Are Taiwan and China two different countries? The answer is yes and no. It is yes when China vows to reunite with Taiwan. It is no when China's parliament plans to enact an "anti-secession" law to prevent the "split" of Taiwan from China.
One cannot help but wonder what has gotten into the minds of Chinese leaders in Beijing. They are not only delusional, but also deranged. Or they are sales geniuses.
In the draft of the anti-secession law, it mandates an invasion of Taiwan if Taiwan achieves a complete "independent" status or if efforts toward peaceful unification are exhausted. The whole draft mentions only Taiwan; the Republic of China (ROC) has completely disappeared.
The pan-blue camp has generally played down the impact of the law or scoffed at pro-independence figures for inviting China's legal warfare. The pan-blues couldn't care less that its beloved ROC has completely disappeared from the mindset and language of China's National People's Congress delegates.
China's enactment of the law is a living testament that even the status quo -- an indefinite delay on unification -- could trigger an attack from China.
China is trying to play a semantic word game using words like "secession" and non-peaceful for its propaganda aims. And China's strategy -- to box in Taiwan under the ROC -- is very clear and clever.
China's marketing and packaging may become more sophisticated, but its sale to the Taiwanese remains a fat chance.
Yang Ji charng
Columbus, Ohio
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
As Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s party won by a landslide in Sunday’s parliamentary election, it is a good time to take another look at recent developments in the Maldivian foreign policy. While Muizzu has been promoting his “Maldives First” policy, the agenda seems to have lost sight of a number of factors. Contemporary Maldivian policy serves as a stark illustration of how a blend of missteps in public posturing, populist agendas and inattentive leadership can lead to diplomatic setbacks and damage a country’s long-term foreign policy priorities. Over the past few months, Maldivian foreign policy has entangled itself in playing
A group of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers led by the party’s legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (?) are to visit Beijing for four days this week, but some have questioned the timing and purpose of the visit, which demonstrates the KMT caucus’ increasing arrogance. Fu on Wednesday last week confirmed that following an invitation by Beijing, he would lead a group of lawmakers to China from Thursday to Sunday to discuss tourism and agricultural exports, but he refused to say whether they would meet with Chinese officials. That the visit is taking place during the legislative session and in the aftermath