The US and China have developed a broad relationship discussing a wide range of issues -- some of which they agree upon and others that they do not.
In addition, the US has long-established agreements with China and Taiwan regarding cross-strait issues. The nature of the wording in these agreements is written with great care. With the constant changes taking place in China, the US and Taiwan, meetings on cross-strait issues are frequent and policies are rearranged.
The US-China relationship involves repeated meetings between senior leaders following significant developments. That is clearly not the case between the US and Taiwan, though there is equal need to hold high level dialogues between the two countries.
Much will be happening in the political scenes of all three countries over the next year. Taiwan has two elections coming up next year, while China has the Chinese Communist Party's 17th National Congress this year, followed by the Olympic Games next year -- which is already occupying Beijing. The US has elections for president, the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate in November next year.
The congress in China is not likely to cause problems -- at least not immediately -- and the Olympics will continue to occupy Beijing in many ways. The people of the two democracies -- the US and Taiwan -- will soon be occupied with their elections and the changes they may bring.
The US believes it is necessary to work more closely with China. Will this become an established policy? If so, the question is, can the US maintain its strength in the region? Taiwan, a young democracy, is also occupied with social changes as more of the public identifies itself as Taiwanese.
At the same time, the US has told Taiwan that it opposes Taiwan seeking to join the UN under the name of "Taiwan." Was such a bid necessary? Aside from the fact that the UN would not allow it to join because of China's opposition, Taiwan's goal has a history. In earlier days, US experts only had to deal with one person, late president Chiang Ching-kuo (
During that time, an opposition party became legitimate. The opposition included Vice President Annette Lu (
Both obviously understood that it was only the UN, not the US, that could let Taiwan in. The Taiwanese wanted to join the UN and most politicians supported the idea. Now Taiwan has President Chen Shui-bian (
Later on, Lee pressed to get a visa to go to Cornell and today Chen is doing much the same. Both are trying to remind the world that there is a place called Taiwan -- a democracy where people are free.
The famous missile tests in 1995 and 1996 in large measure demonstrated that the leaders of Taiwan are legitimate -- a sharp contrast with the leaders of China. That was the real purpose then, not the visit to Cornell or getting into the UN.
China may not like an effort of this kind, but it has been harming Taiwan in many ways in cross-strait and international issues. Taiwan has also passed referendums that were seen as much more troublesome in the past.
The US should not meddle in this issue because the people of Taiwan have shown they support having referendums. The two main political parties say they have the right to hold a referendum on joining the UN, but are arguing over the name that should be used for Taiwan. It is not a good idea for a country to get involved in other countries' democratic processes.
Further, in next year's presidential election, there will be a decision on a new president and there may be two referendums, one on the UN and the other on the KMT's stolen assets. A total of 113 legislators will have been elected and its impact will be felt. The results of this and the presidential decision will determine Taiwan's future. It is likely to be even more tense than 2004.
As for getting the right people in the US government to better understand the complicated and sensitive issues surrounding Taiwan, there must be some process of dialogue between the two sides -- a real dialogue between senior experts from a variety of government agencies -- perhaps given a short unofficial time for them -- who can meet periodically and press for consensus on important issues.
Nat Bellocchi is a former chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan and is special adviser to the Liberty Times Group. The views in this article are his own.
I came to Taiwan to pursue my degree thinking that Taiwanese are “friendly,” but I was welcomed by Taiwanese classmates laughing at my friend’s name, Maria (瑪莉亞). At the time, I could not understand why they were mocking the name of Jesus’ mother. Later, I learned that “Maria” had become a stereotype — a shorthand for Filipino migrant workers. That was because many Filipino women in Taiwan, especially those who became house helpers, happen to have that name. With the rapidly increasing number of foreigners coming to Taiwan to work or study, more Taiwanese are interacting, socializing and forming relationships with
Chinese social media influencer “Yaya in Taiwan” (亞亞在台灣), whose real name is Liu Zhenya (劉振亞), made statements advocating for “reunifying Taiwan [with China] through military force.” After verifying that Liu did indeed make such statements, the National Immigration Agency revoked her dependency-based residency permit. She must now either leave the country voluntarily or be deported. Operating your own page and becoming an influencer require a certain amount of support and user traffic. You must successfully gain approval for your views and attract an audience. Although Liu must leave the country, I cannot help but wonder how many more “Yayas” are still
Earlier signs suggest that US President Donald Trump’s policy on Taiwan is set to move in a more resolute direction, as his administration begins to take a tougher approach toward America’s main challenger at the global level, China. Despite its deepening economic woes, China continues to flex its muscles, including conducting provocative military drills off Taiwan, Australia and Vietnam recently. A recent Trump-signed memorandum on America’s investment policy was more about the China threat than about anything else. Singling out the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as a foreign adversary directing investments in American companies to obtain cutting-edge technologies, it said
The recent termination of Tibetan-language broadcasts by Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) is a significant setback for Tibetans both in Tibet and across the global diaspora. The broadcasts have long served as a vital lifeline, providing uncensored news, cultural preservation and a sense of connection for a community often isolated by geopolitical realities. For Tibetans living under Chinese rule, access to independent information is severely restricted. The Chinese government tightly controls media and censors content that challenges its narrative. VOA and RFA broadcasts have been among the few sources of uncensored news available to Tibetans, offering insights
RSS