Beijing’s attempt to change the “status quo” across the Taiwan Strait by coercion has reached desperate levels. After accusing the US of playing the “Taiwan card” against it, it played the “Lien card,” inviting former vice president Lien Chan (連戰) to visit China to participate in a puppet show with a terrible script, unconvincing actors and wooden lines.
Playing the Lien shows that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has no more aces up his sleeve. Overestimating his own capabilities, Xi’s expansionism and attempts to unilaterally change the “status quo” are being called out by democratic countries.
Trying to count on Lien, who is more than 80 years old and has no real political power any more, to relieve the situation is a joke. After all, even in the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Lien has been called a lame duck.
The accusation that the US is playing the Taiwan card highlights that Xi and his gang have become obsessed. The Taiwan card is only used to protect democracy, which is consistent with President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) idea of maintaining the “status quo” and strengthening democracy — it is not fatal to China. Beijing should be more concerned about US President Donald Trump’s “economic and trade card,” as this is the play that will hit China’s Achilles’ heel and shake the nation.
China’s hegemonic ambitions and attempts to unilaterally change the “status quo” directly challenge the international world order constructed by democratic countries after World War II. This is unacceptable.
The sovereignty of the islands of Taiwan, Penghu and the South China Sea is undecided in official treaties. China’s forceful attempts to take them obliges other countries to push back.
Sending military aircraft and warships to cruise around Taiwan, and forcing companies to use language like “Taiwan, China” is China’s unilateral attempt to change the “status quo.”
As major democratic countries such as the US, Japan and the UK are protesting against this, China tried to play the Lien card to extricate itself from trouble.
China called Lien to Beijing to trade away Taiwan’s democracy and to reaffirm his acceptance of the “one China” principle, so that it could fulfill its wishful thinking and prove to the world that it is justified in renaming Taiwan, “Taiwan, China.”
However, the problem is that Lien is not qualified to represent Taiwan, nor the KMT.
China used Lien’s trip to northeast China to pay his respects to his ancestors to bring up “national justice,” using “national rejuvenation” to disguise its ambitions to annex Taiwan, while claiming to respect Taiwan’s social system.
This is little more than asking an old hack actor, who is well past his prime, to replay a cliched drama.
We have seen Lien in action before: We know how this is all going to end.
James Wang is a media commentator.
Translated by Lin Lee-kai
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