Cross-strait competition
The Taipei Times, in an editorial on Wang Yi-hung's (王宜宏) flight ("Apologies not enough," Oct 17, page 8) said the case highlights "truly worrying" problems. Political officers, such as Lieutenant Wang, were used by both the communists and the KMT. In Taiwan, they helped cultivate loyalty to both the party and the state, which for all practical purposes were one and the same. But, according to the editorial, the defeat of the KMT by the DPP two years ago "probably created an earthquake among political officers. After all, they were trained to have an entire conceptual framework built on loyalty to the country and the party."
The question of the loyalty of Taiwan's military has been a hot issue in the last two years, ever since the KMT was ousted from power. The question is whether a military trained to defend the ROC will be loyal to a Taiwan that no longer claims to be Chinese. The Wang case certainly suggests that this may well be a real problem.
Ironically, the day before Wang's flight was disclosed, there was news that Tang Yuanjun (
Taiwan has refrained from trumpeting this victory. Gone are the days when each side would celebrate the news of any defection by the other. Taiwan used to offer money to all defectors from China. Now, plane hijackers are routinely sent back and defectors, such as Tang, are seen as an embarrassment. What Taiwan wants now are good relations with China, not propaganda coups.
But still, the competition continues, sometimes in more subtle ways. An exhibition on Albert Einstein opened recently in Taipei. The exhibit will be held in several other cities, including Taichung, Kaohsiung, Tainan and Hualien, before moving to South Korea next March.
Originally, the exhibit was scheduled to open last month in Beijing and then to travel to Shanghai, Guangzhou and other cities. However, Israel cancelled the exhibit after Chinese officials asked for the removal of all references to the famous scientist's Jewishness. Instead, Israel offered the Einstein exhibit to Taiwan, which welcomed it with open arms.
This incident underscores the differences between China and Taiwan. In China, politics is sometimes still in command. The whole world knows that Einstein was a Jew; it is simply absurd to hide that fact from people in China. The losers are the people of China, who are now deprived of the chance to view this exhibit, as well as the Chinese government itself.
In the continuing competition between Taiwan and China, the score is Taiwan 2, China 1.
Threat to peace
Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (
The situation reminds me of the movie 13 Days. In 1962, the U-2 air scout took pictures of Russian missiles arriving in Cuba. It frightened the Americans, because they had never been exposed to such danger before. I think our situation is 10 times more serious than the Cuban missile crisis. The people of Taiwan have put up with dictatorial behavior from China since 1996. And from that moment, we have not been able to sleep soundly in our beds at night.
It shouldn't be like this! If China and Taiwan were truly "family," if China really respected people's wishes -- especially those of the people of Taiwan -- they would never behave in this way. On the other hand, the sooner we begin to talk, the better it will be for both sides. Only if we work together, will the day of prosperity, progress, and peace dawn in the Asia Pacific area.
Elisa Cheng Kang Wu
Taoyuang city
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