Taipei Times: In his inauguration address, President Chen Shui-bian (
Graham Watson: I think the very fact that you had a change in government will affect the views of Europeans toward Taiwan. I regret to say that Taiwan is not very well known among Europeans. And when they think of Taiwan, they think of a rather old fashioned one-party state. The very fact that you changed government will make Europeans realize that here in Taiwan there is a flourishing democracy of 23 million people. His [President Chen's] commitment to human rights, in particular where he talked about Taiwan ratifying the International Convention for Civil and Political Rights, and the introduction of a "Taiwan Bill of Rights," will be welcomed. It will convince Europeans that Taiwan is ahead of the game, that there is a clear cultural difference between Taiwan and the PRC. I think Europe will realize how far the history of Taiwan and the history of the PRC have diverged.
TT:What advice do you have for the new government on communicating Taiwan's new image to Europeans?
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
GW: When you are on the other side of the world, the traditional image of a country takes a long time to change and I think it will take some time for people to recognize this is a different country. For example, however much difference former President Lee Teng-hui (
Second, the DPP has identified a very important aspect of Taiwan's development ... [of looking at] individuals, tourism and Taiwan businesses to promote non-official diplomacy.
In my view, a relaxed and self-confident Taiwan promoting itself in this way will have far greater success than a country that's constantly worried about tension. I think in the end, that is the way of highlighting the hypocrisy of countries like my own, which recognizes a brutal communist dictatorship in the PRC but refuses to recognize a flourishing democracy [like Taiwan].
TT: But what is Europe's interest in Taiwan when it has problems like Kosovo in its own back yard?
GW: Let me give you a few examples from my constituency in the southwest of England. First of all, we have a good opportunity for exporting goods to Taiwan and attracting investments. We have many areas of business where we have a common interest. My constituency is almost entirely surrounded by water, thousands of people in my constituency sail boats. Taiwan makes the best bi-satellite system in the world [used for navigation], which has saved thousands of lives in my constituency.
TT: Do Europeans know the difference between the ROC and the PRC?
GW: If I could give a piece of advice to the Taiwanese government, it would be to drop the expression ROC. Who knows what the Republic of China is and who cares? Everybody knows you as Taiwan. You are recognized as a modern democratic economy and modern society. Stick with Taiwan, drop ROC.
Graham Watson is a member of the European Parliament representing the Somerset and North Devon constituency. He is the leader of the UK Liberal Democrats in the European Parliament and the initiator of legislation passed this month in the EP calling for more support for Taiwan. Watson also arranged President Chen Shui-bian's visit to Brussels during his campaign for president.
NO-LIMITS PARTNERSHIP: ‘The bottom line’ is that if the US were to have a conflict with China or Russia it would likely open up a second front with the other, a US senator said Beijing and Moscow could cooperate in a conflict over Taiwan, the top US intelligence chief told the US Senate this week. “We see China and Russia, for the first time, exercising together in relation to Taiwan and recognizing that this is a place where China definitely wants Russia to be working with them, and we see no reason why they wouldn’t,” US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a US Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on Thursday. US Senator Mike Rounds asked Haines about such a potential scenario. He also asked US Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse
INSPIRING: Taiwan has been a model in the Asia-Pacific region with its democratic transition, free and fair elections and open society, the vice president-elect said Taiwan can play a leadership role in the Asia-Pacific region, vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) told a forum in Taipei yesterday, highlighting the nation’s resilience in the face of geopolitical challenges. “Not only can Taiwan help, but Taiwan can lead ... not only can Taiwan play a leadership role, but Taiwan’s leadership is important to the world,” Hsiao told the annual forum hosted by the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation think tank. Hsiao thanked Taiwan’s international friends for their long-term support, citing the example of US President Joe Biden last month signing into law a bill to provide aid to Taiwan,
China’s intrusive and territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific region are “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive,” new US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo said on Friday, adding that he would continue working with allies and partners to keep the area free and open. Paparo made the remarks at a change-of-command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, where he took over the command from Admiral John Aquilino. “Our world faces a complex problem set in the troubling actions of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] and its rapid buildup of forces. We must be ready to answer the PRC’s increasingly intrusive and
STATE OF THE NATION: The legislature should invite the president to deliver an address every year, the TPP said, adding that Lai should also have to answer legislators’ questions The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday proposed inviting president-elect William Lai (賴清德) to make a historic first state of the nation address at the legislature following his inauguration on May 20. Lai is expected to face many domestic and international challenges, and should clarify his intended policies with the public’s representatives, KMT caucus secretary-general Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said when making the proposal at a meeting of the legislature’s Procedure Committee. The committee voted to add the item to the agenda for Friday, along with another similar proposal put forward by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). The invitation is in line with Article 15-2