Due to the deadlock between China and Taiwan over Taiwan's choice of representative for the informal APEC leaders' conference, Taiwan lodged a strong protest on Thursday and yesterday officially declared that it was pulling out of the meeting. Even though such an ending was not unexpected, everyone knows who the real loser is. By blocking Taiwan's participation before the eyes of the leaders of the Asia-Pacific region, China hands Taiwan a free propaganda victory, helping us gain international sympathy. This shows just how stupid the Communist Party really is.
Early on, Taiwan showed the authorities in Beijing that there would be no better opportunity than the APEC summit meeting to promote harmony and thaw relations across the Taiwan Strait. The best way would have been to let President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) participate in the meeting himself. Regardless of what capacity he would have participated in, it would definitely have brought positive results for Beijing. It would not only set an example for direct communications, which would satisfy Beijing, it would also give them an image of harboring good intentions.
The ossified thinking of the Beijing leadership, however, could not grasp the idea that such a move would create a win-win situation. Instead they repeatedly interfered in the participation of former vice president Li Yuan-zu (
We cannot think of anything that Taiwan would lose by not participating in the summit meeting. Even if Li could have gone to Shanghai, there was always the risk of being humiliated by China. Taiwan's decision yesterday not to participate maintains Taiwan's dignity, without losing anything.
There is no way that we can accept the views of some unificationist local media and opposition groups who advocate Taiwan's persistent participation. These mouthpieces for Beijing do not care for the dignity of our nation. They only want to suck up to Beijing, with the logic that it doesn't matter if we participate, even if in a humiliating manner, since participation gives Taiwan the chance of being heard.
It doesn't take much thinking to see that Shanghai is in China, and that China will not let Taiwan voice its dissatisfaction there. Does the Falun Gong movement have a voice in China?
If the meeting were held elsewhere, Taiwan should of course expend all its efforts to participate, but this meeting is arranged by a China that still sees Taiwan as its main enemy. How can we expect them to extend even the smallest measure of respect to Taiwan?
Watching China's foreign minister, Tang Jiaxuan (
China's suppression of Taiwan is no reason to give up faith in ourselves. The Chinese paper tiger that only knows how to bully the weak is really the driving force behind the Taiwanese miracle over the last 50 years; as the old saying goes: "Without external enemies, a country will perish." When Taiwan declared that it is pulling out of the APEC summit meeting, it touched us deeply, and it also gave us abundant self-confidence -- the more pressure China applies, the more Taiwan will thrive.
Speaking at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on May 13, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that democracies must remain united and that “Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism.” Earlier that day, Tsai had met with a group of Danish parliamentarians led by Danish Parliament Speaker Pia Kjaersgaard, who has visited Taiwan many times, most recently in November last year, when she met with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office. Kjaersgaard had told Lai: “I can assure you that ... you can count on us. You can count on our support
Denmark has consistently defended Greenland in light of US President Donald Trump’s interests and has provided unwavering support to Ukraine during its war with Russia. Denmark can be proud of its clear support for peoples’ democratic right to determine their own future. However, this democratic ideal completely falls apart when it comes to Taiwan — and it raises important questions about Denmark’s commitment to supporting democracies. Taiwan lives under daily military threats from China, which seeks to take over Taiwan, by force if necessary — an annexation that only a very small minority in Taiwan supports. Denmark has given China a
Many local news media over the past week have reported on Internet personality Holger Chen’s (陳之漢) first visit to China between Tuesday last week and yesterday, as remarks he made during a live stream have sparked wide discussions and strong criticism across the Taiwan Strait. Chen, better known as Kuan Chang (館長), is a former gang member turned fitness celebrity and businessman. He is known for his live streams, which are full of foul-mouthed and hypermasculine commentary. He had previously spoken out against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and criticized Taiwanese who “enjoy the freedom in Taiwan, but want China’s money”
A high-school student surnamed Yang (楊) gained admissions to several prestigious medical schools recently. However, when Yang shared his “learning portfolio” on social media, he was caught exaggerating and even falsifying content, and his admissions were revoked. Now he has to take the “advanced subjects test” scheduled for next month. With his outstanding performance in the general scholastic ability test (GSAT), Yang successfully gained admissions to five prestigious medical schools. However, his university dreams have now been frustrated by the “flaws” in his learning portfolio. This is a wake-up call not only for students, but also teachers. Yang did make a big
RSS