China off base
Bruce Springsteen's famous song Born in the USA resounds for Americans. It would be anathema, of course, if suddenly the UK issued a diplomatic fiat to all countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations cautioning them that all persons entering who list their place of birth as anywhere within the so-called "United States" must list their birthplace as the UK instead -- despite 227 years of history to the contrary.
The example is, of course, rather extreme, not to mention highly unlikely and unenforceable. But what if the parties are unequal, or the circumstances a little murky, or the blackmail so high as to cause most salivating countries to blink? Such is the case with Taiwan and China.
China, the world's gorilla, has been throwing its weight around a lot lately, most often by using blackmail, most often directed against Taiwan. The latest gambit has been to instruct all countries that people born in Taiwan must list their birthplace as "China" when applying for Chinese visas. It is a ridiculous proposition of course (though the KMT maintained for decades just that very position, which is where things become "murky" for Taiwan).
Just as Taiwanese do not consider they were born in Japan, despite its colonialization of the island, Taiwanese would not consider they were born in China either. Until the communists leave, and the name "China" becomes the country it once was, and may one day again become, the name "China" right now implies a ruthless communist dictatorship which oppresses its people and suppresses truth and freedom.
That communist government has never set foot in Taiwan and has never ruled Taiwan since 1949. Its claims to sovereignty over Taiwan are bogus.
If China can accomplish marginalization of Taiwan, it is not because of its strength or Taiwan's frailty, but because of the overwhelming weakness of conviction in the UN as a whole, and its member nations, and the overwhelming greed for markets and money that captivates the world.
Most countries know China lies and cheats whenever it can, and those nations treat Taiwan with a nod and wink. All are waiting for the bully to trip and fall. Perhaps a crack in the system will start with Hong Kong, the communists' failed attempt to pretend to tolerate freedom. For me, the exit of communist oppression and dictatorship from China could never come too soon. For now, let "born in Taiwan" be a proclamation of pride and satisfaction.
Lee Long Hwa
Director, American Institute of Taiwan-China Strategy
Pasadena, California
Because much of what former US president Donald Trump says is unhinged and histrionic, it is tempting to dismiss all of it as bunk. Yet the potential future president has a populist knack for sounding alarums that resonate with the zeitgeist — for example, with growing anxiety about World War III and nuclear Armageddon. “We’re a failing nation,” Trump ranted during his US presidential debate against US Vice President Kamala Harris in one particularly meandering answer (the one that also recycled urban myths about immigrants eating cats). “And what, what’s going on here, you’re going to end up in World War
Earlier this month in Newsweek, President William Lai (賴清德) challenged the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to retake the territories lost to Russia in the 19th century rather than invade Taiwan. He stated: “If it is for the sake of territorial integrity, why doesn’t [the PRC] take back the lands occupied by Russia that were signed over in the treaty of Aigun?” This was a brilliant political move to finally state openly what many Chinese in both China and Taiwan have long been thinking about the lost territories in the Russian far east: The Russian far east should be “theirs.” Granted, Lai issued
On Tuesday, President William Lai (賴清德) met with a delegation from the Hoover Institution, a think tank based at Stanford University in California, to discuss strengthening US-Taiwan relations and enhancing peace and stability in the region. The delegation was led by James Ellis Jr, co-chair of the institution’s Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Region project and former commander of the US Strategic Command. It also included former Australian minister for foreign affairs Marise Payne, influential US academics and other former policymakers. Think tank diplomacy is an important component of Taiwan’s efforts to maintain high-level dialogue with other nations with which it does
On Sept. 2, Elbridge Colby, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development, wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal called “The US and Taiwan Must Change Course” that defends his position that the US and Taiwan are not doing enough to deter the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from taking Taiwan. Colby is correct, of course: the US and Taiwan need to do a lot more or the PRC will invade Taiwan like Russia did against Ukraine. The US and Taiwan have failed to prepare properly to deter war. The blame must fall on politicians and policymakers