Following his “no unification, no independence, no use of force” campaign pledge, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) told The Associated Press recently that unification with China was not likely “within our lifetimes,” an extraordinary comment that discredits the narrative of detente that haunts credulous media coverage of cross-strait affairs.
Hopes for the acceleration of cross-strait cooperation with a view to a peace deal are likely to be dashed if China is unwilling to fall into step with Ma’s realistic assessment. But a human lifetime is an eternity in geopolitics: It is ludicrous to think that Beijing would indefinitely tolerate a Taiwanese agenda rooted in this assumption. A crossroads is approaching, and the KMT must decide whether it wishes to promote Taiwanese interests or act as a proxy for a foreign government that quietly despises it.
China is thus going to be no less a headache for Ma than for his predecessor, Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). In the short term, however, the pressure on him to deliver economic results is going to be more pronounced; the much-vaunted but largely untested economic abilities of Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) and the new Cabinet will determine the level of popular support for the government by year’s end.
The most conspicuous component of this economic plan has been the opening up of Taiwan to Chinese tourists and capital. The public will soon know — if it does not already — that tourism and direct flights are showy but superficial contributors to the national coffers; their primary functions are symbolic and diplomatic. As for Chinese investment, the jury is still out, but we can be sure that the political fallout of any investments gone awry will be milked for all they are worth by the Democratic Progressive Party and affected sectors.
Ma’s undertaking to improve relations with the US is welcome and necessary, though it should be stressed that a lot of the practical damage to that relationship was the doing of Ma’s colleagues in the KMT. On substantial matters such as weapons sales, Ma has an opportunity to use his party influence to strike deals with a KMT-dominated legislature.
However, KMT figureheads such as Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) are not going to lie down to do the Presidential Office’s bidding, even on matters of obvious benefit to the nation. Ma must also overcome the profound hostility toward the US that remains among hardline KMT legislators, as well as battle the notorious kickback culture of the Legislative Yuan.
Ma the man remains an anomaly. For years we have complimented him on his impeccable demeanor and progressive social agenda. But there are still grounds to doubt his ability to deliver on his promises, as well as his strength to keep the pan-blue camp’s most repugnant elements at bay.
The good news for Ma is that there is much he can do to advance Taiwan’s economic interests while defending and advancing its territorial and administrative integrity. The sober truth is that many, if not most, of the dramatic political changes that empowered ordinary Taiwanese took place under the previous KMT government. Ma should look to this positive component of the KMT’s legacy and seek to extend it.
Ma has not been seriously tested as a high official, and as a loyal KMT man, he has rarely had to live up to the highest of public expectations. But no one should be under any illusions: These tests are coming. It will only be a short time before Ma begins to feel the pressure from Beijing, KMT hardliners and ordinary Taiwanese to deliver results. These are incompatible agendas, and Ma’s customary kneejerk responses when under heavy political pressure would exacerbate problems rather than deflect them.
Now is the time for Ma to be his own man, stare down his party rivals and implement an agenda that upholds the living standards and freedoms afforded by a sovereign, democratic state, as well as rallying people who share these goals around him.
There is much evidence that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is sending soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — and is learning lessons for a future war against Taiwan. Until now, the CCP has claimed that they have not sent PLA personnel to support Russian aggression. On 18 April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinskiy announced that the CCP is supplying war supplies such as gunpowder, artillery, and weapons subcomponents to Russia. When Zelinskiy announced on 9 April that the Ukrainian Army had captured two Chinese nationals fighting with Russians on the front line with details
On a quiet lane in Taipei’s central Daan District (大安), an otherwise unremarkable high-rise is marked by a police guard and a tawdry A4 printout from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicating an “embassy area.” Keen observers would see the emblem of the Holy See, one of Taiwan’s 12 so-called “diplomatic allies.” Unlike Taipei’s other embassies and quasi-consulates, no national flag flies there, nor is there a plaque indicating what country’s embassy this is. Visitors hoping to sign a condolence book for the late Pope Francis would instead have to visit the Italian Trade Office, adjacent to Taipei 101. The death of
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), joined by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), held a protest on Saturday on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei. They were essentially standing for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which is anxious about the mass recall campaign against KMT legislators. President William Lai (賴清德) said that if the opposition parties truly wanted to fight dictatorship, they should do so in Tiananmen Square — and at the very least, refrain from groveling to Chinese officials during their visits to China, alluding to meetings between KMT members and Chinese authorities. Now that China has been defined as a foreign hostile force,
RSS