Shortly after winning the March election, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) sang the praises of soft power. Taiwan can help China on the path to democratization by increasing cross-strait contact, Ma said, giving the Chinese a first-hand look at the nation’s democracy and freedoms.
When the first cross-strait charter flights arrived on Friday, at least three groups of demonstrators welcomed them: unificationists, Falun Gong practitioners and Tibetans advocating independence. The Chinese tourists responded by taking photographs.
Indeed, these sights are probably more exotic to the average Chinese than, for example, Tainan’s Fort Provincia, and may prove more memorable. What tourists will hopefully remember is a respectful and peaceful scene as the two groups with fundamentally different ideologies — Tibetan independence activists and deep-blue nationalists — stood waving flags and placards across the street from one another.
That scene was a far cry from the chaotic picture that Beijing often paints to justify its iron-hand rule with the argument that democracy and Chinese culture don’t mix.
The tourists who arrived at Songshan Airport on Friday — and who likely heard much from Chinese state media about cultural “brainwashing” in Taiwan — may have also been surprised to find that unificationists are free to publicly express their opinions.
Unfortunately, Tainan City officials expressed concern about Falun Gong practitioners promoting their cause in front of tourist spots that are expected to draw Chinese visitors. The belief system is forbidden in China, where it has been the target of vitriol and ruthless persecution since 1999.
After drawing criticism for allegedly seeking to avoid a meeting between Falun Gong devotees and Chinese tourism bureau representatives last month, Tainan officials tried to shift the focus from the appeasement of Chinese tourists. They claimed the presence of Falun Gong devotees had long been a problem, scaring visitors away from the 17th century fort. Who these easily offended tourists were remains unclear.
Falun Gong petitioners can be seen handing out pamphlets in front of tourist attractions in the US and Europe, and in these places there is no talk of tucking them away out of the sight of Chinese tourists.
Days before the arrival of the first charter flights, the Tourism Bureau responded to the debate sparked in Tainan, saying it would seek to avoid encounters between Falun Gong practitioners and Chinese tourists. But, recognizing the difficulty of this, it said Taiwanese tour guides would clarify to tourists that freedom of speech applies to everyone and ask the visitors to remain calm if approached by a demonstrator.
If a few dozen retirees in yellow shirts sitting outside the National Palace Museum in the lotus position offends or frightens Chinese tourists, it is not the responsibility of government officials to cater to that aversion. On the contrary, they are obliged to protect freedom of speech.
On the other hand, making clear to visitors that freedom of speech — and religion — applies to everyone in Taiwan is an excellent course of action.
This latter approach not only avoids infringing on those freedoms, it is a clear illustration of what Ma advocated in April. Only by exhibiting, rather than trying to conceal, the functions of an open and free society can there be hope of gradually exporting democratic values to an authoritarian neighbor.
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