There was a time when the term “pro-independence” was considered a synonym for radicals, outdatedness and irrelevance, similar to most people’s image of the pro-unification camp nowadays.
When former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was in power, the “pro-independence” position was hijacked for reasons of political expediency and so heavily propagated that most people became numb to the issue.
All that was left of pro-independence forces were occasional, repetitive protests calling for rectification of the nation’s name and a UN membership bid.
If it were not for the 2014 student-led Sunflower movement, which allowed what the news media call “naturally pro-independence” young people to enter the limelight, independence advocacy would not have undergone much-needed rejuvenation and regeneration.
Although the old pro-independence camp remains relatively active, mainstream perception of independence advocacy efforts has shifted greatly, as they become increasingly diversified, and driven by artistic and innovative young people.
The independence issue has been successfully rebranded and this trend has caught the attention of the previous generation of activists, who are now trying to seize the opportunity to further their decades-old agenda.
A few recent incidents in the political arena are proof of that.
First, independence proponent William Lai’s (賴清德) confirmation as premier last month is believed to be partially the result of growing pressure on President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) from the pro-independence camp, which has been upset about her lack of progress in pursuing measures that could push the nation closer to de jure independence.
Last week, there were rumors that the pro-independence camp is mulling backing New Power Party Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) as a candidate in next year’s Taipei mayoral election.
World United Formosans for Independence chairman Chen Nan-tien (陳南天) told reporters that independence supporters are displeased by Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) discourse on cross-strait issues and that Lim’s stance was more to their taste.
Ko, an independent who secured the DPP’s backing in the 2014 elections, has seen his prospects for a second term grow increasingly shaky as the DPP is reportedly considering fielding its own candidate out of dissatisfaction with Ko’s policy direction.
The relationship between Ko and the DPP worsened in July, when he told the Taipei-Shanghai Forum that Taiwan and China were “one family” and “a community of common destiny.”
Lim is a spirited politician from a new party who has been featured in international media due to his career as a goth rocker and his hardline pro-independence stance.
A member of the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee, Lim has devoted much of his time to improving Taiwan’s international status and removing remnants of the past authoritarian government.
Lim and Lai both declared, in their official capacities, their support for Taiwanese independence in their official capacities, while most of their colleagues remain content to be ambiguous.
If Lim, who seems to have embraced the idea of running for Taipei mayor, secures backing from the pan-green camp, his candidacy could further boost the cause of independence, even if he does not win.
It is a clever move by the pro-independence camp, as putting popular politicians who share its cause in important positions could prove more effective than relying on Tsai and the DPP to steer the nation toward true independence.
In the first year of his second term, US President Donald Trump continued to shake the foundations of the liberal international order to realize his “America first” policy. However, amid an atmosphere of uncertainty and unpredictability, the Trump administration brought some clarity to its policy toward Taiwan. As expected, bilateral trade emerged as a major priority for the new Trump administration. To secure a favorable trade deal with Taiwan, it adopted a two-pronged strategy: First, Trump accused Taiwan of “stealing” chip business from the US, indicating that if Taipei did not address Washington’s concerns in this strategic sector, it could revisit its Taiwan
The stocks of rare earth companies soared on Monday following news that the Trump administration had taken a 10 percent stake in Oklahoma mining and magnet company USA Rare Earth Inc. Such is the visible benefit enjoyed by the growing number of firms that count Uncle Sam as a shareholder. Yet recent events surrounding perhaps what is the most well-known state-picked champion, Intel Corp, exposed a major unseen cost of the federal government’s unprecedented intervention in private business: the distortion of capital markets that have underpinned US growth and innovation since its founding. Prior to Intel’s Jan. 22 call with analysts
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) challenges and ignores the international rules-based order by violating Taiwanese airspace using a high-flying drone: This incident is a multi-layered challenge, including a lawfare challenge against the First Island Chain, the US, and the world. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) defines lawfare as “controlling the enemy through the law or using the law to constrain the enemy.” Chen Yu-cheng (陳育正), an associate professor at the Graduate Institute of China Military Affairs Studies, at Taiwan’s Fu Hsing Kang College (National Defense University), argues the PLA uses lawfare to create a precedent and a new de facto legal
Chile has elected a new government that has the opportunity to take a fresh look at some key aspects of foreign economic policy, mainly a greater focus on Asia, including Taiwan. Still, in the great scheme of things, Chile is a small nation in Latin America, compared with giants such as Brazil and Mexico, or other major markets such as Colombia and Argentina. So why should Taiwan pay much attention to the new administration? Because the victory of Chilean president-elect Jose Antonio Kast, a right-of-center politician, can be seen as confirming that the continent is undergoing one of its periodic political shifts,
RSS