Former president Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) comment that it is unnecessary to pursue Taiwanese independence has been misunderstood and distorted by some people claim that he is giving up on independence. But Lee is actually emphasizing that Taiwan is already an independent sovereignty, and that what is important now is to improve the people's livelihoods, build national consciousness, and push for a name change and a new constitution, so that Taiwan can become a normal country.
In recent years, "Taiwan independence" theory and practice has been focused on whether a name change and a new constitution should be seen as declaration of independence, or whether Taiwan is independent, since it remains unable to enter the UN. It is indeed hard to imagine that these issues will be clarified, as there are several different interpretations of de facto and de jure independence.
The call for "Taiwanese independence" may confuse the international community, making them believe that Taiwan is a part of China. Thus, we may all be trapped by Beijing's logic that Taiwan is a part of China. Therefore, from the perspective of ensuring Taiwan's sovereignty, the discourse that the nation is already an independent state that does not have to pursue independence is undoubtedly the most feasible.
Still, we cannot ignore the fact that Taiwan is isolated internationally by China, while at the same time being hampered by the pro-unification camp and its boycotts. If the pro-independence camp ignores reality and gives an inch by looking for compromise, the pro-unification camp will take a foot. But if we face the problem squarely, unification-independence confrontation will occur, causing greater internal conflict. This is the sadness of Taiwan.
Another problem that must not be ignored is the poison left by the half-century-long colonial rule of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). Consequently, any push for a name change and a new constitution would trigger fights between the two camps, proving that this is a real issue. This is why Lee deeply hurt the dark greens' feelings with the comment that the unification-independence issue was a "non-issue."
Nevertheless, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has undeniably treated the "real issue" of independence/unification as a "non-issue" during its seven years in power. For example, before elections, the DPP repeatedly calls for a name change and a new constitution, repeating the "one country on each side" and "Taiwan first" slogans, but then embraces economic integration, the active opening of direct cross-strait links, and reconciliation and coexistence promoting eventual economic unification after elections, forgetting all real issues such as the KMT's stolen assets, transitional justice, name changes, a new constitution and domestic investment.
I agree with the DPP's recent move to change the names of state-run enterprises, but these moves are merely a warm-up for the 2008 presidential campaign. If these steps had been taken in 2000 or 2004, they would have received much greater support.
I believe that for the sake of Taiwan, the argument over "independence" and "real issues and non-issues" inside the pro-independence camp should end now, and pro-green supporters should instead point their guns at the same target. Externally, we have to be aware that Taiwan is already independent; internally, we have to push for a change to the nation's title, a new constitution and domestic investment.
Unification-independence conflicts are inevitable issues in this process. There is no other solution apart from facing them head-on, because there is absolutely no middle path in the pursuit of Taiwan's independence.
Huang Tien-lin is a former national policy adviser to the president.
Translated by Eddy Chang
A foreign colleague of mine asked me recently, “What is a safe distance from potential People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force’s (PLARF) Taiwan targets?” This article will answer this question and help people living in Taiwan have a deeper understanding of the threat. Why is it important to understand PLA/PLARF targeting strategy? According to RAND analysis, the PLA’s “systems destruction warfare” focuses on crippling an adversary’s operational system by targeting its networks, especially leadership, command and control (C2) nodes, sensors, and information hubs. Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, noted in his 15 May 2025 Sedona Forum keynote speech that, as
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) last week announced that the KMT was launching “Operation Patriot” in response to an unprecedented massive campaign to recall 31 KMT legislators. However, his action has also raised questions and doubts: Are these so-called “patriots” pledging allegiance to the country or to the party? While all KMT-proposed campaigns to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers have failed, and a growing number of local KMT chapter personnel have been indicted for allegedly forging petition signatures, media reports said that at least 26 recall motions against KMT legislators have passed the second signature threshold
The Central Election Commission (CEC) on Friday announced that recall motions targeting 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) have been approved, and that a recall vote would take place on July 26. Of the recall motions against 35 KMT legislators, 31 were reviewed by the CEC after they exceeded the second-phase signature thresholds. Twenty-four were approved, five were asked to submit additional signatures to make up for invalid ones and two are still being reviewed. The mass recall vote targeting so many lawmakers at once is unprecedented in Taiwan’s political history. If the KMT loses more
Taiwan’s unconditional support “for all legitimate and necessary actions taken by the government of India to safeguard national security and fight terrorist forces that cross borders to attack innocent civilians” marked a monumental shift in the relationship between Taipei and New Delhi. At a time when the Indian government sent several delegations of parliament members to convey to the rest of the world Pakistan’s role in sponsoring terrorism against India, Taiwan became one of the few nations that unequivocally supported India’s military operation, “Sindhoor.” Sure, this change in bilateral ties did not happen in a vacuum. Over the past decade,
RSS