DPU keeps Taiwan in the game of diplomacy

China's constant attempts to oppress and isolate Taiwan have constricted the nation's ability to maneuver on the international stage. The Democratic Pacific Union (DPU), established by Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), is seeking to break fresh ground and solicit international support in a creative manner.

In fact, international organizations have long been established as a way to achieve certain types of objectives. The informal, non-governmental Workshop on Managing Potential Conflicts in the South China Sea, financed by Canada and hosted by Indonesia, has been held annually since 1990. In recent years, the group has shifted its focus from solving the South China Sea disputes to studying functional cooperation among nations. The Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific (CSCAP), inaugurated in 1993, aims to look into security issues in the Asia-Pacific region from a non-governmental perspective, to make up for deficiencies in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and become an unofficial advisory body on ARF policy.

As for China, it established the Boao Forum for Asia in 2001 to ally itself with other nations and create a multilateral international organization to uphold "Asian values" in an increasingly globalized world. The organization seeks to undermine the US' "Asia-Pacific" construct and soothe fears over China's rise.

In Taiwan, Lu's recently established DPU is composed of elites from home and abroad among Pacific Basin countries. Its aim is to find solutions for maritime security and discuss the maritime environment and technology. This will allow Taiwan to have a say in an international, if non-political forum. By presenting itself as a forum, rather than an international alliance, the DPU can certainly minimize unnecessary external interference.

This also complies with "the new internationalism" that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has long championed. It allows Taiwan to play a role in the cause of maintaining world peace, security and ecological preservation and avoid being marginalized in an increasingly globalized world.

Therefore, faced with China's across-the-board oppression of Taiwan's international status, Lu's attempts to break fresh ground on the international stage have not only fulfilled her long-standing aspirations, but also realized the hopes of the Taiwanese people.

Wang Kun-yi is an associate professor in the graduate institute of international affairs and strategic studies at Tamkang University.

Translated by Daniel Cheng