Editorial: Turning rejection into an opportunity

Taiwan took the initiative yesterday of severing diplomatic ties with Macedonia, just a few hours before Skopje's foreign minister Ilinka Mitreva signed an agreement to establish relations with Beijing. It was a diplomatic defeat for Taiwan, but not necessarily a victory for China.

Beijing's aggressive suppression of Taiwan in the international arena has rallied the nation's political forces -- as evident from the establishment of the Northern Taiwan Society (北社) to the formation of the Bian-Lee (扁李) alliance, to the resurgence of voices advocating Taiwan's entry into the UN. A new, tough political dynamism is spreading from Taipei to the rest of the country and beyond.

Macedonia was an important foothold for Taiwan's re-entry into the European diplomatic arena. But Macedonia remains bogged down by internal strife and complex political factionalism. The numerous disputes between the pro-Taiwan prime minister and the pro-China president kept Taiwan's ambassador, Peter Cheng (鄭博久), from presenting his credentials. Political instability hindered Taiwan's efforts to establish economic aid programs, disappointing the Macedonian people who expected to benefit from ties with Taiwan.

On the other hand, China has used its veto power in the UN Security Council to block an extension proposal for UN peacekeeping troops deployed in Macedonia -- despite the wishes of the majority to extend the mandate. The absence of peacekeeping forces has aggravated the civil war in the country. China's carrot-and-stick strategy has finally brought Macedonia to its knees.

But Beijing's attempts to isolate Taiwan's government is triggering a strong backlash within Taiwan. The Northern Taiwan Society, which was established on Saturday, aims to counter pro-China voices within Taiwan. It plans to link up with similar groups in the center and south, and its expansion to eastern Taiwan will make it a powerful forum for Taiwan consciousness, bringing together the political and social forces of "localization." The sight of former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) sharing the stage with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) at the society's launch was strongly symbolic. In a recently released biography, Lee criticizes KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) for abandoning the "localization" path that the party had followed under Lee's leadership, in favor of a pro-Beijing policy. Former interior minister Huang Chu-wen (黃主文), one of Lee's close associates, has also confirmed that a new group of pro-localization politicians will be set up in July to cooperate with the DPP and create a stable majority after the year-end elections. Lee will tour the country campaigning for candidates from this group.

The significance of the Lee-Bian cooperation is not limited to domestic politics. It will also be a turning point for Taiwan's cross-strait policies. Chen is likely to readjust the soft but hitherto-fruitless attitude he has adopted over the past year, and shift toward a tougher policy. Speaking on Saturday at a symposium on Taiwan's UN entry, Chen condemned the world body for excluding Taiwan and for "letting a country in which there is no human rights, no freedom, in which people are imprisoned for practising chi kung (氣功), to blackmail the UN into refusing to embrace Taiwan, [a country that] values freedom, democracy and human rights." Chen also criticized China for expanding its military expenditure and deploying missiles to threaten Taiwan. He also called on the people of Taiwan to "fight their way into the UN."