Creating space for Taiwan
After reading Ben Goren’s letter to the Taipei Times (Letters, Nov. 17, page 8), I thought: “Wow, pretty good stuff.” However, I feel that enough is enough when it comes to this nonsense between China and Taiwan.
Most educated people know that Taiwan has its own government, its own money, passports, etc. It is very clear to an educated person that Taiwan is a country.
Moreover, I am sure that all Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members also understand this. The problem is they have perpetually thought (and surprisingly, still think) they can pull the wool over the world’s eyes and get away with it.
The most recent evidence being that whole botched movie festival affair in Japan. Basketball games and other such examples offer ample proof that, despite knowing what the reality is, the CCP continues to this day their relentless (and quite useless and tasteless) attacks on Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Going back to Ben Goren’s letter: Why don’t we just ask the Chinese to back off for good and give them back half their treasures at the National Palace Museum?
Then, at least they’d stop whining to the Europeans over stolen artifacts.
Let’s be honest: Taiwan and Taiwanese have a historic, linguistic and cultural linkage to China, but Taiwanese are truly Taiwanese at heart and not Chinese. Give them back some of their relics for more international space. Furthermore, giving it all back would mean rejecting sinicization.
HARRY ADAMOPOULOS
Taipei City
Stop insulting South Koreans
I read the recent articles regarding the disqualification of the Taiwanese taekwondo athlete and the reaction of Taiwanese.
Let me ask you this, and try to answer honestly: Isn’t it ignorant and barbaric for Taiwanese to be burning South Korean flags and refusing to let South Koreans enter certain restaurants?
The athlete was not -disqualified because she was Taiwanese. She was using equipment that was not allowed. It doesn’t matter who pointed that out.
She was the only taekwondo athlete who was using them in the competition.
Tell me what Taiwanese were doing when the South Korean baseball team played in Taiwan. Taiwanese were holding signs with derogatory statements that were insulting to South Koreans. The signs said things like “Sink Koreans like they sunk that Korean battleship,” “Destroy plastic-surgery-receiving Koreans.” These remarks aren’t about cheering for their own team, this is a major insult. It’s like asking for a war.
If you look back through history and see who started all this, it was Taiwanese. What have South Koreans done to insult Taiwanese? Recently a Taiwanese TV show insulted the South Korean singing group SNSD by showing their picture and talking about the South Korean entertainment industry involving sex.
When South Koreans complained, the Taiwanese TV show hosts involved laughed and said: “We weren’t that serious about our statements.”
What a way to apologize.
Ask yourselves who started the insults. Taiwanese have issues with China’s policy on Taiwan, right? Then why don’t you burn Chinese flags instead?
I’m sure Taiwan’s issues with China are much bigger and more important than an athlete being disqualified from a taekwondo competition. So you should use your energy to focus on real, important issues. Just because Taiwan isn’t strong enough to deal with the real issues, doesn’t mean you can take it out on other people, like is happening to Koreans.
If you look back, South Koreans never insulted Chinese or Taiwanese. If Taiwanese have working brains, they shouldn’t let this continue.
If Taiwanese continue what they are doing now, they are only asking for a war. In case we go to war, you know who will come out on top.
BATRASHU LEE
Murrieta, California
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