When New York-based Epoch Times reporter and Falun Gong practitioner Wang Wenyi (
The media has been calling Wang a "heckler", when in fact, she should be called a protester. She was doing much more than merely heckling a Chinese communist dictator, she was boldly and confidently protesting the brutal treatment of Falun Gong followers inside China.
Her protest was well-received in most democratic nations of the world, and especially here in Taiwan.
In a recent article she wrote for the Epoch Times, Wang, who had gained access to the White House ceremony with a press pass from the newspaper, said her original intention had been simply to report on the event.
But when she saw US President George W. Bush shaking hands with Hu, in full view of the invited guests and live on television around the globe, she said she felt compelled by conscience to shout out her protest.
"I cried out for those who have been tortured and suffered genocidal persecution," Wang wrote, adding that her protest was a matter of life and death, as far as she was concerned. "I acted in a way consistent with the American spirit. I also acted to protect the dignity of America and humankind."
Wang said that she could not pass up an opportunity to confront Hu and Bush over alleged reports that China is removing organs from living Falun Gong practitioners and selling them -- charges which Beijing denies.
"The two national leaders who have the best chance of stopping this were right in front of me," Wang later recounted. "Where else could I have a chance like this? How could I not speak out at that moment? Hu needs to hear this, for his own sake, for the sake of Chinese people."
Indeed, Wang acted in the true spirit of democratic protest and free speech, and she should be considered as a heroine for her actions that day.
Whenever a lone individual stands up to face down a brutal dictator, in any part of the world, at any time, those who value freedom and democracy must applaud her or him. Like the lone man in Beijing who famously stood up to confront tanks in Tiananmen Square in June 1989 during the government-ordered massacre.
So let's get one thing absolutely straight: Wang was not a heckler, but a freedom fighter. Her name should be honored, not reviled.
When Wang was asked by US reporters after the incident if she felt that her outburst at the White House had compromised her status as a journalist, she replied: "No matter what kind of title I have, I consider myself to be a human being first. So humanity surpasses everything when you see people being killed."
How did China and the US react to Wang's outburst that day? Well, Bush apologized to Hu, and Hu said he accepted the apology. But outside diplomatic circles, a letter to the editor of the Washington Post championed Wang's unplanned but passionate protest.
"I was outraged to read that Wang Wenyi faces a possible prison sentence of up to six months for shouting her outrage at the Chinese President," wrote Heather Brutz of Silver Spring, Maryland. "Wang is a member of Falun Gong. China has jailed members of this religious group, put them in labor camps, and may even have harvested members' organs and sold them abroad. This persecution has come about because of Falun Gong members' peaceful protests in China. In the face of such atrocities, Wang's behavior is admirable ... Through her nonviolent actions, Wang shows a clear understanding of the ideals of democracy."
And there you have it: A lone individual stands up to a powerful tyrant, in full view of the public and the television cameras, showing the world the truth, and letting her voice become a sound heard round the world.
Dan Bloom is a writer based in Chiayi.
Donald Trump’s return to the White House has offered Taiwan a paradoxical mix of reassurance and risk. Trump’s visceral hostility toward China could reinforce deterrence in the Taiwan Strait. Yet his disdain for alliances and penchant for transactional bargaining threaten to erode what Taiwan needs most: a reliable US commitment. Taiwan’s security depends less on US power than on US reliability, but Trump is undermining the latter. Deterrence without credibility is a hollow shield. Trump’s China policy in his second term has oscillated wildly between confrontation and conciliation. One day, he threatens Beijing with “massive” tariffs and calls China America’s “greatest geopolitical
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) made the astonishing assertion during an interview with Germany’s Deutsche Welle, published on Friday last week, that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not a dictator. She also essentially absolved Putin of blame for initiating the war in Ukraine. Commentators have since listed the reasons that Cheng’s assertion was not only absurd, but bordered on dangerous. Her claim is certainly absurd to the extent that there is no need to discuss the substance of it: It would be far more useful to assess what drove her to make the point and stick so
The central bank has launched a redesign of the New Taiwan dollar banknotes, prompting questions from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators — “Are we not promoting digital payments? Why spend NT$5 billion on a redesign?” Many assume that cash will disappear in the digital age, but they forget that it represents the ultimate trust in the system. Banknotes do not become obsolete, they do not crash, they cannot be frozen and they leave no record of transactions. They remain the cleanest means of exchange in a free society. In a fully digitized world, every purchase, donation and action leaves behind data.
US President Donald Trump’s seemingly throwaway “Taiwan is Taiwan” statement has been appearing in headlines all over the media. Although it appears to have been made in passing, the comment nevertheless reveals something about Trump’s views and his understanding of Taiwan’s situation. In line with the Taiwan Relations Act, the US and Taiwan enjoy unofficial, but close economic, cultural and national defense ties. They lack official diplomatic relations, but maintain a partnership based on shared democratic values and strategic alignment. Excluding China, Taiwan maintains a level of diplomatic relations, official or otherwise, with many nations worldwide. It can be said that
RSS