US beings to understand the CCP

When former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (連戰) declared that he would join hands with the CCP to control Taiwan, he finally gave the game away. To manage this, the KMT has to suck up to China and treat the US as its enemy. The KMT is also doing all it can to upset relations between Taiwan and the US.

It cannot be denied that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lacks experience in government, including experience managing Taiwan's relationship with the US, and that when things are going well, it forgets itself and upsets the US. This, however, is a completely different issue than the problem with opposition politicians befriending the CCP and opposing the US.

Following Taiwan's presidential election last year, the New York Times organized a symposium. I highlighted the importance of relations between Taiwan and the US and said that if Taiwan is forced to seek help, it can only be from a democratic US and never the CCP's communist dictatorship. This so upset an American-Taiwanese academic who claimed to be friends with Lien that he began to recount how unreliable past US presidents had been and how they had betrayed Taiwan.

In February, this gentleman organized the world's first meeting in support of Lien staying on as KMT chairman, although he met with some opposition from some KMT members on the east coast of the US. Indeed, when it comes to the arms purchase, some pan-blue politicians have shown more flexibility than Lien. Unfortunately, they do not have the necessary vision and bravery, and as a result Taiwan's political situation continues to tread water, wasting valuable time. This also delays Taiwan's development toward becoming a normal democratic state.

KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) seem to deliberately paint themselves as pale blue, while People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) has abandoned the consensus he reached with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), once again joining the ranks of the dark blue.

If Soong uses the arms bill and the year-end elections to blackmail Ma and Wang, will they then place the nation first, or will they look to individual and party interests and join the blue-turned-red anti-US ranks?

US policy toward Taiwan is not without problems, but it is definitely not a matter of betraying Taiwan. Rather, it is a matter of misunderstanding China and of pragmatic needs. If it really were betraying Taiwan, where would Taiwan be today? Some of those who so forcefully oppose the US and the arms bill are in fact trying to be China's supporters and attempting to change the status quo. That is something we must all be aware of.

Paul Lin is a political commentator based in New York.

Translated by Perry Svensson