Everyone is exclaiming in shock and surprise at the results of Taiwan's legislative elections. They cannot figure out how the clueless Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and its ally the People First Party (PFP) could have withstood the challenges posed by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Neither foresaw the mood of the majority of Taiwan's people, whose first priorities have long been peace and prosperity.
None of the political parties in Taiwan have a platform or strategy that takes into consideration the aspirations of the middle class. The verdict of this election is not a victory for the pan-blue camp, but rather a somber defeat of the pan-green camp. This political trend will continue to solidify in future elections.
The DPP counted on its ability to fan the fire of passion in its constituents for Taiwan's identity and independence. They woefully failed to realize the majority of people in Taiwan are conservative and middle class, whose major concerns politically are security and economical opportunity. Their concern for peace and prosperity is far more important than the reckless rhetoric about a national referendum and separation from China. They believe that constitutional amendments will not make any difference to their pocketbooks or security.
People in Taiwan are well aware that current and future US administrations are not going to support an independence movement in Taiwan due to the more pressing urgency of the global anti-terrorist campaign.
The elections serve as a wake-up call for Taiwan's political parties to clear their thoughts and pursue a better long-term political objective for Taiwan. Both parties have long ignored that the essence of democracy is to have a clear vision for the well-being of Taiwan's people.
It would be beneficial for Taiwan -- both politically and economically -- to call for a national referendum so that all the people of China and Taiwan can jointly decide important issues affecting them within a certain period of time; for instance, 30 years from now, in 2034.
For these 30 years all political parties -- including the KMT and DPP, as well as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and other political parties and groups -- could be allowed to participate in open and transparent political debates and campaigns to convince people of their plans for the future of China and Taiwan.
Then all the legitimate political parties will be allowed in the year 2034 to test their ideas in a general election for all the people in China and Taiwan.
It is not pure fantasy to say this when you look at China's present political situation, where Hu Jintao (
The KMT would have everything to gain in the long run to seek an eventual power base. The DPP which has a perfect ally in Hong Kong's Democratic Party, which is making a lot of noise for a direct plebiscite by 2007. The party should come to the realization that an independent Taiwan, in this close geographic proximity to China, will never have a chance for a peaceful and stable settlement in the Taiwan Strait. Any wishful thinking for an outright foreign intervention in this part of world is vanishing fast in this international environment of global anti-terrorism.
Both China and Taiwan are in the same predicament. Any outbreak of military conflict in the Taiwan Strait will definitely ruin all the economic achievements made during the last 40 years. As a matter of fact, neither side would ever be able to recover from a war calamity of any size, because of their close economic interdependence in recent years. Of course, the third player with the most to lose from a military confrontation would be the US -- both economically and diplomatically.
If both sides work out a plan giving everybody a political agenda of 30 years to keep the current status quo, the economic harvest will be great when the economy of China is able to catch up to Taiwan. There will be no financial repercussions for Taiwan to merge with China, unlike the unification experience of Germany in 1989 and the proposed Korean unification.
With both sides of the Taiwan Strait members of the WTO and other international organizations, China and Taiwan will be able to solidify their financial foundation, and compete for better living standards and advancements in technology and science.
A new China under the principle of democracy and equality for all could be a possible realityafter the year 2034. Any person with passion for a speedy Chinese recovery will rejoice when the country is back on the right path.
Henry Ting is a political commentator with extensive study and teaching experience at Villanova University.
Could Asia be on the verge of a new wave of nuclear proliferation? A look back at the early history of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, illuminates some reasons for concern in the Indo-Pacific today. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recently described NATO as “the most powerful and successful alliance in history,” but the organization’s early years were not without challenges. At its inception, the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty marked a sea change in American strategic thinking. The United States had been intent on withdrawing from Europe in the years following
My wife and I spent the week in the interior of Taiwan where Shuyuan spent her childhood. In that town there is a street that functions as an open farmer’s market. Walk along that street, as Shuyuan did yesterday, and it is next to impossible to come home empty-handed. Some mangoes that looked vaguely like others we had seen around here ended up on our table. Shuyuan told how she had bought them from a little old farmer woman from the countryside who said the mangoes were from a very old tree she had on her property. The big surprise
Ursula K. le Guin in The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas proposed a thought experiment of a utopian city whose existence depended on one child held captive in a dungeon. When taken to extremes, Le Guin suggests, utilitarian logic violates some of our deepest moral intuitions. Even the greatest social goods — peace, harmony and prosperity — are not worth the sacrifice of an innocent person. Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), since leaving office, has lived an odyssey that has brought him to lows like Le Guin’s dungeon. From late 2008 to 2015 he was imprisoned, much of this
The issue of China’s overcapacity has drawn greater global attention recently, with US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen urging Beijing to address its excess production in key industries during her visit to China last week. Meanwhile in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week said that Europe must have a tough talk with China on its perceived overcapacity and unfair trade practices. The remarks by Yellen and Von der Leyen come as China’s economy is undergoing a painful transition. Beijing is trying to steer the world’s second-largest economy out of a COVID-19 slump, the property crisis and