Be cautious, but not afraid
Taiwan is similar to Ukraine in the split of state recognition, but quite different in international political status. Russia invaded Crimea with the excuse of protecting their citizens living abroad. They are welcomed by Crimeans who favor Russia. This is almost identical to people in Taiwan who favor unification with China.
However, Taiwan and Ukraine are not the same. First, Ukraine is a member country of the UN and Taiwan is not. Second, if there were riots or societal turbulence in Taiwan, China could not easily troop in right away, regardless of its 2005 antisecession law, which does not have any legal basis under international law. It would directly challenge the US’ Taiwan Relations Act, authorized by the San Francisco Peace Treaty.
Under the peace treaty, the US became the principal occupying power of Taiwan after World War II.
China had tried to enter Taiwan under the guise of assisting victims after Typhoon Morakot in 2009. Even pro-Beijing President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) expressed support for China. However, it was the US rescue team that landed and helped the victims.
One day, if China is insane and getting crazy to invade Taiwan, it will face a more tenacious condemnation and sanctioning from the international community, including Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Vietnam, India, Australia and the US. Do not forget, they are witness and supervisor of the San Francisco Peace Treaty. Also, it might trigger independence claims from Tibet and Xinjiang, and accelerate the crackdown of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
So, as Taiwanese, we must take the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a serious lesson, but we do not need to fear China’s intimidation and threats. Those who favor unification are welcomed by China: They should move to the PRC and leave Taiwan alone.
John Hsieh
Hayward, California
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
There is much evidence that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is sending soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — and is learning lessons for a future war against Taiwan. Until now, the CCP has claimed that they have not sent PLA personnel to support Russian aggression. On 18 April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinskiy announced that the CCP is supplying war supplies such as gunpowder, artillery, and weapons subcomponents to Russia. When Zelinskiy announced on 9 April that the Ukrainian Army had captured two Chinese nationals fighting with Russians on the front line with details
On a quiet lane in Taipei’s central Daan District (大安), an otherwise unremarkable high-rise is marked by a police guard and a tawdry A4 printout from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicating an “embassy area.” Keen observers would see the emblem of the Holy See, one of Taiwan’s 12 so-called “diplomatic allies.” Unlike Taipei’s other embassies and quasi-consulates, no national flag flies there, nor is there a plaque indicating what country’s embassy this is. Visitors hoping to sign a condolence book for the late Pope Francis would instead have to visit the Italian Trade Office, adjacent to Taipei 101. The death of
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
RSS