Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-Wen (蔡英文), the party’s presidential nominee, is reportedly planning a visit to Washington next month.
At this juncture, the Middle East and north Africa are in turmoil. Russia and China are becoming more belligerent, taking advantage of the inability of the administration of US President Barack Obama to manage numerous global hot spots.
Against this backdrop, Taiwan might not register a blip on Washington’s radar.
Swimming upstream and competing for attention, Tsai would be well advised to present a convincing case.
It must first be made unequivocally clear that the “Republic of China in Taiwan” is a farce; since Sept. 2, 1945, the year “the Japanese Instrument of Surrender” was signed on the USS Missouri, the nation has been a US Military Government-protected territory, as it remains today.
The state Taiwan is in is not of its own making; the US broke it and the US owns it.
Facing threats from a vengeful China, Taiwan’s strategic role to the US, Japan, South Korea and many Southeast Asian countries is no less important than what Israel’s is to the US and the EU.
The US has no intention of relinquishing its responsibility and power over Taiwan, as demonstrated by the landing, which was intentional, of two McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornets in Tainan on April 1. Washington plans to derive maximum interest from its position.
Taiwan, with limited cards to play, fully understands the US’ desire and will not spoil the game plan. However, as last year’s Sunflower movement demonstrated, Taiwan will never submit itself to Chinese trickery, even when Beijing seeks to exert subtle, indirect pressure.
Taiwan respects China’s view that there is only “one China.” To be more specific, Taiwan has no interest in the issue of “multiple Chinas,” long considered a linguistic fight between Beijing’s oligarchy and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) taking refuge in Taipei. The discussion over areas that use “China” in their titles is of no interest to Taiwan, which cares about one issue: There is but one Taiwan.
The notion that the DPP has the capability to provide people in Taiwan with more scope for choice belongs in the garbage can. The nation’s position is not that of choosing from a restaurant menu. It has a single agenda: Never be a part of China.
Some academic circles in Taiwan floated the idea of “Taiwanese neutrality.” It is naive to entertain such a foolish caprice. Neutrality requires a robust national defense that can deter an invader at its first thought of crossing the border. Such a defense demands that every adult be willing and able to use a weapon. Taiwanese are nowhere near fulfilling that requirement.
Taiwan, whose shape is somewhat like an aircraft carrier, has been guarding the western Pacific for the past 70 years and it will remain in the position for a long time to come.
What this implies has not gone unnoticed. A day prior to his speech on April 29 to a joint session of the US Congress, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced, with Obama, a renewed set of joint military defense guidelines that put Taiwan and its surrounding waters squarely in the crosshairs.
Meanwhile, China is muddying the water in the South China Sea, with dredging around the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島), which Taiwan also claims, and building a landing strip. The actions are intimidatory to all nearby countries and openly challenges freedom of movement in busy sea lanes.
Given escalating temperatures in the region, the existence of Taiwan on the side of freedom accentuates its role to serve the interests of many parties.
On behalf of Taiwanese, Tsai must hold her head high while in Washington.
Kengchi Goah is a senior research fellow at the US Taiwan Public Policy Council.
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