US 20-20 hindsight
The US has not always been humanity's guardian angel (Letters, Sept. 2, page 8), but its system of openness allows it to rectify historical wrongs.
Slavery is a prime example of this process. The US even fought a civil war in its effort to rectify slavery. US President George W. Bush recently apologized for slavery, saying during his five-nation trip to Africa on July 8 that it was, "one of the greatest crimes of history." The US is not entirely to blame for Taiwan's misery, as many Taiwanese at the time unwittingly welcomed joining with the "motherland." What was the US to do under such circumstances?
Asia was broken up into colonies of the western powers and Japan. Taiwan had no friends who could help. Even today, facing China's threat, all our neighbors like South Korea, Japan, Singapore and other world powers have washed their hands of the matter, with the exception of the US. To have gratitude toward the US is not entirely without reason.
However, the US has sold out Taiwan twice since the end of World War II, first by allowing the KMT to illegally occupy Taiwan, then when the Nixon-Kissinger duet visited the PRC. But is the US to be blamed for what happened?
Even today, not all Taiwanese know to what nation they wish to belong. The time has come for America to rectify the wrongs it has done to Taiwan.
America should issue a "Taiwan Proclamation" very much like the Emancipation Proclamation, recognize Taiwan as it is, a sovereign state. In the same way that African-Americans have become an integral part of American society, culture and the armed forces, Taiwan, after recognition, will become a peace-loving contributing partner of the world community.
US Representative Peter Deutch of Florida will introduce a bill in the US Congress to fully recognize and establish formal relations with Taiwan. The bill deserves our support. Let's not lose sight of the big picture: The US presence in Asia today is not entirely unwelcome, as was the case in World War II.
And it is more welcome than China's threats and missiles.
The US is not perfect, but it is a valuable friend.
Chen Ming-chung
Chicago
Congressman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) led a bipartisan delegation to Taiwan in late February. During their various meetings with Taiwan’s leaders, this delegation never missed an opportunity to emphasize the strength of their cross-party consensus on issues relating to Taiwan and China. Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi are leaders of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. Their instruction upon taking the reins of the committee was to preserve China issues as a last bastion of bipartisanship in an otherwise deeply divided Washington. They have largely upheld their pledge. But in doing so, they have performed the
It is well known that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) ambition is to rejuvenate the Chinese nation by unification of Taiwan, either peacefully or by force. The peaceful option has virtually gone out of the window with the last presidential elections in Taiwan. Taiwanese, especially the youth, are resolved not to be part of China. With time, this resolve has grown politically stronger. It leaves China with reunification by force as the default option. Everyone tells me how and when mighty China would invade and overpower tiny Taiwan. However, I have rarely been told that Taiwan could be defended to
It should have been Maestro’s night. It is hard to envision a film more Oscar-friendly than Bradley Cooper’s exploration of the life and loves of famed conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein. It was a prestige biopic, a longtime route to acting trophies and more (see Darkest Hour, Lincoln, and Milk). The film was a music biopic, a subgenre with an even richer history of award-winning films such as Ray, Walk the Line and Bohemian Rhapsody. What is more, it was the passion project of cowriter, producer, director and actor Bradley Cooper. That is the kind of multitasking -for-his-art overachievement that Oscar
Chinese villages are being built in the disputed zone between Bhutan and China. Last month, Chinese settlers, holding photographs of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), moved into their new homes on land that was not Xi’s to give. These residents are part of the Chinese government’s resettlement program, relocating Tibetan families into the territory China claims. China shares land borders with 15 countries and sea borders with eight, and is involved in many disputes. Land disputes include the ones with Bhutan (Doklam plateau), India (Arunachal Pradesh, Aksai Chin) and Nepal (near Dolakha and Solukhumbu districts). Maritime disputes in the South China