LATELY, THE DEMOCRATIC Progressive Party (DPP) has been searching for a new socio-political direction. I would like to propose making “peace” one of its core values.
Peace has always been a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) slogan used to counter Taiwanese independence and, after regaining power, to promote nation-building.
However, the peace that the KMT touts only pertains to the absence of war across the Taiwan Strait — it couldn’t care less if other nations blow each other up. The result is that in Taiwan, peace has nothing to do with real peace and neither the government nor the media care about reporting on international or even regional conflicts.
This shows that peace is neither a value or a philosophy. At most, it merely refers to the pleasantries senior members of the KMT exchange with Chinese officials during their dealings. Put simply, the KMT thinks that peace means “not clashing with China” and hiding if it arouses Beijing’s ire.
This is a hypocritical form of peace — “as long as you don’t fight me, I don’t care what you do.” This idea of peace is a false one. The KMT’s policy of no unification, no independence and no use of force is just an attempt to maintain a peaceful show of Taiwanese living in a secure environment. However, since the KMT has never been concerned with real peace, it is having trouble establishing any credibility when it comes to peace.
Of course other observers believe the KMT has another agenda and that it wouldn’t mind going to war if it were sure of victory. Peace, in that case, only becomes an opportunity for the government to prepare for war, purchasing weapons and staging military exercises.
Such a concept of peace fails to bring momentum; rather, it brings restriction. For the KMT, peace means that Taiwan cannot be unified and cannot gain independence. This sort of peace is not something that people crave, but rather a smothering form of pressure. This is because any action can be interpreted as a move toward independence or unification. It leads to an abundance of conspiracy theories, prompting the KMT to repeatedly say that it doesn’t favor unification or independence, thus blocking both and turning “peace” into a self-negating set of commands.
China accepts the KMT’s peace policies not because it favors peace, but because it does not have enough clout yet and must rely on these “peace initiatives” to win more time and space to maneuver and take Taiwan.
The KMT also sees the situation in the same way and, as an opportunistic administrative machine, there is nothing it cannot do. However, to the Taiwanese public whose opinion differs, the KMT is cold and uninteresting and makes people lose interest and the passion for life.
Many countries have been established on the basis of peace. Peace became part of Sweden’s founding spirit when it decided to take an active part in resolving international conflicts. Another example is Japanese Buddhist peace organization Soka Gakkai International, which merges religion with humanitarian practices to turn peace into a form of social practice.
Yet other examples are Mahatma Gandhi’s use of non-cooperation, non-violence and peaceful resistance against the British in India and Mozi (墨子), a Chinese philosopher and the founder of Mohism, who advocated deterring tyranny by building enough strength to drive the enemy back and then simply holding one’s ground. While these methods vary, they show us how peace can become a life-defining philosophy and belief.
Once peace becomes a philosophy, it becomes a force for life. Once politicians believe in and embrace peace, they reduce military forces and emphasize neutrality. The public also becomes more willing to sacrifice their time, resources and the safety of their families for peace, and they will not fear going to war-torn countries, disaster areas and barren lands. Faced with those who use peace as an excuse to recuperate and prepare themselves for more war, peace advocates can only take part in active persuasion and aid, but they will never give in.
Peace is just a slogan in Taiwan, and at most a temporary measure for gaining economic benefit or dealing with tough political opponents. What Taiwan needs are peaceful politicians that can encourage people to rise above their own political and economic desires. This is the only way to deal with strong powers and rally the hearts and minds of the public. Can the DPP stand up to such a challenge?
Shih Chih-yu is a professor in the department of political science at National Taiwan University.
TRANSLATED BY DREW CAMERON
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) were born under the sign of Gemini. Geminis are known for their intelligence, creativity, adaptability and flexibility. It is unlikely, then, that the trade conflict between the US and China would escalate into a catastrophic collision. It is more probable that both sides would seek a way to de-escalate, paving the way for a Trump-Xi summit that allows the global economy some breathing room. Practically speaking, China and the US have vulnerabilities, and a prolonged trade war would be damaging for both. In the US, the electoral system means that public opinion
In their recent op-ed “Trump Should Rein In Taiwan” in Foreign Policy magazine, Christopher Chivvis and Stephen Wertheim argued that the US should pressure President William Lai (賴清德) to “tone it down” to de-escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait — as if Taiwan’s words are more of a threat to peace than Beijing’s actions. It is an old argument dressed up in new concern: that Washington must rein in Taipei to avoid war. However, this narrative gets it backward. Taiwan is not the problem; China is. Calls for a so-called “grand bargain” with Beijing — where the US pressures Taiwan into concessions
The term “assassin’s mace” originates from Chinese folklore, describing a concealed weapon used by a weaker hero to defeat a stronger adversary with an unexpected strike. In more general military parlance, the concept refers to an asymmetric capability that targets a critical vulnerability of an adversary. China has found its modern equivalent of the assassin’s mace with its high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) weapons, which are nuclear warheads detonated at a high altitude, emitting intense electromagnetic radiation capable of disabling and destroying electronics. An assassin’s mace weapon possesses two essential characteristics: strategic surprise and the ability to neutralize a core dependency.
Chinese President and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Chairman Xi Jinping (習近平) said in a politburo speech late last month that his party must protect the “bottom line” to prevent systemic threats. The tone of his address was grave, revealing deep anxieties about China’s current state of affairs. Essentially, what he worries most about is systemic threats to China’s normal development as a country. The US-China trade war has turned white hot: China’s export orders have plummeted, Chinese firms and enterprises are shutting up shop, and local debt risks are mounting daily, causing China’s economy to flag externally and hemorrhage internally. China’s
RSS