US President George Bush should be given credit for his speech praising Taiwan's democracy. Indeed, Taiwan's struggle for democracy should be a model for all nations who need it. This recognition has been overdue, but better late than never. As a Taiwanese-American, I salute Bush.
On the other hand, I am not sure whether I should applaud the encouragement to Chinese leaders to "emulate Chinese democracy in Taiwan," because I am totally confused by the disconnect between words and deeds. Just look at the humiliation that Taiwan has experienced in the international community. Taiwan's elected leaders and officials are restricted from traveling in many parts of the world, and their representatives are not welcome in international meetings. Their passport is useless in most parts of the world.
Taiwanese leaders have visited the US, but no welcoming ceremonies have been held for presidents for decades. Former president Lee Teng-hui (
Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (
The international community has violated the human rights of Taiwanese residents and has also pushed Taiwan to accept China's terms for unification -- just like European countries were pushed to accept Nazi Germany before World War II.
Almost all nations use "Taiwan" to refer to the nation, but Taiwanese residents have to call their offices "Chinese Taipei" and salute to a flag with no national identity. After Taiwanese give up their freedom and dignity, who will be next? Why it is so hard to say "we agree to disagree" about the way Taiwan should be treated? The treatment that Taiwan gets while trying to keep its dignity and open, democratic way of life are humiliations to humanity.
Deeds and words never go hand in hand for politicians. Why is it that Bush can sit and drink tea with the Dalai Lama, but cannot meet President Chen Shui-bian (
Rao Kok-Sian
Boston, Massachusetts
As strategic tensions escalate across the vast Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan has emerged as more than a potential flashpoint. It is the fulcrum upon which the credibility of the evolving American-led strategy of integrated deterrence now rests. How the US and regional powers like Japan respond to Taiwan’s defense, and how credible the deterrent against Chinese aggression proves to be, will profoundly shape the Indo-Pacific security architecture for years to come. A successful defense of Taiwan through strengthened deterrence in the Indo-Pacific would enhance the credibility of the US-led alliance system and underpin America’s global preeminence, while a failure of integrated deterrence would
The Executive Yuan recently revised a page of its Web site on ethnic groups in Taiwan, replacing the term “Han” (漢族) with “the rest of the population.” The page, which was updated on March 24, describes the composition of Taiwan’s registered households as indigenous (2.5 percent), foreign origin (1.2 percent) and the rest of the population (96.2 percent). The change was picked up by a social media user and amplified by local media, sparking heated discussion over the weekend. The pan-blue and pro-China camp called it a politically motivated desinicization attempt to obscure the Han Chinese ethnicity of most Taiwanese.
On Wednesday last week, the Rossiyskaya Gazeta published an article by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) asserting the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) territorial claim over Taiwan effective 1945, predicated upon instruments such as the 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation. The article further contended that this de jure and de facto status was subsequently reaffirmed by UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 1971. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly issued a statement categorically repudiating these assertions. In addition to the reasons put forward by the ministry, I believe that China’s assertions are open to questions in international
The Legislative Yuan passed an amendment on Friday last week to add four national holidays and make Workers’ Day a national holiday for all sectors — a move referred to as “four plus one.” The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who used their combined legislative majority to push the bill through its third reading, claim the holidays were chosen based on their inherent significance and social relevance. However, in passing the amendment, they have stuck to the traditional mindset of taking a holiday just for the sake of it, failing to make good use of
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