A story circulating in Taiwan's business circles has it that a member of the KMT's core leadership visited Beijing after the party lost political power last year. When he met with Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen (
In the conversation that followed, Qian told his visitor, "Now we've entered the 21st century. Comrade Jiang Zemin (
In the ears of the majority of the people of Taiwan -- those not from the pro-unification camps -- this is a story about crazy people with crazy ideas. Didn't the late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping (
For people like Deng and Jiang, who use the future of their nation and the welfare of its citizens -- as well as those of other countries -- as a wager, the only appropriate description of their actions can be "stupid."
Apart from overseeing a growing economy and being in the leader's chair when Beijing won its bid to host the Olympic Games, Jiang has little else to show for his 12 years in power except for China's entry into the WTO -- a doubtful legacy that is likely to lead to massive economic problems for his successors. His only expertise seems to be shouting political slogans -- such as "preaching politics, learning and righteousness" (
Not only does Jiang lack both political wisdom and strategy, but his breadth of vision is far inferior to the "Chinese greats" he hopes to emulate. Just think about his abysmal and embarrassing performances on the international stage. Remember how he lashed out at his hosts in Denmark for not knowing how to manage a country; how he imploded at a forum in Japan and yelled at Hong Kong reporters during a media event in Zhongnanhai.
If fact, if Jiang really wants to accomplish something in cross-strait relations, the first thing he needs to do is rid himself of the idea of using that arena to make a name for himself. Then he could start to treat Taiwan with the tolerance that becomes a great leader.
When it comes to how China could better deal with Taiwan, former US ambassador to China J. Stapleton Roy hit the nail on the head during a speech at Johns Hopkins University on Wednesday. He said that, rather than resorting to threats, China should give Taiwan some incentive to develop constructive cross-strait relationships.
Anyone with the slightest common sense should have figured this out by now. China's missile demonstrations and verbal threats during Taiwan's past two presidential elections have sent the candidates China abhorred, Lee Teng-hui (
Only if Jiang can manage to figure out how to stop shooting himself in the foot will he be able to take the first step toward greatness. Otherwise, he will be remain a footnote in the history books.
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
If you had a vision of the future where China did not dominate the global car industry, you can kiss those dreams goodbye. That is because US President Donald Trump’s promised 25 percent tariff on auto imports takes an ax to the only bits of the emerging electric vehicle (EV) supply chain that are not already dominated by Beijing. The biggest losers when the levies take effect this week would be Japan and South Korea. They account for one-third of the cars imported into the US, and as much as two-thirds of those imported from outside North America. (Mexico and Canada, while
I have heard people equate the government’s stance on resisting forced unification with China or the conditional reinstatement of the military court system with the rise of the Nazis before World War II. The comparison is absurd. There is no meaningful parallel between the government and Nazi Germany, nor does such a mindset exist within the general public in Taiwan. It is important to remember that the German public bore some responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. Post-World War II Germany’s transitional justice efforts were rooted in a national reckoning and introspection. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps not
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