The Puzangalan Children’s Choir, whose members are Paiwan Aborigines and whose name means “hope” in Paiwan, performed the national anthem during President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) inauguration ceremony. The choir had been invited to a choir festival in China’s Guangdong Province next month, but after their inauguration performance, they were told that the invitation had been withdrawn because China thought that their “status” was “too sensitive.”
From the viewpoint of Taiwanese Aborigines, one wonders what crime these Paiwan children have committed by performing at the presidential inauguration. Cross-strait problems and the independence-unification issue notwithstanding — what aspects of life that the 23.5 million people living in Taiwan are engaging in, such as going about their daily lives, studying or paying taxes, can be disconnected from this nation or its government?
What does the children’s participation in the inauguration ceremony have to do with the Chinese government? Taiwanese Aborigines are not related to China, either genetically or historically. We are Austronesian, not Chinese.
On top of that, these lively, adorable Paiwan children did not actually perform the “national anthem” in the traditional sense in that they sang in their Paiwan language, not Mandarin.
The question to pose to the Chinese government is this: Must Aborigines choose the time and venue before they can sing their own songs to avoid the epithet “sensitive status?”
China has always seen itself as a great nation with a population of 1.3 billion, yet the way it likes to handle things seems to be the very definition of narrow-mindedness.
Aborigines have lived in Taiwan for at least 8,000 years. Through our age-old music, with every note and melody, we give witness to the beauty of this land and its oceans that have nurtured these peoples for thousands of years.
However, the tyrannical Chinese government, as well as the very few pro-unification supporters in Taiwan, decided to forsake China’s greatness and ruthlessly hurt the innocent souls of a group of Aboriginal children.
As the tyrannical cold-blooded China-centered imperialism exerts its power, China has deprived itself of a veritable feast of Taiwanese culture and music. The cancelation of the Puzangalan Choir’s performance is China’s loss.
In recent years, with the help of some people in Taiwan, China has arranged for visits by Taiwanese Aboriginal groups. There is nothing wrong with interaction between the citizens of two nations, but a problem arises when China aggressively deploys its unification game plan to make Taiwan one of its “provinces” or “districts.”
Music and art are, as they should be, borderless. The heavenly music of Taiwanese Aborigines is the voice that represents the nation’s most essential culture. It is also an asset that belongs to the whole world.
Advanced countries should fulfill their responsibility to safeguard and treasure this asset, and they should not trash it or kill it in such a barbaric and uncivilized manner. Apart from its economy, what else is left in China?
Omi Wilang is a pastor at the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan and secretary-general of the Indigenous Peoples’ Action Coalition of Taiwan.
Translated by Ethan Zhan
Congratulations to China’s working class — they have officially entered the “Livestock Feed 2.0” era. While others are still researching how to achieve healthy and balanced diets, China has already evolved to the point where it does not matter whether you are actually eating food, as long as you can swallow it. There is no need for cooking, chewing or making decisions — just tear open a package, add some hot water and in a short three minutes you have something that can keep you alive for at least another six hours. This is not science fiction — it is reality.
In a world increasingly defined by unpredictability, two actors stand out as islands of stability: Europe and Taiwan. One, a sprawling union of democracies, but under immense pressure, grappling with a geopolitical reality it was not originally designed for. The other, a vibrant, resilient democracy thriving as a technological global leader, but living under a growing existential threat. In response to rising uncertainties, they are both seeking resilience and learning to better position themselves. It is now time they recognize each other not just as partners of convenience, but as strategic and indispensable lifelines. The US, long seen as the anchor
Kinmen County’s political geography is provocative in and of itself. A pair of islets running up abreast the Chinese mainland, just 20 minutes by ferry from the Chinese city of Xiamen, Kinmen remains under the Taiwanese government’s control, after China’s failed invasion attempt in 1949. The provocative nature of Kinmen’s existence, along with the Matsu Islands off the coast of China’s Fuzhou City, has led to no shortage of outrageous takes and analyses in foreign media either fearmongering of a Chinese invasion or using these accidents of history to somehow understand Taiwan. Every few months a foreign reporter goes to
The war between Israel and Iran offers far-reaching strategic lessons, not only for the Middle East, but also for East Asia, particularly Taiwan. As tensions rise across both regions, the behavior of global powers, especially the US under the US President Donald Trump, signals how alliances, deterrence and rapid military mobilization could shape the outcomes of future conflicts. For Taiwan, facing increasing pressure and aggression from China, these lessons are both urgent and actionable. One of the most notable features of the Israel-Iran war was the prompt and decisive intervention of the US. Although the Trump administration is often portrayed as