US far from altruistic
While I appreciate the crux of Joe Schwartz's stance on the relationship between Taiwan and the US (Letters, Aug 27, page 8), I am a tad uncomfortable with Schwartz's insinuation that Taiwan's "unshakeable admiration of all things American" is due to a simple case of gratitude.
One can easily look back on history and note that it was almost entirely due to American interference in the postwar years that millions of Taiwanese came to suffer under the brutality, oppression and despotism that was characteristic of the (foreign) Chinese Nationalist rule of Taiwan in the decades past.
The San Francisco Peace Treaty does not grant the Formosans, the ROC or the PRC rule over Taiwan and the treaty is legitimate because, although the treaty was led by the Americans, it was agreed upon by the rest of the world. There would be no need to "protect" a sovereign Formosa today because the treaty did not create one.
In essence, there was no reason why Formosa could not have proclaimed internationally accepted independence after Japan's relinquishment, had the Americans not sacrificed the Formosans' legal/human right to self-determination by encouraging the KMT to relocate to Taiwan and help the Americans "rein-in the Reds" on the other side of the Taiwan Strait.
Why, thank you very much America for protecting Taiwan henceforth from the Chinese Communists, whose ROC enemies you helped to unleash on Taiwan and hence rendered Taiwan and Taiwanese the PRC's new target. Notwithstanding, Taiwan is still obligated to pay dearly (financially, politically and psychologically) for your protection, military commitment and, oh yes, one must never forget the all-important "friendship" too. Interestingly, where exactly were you in the decades when the Chinese Nationalists killed, maimed, bullied and oppressed countless innocent Taiwanese? That is, when they were not too busy fending off the Reds for your convenience?
To set the record straight, Taiwan's commitment to friendship with the US is something we mainly do out of necessity and force (by America). We do very much admire the American people, the American Constitution and American idealism and hopefully we have learned great lessons from the American people's respect for liberty and human rights. However from our experience, we clearly have not benefited to the extent Schwartz has stated and certainly we have not benefited in the manner insinuated. Paradoxically, Taiwanese people have in essence, suffered greatly because of American interference.
We are now resigned to our fate. We simply want to survive (with prosperity and democracy thrown in for good measure) in this messy situation (ie, dubious international status and 450-plus missiles aimed at our homeland) bestowed upon us. For obvious reasons, we clearly cannot handle defense matters entirely on our own and we are thankful for those who help us.
However, there is surely nobody in Taiwan who believes that the Americans are "protecting" Taiwan out of friendship and the sheer goodness of their hearts. Indeed, Taiwanese are well-aware that the tens of thousands of American soldiers stationed in Northeast Asia do not exhibit American "friendship" with its Asian "allies." Instead, American military presence in the region is seen as a direct means to ensure that America's own interests in Asia-Pacific remain secure.
Simply, we Taiwanese and our beloved homeland are no more than mere pawns for the US to use vis-a-vis the PRC, and we have been in that state since World War II. Why then, would anyone dare to suggest that our admiration for the Americans lies in gratitude? Gratitude for what, exactly?
Naturally, we do give thanks on a daily basis that our first-class location in the Taiwan Strait, a location which has ensured and locked-in the promise of American protection thus far. We do thank the American military personnel who are duty-bound to defend us. But to insinuate that the Americans are protecting Taiwan on the basis of altruism is simplistic and to insinuate that the Taiwanese are grateful, is, indeed, quite incorrect.
I urge all interested parties to read George H. Kerr's Formosa Betrayed for a more historically and morally accurate of Taiwan's situation.
Jennifer Chen
Melbourne
Shame on academia
What is it with a prestigious institution like National Taiwan University (NTU) flogging this dead issue ("Learning English too early can hamper children," Aug. 26, page 2)? It's creating a reactionary xenophobic image for itself on the English education debate. Even the parents are ignoring these silly academics, seeing through these hollow arguments because they are happily bilingual.
Professor Su I-wen (
Why? Because the fearful ambitious parents, the stupid uneducated teachers and the greedy school owners all think that this is the best way to get a head start in school, despite all the modern child studies to the contrary. I challenge these NTU professors and their ilk to come down from their ivory towers and fight for the right of Taiwanese kids to have a childhood and fight for the implementation of enforced government guidelines on the curricula and teaching methods that already exist in every other advanced society. This is the real disgrace in Taiwan and the academics are nowhere to be seen leading this fight.
Michael Woods
Taichung
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