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Academics pick apart Rice comments

"The US is ignorant of the voice of the 2.7 million Taiwanese who petitioned for the referendum. The Bush administration still holds on to the jaded idea that it can squelch Taiwan's democracy by pressuring Chen, just like the US did during the Chiang [Kai-shek] era."

Chen Wen-shyen, history professor at National Chengchi University

China will be the only winner if the US continues to oppose Taiwan's referendum to join the UN, academics said at a forum in Taipei yesterday, while urging the US to stop yielding to Beijing's pressure to marginalize Taiwan and warning of an increasing anti-US sentiment in Taiwan if Washington insists on blocking the referendum.

The forum, sponsored by the pro-independence Taiwan Think tank, was held to gather the views of Taiwanese academics on US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's recent open criticism of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government's referendum to join the UN under the name "Taiwan."

Calling the referendum a "provocative policy, " Rice said during a press conference in Washington on Friday that the referendum "unnecessarily raises tensions in the Taiwan Strait" and "promises no real benefits for the people of Taiwan on the international stage."

Mainland Council Affairs Vice-Chairman Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) told the forum yesterday that the US was gravely misinformed on the purpose of the referendum.

"Rice made a huge mistake by calling Taiwan's move provocative because China is the real provoker in this case," he said, adding that in the past three years, China had made 110 successful attempts to blackball Taiwan' participation in various international organizations.

And China continues to aim as many as 1,000 missiles at Taiwan, he said.

The planned UN referendum is an indication Taiwan's democratic maturity, he said.

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has made it very clear that the purpose of the referendum is to allow Taiwanese to voice their opinion on the nation's UN bid under the designation "Taiwan," not to change the nation's official name or to unilaterally alter the "status quo," he said.

National Chengchi University Taiwan history professor Chen Wen-shyen (陳文賢) described Rice's statement as "inappropriate, unfair and ignorant."

"It is obvious that the US is ignorant of the voice of the 2.7 million Taiwanese who petitioned for the referendum," he said.

"The Bush administration still holds on to the jaded idea that it can squelch Taiwan's democracy by pressuring Chen, just like the US did during the Chiang [Kai-shek (蔣介石)] era," he said.

Chen Wen-shyen also said that Taiwan's ostracism from the UN would further hinder the nation's efforts to make positive contributions to worldwide issues such as global warming.

Soochow University Political Science Department Chair Luo Chih-cheng (羅致政) criticized the US for "silently consenting" to Beijing's bullying of Taiwan, adding that Washington had made no effort to prevent China from downgrading Taiwan's status in the World Organization of Animal Health.

The Bush administration is severely underestimating the dangerous collateral damage that might result from opposing Taiwan's UN referendum because it gives Beijing a green light to further intimidate Taiwan militarily, he said.

"The US should be concerned with a possible wave of anti-US sentiment in Taiwan if it refuses to back down from its opposing stance," he said.

"Although there might be other factors, Washington's opposition to the UN referendum is the major reason behind the increasing animosity," he said.

Lai Yi-chung (賴怡忠), deputy of the DPP's International Affairs Department, said Washington's policy was unfair because it handcuffs Taiwan and prevents it from making any political decisions regarding its status while allowing China to continue to sabotage Taiwan's growth with various threats.

China is the sole beneficiary in the quagmire between the US and Taiwan because it has successfully pinned two democratic countries against each other, he said.
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