Whenever Taiwan's president or vice president visit another country, China immediately mobilizes its diplomatic forces to suppress and harass them. This has become a routine diplomatic war between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. Since former president Lee Teng-hui (
In fact, Taiwan's current diplomatic dire straits are a legacy of the KMT's 50-year rule. After Chiang Kai-shek's (
No matter what great difficulties are facing Taiwan's diplomats today, government leaders should continue to work hard despite detractions from the outside world -- to "do what we should do," to quote Lu's words. The denigration of the Republic of China's status began on the day it was expelled from the UN -- long before any Taiwanese head of state was blocked at the gates of another country. Now that the KMT regime Chiang brought from China has been replaced by local political forces, Taiwan's government and public need to double their efforts, to let the international community understand the fact that Taiwan has been separated politically from China for more than 100 years, and that the Taiwanese will never accept communist rule.
Taiwan should never dance to Beijing's magic wand, nor should it give ground to Beijing's harassment in the international community. The more Beijing tries to suppress Taiwan, the harder Taiwan should strike back. Only then can Taiwan highlight its independent sovereignty and the serious problem of Beijing's intimidation. Obviously, Taiwan at times will suffer denigration in the process of seeking more diplomatic victories. This is the price Taiwan must pay for the Chiang regime's mistaken policy. We must not get depressed because of this. It's like a basketball match. We can't give up the match just because a forward loses the ball.
Think about it. The Chiang regime managed to keep the PRC out of the UN for more than 20 years. Before taking over the KMT government's seat in the Security Council, Beijing suffered a diplomatic blockade just like Taiwan does today. It was a struggle between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party, a struggle in which the people of Taiwan unfortunately became embroiled. The people of Taiwan became hostages in this struggle between two Chinese political parties. Today's government must clarify to the international community that the Chiang regime that held the people of Taiwan hostage and claimed to represent China no longer exists. The people of Taiwan have regained their freedom and have no territorial ambitions toward China.
The PRC's claim of sovereignty over Taiwan is off the mark. Beijing's leaders should quit the mentality of the Manchu dynasty, whose emperors view themselves as heavenly rulers and everything under the sun as their property.
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
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
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
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of
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