Racist propaganda
Is not the timing of the recent little furore in your letters pages over allegations of racism in Taiwan brought by Callum McGovern (Letters, Jan. 21, page 8) perhaps somewhat serendipitous given the revelation in today’s news of just what will be inscribed on the red envelopes that Chinese billionaire philanthropist Chen Guangbiao (陳光標) plans to give out to poor Taiwanese prior to this Lunar New Year?
“The day is cold, the ground freezing, but the people’s hearts are warm. The Chinese race is one family and a fire in the winter (中華民族一家親,冬天裡的一把火).”
To ascribe the term “family” (with its implicit connotation of moral obligations) to other people on the basis of race alone is pure racial collectivism and ought to be condemned by every decent person. Whether a person is Chinese, American, Japanese, English, Vietnamese, French or whatever other nationality in origin, or whether the color of their skin is black, white or yellow is of no moral import whatsoever. What is of moral import is, in the words of murdered civil rights activist Martin Luther King, the “content of a person’s character.” Period.
I do not condemn Chen’s wish to help the poor, even though I suspect this particular help may be partly a propaganda stunt, but he could have easily phrased that description differently, for instance replacing the words: “The Chinese race is one family and a fire in the winter” with the non--collectivist and non--racialist: “Everyone needs a fire in the winter” (人人在冬天需要火爐). Such an inscription would preserve the benevolent nature of his intentions in handing out red envelopes to the poor, while rejecting unfortunate racial collectivist propaganda.
As it stands, Chen’s inscription is not a little ironic — a fire is indeed a likely outcome when one member of the “family” threatens the other member with more than 1,000 missiles.
MICHAEL FAGAN
Tainan
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, people have been asking if Taiwan is the next Ukraine. At a G7 meeting of national leaders in January, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned that Taiwan “could be the next Ukraine” if Chinese aggression is not checked. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that if Russia is not defeated, then “today, it’s Ukraine, tomorrow it can be Taiwan.” China does not like this rhetoric. Its diplomats ask people to stop saying “Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow.” However, the rhetoric and stated ambition of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Taiwan shows strong parallels with