastising the group in accordance with the official CCP line. China must possess some kind of paranormal power that allows it to rope in all these people.
10. It is extraordinarily difficult for Taiwan to expand the scope of its foreign relations. It must be very flexible, persistent and unafraid to take risks. Foreign relations affect all the people of Taiwan. In domestic politics, parties can say what they want and browbeat each other. But in foreign relations, a spirit of unity can hopefully be maintained, similarities stressed, differences downplayed and feuding avoided.
Paul Lin is a political commentator based in New York.
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