The most astounding reconciliation between long-time foes since the end of the Cold War may very well have taken place on Thursday at the Arab summit in Lebanon. Iraq publicly promised to respect the independence and sovereignty of Kuwait and to refrain from repeating its 1990 invasion of its smaller neighbor. If archenemies such as Iraq and Kuwait are able to mend ties, is there hope for China and Taiwan?
Many people remain skeptical of Iraq's sincerity, and rightly so. But Thursday's declaration was at least a start. Moreover, the Iraq-Kuwait example demonstrates that a promise by the aggressor to refrain from using force is the first step needed to kick off a reconciliation. It was a strong reminder that the main obstacle to improved cross-strait relations, no matter what Beijing thinks, is not pro-independence groups but China's refusal to renounce the threat to take Taiwan by force.
The main reason for Iraq's sudden willingness to act friendly, of course, is the looming threat of US military action against Saddam Hussein. The US has shown no reluctance about openly earmarking Iraq as the next target of its anti-terrorism campaign, giving it prominence on US President George W. Bush's enemies list -- the "axis of evil." International pressure on Baghdad, in particular from Arab states, has also been growing.
China is certainly as qualified as Iraq for inclusion in Bush's "evil axis." It is just as guilty of the accusations against Iraq, North Korea and Iran -- developing nuclear, chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction, helping terrorist groups obtain such weapons and threatening world peace.
Unfortunately for Taiwan, the level of US and international pressure on Beijing to clean up its act remains limited. Not only are threats of trade sanctions against China absent, but companies from around the world are rushing to invest in China. The US has also requested Beijing's help with Washington's war on terror.
The US also shows no sign of being willing to renounce the now-clearly outdated three US-Sino communiques. Key to all three communiques is Washington's hands-off policy with respect to the Taiwan issue, since people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait maintain there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part of China. However, as Vice President Annette Lu (
At the time of the signing of the first communique in Shanghai 30 years ago, the KMT's authoritarian rule over Taiwan was at its height. The people of Taiwan had no opportunity to express or even develop any "Taiwan consciousness." This is no longer the case.
The three US-Sino communiques are a violation of the right of the people of Taiwan to self-determination. Only when the US has the moral courage to admit that the communiques are not just outdated, but harmful to Taiwan -- and when the international community is willing to also acknowledge that -- will enough pressure be brought to bear on China. Only then will there be the hope that Beijing will finally renounces its self-proclaimed right to use force against Taiwan. Only then will the people of Taiwan truly be able to breathe freely.
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