A recent editorial ("A lesson from the education minister," Jan. 18, page 8) mentioned that President Chen Shui-bian (
It said, "Chen should have lodged a protest. It is the government's job to uphold the identity and dignity of the nation, both in word and deed."
While I have sympathy for this opinion, I feel that Taiwan's political class and media are far too wedded to the idea of "protesting."
The message that I see coming from Taiwan is overwhelmingly: "We're not China."
It is a negative, reactive stance that does no favors to Taiwan's image.
Chen most certainly should not have lodged a protest in Nicaragua. Such formalities are the job of embassy functionaries, not heads of state.
Chen's smoothing over of the error may have been too conciliatory, but the last thing a mature state wants to see is their leader quibbling over words.
If Taiwan wishes to project an image that differentiates it from China, there are many aspects of Taiwanese life that it could choose to highlight: democracy, human rights, a free press, value-added businesses, etc.
These aspects all need to be presented independently, not in the context of comparisons with China.
Taiwan needs to find proactive and innovative ways of presenting itself, and to stop simply reacting to statements and actions by the PRC.
Finally, I want to suggest that worrying about Taiwan's image is a rather secondary duty of the government.
A responsible government should be focused on providing for the welfare of its people. A truly confident nation does not waste time worrying about its image; it simply goes out and creates one.
Philip Hand
Xiamen, China
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