Ex-US official says PRC rise `inconvenient truth'

"Do not underestimate the influence of Taiwan's democracy because we have seen it affect Hong Kong's chief executive election held last month."

Lo Chih-cheng, director of the department of political science at Soochow University

China's rise has proved an "inconvenient truth" to Taiwan, which has made normal and natural political activity in Taiwan like a referendum on its future a sensitive issue, said a former US high-ranking official said yesterday.

Stephen Yates, former deputy assistant for national security affairs to US Vice President Dick Cheney, made the remarks yesterday at an international seminar held on the challenge that China's rise poses to Taiwan.

The event, hosted by the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) Department of Chinese Affairs, invited governmental officials, foreign ambassadors and academics with expertise in East Asian affairs to share their opinions and observations with local researchers.

Yates told the seminar that another "inconvenient truth" was whether the process of China's rise is peaceful or whether China's rise will lead to a peaceful outcome. He also suggested Taiwan should hold influential and significant seminars for non-governmental organizations to prove its contribution to the world.

DPP Secretary-General Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) told the seminar that deeply-grained misconceptions about Taiwan in the international community had caused apathetic attitudes towards the Chinese missile threat to Taiwan, which also jeopardized the development and existence of Taiwan's democracy.

Lin urged the international community to rethink the so-called "one China policy" and not to appease China because this policy, which the world tolerates too easily, has not had a positive influence on regional peace but fostered the strengthening of China's hegemony.

"It is ironic that Taiwan was suppressed for insisting on democracy but the world is lenient towards China's lack of democracy," he said.

Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政), director of the department of political science at Soochow University, said East Asian countries seem to have divergent views and methods when handling China's rise.

"Taiwan should be seen as a strategic asset rather a potential sacrifice in the Asia-Pacific region," Lo said. "Do not underestimate the influence of Taiwan's democracy because we have seen it affect Hong Kong's chief executive election held last month."

Taiwan has to assist China to become a democratic country otherwise it would also be difficult for Taiwan to become a real and solid democratic country, he added.

Former Indian minister of national defense George Fernandez said that he noticed that China had ambitions to become a military superpower when he met former Chinese president Jiang Zemin (江澤民) several years ago and he sensed China's goal has gradually been achieved by Chinese leaders.

Chi Nan University public policy professor Byron Weng (翁松燃) suggested that China's increasing military power significantly affected Taiwanese willingness to unify with China by actually providing a boost to the idea of Taiwan's independence.

"More and more people in Taiwan would say they do not reject the idea of Taiwanese independence. It is because no one wants to be ruled by a belligerent and undemocratic China," Weng said.

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