One of the more noticeable things about Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Tsai Ying-wen's (
There are a number of reasons for this. One of them, surely, is the almost theological obscurantism that characterizes the endless Taiwan/China controversy. How many of the even well-informed really understand the difference between the one-China principal and the one-China policy, or at that between the three no's, the four no's, the five no's the six assurances and the seven points.
Then again there is the long history of Taiwan governments saying one thing while doing the other. For instance, the Lee Teng-hui (
Chen and the DPP have attempted to clarify the situation but still we see a worrying timidity, as shown by the way that, after Chen's making a bold and widely supported statement on Aug. 3, both the government and the ruling party spent the entirety of last week trying to back away from the president's speech. Of course, given the cacophony of criticism occasioned by the president's telling the truth, there is perhaps an incentive to keep quiet. But this does not help anyone understand what Taiwan's position is.
Then of course there is the pro-China media, ever ready to unleash the bloodhounds on a scent provided by the opposition parties. The problem here is the opposition is extremely good at setting up what logicians call a straw man, that is arguing not against what somebody actually said but against a deliberate but plausible misinterpretation. Look at the arguments fielded by the media and the "pan-blue" camp last week about the "dangers" of a referendum. What the president said was not that Taiwan should hold a referendum on independence, but that any decision on unification had to be put to the vote, something the KMT, of course, still refuses to do. But our point here is that the straw man arguments beloved of the opposition and its media cronies tend also to be extremely distorting to outside perceptions of Taiwan's policy.
What the Tsai trip showed is that more opportu
nity is needed for those involved in the formulation of US policy to meet more authoritative voices from Taiwan. Trips such as Tsai's should be both more common and involve a greater number of high-ranking officials. In fact, regular annual talks between a group of Taiwanese officials, perhaps led by the premier, and their US counterparts would be a good way of making sure that Washington understands the real situation here in Taiwan and could give pointers as to what it liked and what it didn't about Taiwan's policy.
For this, of course, there would have to be a rethink on the US side about who it was willing to see and in what circumstances. The arrangement by which China can effectively dictate to the US government what officials from Taiwan it can officially see is a scandal that the US has put up with long enough. Even the Dalai Lama -- Beijing hate object that he is -- can visit the White House. Not so Taiwan's president or premier or in fact any government official from Taipei. If the US doesn't want to be surprised by Taiwan in the future it should do something to facilitate a better exchange of views and opinions.
Could Asia be on the verge of a new wave of nuclear proliferation? A look back at the early history of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, illuminates some reasons for concern in the Indo-Pacific today. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recently described NATO as “the most powerful and successful alliance in history,” but the organization’s early years were not without challenges. At its inception, the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty marked a sea change in American strategic thinking. The United States had been intent on withdrawing from Europe in the years following
My wife and I spent the week in the interior of Taiwan where Shuyuan spent her childhood. In that town there is a street that functions as an open farmer’s market. Walk along that street, as Shuyuan did yesterday, and it is next to impossible to come home empty-handed. Some mangoes that looked vaguely like others we had seen around here ended up on our table. Shuyuan told how she had bought them from a little old farmer woman from the countryside who said the mangoes were from a very old tree she had on her property. The big surprise
The issue of China’s overcapacity has drawn greater global attention recently, with US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen urging Beijing to address its excess production in key industries during her visit to China last week. Meanwhile in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week said that Europe must have a tough talk with China on its perceived overcapacity and unfair trade practices. The remarks by Yellen and Von der Leyen come as China’s economy is undergoing a painful transition. Beijing is trying to steer the world’s second-largest economy out of a COVID-19 slump, the property crisis and
As former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrapped up his visit to the People’s Republic of China, he received his share of attention. Certainly, the trip must be seen within the full context of Ma’s life, that is, his eight-year presidency, the Sunflower movement and his failed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, as well as his eight years as Taipei mayor with its posturing, accusations of money laundering, and ups and downs. Through all that, basic questions stand out: “What drives Ma? What is his end game?” Having observed and commented on Ma for decades, it is all ironically reminiscent of former US president Harry