Following Kaohsiung’s successful hosting of the World Games in July, the 21st Deaflympics opened in Taipei with a spectacular ceremony on Saturday. Thousands of people have volunteered to help the athletes and other visitors during their stay. Taiwan’s hosting of the World Games and Deaflympics has strengthened the self-confidence of its citizens and broadened their horizons, while offering an opportunity to present Taiwan to the world.
The World Games and the Deaflympics are not as flashy as the Olympics and do not draw as much international attention. Nevertheless, Taiwan has demonstrated its concern for the disadvantaged as well as its ability to organize large-scale events. It shows that Taiwan can play an effective role internationally.
Taiwan has often been excluded from international events because of pressure from China. This has been a loss not just for Taiwan but also for the world. There are many ways in which international organizations could benefit from Taiwan’s assistance or participation. Both Taiwan and the international community would benefit from exploring these possibilities.
There is more to cross-strait relations than military might and missiles, diplomatic rivalry and a war of words. Soft power comes into play in many situations that are not necessarily zero-sum games in which there can only be one winner and one loser — nor does size always determine the outcome.
China’s market is enormous and its international clout undeniable, but Taiwan’s path of development and its flexible and efficient business management and strategy have long been models for China to follow.
In the cultural sphere, Taiwan’s influence on China is illustrated by a recent poll in which Chinese people voted for Taiwanese singers Teresa Teng (鄧麗君) and Jay Chou (周杰倫) and writer Chiung Yao (瓊瑤) among a list of the 10 most influential cultural figures.
Taiwan and China are multi-ethnic, multilingual, multi-faith countries. During the decades in which the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a monopoly on political power in Taiwan, it tried through oppressive means to unite society around a single value system. Taiwan today respects the values of pluralism and freedom. Although many victims of Typhoon Morakot are Christian, they welcomed the Dalai Lama’s visit. Equally, many Buddhists have expressed their appreciation for a visit by Vatican envoy Cardinal Paul Cordes.
Different religions may have different ways of expressing their concern for human suffering, but their humanity is a common value that transcends boundaries of religion, ethnicity and language. Taiwan’s transition from a dictatorial system to one of pluralism and tolerance is one that China would do well to follow.
The rise of China makes many countries uneasy. Although Beijing says its rise is peaceful, observers around the world have their doubts, including former Singaporean prime minister Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀).
China’s diplomacy includes a heavy emphasis on military might, overlooking the potential of soft power. Hard power is a matter of winners and losers, of victory and defeat. Soft power implies complementary development and common prosperity. Soft power can and should form the basis for cross-strait relations.
Saudi Arabian largesse is flooding Egypt’s cultural scene, but the reception is mixed. Some welcome new “cooperation” between two regional powerhouses, while others fear a hostile takeover by Riyadh. In Cairo, historically the cultural capital of the Arab world, Egyptian Minister of Culture Nevine al-Kilany recently hosted Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki al-Sheikh. The deep-pocketed al-Sheikh has emerged as a Medici-like patron for Egypt’s cultural elite, courted by Cairo’s top talent to produce a slew of forthcoming films. A new three-way agreement between al-Sheikh, Kilany and United Media Services — a multi-media conglomerate linked to state intelligence that owns much of
The US and other countries should take concrete steps to confront the threats from Beijing to avoid war, US Representative Mario Diaz-Balart said in an interview with Voice of America on March 13. The US should use “every diplomatic economic tool at our disposal to treat China as what it is... to avoid war,” Diaz-Balart said. Giving an example of what the US could do, he said that it has to be more aggressive in its military sales to Taiwan. Actions by cross-party US lawmakers in the past few years such as meeting with Taiwanese officials in Washington and Taipei, and
The Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan has no official diplomatic allies in the EU. With the exception of the Vatican, it has no official allies in Europe at all. This does not prevent the ROC — Taiwan — from having close relations with EU member states and other European countries. The exact nature of the relationship does bear revisiting, if only to clarify what is a very complicated and sensitive idea, the details of which leave considerable room for misunderstanding, misrepresentation and disagreement. Only this week, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) received members of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations
Denmark’s “one China” policy more and more resembles Beijing’s “one China” principle. At least, this is how things appear. In recent interactions with the Danish state, such as applying for residency permits, a Taiwanese’s nationality would be listed as “China.” That designation occurs for a Taiwanese student coming to Denmark or a Danish citizen arriving in Denmark with, for example, their Taiwanese partner. Details of this were published on Sunday in an article in the Danish daily Berlingske written by Alexander Sjoberg and Tobias Reinwald. The pretext for this new practice is that Denmark does not recognize Taiwan as a state under