As Taiwanese cheer their country's entry into the WTO, they should not forget that Taiwan's sovereign status still remain unrecognized by a majority of countries. Even though Taiwan wants to join the UN as soon as possible, the country's survival space in the international community has been reduced by Beijing's "one China" stance. This mistaken association has become a stumbling block in Taiwan's return to the international community.
The people of Taiwan should clearly understand that the seeds of disaster planted under KMT rule run deeper than Lien Chan (
Frederick Chien (
Since this unpleasant precedent was set, Taiwan has found it difficult to find ways to publicly defend itself internationally, or to break through Beijing's international diplomatic blockade. Nonetheless, Taiwan must more boldly strive for ways to do so.
In the process of WTO entry, Taiwan has demonstrated that it refuses to be included within China's sovereign sphere, and that what Taiwan wants is a place of its own in the international community. Politically, economically and socially, Taiwan's development has taken a different path from China's. The Chinese communist regime has neither the right nor the capacity to speak for the citizens of Taiwan.
Taiwanese NGOs have reaped far better results in gaining membership within international organizations than their government has.
Take the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, for example. About a decade ago, China wanted to take advantage of entry into the World Council of Churches (WCC) to put Taiwan's churches under its umbrella of church organizations. Thanks to the hard work of the Taiwanese churches, Chinese and Taiwanese church organizations remain mutually non-subordinate. They coexist peacefully within the WCC. A number of other NGOs, such as the Taiwan branch of Junior Chamber International (
Taiwan's officialdom can no longer be timid. The DPP government's goodwill gestures amount to sticking its warm face against Beijing's cold behind. That was why Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan (
The people of Taiwan should not forget the hatred Chinese officials have for Taiwan's popularly elected president. They should also take every opportunity to tell the international community that the two sides of the Strait have long drifted as far apart as heaven and earth and that Taiwan wants nothing to do with the Chinese communist regime. Indeed, for at least the past century, Taiwan has not been under Chinese rule.
Many Taiwanese NGOs have long achieved what their government cannot. This shows that Beijing's blockade is far from water tight. Taiwan needs to march toward WHO and UN entry, but this will require a government with the determination and will to more clearly elucidate within the international community how different Taiwan is from communist China.
Saudi Arabian largesse is flooding Egypt’s cultural scene, but the reception is mixed. Some welcome new “cooperation” between two regional powerhouses, while others fear a hostile takeover by Riyadh. In Cairo, historically the cultural capital of the Arab world, Egyptian Minister of Culture Nevine al-Kilany recently hosted Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki al-Sheikh. The deep-pocketed al-Sheikh has emerged as a Medici-like patron for Egypt’s cultural elite, courted by Cairo’s top talent to produce a slew of forthcoming films. A new three-way agreement between al-Sheikh, Kilany and United Media Services — a multi-media conglomerate linked to state intelligence that owns much of
The US and other countries should take concrete steps to confront the threats from Beijing to avoid war, US Representative Mario Diaz-Balart said in an interview with Voice of America on March 13. The US should use “every diplomatic economic tool at our disposal to treat China as what it is... to avoid war,” Diaz-Balart said. Giving an example of what the US could do, he said that it has to be more aggressive in its military sales to Taiwan. Actions by cross-party US lawmakers in the past few years such as meeting with Taiwanese officials in Washington and Taipei, and
The Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan has no official diplomatic allies in the EU. With the exception of the Vatican, it has no official allies in Europe at all. This does not prevent the ROC — Taiwan — from having close relations with EU member states and other European countries. The exact nature of the relationship does bear revisiting, if only to clarify what is a very complicated and sensitive idea, the details of which leave considerable room for misunderstanding, misrepresentation and disagreement. Only this week, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) received members of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations
Denmark’s “one China” policy more and more resembles Beijing’s “one China” principle. At least, this is how things appear. In recent interactions with the Danish state, such as applying for residency permits, a Taiwanese’s nationality would be listed as “China.” That designation occurs for a Taiwanese student coming to Denmark or a Danish citizen arriving in Denmark with, for example, their Taiwanese partner. Details of this were published on Sunday in an article in the Danish daily Berlingske written by Alexander Sjoberg and Tobias Reinwald. The pretext for this new practice is that Denmark does not recognize Taiwan as a state under