Let's face it, one of the biggest problems that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government face internationally is how to dispel the image of Taiwan is a "trouble-maker" in cross-strait relations.
It's not about right or wrong, it's about how to reinforce Taiwan's international propaganda and incorporate a more realistic and effective strategy for public relations.
Whether it's politically biased or intentionally twisted, many foreigners see Chen's push forward for referendum and a new constitution as moves that needlessly provoke China and are inherently detrimental to the cross-strait relationship.
Even after Chen replaced his previously rigid approach and began to deal with Beijing using the policy of reopening dialogue, some in Washington still have kept a "wait and see" attitude toward the Chen administration.
Nevertheless, the successful implementation of Lunar New Year charter flights across the Strait following Chen's peace gestures late last year have to some extent demonstrated his sincerity to pursue peace and stability. While the current state of cross-strait relations have given international observers some relief, it was again clouded by Beijing's proposed "anti-secession law."
No details of the law have been released, but Beijing is expected to pass it during the upcoming National People's Congress in March. The law aims at arbitrarily defining the timing and means of using force against "independence forces" in Taiwan and elsewhere. If the law is indeed passed, the status quo in Taiwan Strait will be unilaterally changed any time China sees fit.
This is no doubt a grave concern to major powers in the Asia-pacific region. Not only has the new US deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick publicly expressed Washington's dissatisfaction with the proposed law, the new joint Japanese-US security statement drafted on Feb. 20 has also declared unambiguously that the security of the Taiwan Strait is a "common strategic objective" shared by Washington and Tokyo.
The Japanese government even included Taiwan itself -- along with the Korean Peninsula and the northern Pacific -- into the sphere of the joint statement.
The decision by the US and Japan may not have been directly related to Beijing's most recent attempt at sabotage, but the common stance of the two Pacific powers reflects their growing concern over Beijing's growing military prowess and how its leaders may decide to use it.
While portraying itself as a peace-loving democratic country, Taiwan should also educate the world about the grave consequences of the "anti-secession law," given that Beijing has already launched waves of international propaganda declaring that the proposed law is merely a means of "preventing Taiwan's independence and encouraging cross-strait peace."
Only through mobilizing both official and civic resources to launch an international educational campaign can Taiwan debunk Beijing's propaganda and allow the international community to understand the true purpose of the "anti-secession" law.
In light of Beijing's strategy of ambiguity in its attempt to garner international support, Taiwan should directly appeal to the US Congress and propose and urge the passage of a joint House and Senate resolution to safeguard Taiwan's democracy and security.
Amid a premature atmosphere of political reconciliation among the nation's political parties, perhaps a consensus can be reached by the newly convened Legislative Yuan to display a bipartisan voice to encounter Beijing's three-pronged strategy of coercing Taiwan into unification through legal, psychological and media means.
Liu Kuan-teh is a Taipei-based political commentator.
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