The Taiwan government's current China policy is like one hand clapping. One hand keeps flailing back and forth without receiving any response from the other.
Recently, Taiwan has discussed falling back on "one China" as defined in the framework of the ROC Constitution. The Economic Development Advisory Conference has also reached a consensus on lifting the US$50 million ceiling on Taiwanese investment in China, thereby ending the "no haste, be patient" policy. This new policy platform has made Taiwan's lively political scene even more boisterous, with some hurling criticism at the idea and others applauding it -- as if a great decision has been made. But how about the other side of the Taiwan Strait?
Facing a policy declaration that required considerable determination on the part of Taiwan authorities, Beijing's response was quite straightforward: "Lies!" How embarrassing to get such a response after so much acrimony on this side.
In fact, this embarrassment is exactly the crux of the problem in cross-strait relations. Since the DPP government came to office, it has said every good word and made every goodwill gesture it could think of to Beijing -- over and above the goodwill of Taiwan's opposition parties.
But Beijing has never given Taiwan any face. Instead, it has remained inflexible on the issue of recognizing one China with the single-mindedness of a donkey pouncing on grass it has just come across. Now even as Taiwan is poised to open direct links, Beijing remains aloof.
It's clearly time for those Taiwanese officials who believe positive interaction is possible to wake up. There are two key reasons behind this "one-hand clapping" scenario.
First, a look back at the history of cross-strait relations clearly shows that these so-called cross-strait interactions are driven completely by the domestic politics of the two sides, as well as the political atmosphere in the US.
Taiwan's moves are currently driven by the impending year-end elections. How could it be any different on the other side? The Chinese Communist Party is facing a major personnel reshuffle at its 16th national congress. How could it make any reckless mistake on the Taiwan issue at this sensitive moment?
Even if President Jiang Zemin (江澤民) wanted to warm up relations and use them as a trump card to consolidate his political influence, making the move too soon would do more harm than good. He can only make his moves on the eve of next year's national congress in China. Also, Taiwan's unpredictable electoral outlook has kept Beijing wary about placing its bets. Regardless of what changes occur within Taiwan, Beijing follows its own rules and nothing Taiwan can say will satisfy it.
Next, to play a game, people need to follow its rules. If one side does not follow the rules, any posturing by the other side will appear ridiculous. China's credibility is almost zero when it comes to following the rules of the game. China does not have a democratic system to regulate the decisions made by those in power, or to ensure rational policy-making.
For example, Beijing has said, "Anything can be discussed under the `one China' principle." But when the KMT proposed that the cross-strait issue be resolved through a confederation system under that principle, Beijing said "no." The KMT is naive to the point of cuteness. It does not seem to realize that the other side is merely teasing.
Cross-strait issues clearly cannot be resolved by one side continuously making goodwill gestures. Such gestures have their uses, but it is quite inappropriate to believe that they will invariably be effective.
Wang Dan is a Chinese pro-democracy activist.
Translated by Francis Huang
The bird flu outbreak at US dairy farms keeps finding alarming new ways to surprise scientists. Last week, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed that H5N1 is spreading not just from birds to herds, but among cows. Meanwhile, media reports say that an unknown number of cows are asymptomatic. Although the risk to humans is still low, it is clear that far more work needs to be done to get a handle on the reach of the virus and how it is being transmitted. That would require the USDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to get
For the incoming Administration of President-elect William Lai (賴清德), successfully deterring a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attack or invasion of democratic Taiwan over his four-year term would be a clear victory. But it could also be a curse, because during those four years the CCP’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will grow far stronger. As such, increased vigilance in Washington and Taipei will be needed to ensure that already multiplying CCP threat trends don’t overwhelm Taiwan, the United States, and their democratic allies. One CCP attempt to overwhelm was announced on April 19, 2024, namely that the PLA had erred in combining major missions
On April 11, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivered a speech at a joint meeting of the US Congress in Washington, in which he said that “China’s current external stance and military actions present an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge … to the peace and stability of the international community.” Kishida emphasized Japan’s role as “the US’ closest ally.” “The international order that the US worked for generations to build is facing new challenges,” Kishida said. “I understand it is a heavy burden to carry such hopes on your shoulders,” he said. “Japan is already standing shoulder to shoulder
Former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) used to push for reforms to protect Taiwan by adopting the “three noes” policy as well as “Taiwanization.” Later, then-president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) wished to save the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) by pushing for the party’s “localization,” hoping to compete with homegrown political parties as a pro-Taiwan KMT. However, the present-day members of the KMT do not know what they are talking about, and do not heed the two former presidents’ words, so the party has suffered a third consecutive defeat in the January presidential election. Soon after gaining power with the help of the KMT’s