Consul spreads falsities
Chinese Consul Hou Danna of the Consulate General of the Peoples’ Republic of China (PRC) in Calgary, Canada, published an article titled “Taiwan is part of China” in the Calgary Herald newspaper last Friday that is nothing but a joke. It attempts to hypnotize Canadian readers with the so-called “one world, one dream” mantra and the “one China” delusion. Danna could just as well have been trying to convince Canadians that Canada is part of England. And yet, the Herald published his piece.
The 5,000 years of Chinese history are replete with hegemonism, while dynastic transitions were filled with brutal killing. Chinese have always believed that once you occupy a land, you are its ruler. They simply do not understand what the “Law of War” is. Many do not even seem to know that military occupation does not equal transfer of sovereignty, that a peace treaty has to be signed before any such transfer can be realized.
Taiwan was ceded by the Qing emperor to Japan through the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895, whereupon Taiwan became part of Japanese territory.
In the San Francisco Peace Treaty of Sept. 8, 1951, following World War II, Japan renounced all rights, title and claim to Formosa and the Pescadores. Since the PRC was not even invited to the San Francisco Peace Conference, how could it claim sovereignty over Taiwan?
Since April 28, 1952, Taiwan has been under the civil affairs administrative control of the United States Military Government. Dennis Wilder, National Security Council Senior Director for Asian Affairs, has said: “Taiwan, or the Republic of China, is not at this point a state in the international community.”
The Chinese Communist Party insists that there is only one Chinese nation in the world, which includes all Chinese-speaking people. But people speaking the same language need not be governed by a single country.
Taiwan’s status has yet to be settled and it remains an orphan in the international community. To ensure its survival, Taiwan needs balanced reporting by the global media and help from the international community. Peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait serves the interests of everybody in the Asia-Pacific region, if not the entire world.
Beijing must respect the will of Taiwanese. Taiwan and China can be friends and good neighbors. But Taiwan is not part of China. It’s part of the world.
JOHN HSIEH
Hayward, California
UN BENDS THE LAW
The UN Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit refuses to accredit journalists from Taiwan on the grounds that Taiwan is not a state recognized by the UN General Assembly. This clearly demonstrates an inconsistent interpretation by the UN of international law and the “One China” policy the UN advocates.
The criteria imposed by the unit are as follows: “The Department of Public Information must be satisfied that the individuals applying for accreditation are bona fide media professionals and represent bona fide media organizations [formally registered as a media organization in a country recognized by the United Nations General Assembly].”
Under the “One China” policy, Taiwan-based journalists are from “a country recognized by the United Nations General Assembly.” Their media organization needs to be “formally registered,” of course. It is not stated anywhere, however, that they need to be registered with the authorities of the government that represents the “recognized country.”
The UN is thus bending international law. There is no apparent reason, except possible pressure from the Chinese government.
JENS MULLER
Karlsruhe, Germany
Taiwan’s fall would be “a disaster for American interests,” US President Donald Trump’s nominee for undersecretary of defense for policy Elbridge Colby said at his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday last week, as he warned of the “dramatic deterioration of military balance” in the western Pacific. The Republic of China (Taiwan) is indeed facing a unique and acute threat from the Chinese Communist Party’s rising military adventurism, which is why Taiwan has been bolstering its defenses. As US Senator Tom Cotton rightly pointed out in the same hearing, “[although] Taiwan’s defense spending is still inadequate ... [it] has been trending upwards
Small and medium enterprises make up the backbone of Taiwan’s economy, yet large corporations such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) play a crucial role in shaping its industrial structure, economic development and global standing. The company reported a record net profit of NT$374.68 billion (US$11.41 billion) for the fourth quarter last year, a 57 percent year-on-year increase, with revenue reaching NT$868.46 billion, a 39 percent increase. Taiwan’s GDP last year was about NT$24.62 trillion, according to the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, meaning TSMC’s quarterly revenue alone accounted for about 3.5 percent of Taiwan’s GDP last year, with the company’s
There is nothing the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) could do to stop the tsunami-like mass recall campaign. KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) reportedly said the party does not exclude the option of conditionally proposing a no-confidence vote against the premier, which the party later denied. Did an “actuary” like Chu finally come around to thinking it should get tough with the ruling party? The KMT says the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is leading a minority government with only a 40 percent share of the vote. It has said that the DPP is out of touch with the electorate, has proposed a bloated
In an eloquently written piece published on Sunday, French-Taiwanese education and policy consultant Ninon Godefroy presents an interesting take on the Taiwanese character, as viewed from the eyes of an — at least partial — outsider. She muses that the non-assuming and quiet efficiency of a particularly Taiwanese approach to life and work is behind the global success stories of two very different Taiwanese institutions: Din Tai Fung and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC). Godefroy said that it is this “humble” approach that endears the nation to visitors, over and above any big ticket attractions that other countries may have
RSS