Stating the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) shares close historical links with Taiwan, KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said on Sunday that the party would soon present a detailed position paper which will emphasize the party's bonds with Taiwan and hence dispel allegations that the KMT is an "alien regime."
Given the massive problems that the new party chairman has in revamping the 111-year-old KMT's image -- convincing people that its kleptomania has been cured, for example -- it is puzzling that he thought the best place to start was in the distortion and fabrication of history. Or, then again, perhaps not, given Ma's well-known problems with the truth.
According to Ma's remarks to the Central Review Committee -- whose membership is comprised mainly of the party old guard -- the party historically has been a friend of Taiwan because KMT founder Sun Yat-sen (
Actually anyone with a knowledge of the history of those times knows that it was Japan, not Taiwan, which was the main base of activity of the revolutionary movement.
It is also worth noting that when Lin Hsien-tang (
Taiwan was abandoned by the KMT to sort out its own problems.
In another attempt to emphasize Sun's connection with Taiwan, Ma mentioned how Sun, who then was strapped for funds under the rule of military strong-man Yuan Shih-kai (
And of course whatever Taiwanese sympathy there may have been for Sun at the turn of the last century, this has nothing to do with supporting the brutal instrument of Chiang Kai-shek's (
Actually the link is even more tenuous. The history of the KMT can be traced back to the Society for Regenerating China (
Ma went on also to say that "the KMT is not a foreign regime and that its demand to restore Taiwan during the War of Resistance [World War II] suggests the KMT harbored a pro-localization spirit."
This remark is Ma at his most mendacious. Other than a handful of Taiwanese such as Lien Chen-tung (
There is nothing wrong with the idea of the KMT having a "Taiwan discourse," and beginning to talk about history -- something the party has long neglected. But Ma's treatment of it shows that this is a subject on which the KMT cannot be trusted. Generations of dictatorship suppressing the truth has resulted in the KMT believing its own lies. Perhaps even Ma doesn't know the truth.
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