It was my fourth day in the US. During the student orientation at my Midwestern university, my Taiwanese friends and I encountered a girl from China. After identifying ourselves as Taiwanese, she quickly changed her up-to-then friendly attitude and became very aggressive.
“Taiwan is part of China, right? Right!?” she asked.
She pressed the question numerous times with a condescending smile.
It was from that day that I became very aware of my Taiwanese identity and my affirmation grew stronger by the day.
Taiwanese netizens often joke that the strongest advocate for self-determination is China, or more specifically, the Chinese Communist Party.
This is true. The more China suppresses us, the firmer we stand.
After this experience, I wanted to do something more, something that would align my profession with my passion.
When the Taiwan Travel Act was enacted in March, I quickly took notice of the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) — a Taiwanese grassroots organization in the US that promotes freedom, human rights and democracy for the people of Taiwan.
I dug deeper and was stunned by how an organization with no more than a handful of staffers could bring a law into realization.
I was also moved by the determination of the Taiwanese-Americans for their perseverance; how these patriots have kept fighting year after year, even after having left their homeland so long ago. Ultimately, I was impressed by how this legacy was being passed to the next generation.
For more than 30 years, the association has been behind many important pieces of Taiwan-related legislation. In 1991, it pioneered calls for the US Congress to support Taiwan’s participation in the UN.
That year, US Congress Resolution 210 — a joint resolution — was introduced by then-US representative Dennis Hertel, expressing Congress’ support for Taiwan’s membership in the UN and other international organizations.
Several years later, members of the association realized that functional international organizations should be emphasized, as problems like the spread of epidemics do not stop at national borders.
The association launched its “WHO for Taiwan” campaign in 1998, when then-US representative Sherrod Brown introduced Congress Resolution 219, a concurrent resolution backing the nation’s membership in the WHO.
Taiwanese-Americans might not be aware of this, but that they are able to list “Taiwan” as their country of birth on their US passports is due to the association’s work in 1994.
In 2016, a resolution concluding that the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 and former US president Ronald Reagan’s “six assurances” of 1982 are the cornerstone of Taiwan-US relations — not the vilified Three Joint Communiques, which harbor the even more vilified “one China” policy — was passed unanimously by the US House of Representatives and the US Senate.
One of the association’s monumental achievements is the Taiwan Travel Act enacted this year, which is binding legislation that encourages visits on all levels between officials of the two sides.
On June 20, US Representative Dana Rohrabacher submitted a resolution urging the US to resume formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
The association has crafted numerous pieces of groundbreaking legislation and has thus become one of the most important voices on behalf of Taiwan in Washington.
I was lucky enough to spend my summer with the association experiencing the dynamics of the US capital. I met many inspiring people who are active and eminent in their fields. All of us were here for the same reason — to stand in solidarity with the unrelenting people of Taiwan.
Much has been done. Nonetheless, there is more that must be faced. Being a part of that great momentum gives me pride and hope.
Within my lifetime, I aspire to witness the flag of Taiwan flying vigorously in front of every international institution. That day will be a celebration of Taiwanese national identity without any hesitation, bullying or intimidation.
It will mark a day of immense pride, respect for this young democracy and the realization that all of us did this together.
Forever proud to be a Taiwanese. Together, we march forward.
Lucy Shen worked as an intern at the Formosan Association for Public Affairs in Washington over the summer.
Taiwan is home to thousands of foreign residents who build careers, families and lives here. However, what happens when one of those residents loses the ability to prove his identity — not because he has broken Taiwan’s laws, but because his own government refuses to renew his passport? That is the situation my husband, Matteo (not his real name), a Nicaraguan national, has found himself in. After about three years of attempts to renew his passport, our future in Taiwan remains uncertain. It all comes back to Taiwan’s giant geopolitical issue: the multitude of countries cutting diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The devastation in Tibet from flooding caused by a glacial collapse in the Himalayas was immediate and profound. Entire communities were left in shock, families were torn apart and countless lives were disrupted. That was followed by deafening silence from the Chinese authorities. No official tally of the missing, no acknowledgment of the dead — only a void filled with rumor, grief and suspicion. Disasters demand transparency. The first responsibility of the state is to inform its citizens of the scale of tragedy. By withholding that information, Beijing reduces Tibetan lives to abstractions, erasing their suffering from public record. The refusal to
A Taiwanese national studying overseas had, for a period of time, submitted regular opinion pieces to the Taipei Times commenting about Taiwanese politics and current affairs. These informed and well-written articles, demonstrating a profound love for the nation, were valuable because they represented a Taiwanese voice who had maintained a deep interest in what was happening in their home country, even as they pursued their studies abroad. For this reason, many were published on this page. Several months ago, this person contacted the Taipei Times and requested that the articles be unpublished. A member of their family was seeking employment
More than three years ago, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) embraced the principle that “saying nothing means making no mistakes.” By not taking any positions or expressing opinions, he had little chance of saying the wrong thing and went on to win a three-way mayoral race. After taking office, he continued with a similar philosophy of “doing nothing means making no mistakes” — by avoiding major municipal construction projects, he would have little opportunity to make mistakes. As a result, Chiang’s first term has been largely devoid of any memorable policy achievements. However, that has also allowed him to live
RSS