A recent controversy over the use of the word “Taiwan” at an event in Taipei City has highlighted the absurdity of China’s sensitivity to the name and cast doubt on the city government’s commitment to upholding the nation’s dignity.
With the Denver Nuggets and the Indiana Pacers in Taipei this week for exhibition games, preparations were under way at the Taipei Arena ahead of the first game today.
But a banner on the side of the stadium to welcome the US National Basketball Association (NBA) teams was changed at the last minute to replace the word “Taiwan” with the word “Taipei.”
Another victory for Beijing — on Taiwan’s own turf.
The sign that read “Taiwan Welcomes the NBA” became “Taipei Welcomes the NBA.”
This change could only be intended as a gesture to China, signaling that the city hopes to avoid controversy.
It gives the impression that the Taipei City Government and Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) are more than happy to avoid the name “Taiwan.”
While the city government would be right to want to promote city pride by emphasizing that the capital is hosting the event, it is highly doubtful that this was the motive.
Hosting basketball games with athletes of this caliber is an exciting event for fans of the sport across the country — not just in Taipei. From this perspective, changing the sign was dismissive of the enthusiasm of fans outside the capital.
The episode showcases how often the name “Taiwan” is avoided and, sadly, how little this seems to bother the public.
During election campaigns, or when leaders seek to improve their image in the wake of a scandal or administrative failures, it is common to see politicians don sports uniforms, vests or caps bearing the word “Taiwan.” They make a point of using the word “Taiwan” or “Taiwanese” throughout campaign speeches.
By showing a bit of “Taiwan” pride, politicians hope to bridge the distance between themselves and their constituents — and often they succeed in convincing the latter that their show is genuine.
It is intriguing, then, to see these same politicians drop the word “Taiwan” when they have an excellent opportunity to raise the nation’s visibility at international events.
While Taipei deserves to be rebuked for casting the name “Taiwan” aside at its convenience, the public must realize that it plays a role in such abuses by failing to demand that their leaders stand up for the name. Avoiding the word “Taiwan” is harmful to the nation’s dignity.
The public permits leaders and politicians to treat the word “Taiwan” as disposable. In doing so, it allows its leaders to be disrespectful.
Unless the public demands better of its politicians, it cannot expect to have leaders willing to uphold the nation’s dignity and work toward increasing its international visibility.
When Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) sits down with US President Donald Trump in Beijing on Thursday next week, Xi is unlikely to demand a dramatic public betrayal of Taiwan. He does not need to. Beijing’s preferred victory is smaller, quieter and in some ways far more dangerous: a subtle shift in American wording that appears technical, but carries major strategic meaning. The ask is simple: replace the longstanding US formulation that Washington “does not support Taiwan independence” with a harder one — that Washington “opposes” Taiwan independence. One word changes; a deterrence structure built over decades begins to shift.
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