Much has been said of the potential for Taiwan’s democracy to have an impact on China as exchanges between the two countries increase. The experience that Chinese visitors take home from Taiwan after observing its open society and freedoms has been touted as part of the nation’s soft power. With the recent boost in cross-strait tourism, the potential for a gradual transfer of values is increasing.
Peaceful protests like those organized by Falun Gong practitioners at sites frequented by Chinese tourists have a role to play if Taiwan hopes to demonstrate the benefits of living in a stable democracy. Falun Gong followers seeking to draw attention to the brutal oppression of their spiritual movement in China have increased their presence at popular tourist spots since the launch of weekly cross-strait charter flights last summer, drawing complaints from some and praise from others.
Authorities in some areas are challenged with how to avoid offending Chinese tourists and losing their business without infringing on Falun Gong practitioners’ rights to freedom of speech and assembly.
The Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area Administration used regulations on advertisements to keep Falun Gong practitioners from hanging up banners aimed at catching the attention of cross-strait tourists and educating them about religious repression in China, although Falun Gong followers continue to protest there.
In Tainan, city officials came under fire last June for allegedly seeking to clear away Falun Gong practitioners from a site that was to be visited by Chinese tourism officials. The debate flared again after the Tourism Bureau said it wanted to avoid meetings between Chinese tourists and protesting Falun Gong followers — regardless of whether their activities were peaceful and legal.
While some complaints from visitors may be valid — including the argument that images displayed by the Falun Gong are too graphic for children — these concerns can be conveyed to protesters without seeking to end their efforts to communicate with cross-strait tourists.
Opening the eyes of people who have been force-fed propaganda from an early age is no simple task, as the Taiwanese themselves can attest to. But while Taiwan has transformed over the past decades, the Chinese public is still taught by an authoritarian government that patriotism and good citizenship entail keeping quiet in the face of government abuses. Beijing continues to crack down on demonstrations, regardless of whether they are peaceful and based on valid complaints.
Even those who turn to the country’s petition system to seek redress for wrongs by government authorities are seen as a threat and portrayed as troublemakers or mentally ill.
While in Taiwan, Chinese visitors will hopefully witness that peaceful activities labeled “dangerous” by their government can exist in a stable society. The goal is to implant the seeds of free thought in visitors who, upon returning home, may wonder why they are denied the same right to criticize their government.
Tourism authorities in Taiwan, meanwhile, must remember that Falun Gong practitioners have the right to protest oppression in China, while Chinese tourists do not have a right to be shielded from opinions they might find unpalatable.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to bully Taiwan by conducting military drills extremely close to Taiwan in late May 2024 and announcing a legal opinion in June on how they would treat “Taiwan Independence diehards” according to the PRC’s Criminal Code. This article will describe how China’s Anaconda Strategy of psychological and legal asphyxiation is employed. The CCP’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) conducted a “punishment military exercise” against Taiwan called “Joint Sword 2024A” from 23-24 May 2024, just three days after President William Lai (賴清德) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was sworn in and
Former US president Donald Trump’s comments that Taiwan hollowed out the US semiconductor industry are incorrect. That misunderstanding could impact the future of one of the world’s most important relationships and end up aiding China at a time it is working hard to push its own tech sector to catch up. “Taiwan took our chip business from us,” the returnee US presidential contender told Bloomberg Businessweek in an interview published this week. The remarks came after the Republican nominee was asked whether he would defend Taiwan against China. It is not the first time he has said this about the nation’s
In a recent interview with the Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) called President William Lai (賴清德) “naive.” As always with Ma, one must first deconstruct what he is saying to fully understand the parallel universe he insists on defending. Who is being “naive,” Lai or Ma? The quickest way is to confront Ma with a series of pointed questions that force him to take clear stands on the complex issues involved and prevent him from his usual ramblings. Regarding China and Taiwan, the media should first begin with questions like these: “Did the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)
The Yomiuri Shimbun, the newspaper with the largest daily circulation in Japan, on Thursday last week published an article saying that an unidentified high-ranking Japanese official openly spoke of an analysis that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) needs less than a week, not a month, to invade Taiwan with its amphibious forces. Reportedly, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has already been advised of the analysis, which was based on the PLA’s military exercises last summer. A Yomiuri analysis of unclassified satellite photographs confirmed that the PLA has already begun necessary base repairs and maintenance, and is conducting amphibious operation exercises