Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday rebutted the “monoculturalist” label attached to Taiwan by self-confessed Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, saying the country’s culture is a mix of Western and Asian elements.
Taiwan’s culture accommodates elements of Western and Asian culture and is a close combination of the traditions of Chinese culture and Taiwanese culture, which has created a “Taiwanese culture with Chinese characteristics” or a “Chinese culture with Taiwanese characteristics,” Wu said.
Wu made the remarks in response to a media query concerning Breivik, who cited Taiwan, South Korea and Japan as countries that he looks up to in his hopes to promote a monocultural society in Norway and Europe.
Wu said that Taiwan has a history of several hundred years of development, with a cultural heritage left by Western countries such as the Netherlands and Asian countries such as Japan during their colonization of the nation.
Other than those, Chinese culture was first brought to Taiwan 300 years ago and again by a second wave of immigrants from China since 1945.
“In addition, Taiwan’s Aborigines have always been here,” Wu said. “I think Taiwan has a rich culture in which all ethnic groups live together in harmony.”
Even American jazz music has been introduced to Taiwan, as has Western technology, he said.
“As a result, many talented people were born here,” he added.
Wu said that a well-functioning, stable and mature democracy has been built up in Taiwan at all levels of central and local government after several decades of democratization.
“Given this, what the Norwegian killer said [about Taiwan] is not true at all,” he said.
Mentions of Taiwan are sprinkled throughout a rambling 1,500-page manifesto that Breivik authored and apparently e-mailed on Friday, the day of the attacks.
“Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are today our role models for the conservative movement ... These three models contain a majority of all the political principles we seek to restore,” says Breivik’s “2083: A European Declaration of Independence.”
Breivik sent out the manifesto an hour before he killed 76 people by exploding a bomb in downtown Oslo and gunning down teenagers at an offshore youth camp.
The massive document details the careful planning behind the attacks, as well as descriptions of his far-right, anti-immigration political beliefs and his fear of a Muslim takeover of Europe.
Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are singled out as examples in his document because of their strict immigration policies, which he said should be seen as a model for western Europe and “viewed as an inspiration for future cultural conservative governments.”
Racial and ethnic purity, as well as proposals for a highly “monocultural society,” appear to be the hallmarks of the document, which has been compared to a call-to-arms for far-right extremists against Muslim immigration to Europe.
“As for current national political systems, I especially admire the Japanese, South Korean and Taiwanese system. These three countries reject multiculturalism outright and have instead focused on maintaining and protecting their monoculture,” it says.
His remarks appear to come as a contradiction to the fact that more than 450,000 foreign immigrants — mainly foreign spouses from China, Vietnam and Indonesia — have settled in Taiwan since 1987, according to National Immigration Agency statistics.
Undeterred, the suspected gunman claims that there are similarities between Japan, South Korea and Taiwan’s strict immigration policies and those adopted by Nazi Germany, an ideology that he says should be re-evaluated.
Apparently basing at least parts of his research on Wikipedia, Breivik lists the three Asian countries as part of the political systems he most admires, saying that their “monoculturalist” policies should be introduced in western Europe.
His 1,500 page manifesto, full of references to far-right extremism, also envisions a day when European countries are joined together in a military alliance with countries including, surprisingly, Taiwan, after NATO dissolves sometime in the future.
Breivik, 32, has described himself as a crusader seeking to put a stop to growing levels of Muslim immigration across Europe. He is being charged under Norway’s anti-terrorism laws, but his lawyer has indicated that he would plead not guilty to criminal responsibility, despite confessing to the attacks.
Geir Lippestad, Breivik’s lawyer, has suggested that he could plead insanity.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source