An expert on the nation’s political history yesterday urged people to revisit Taiwan’s status and envision its future beyond the “one China” narrative.
Taiwan must discuss a number of things to raise national awareness, including the revision of its flag, national day and national anthem, as they were brought by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) colonial regime, Monash University professor of Asian Languages and Studies Bruce Jacobs said in a speech at the Australian Office in Taipei.
Jacobs said he hopes that such discussions would lead to a “paradigm shift.”
The new thinking also applies to foreign policy, with the aim to wrest control from China and resist its attempts to enforce the “one China” principle, Jacobs said.
“When you look at Taiwan and its foreign relations, I want to propose that we think about Taiwan in new ways, and this is important not only for people in Taiwan, but also for ... democratic powers around the world that have to deal with countries like Taiwan and China,” he said.
Taiwan should stop emphasizing its “so-called diplomatic allies” to legitimize its statehood, Jacobs said.
Taiwan should not sever relations with a state that recognizes the People’s Republic of China, even if the state has been “insulting,” he said.
Jacobs cited the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States, which codifies the declarative theory of statehood and is accepted as part of customary international law, saying that Taiwan meets all its requirements for statehood.
This means that Taiwan does not need recognition from other countries to become a state, he said.
Taiwan should work closely with democratic powers to establish more formal bilateral ties, even as they maintain relations with China, he said.
Jacobs has long been a fixture in the Taiwan studies community. He came to Taiwan in 1965 to study at National Taiwan University and has visited regularly ever since.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all