It would be interesting to know whether the staff at the Presidential Office are adding Prozac to the building’s water supply, as there can be no other rational explanation for the ridiculous optimism emanating from 122 Chongqing S Road regarding cross-strait relations.
The latest example of this came on Tuesday, when President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) told a group of visiting European parliamentarians that he hoped the country would be successful in its attempt to join the World Health Assembly (WHA) next year. One must commend Ma on his ability to put on a brave face when he must know Taiwan stands absolutely no chance of achieving that aim.
Has he already forgotten what happened to the “China-friendly” approach used for the nation’s annual UN bid just a few months ago? There is no reason to assume that the WHA bid will receive any different treatment.
Ma was in a similar mode on Monday, when he told a gathering of businesspeople that he hoped Taiwan could reinvigorate its manufacturing sector. It is anyone’s guess just how he intends to do this while his government is relaxing restrictions on businesses investing in China across the board.
Ma then proceeded to lament the fact that South Korea’s manufacturing sector employed more people than Taiwan’s. But his inability to conclude that this was a result of Taiwan allowing its businesses to move en masse across the Taiwan Strait is startling in its absence. The further relaxation of investment rules will most likely increase the flight of domestic industries and put more people out of work.
Ma swept to power on a wave of optimism with promises he could increase Taiwan’s international space and boost the economy, but after six months in office his government has failed miserably on both counts.
His belief that increased contact with China would bring about results in both these areas has also turned out to be a pipe dream. Increased cross-strait flights have only made it more convenient for Taiwanese based in China to stay there, while masses of Chinese tourists have failed to materialize.
The reason for this is simple: A Taiwan that is ever more reliant on its giant neighbor will one day have no choice but to acquiesce to its demands, but a prosperous Taiwan has no predetermined use for China. This is why China is keeping a squeeze on what Taiwan gets from the “improved relationship.”
China is well aware that keeping Ma, the presentable face of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), in office is the best way for it to achieve its long-term aim of bringing Taiwan under its control.
Yet, despite Beijing’s public rebuffs of his strategies and its ongoing belittling of Taiwan in the international arena, Ma remains optimistic about all things cross-strait.
The simple explanation for this is Ma’s stated personal preference for a cross-strait settlement — eventual unification.
With increased cultural and educational exchanges in the pipeline to go with the extensive business ties already in existence, the prospects of Ma’s dream coming to fruition look rosy.
Who needs Prozac when you’re on a natural high?
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