China has done everything in its power to give the impression it has some right to claim sovereignty over Taiwan, despite the fact that the communist dictatorship in Beijing has not ruled Taiwan in any way since the day it seized power in 1949.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), like so many other international organizations needing to fawn over Beijing and kowtow to its belligerent claims regarding Taiwan, Tibet, the Dalai Lama, Falun Gong and a host of others it considers dangerous to its dictatorship, has long prevented Taiwan from flying its flag at Olympic events, or playing its national anthem, or even using its real name. Taiwan is called "Chinese Taipei." As if.
Now, Beijing has blamed Taiwan for refusing to accede to its restrictions for the Olympic torch route, which include prohibiting people in Taiwan from displaying the nation's flag along the torch's route.
I have a newsflash for Beijing and the IOC. In a democratic nation like Taiwan, the government has absolutely no authority whatsoever -- despite former Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou's (
In a free country, there is no police power to prevent people from expressing themselves. I can understand why Beijing would not understand this, despite its attempts to use the terms "democracy," "free speech" and "human rights" as if it understands what they mean. We are well aware there is no precedent in the People's Republic of China (PRC) for citizens to exercise their rights to do anything the government doesn't like. But that's not how it works in free countries. Which only highlights the fact that the PRC and Taiwan are not the same country.
Of course, if the IOC prohibits displaying the flag and the Taiwanese display it, and millions of Taiwanese parade in the streets calling the name of Taiwan, and singing its national anthem, and carrying signs that criticize China and say that Taiwan is free and independent, the IOC probably can try to later refuse to allow Taiwan to host an event, or even participate in an event. But doing so would only highlight how the IOC is merely acting as a proxy for the world's most brutal communist dictatorship -- a distinctly political act. How embarrassing.
Taiwan is a free, democratic nation. The PRC is a totalitarian dictatorship, and is not a free country. We know it. The world knows it. Beijing should just concede it already, and get on with the games.
Lee Long-hwa
New York
Speaking at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on May 13, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that democracies must remain united and that “Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism.” Earlier that day, Tsai had met with a group of Danish parliamentarians led by Danish Parliament Speaker Pia Kjaersgaard, who has visited Taiwan many times, most recently in November last year, when she met with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office. Kjaersgaard had told Lai: “I can assure you that ... you can count on us. You can count on our support
Denmark has consistently defended Greenland in light of US President Donald Trump’s interests and has provided unwavering support to Ukraine during its war with Russia. Denmark can be proud of its clear support for peoples’ democratic right to determine their own future. However, this democratic ideal completely falls apart when it comes to Taiwan — and it raises important questions about Denmark’s commitment to supporting democracies. Taiwan lives under daily military threats from China, which seeks to take over Taiwan, by force if necessary — an annexation that only a very small minority in Taiwan supports. Denmark has given China a
Many local news media over the past week have reported on Internet personality Holger Chen’s (陳之漢) first visit to China between Tuesday last week and yesterday, as remarks he made during a live stream have sparked wide discussions and strong criticism across the Taiwan Strait. Chen, better known as Kuan Chang (館長), is a former gang member turned fitness celebrity and businessman. He is known for his live streams, which are full of foul-mouthed and hypermasculine commentary. He had previously spoken out against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and criticized Taiwanese who “enjoy the freedom in Taiwan, but want China’s money”
A high-school student surnamed Yang (楊) gained admissions to several prestigious medical schools recently. However, when Yang shared his “learning portfolio” on social media, he was caught exaggerating and even falsifying content, and his admissions were revoked. Now he has to take the “advanced subjects test” scheduled for next month. With his outstanding performance in the general scholastic ability test (GSAT), Yang successfully gained admissions to five prestigious medical schools. However, his university dreams have now been frustrated by the “flaws” in his learning portfolio. This is a wake-up call not only for students, but also teachers. Yang did make a big
RSS