On Monday, the pro-China Hong Kong newspaper Wen Wei Po quoted an anonymous Chinese military official as saying that if the US halted sales of advanced weapons to Taiwan, China would consider pulling back its ballistic missiles along the coast targeting Taiwan. Cabinet spokesman Chen Chi-mai (
Ministry of National Defense spokesman Major-General Huang Suei-sheng (
A deal in which arms sales are exchanged for a pull back of missiles is meaningless in a situation where mutual trust does not exist. Put another way, China's military build up and its threats can only force Taiwan to pursue its own arms buildup. This will start an arms race from which there will be no escape.
The over half-century-long standoff between Taiwan and China has resulted in an incalculable waste of military and diplomatic resources. One wonders what the Chinese feel about this protracted period of threatening Taiwan. For Taiwan, this seemingly endless war of attrition has become so distressing that it has responded emotionally by seeking to put as much distance between itself and China as possible.
This long period of enmity and the strong emotions to which it has given rise have made us irrational. As a result we have lost sight of a simple fact: that Taiwan and China are closely tied through geography, history and culture. Under normal circumstances, Taiwan and China should be like brothers on the international stage. Based on historical and ethnic ties, Taiwan's and China's positions on regional economics and culture should be the same, and its military and peacekeeping mechanisms should operate in unison. Theoretically, if big brother China is in difficulties, then Taiwan should come to its aid. Conversely, if little brother Taiwan is in need, China might occasionally help it out. That's how "fraternal states" should behave.
Have intelligent people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait ever stopped to think about why it is that the two sides, instead of developing an intimate relationship, have become enemies? The civil war is long over, and the old leaders of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party have died off. Although the civil war is now history, we are still its victims.
After more than 50 years of standoff, the people of Taiwan are exhausted. We long for a friendly relationship with China and want China's respect. Political independence for each side of the Strait will not affect the cross-strait economic and cultural alliance -- just take a look at the EU and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Looking at Taiwan and Singapore, while it is true that their political development differs, both are Chinese societies sharing the same history and blood. This has led to close private exchanges and a good relationship between their respective political leaders. Could we forget the imperialist "unification" concept and instead discuss alliances?
We are, of course, clear on the fact that as long as Chinese authorities remain entranced by the "one China" myth, our calls may be dismissed due to suspicion and anxiety. But heroes create the moment. Too much emotion has made us lose the imagination necessary to see the possibilities for bringing the two sides of the Strait together again.
We must not let the cross-strait stalemate continue unchecked. Let us use courage and inventiveness to take the first step toward friendship across the Strait.
Saudi Arabian largesse is flooding Egypt’s cultural scene, but the reception is mixed. Some welcome new “cooperation” between two regional powerhouses, while others fear a hostile takeover by Riyadh. In Cairo, historically the cultural capital of the Arab world, Egyptian Minister of Culture Nevine al-Kilany recently hosted Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki al-Sheikh. The deep-pocketed al-Sheikh has emerged as a Medici-like patron for Egypt’s cultural elite, courted by Cairo’s top talent to produce a slew of forthcoming films. A new three-way agreement between al-Sheikh, Kilany and United Media Services — a multi-media conglomerate linked to state intelligence that owns much of
The US and other countries should take concrete steps to confront the threats from Beijing to avoid war, US Representative Mario Diaz-Balart said in an interview with Voice of America on March 13. The US should use “every diplomatic economic tool at our disposal to treat China as what it is... to avoid war,” Diaz-Balart said. Giving an example of what the US could do, he said that it has to be more aggressive in its military sales to Taiwan. Actions by cross-party US lawmakers in the past few years such as meeting with Taiwanese officials in Washington and Taipei, and
The Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan has no official diplomatic allies in the EU. With the exception of the Vatican, it has no official allies in Europe at all. This does not prevent the ROC — Taiwan — from having close relations with EU member states and other European countries. The exact nature of the relationship does bear revisiting, if only to clarify what is a very complicated and sensitive idea, the details of which leave considerable room for misunderstanding, misrepresentation and disagreement. Only this week, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) received members of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations
Denmark’s “one China” policy more and more resembles Beijing’s “one China” principle. At least, this is how things appear. In recent interactions with the Danish state, such as applying for residency permits, a Taiwanese’s nationality would be listed as “China.” That designation occurs for a Taiwanese student coming to Denmark or a Danish citizen arriving in Denmark with, for example, their Taiwanese partner. Details of this were published on Sunday in an article in the Danish daily Berlingske written by Alexander Sjoberg and Tobias Reinwald. The pretext for this new practice is that Denmark does not recognize Taiwan as a state under