Building Taiwan’s future
Voice of America’s Strait Talk broadcast an interview with Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) on Feb. 3. Han said that if [World War II] was won by Japan 70 years ago, would there be a Chinese nation today?
When the host, Daphne Fan (樊冬寧), asked how to compare the relationship between the US and Taiwan, he said that the US and Taiwan were “friends first, then married.” The Americans had lot of money in their pocket 50 or 60 years ago they pursued Taiwan.
Japan is a “marriage first, then friend.” Because the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed, the overlord was hard on the bow. Li Hung-chang (李鴻章) signed the treaty at Shunpanro Taiwan ceded. Then Japan began to suppress, slaughter, educate and develop Taiwan. As to China and Taiwan is “marriage by finger belly.”
Han’s metaphor of relationship between the US, Japan, China and Taiwan are impressive. Compared to [Taipei Mayor] Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) referred Taiwan to the robbers in a bank robbery and China is the police guarding the bank, it is a pole apart. Ko is really a low-class vulgar and unpredictable.
Of course, the US-Taiwan relationship is not really “friend first, then married” as what Han said, but “has a treaty first.” After World War II, the US Military Government was authorized as the principal occupying power by the San Francisco Peace Treaty to secure the peace and prosperity of Taiwan.
Grew up in the blue camp, Han has guts to face the historical fact that Qing emperor ceded to Japan in perpetuity and full sovereignty of Taiwan and the Pescadores Islands, rather than blindly referring to the nonsense of Japan entrenched Taiwan. We should give him recognition.
In fact, the relationship between Taiwan and Japan is “acting in accordance with treaty.” In 1895, Japan gave residents who lived on the island of Taiwan for a two-year grace period, allowing them to decide for themselves whether they want to be a Chinese by going to China or Japanese by staying in Taiwan. As a result, 6,456 people chose to leave Taiwan. After World War II, Japan renounced all right, title and claim to Taiwan under the San Francisco Peace Treaty. Before Taiwan reach the final legal status Japan will join the US to defense Taiwan by including in its collective defense system.
Compared the relationship between Taiwan and China as a marriage by finger belly, it is flattering to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). In fact, Taiwan and China have no any connection at all. Who will give them a finger-to-marriage, by Xi and Han? It went too far.
On Jan. 2, Xi said to resist martial unification is to ask death. China is simply a bully, rogue, arrogant, bandit robbers, “tyrant bad neighbor” and of course Taiwan will not be unresponsive, helpless, and dying. Moreover, the international communities will never allow China to invade Taiwan.
In addition to Xi’s bullying, the Republic of China (ROC) is more difficult than the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for Taiwan to deal with. [The ROC] was substantially kicked out of China by Mao Zedong (毛澤東) [and] became an exiled government. However, the Democratic Progressive Party government, which is in power today in Taiwan, still bluntly said that the ROC is the largest common denominator. Taiwan is ROC and ROC is Taiwan. No of course not. Taiwan is just Taiwan.
After the Lunar New Year, the Taiwan society is about to kick off the presidential election of 2020. Now we are standing at the critical moment of Taiwan’s history. What should we do now? How will future generations evaluate our generation of Taiwanese? Why did the Taiwanese elect not to be the president of Taiwan, but of ROC government in exile? Why is the ROC president elected by Taiwan people? And did the elected president represent China or Taiwan? If it is China, who is Xi represented? If it is Taiwan, why is there no any campaign policy saying that she or he is running for the president of Taiwan?
This year is the 70th anniversary of the ROC government’s exile in Taiwan, the 60th of the anti-violence of Tibet, the 30th of the Tiananmen Square Massacre and the 40th of the Taiwan Relations Act enter into force. This year, all Taiwanese should thoroughly aware of, who owns Taiwan? Does Taiwan-US, Taiwan-PRC and Taiwan-ROC have legal relations? Is “friend first, then marry,” treaty first, a kin family, beggar squatting temple, robber and police, fingering for marriage, bullying bad neighbor? What should be abandoned and got rid of? What should be brave to pursue? Let us start from today and seriously plan to build the future of Taiwan!
John Hsieh
Hayward, California
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