Aboriginal rights and the UN
Last Thursday, the UN General Assembly adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by a vote of 143-4. It was co-sponsored by several countries, including Taiwan's allies the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. This declaration affirms the concept of self-determination for indigenous peoples in international law and sets high standards for their human rights.
The adoption of the declaration provides a golden opportunity for Taiwan to assert its sovereignty in the international arena. Taiwan has already made significant progress in indigenous rights through the passage of the 2005 Indigenous Peoples Basic Law (原住民基本法). If fully implemented, Taiwan will better protect indigenous rights than Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US.
Although the Indigenous Peoples Basic Law stipulates that all related laws and regulations must be revised within three years -- that is, by February -- many have neither been implemented nor enforced. Now is the time to do so.
Taiwan now has the opportunity to make a substantive declaration of sovereignty by communicating to the UN through official channels its intention to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This is because only a state can effectively recognize the self-determination of indigenous peoples within its territories.
Effective governance on indigenous rights will necessitate extending the three-year deadline for revisions relating to the Indigenous Peoples Basic Law and subsequent full implementation of the law.
For example, mining companies will have to seek the prior consent of affected communities before beginning new projects.
Taiwan can also seek out cooperation on indigenous rights with allied co-sponsors of the declaration with significant indigenous populations, such as Nicaragua.
Taiwan can point out that China does not recognize the existence of indigenous peoples within its borders, referring to them instead as "ethnic minorities." In its usual hegemonic style, China even includes Taiwan's indigenous peoples in this category as Taiwanese "mountain tribes" (
This designation by the Chinese government puts all of these peoples outside the scope of the declaration, depriving them of certain rights related to self-determination, land, resource use and prior consent.
Implementation of the Indigenous Peoples Basic Law, which includes all of these rights, will demonstrate that indigenous peoples are better off in a sovereign Republic of China than in communist China.
A strong, public commitment to indigenous rights demonstrates clearly that Taiwan is a sovereign, independent state. It will reinforce the reputation of Taiwan as a model of democracy and human rights. It will help Taiwan gain international support, contributing to its efforts to enter the UN and other international organizations.
Scott Simon
University of Ottawa
Canada
In the event of a war with China, Taiwan has some surprisingly tough defenses that could make it as difficult to tackle as a porcupine: A shoreline dotted with swamps, rocks and concrete barriers; conscription for all adult men; highways and airports that are built to double as hardened combat facilities. This porcupine has a soft underbelly, though, and the war in Iran is exposing it: energy. About 39,000 ships dock at Taiwan’s ports each year, more than the 30,000 that transit the Strait of Hormuz. About one-fifth of their inbound tonnage is coal, oil, refined fuels and liquefied natural gas (LNG),
To counter the CCP’s escalating threats, Taiwan must build a national consensus and demonstrate the capability and the will to fight. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) often leans on a seductive mantra to soften its threats, such as “Chinese do not kill Chinese.” The slogan is designed to frame territorial conquest (annexation) as a domestic family matter. A look at the historical ledger reveals a different truth. For the CCP, being labeled “family” has never been a guarantee of safety; it has been the primary prerequisite for state-sanctioned slaughter. From the forced starvation of 150,000 civilians at the Siege of Changchun
The two major opposition parties, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), jointly announced on Tuesday last week that former TPP lawmaker Chang Chi-kai (張啟楷) would be their joint candidate for Chiayi mayor, following polling conducted earlier this month. It is the first case of blue-white (KMT-TPP) cooperation in selecting a joint candidate under an agreement signed by their chairpersons last month. KMT and TPP supporters have blamed their 2024 presidential election loss on failing to decide on a joint candidate, which ended in a dramatic breakdown with participants pointing fingers, calling polls unfair, sobbing and walking
In recent weeks, Taiwan has witnessed a surge of public anxiety over the possible introduction of Indian migrant workers. What began as a policy signal from the Ministry of Labor quickly escalated into a broader controversy. Petitions gathered thousands of signatures within days, political figures issued strong warnings, and social media became saturated with concerns about public safety and social stability. At first glance, this appears to be a straightforward policy question: Should Taiwan introduce Indian migrant workers or not? However, this framing is misleading. The current debate is not fundamentally about India. It is about Taiwan’s labor system, its
RSS