On Sunday, President Chen Shui-bian (
Premature exposure in the Indonesian media has killed this diplomatic effort in the womb. In fact, this kind of situation is nothing new. For many years, overseas visits by Taiwan's leaders have always required extremely secretive arrangements, but some government agencies and the media have frequently leaked the news and put the government in an embarrassing position. Why do such things occur? The government should launch a thorough investigation. If the leak was the result of political wrangling between different factions in Indonesia, then so be it. But if it was caused -- as lawyer Kung Hai-jung (
Taiwan's diplomatic dire straits are primarily a result of China's deliberate suppression. Taiwan has adopted the pragmatic approach of "substantive diplomacy," consolidating relations with existing diplomatic allies, establishing official ties with more countries while strengthening relations with countries that have no diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
Both Chen and his predecessor, Lee Teng-hui (
China's economic growth in recent years has provided Beijing with more resources for a diplomatic blockade of Taiwan. Both the ruling and opposition parties in Taiwan should pay attention to changes in the country's diplomatic milieu. China continues to use investment and business opportunities to lure business enterprises and then use them to pressure governments around the world, forcing them to shun Taiwan. In response to Taiwan's attempts to promote a "go south" investment policy, China has speeded up the work of signing a free-trade agreement with ASEAN nations, while at the same time warning those countries not to sign any such agreement with Taiwan.
The cross-strait diplomatic tussle has expanded from the traditional diplomatic arena to the economic sphere. Taiwan therefore needs a strong economic foundation in order to achieve its goals. China's economic relations with ASEAN countries are more competitive than complementary. If Taiwan can highlight the fact that it can be beneficial to ASEAN countries, a breakthrough against China's blockade is not impossible. However, the premise for this is that Taiwan must have stronger economic prospects than China. The reality now appears to be exactly the opposite. The government needs to wake up to the fact that fixing the economy is the basis for all diplomatic work and election campaigns. Everything else comes after working on the economy.
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, people have been asking if Taiwan is the next Ukraine. At a G7 meeting of national leaders in January, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned that Taiwan “could be the next Ukraine” if Chinese aggression is not checked. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that if Russia is not defeated, then “today, it’s Ukraine, tomorrow it can be Taiwan.” China does not like this rhetoric. Its diplomats ask people to stop saying “Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow.” However, the rhetoric and stated ambition of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Taiwan shows strong parallels with