Nobody is saying that the efficiency of the German government and the upright, diligent nature of Germans are not ideals that one should aspire to. Indeed, Taiwan could learn much from these. However, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has quite a reputation for word games, so when he addresses the public and talks of being inspired by the German experience, it gives anyone who cares about the nation cause to shudder.
The German experience can mean many things, depending on which era you are talking about. There was Nazi Germany, followed by the peaceful coexistence of East and West Germany, and then the reunification of the two Germanys following the collapse of the communist East.
The question is, which one of these experiences is Ma talking about when he speaks of inspiration?
HITLER FAN
Prior to the outbreak of World War II, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) had shown admiration for Adolf Hitler. Inspired by the experience of Nazi Germany, Chiang established the Society of Practice of the Three Principles of the People — a secret police force advancing the interests and power of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) — in an effort to make himself supreme ruler.
After the end of the war, Germany was occupied by the Allies and, as the Cold War set in, split into two Germanys. West Germany was critical of other countries recognizing East Germany. However, in 1972, the two sides signed the Grundlagenvertrag, or the Basic Treaty, the full title of which was the “Treaty concerning the basis of relations between the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic.”
This was a mutual recognition of sovereignty. After the treaty was signed, the two enjoyed a period of peaceful coexistence.
While it is true that Taiwan’s status under international law is different from that of Germany, then-president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) stated in a 1999 interview with Voice of Germany radio that Taiwan and China were two separate countries on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, framing Taiwan’s status in the context of the experience of East and West Germany.
Now Ma is saying he wants to learn from the “German experience,” and then goes on blabbering on about “one country, two areas (一國兩區),” advocating eventual unification with China and talking nonsense about “mutual non-recognition of sovereignty” and “mutual non-denial of jurisdiction.”
Clearly, when Ma talks about the German experience, he is not referring to the same one that Lee did. His focus is working toward the ultimate goal of unification.
The Ma administration’s obeisance to China is like night and day compared with the practical nature of the experience of the two Germanys.
The Basic Treaty of 1972 was based on five principles: sovereign equality; non-representation of the other party; mutual respect for independence, autonomy and the right of self-determination; the inviolability of existing territorial borders; and the peaceful settlement of disputes, without resort to armed force.
PUBLIC CHOICE
In asking China to agree to the idea of “no war,” Ma has shown that he has taken on board one of these principles. However, it is the only one of the five that he has, and then the goal is peaceful unification with China.
Ma has overlooked the most important thing: that German reunification was the choice of East Germans.
James Wang is a media commentator.
TRANSLATED BY PAUL COOPER
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