Friday last week was Freedom of Speech Day in Taiwan. Human rights activist Lee Ming-che (李明哲) entered China on March 19 to mark the event and subsequently disappeared. Lee was later discovered to have been detained by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security. His wife, Lee Ching-yu (李凈瑜), has been trying to launch a rescue effort with the help of human rights organizations.
However, when she went to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to board a flight to China, her “Taiwan compatriot travel document” had been canceled and she was stopped from traveling to Beijing. A series of incidents related to human rights have presented a free lesson to Taiwanese, who lead relatively enlightened lives.
However, China, which lacks Taiwan’s enlightened lifestyle, is moving in closer and wants to annex the Republic of China (ROC), which it considers unfinished business. Some members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) see Taiwan as an emerging nation that they would like to hold hostage.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is working hard to patch up the cracks in Taiwan, working hard and without reward for its achievements, and being punished if it fails.
Lee Ching-yu said: “I will not let my husband give up his dignity in exchange for his freedom so that he will have to live the rest of his life like a dog with its tail between its legs. No matter how mighty China is, it can only deprive us of our lives and freedom — it will not destroy our dignity and self-respect.”
During the attempts to organize a rescue effort, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council and Straits Exchange Foundation were blocked and left powerless by China. Some intermediaries have presented themselves, which shows that, in addition to the government and official agencies, there are third parties with KMT connections.
During the Martial Law era, the KMT used the ROC to suppress Taiwanese. Dissidents were labeled rebels and bandits, in other words: members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Following democratization, one-party rule has not reappeared, but some KMT members, now without their special privileges, have joined the “Communist bandits” to stop Taiwan from developing into a normal nation.
In the past, oppression came from the KMT; today, the CCP is the oppressor. The China that Taiwanese have come to know through these two political parties presents a sorry image. The KMT used to talk about the glorious recovery of Taiwan, while the CCP said that it would liberate Taiwan and help Taiwanese escape KMT oppression. Today, the KMT and the CCP seem to be one and the same.
China has turned to capitalism, relying on its large population, factories and the market. It has become a great power as it follows the path of world powers it criticized in the past and is now more feared than respected.
China is wealthy, the wealth gap is even greater than in capitalist nations and the wealthy are powerful. Its military expansion is turning China into a military power, but it is not seen as a humane, sophisticated nation.
The Qing Dynasty was bullied by the great powers of the era and in turn oppressed other nations.
Now, China’s own wealthy and powerful are emigrating to capitalist nations and bringing their assets along. What kind of national identity is that? What kind of national image does that project?
Lee Min-yung is a poet.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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