Vatican offers opportunity
The severing of diplomatic ties with Macedonia was Taiwan's first diplomatic loss since the DPP came to power. The behind-the-scenes story was, not for the first time, a matter of money.
The conditions put down by Beijing for the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Macedonia involved the usual package: the cutting of diplomatic ties with Taiwan and recognition that Taiwan is a part of the PRC. The Macedonian scenario has been an oft-repeated feature of Taiwan's diplomatic history.
The situation with the Vatican, however, is an exception that merits our attention. The relationship between Beijing and the Vatican has resumed following US President George W. Bush's visit to Shanghai. Not surprisingly, Beijing's traditional package has been put forward as the condition for establishing formal relations with the Vatican. We should be aware that the part of the package concerning Taiwan is already known to everyone, including Bush. Yet Bush assisted with the resumption of talks.
The Vatican is not like those little countries asking for money. It is a state with global religious authority. The Vatican-Beijing relationship broke down because of a dispute regarding religious freedom and the authority to appoint Catholic bishops, both matters of principle. Whether the issue of Taiwan is being considered as a matter of principle by the Vatican remains to be seen.
In any event, the Vatican's case should serve as a good indicator of whether a dual recognition of both Taiwan and the PRC can be established. The Vatican may be the most appropriate state to initiate this breakthrough.
The current ROC embassy in the Vatican has emphasized that there is still a long way to go for a normalized relationship between the Vatican and Beijing. So stay cool; there is no cause for alarm.
But what cards can Taipei play? This might be a good chance to test how smart Taipei is in foreign affairs. If the matter is handled intelligently, Taiwan could have a good opportunity to gain a recognition parallel to that of the PRC. Once that happens the opening of the door to the entire world could follow.
What course of action can be taken by ordinary people to help Taiwan? I think a petition campaign involving religious groups and lay people, directed at the Vatican, would help.
Joshua Tin
Brooklyn, New York
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
RSS