As a recent visitor to Taiwan, may I be so bold as to make a few observations. To begin, I was greatly impressed with what I saw as a thriving and robust country you have for a homeland. The pride you have in your country is obvious and evident by the sparkling cleanliness of your towns and cities. Our hosts and everyone we encountered were warm, welcoming and gracious. We enjoyed our stay tremendously and feel a family-like kinship toward the Taiwanese people.
Having said that, I am at a loss to understand China's attitude toward Taiwan. China stands to gain far more from an independent, sovereign and friendly Taiwan than a subservient, repressed province. The potential for gain by both countries is only limited by the imagination which both have in abundant supply.
As a friendly ally, Taiwan could free China from a concern to defend her southern coastline and at no cost to China. It would also be in China's interest if it intends to become a power broker in Asian affairs to have Taiwan occupying a friendly seat in the UN. Taiwan, with a powerhouse economy, would be a plus as not only a local market, but a conduit for international business interests considering Taiwan's less intrusive government involvement. Besides all of this, China has no legitimate claim on Taiwan since Taiwan has never been a part of the People's Republic of China.
Another issue that I am sure is sensitive and may have become divisive, is that perhaps it is time to retire the identity of the Republic of China and accept the present reality of the "Democratic Republic of Taiwan." This certainly doesn't mean discarding your heritage as Chinese. Taiwan will always have a cultural and historical kinship with China as we in the US have with the UK.
Your bond is perhaps the stronger since the US is a great melting pot, having received its citizens from most of the countries in the world.
The US stood with China in its great struggle against Japan and shares many things with the Chinese people. We have a long history that was made rich by the Chinese contribution in many aspects of the US' development. The previous governor of Washington state is Chinese-American. Chinese blood courses through the veins of millions of American citizens, adding immensely to the US' greatness.
The ideal would be for China and the world to recognize Taiwan's sovereignty and for China to quit its efforts at intimidation. Taiwan and China should be peaceful neighbors and enjoy each other as allies. Each has so much to offer the other in a sovereign relationship, and nothing can be gained by pursuing the present tension.
What I think would be an appropriate effort would be a growing grassroots movement to herald the benefits of sovereignty for both countries. Instead of the negative, you could trumpet the positive, and I do believe a vigorous international public relations effort by your celebrities would catch the world's attention.
Freedom is on the move around the world and you all deserve your seat at the table.
Ray Womack
Olalla, Washington
The muting of the line “I’m from Taiwan” (我台灣來欸), sung in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese), during a performance at the closing ceremony of the World Masters Games in New Taipei City on May 31 has sparked a public outcry. The lyric from the well-known song All Eyes on Me (世界都看見) — originally written and performed by Taiwanese hip-hop group Nine One One (玖壹壹) — was muted twice, while the subtitles on the screen showed an alternate line, “we come here together” (阮作伙來欸), which was not sung. The song, performed at the ceremony by a cheerleading group, was the theme
Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised eyebrows recently when he declared the era of American unipolarity over. He described America’s unrivaled dominance of the international system as an anomaly that was created by the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War. Now, he observed, the United States was returning to a more multipolar world where there are great powers in different parts of the planet. He pointed to China and Russia, as well as “rogue states like Iran and North Korea” as examples of countries the United States must contend with. This all begs the question:
When US budget carrier Southwest Airlines last week announced a new partnership with China Airlines, Southwest’s social media were filled with comments from travelers excited by the new opportunity to visit China. Of course, China Airlines is not based in China, but in Taiwan, and the new partnership connects Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport with 30 cities across the US. At a time when China is increasing efforts on all fronts to falsely label Taiwan as “China” in all arenas, Taiwan does itself no favors by having its flagship carrier named China Airlines. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is eager to jump at
Liberals have wasted no time in pointing to Karol Nawrocki’s lack of qualifications for his new job as president of Poland. He has never previously held political office. He won by the narrowest of margins, with 50.9 percent of the vote. However, Nawrocki possesses the one qualification that many national populists value above all other: a taste for physical strength laced with violence. Nawrocki is a former boxer who still likes to go a few rounds. He is also such an enthusiastic soccer supporter that he reportedly got the logos of his two favorite teams — Chelsea and Lechia Gdansk —
RSS