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China threatens Taiwan economically, expert says

A rising China poses a greater threat to Taiwan economically than militarily, Lin Bih-jaw (林碧炤), vice president of National Chengchi University said on Friday.

Lin issued the warning when giving a speech on cross-strait relations to Taiwanese expatriates living in the city state.

According to Lin, China's economic pull based on its business clout has affected Taiwan more on the economic front than militarily, evidenced by Taiwan's industrial hollowing-out and capital and talent flights.

Claiming that Taiwan has not responded swiftly enough to the changes brought about by China's economic opening since the 1970s, Lin said that Taiwan should wise up and turn China's challenges into something meaningful to galvanize its upgrading and transformation.

Taiwan should interpret China's rise as a world power from an angle beneficial to its own interests, instead of echoing the views of Western countries, he said. Apart from being a power in the Asia-Pacific region, China also has increased leverage in international affairs, he noted, adding that China's ascent has come with a bigger role on the world stage, a development that is hard for Taiwan to keep pace with.

Facing such a situation, Taiwan should do its best to engage with other countries by fulfilling its role as a democratic and constructive member in international society, he said. As to the question of whether China will be a risk to other nations in the process of becoming a superpower, he said that it is premature to talk about the issue now as many variables remain.

For the time being, China has devoted all its energy to developing its economy in a peaceful manner and it will avoid having conflicts with countries such as the US and Japan, he said.

It is worth noting that in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), China always supports countries in Southeast Asia to hold talks with Russia, India and Central Asian countries, while the US has been trying to better its ties with Australia, Canada, Japan and Taiwan, he said.

While China backs Southeast Asian countries to organize various forms of regional cooperation meetings that are within "East Asia," the US favors the idea of organizing regional cooperation organizations under the name of "Asia-Pacific," Lin said.

Competition between the two blocks has not yet surfaced, but to the US, an ascending China is set to challenge its presence in the Asia-Pacific region sooner or later, and this is something that must be contained, he said.

The SCO is an inter-governmental body set up in 2002 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to boost mutual beneficial cooperation and good ties among the six countries in the areas of politics, security, diplomacy and trade.
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