The US suffered unprecedented casualties in Tuesday's terrorist attacks. Evidence is mounting that the attacks were prompted by conflict and hatred between different cultures and religions. Ideological conflict was a hallmark of the 20th century -- but the Taiwan Strait, the two Koreas and the Middle East remain internationally recognized flashpoints as we entered the 21st century. China has rapidly increased the number of its ballistic missiles aimed at Taiwan from 200-plus to 350. This should be a cause of international concern.
At a recent international forum, Vice Premier Qian Qichen (
Such rhetoric is so conditioned a reflex that it has become a laughable cliche -- despite the efforts of Beijing academics to claim that China has given up its duplicitous doubletalk. They say Qian's remarks were the first time he has told an international audience that "There is only one China in the world. The mainland and Taiwan belong to one China. China's sovereignty and territory are inalienable." Whether small changes in the audience for such a speech represent a real change in China's Taiwan policy is hard to determine.
It has been hard to perceive goodwill in Beijing's recent behavior. Some say Beijing's successful Olympic bid will ensure seven years of peace in the Strait. But Qian has vowed not to renounce the use of force against Taiwan and the sound of gunfire continues to roar on Dongshan island, the site of massive war games by the People's Liberation Army.
Xiong Guangkai (
Peace remains a distant ideal. Some say China will become a model of economic globalization after its entry into the WTO. But economic freedom in China is still a long way off, given the way it punished Credit Suisse First Boston for helping Taiwan's finance minister hold investment roadshows in Europe.
Any talk from Beijing about having a consistent Taiwan policy will be of little benefit. Taiwan will have to both "listen to its words and observe its actions" -- judging Beijing's intentions by its actions. If Beijing truly wants to demonstrate its sincerity, the best way to do it would be to invite Chen to the APEC leaders' summit in Shanghai.
Only when President Jiang Zemin (
Both sides of the Strait should learn one of the lessons from Tuesday's terrorist atrocities: hatred should not be accumulated; grudges should not be increased. As long as China can extend a respectful, equitable attitude, Taiwan can patiently wait for the arrival of peace.
President William Lai (賴清德) recently attended an event in Taipei marking the end of World War II in Europe, emphasizing in his speech: “Using force to invade another country is an unjust act and will ultimately fail.” In just a few words, he captured the core values of the postwar international order and reminded us again: History is not just for reflection, but serves as a warning for the present. From a broad historical perspective, his statement carries weight. For centuries, international relations operated under the law of the jungle — where the strong dominated and the weak were constrained. That
The Executive Yuan recently revised a page of its Web site on ethnic groups in Taiwan, replacing the term “Han” (漢族) with “the rest of the population.” The page, which was updated on March 24, describes the composition of Taiwan’s registered households as indigenous (2.5 percent), foreign origin (1.2 percent) and the rest of the population (96.2 percent). The change was picked up by a social media user and amplified by local media, sparking heated discussion over the weekend. The pan-blue and pro-China camp called it a politically motivated desinicization attempt to obscure the Han Chinese ethnicity of most Taiwanese.
On Wednesday last week, the Rossiyskaya Gazeta published an article by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) asserting the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) territorial claim over Taiwan effective 1945, predicated upon instruments such as the 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation. The article further contended that this de jure and de facto status was subsequently reaffirmed by UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 1971. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly issued a statement categorically repudiating these assertions. In addition to the reasons put forward by the ministry, I believe that China’s assertions are open to questions in international
The Legislative Yuan passed an amendment on Friday last week to add four national holidays and make Workers’ Day a national holiday for all sectors — a move referred to as “four plus one.” The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who used their combined legislative majority to push the bill through its third reading, claim the holidays were chosen based on their inherent significance and social relevance. However, in passing the amendment, they have stuck to the traditional mindset of taking a holiday just for the sake of it, failing to make good use of
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