The time for political talks between Taiwan and China is not ripe, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has said. This is true, but the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) cross-strait policies already have political implications that favor China’s agenda. The root cause is obvious: The KMT government has no visionary project for the nation. However, the good news is Taiwanese have awakened to this fact, as seen by Ma’s low approval ratings.
The KMT lacks a vision for the nation because it defines itself in terms of cross-strait integration. This integration is far more important for the KMT than building up Taiwanese society and democracy, despite democracy being what unites society and an essential part of what defines the Taiwanese identity.
Over the past five years, the KMT has focused on inking trade pacts and easing restrictions on cross-strait flights and investments. Recently, cross-strait investments were expanded into the services sector and restrictions on the movement of workers between Taiwan and China have been eased. In short, China is steadily gaining more influence in Taiwan. Even in the educational system, the KMT ensures that Chinese culture and history are high on the agenda.
The political implications of these policies are hidden behind a series of technical treaties, so-called economic necessities and statements that emphasize how China will benefit Taiwan’s businesses and economic competitiveness, as seen in the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA).
Even when the KMT proposes “new” ideas, it just continues to present more of the same, such as the three proposed “free economic pilot zones.” The zones are hardly innovative and could end up hurting Taiwan, for example by allowing Chinese agricultural products to be imported and processed in the zones, and then labeled “Made in Taiwan.”
Regardless, it is unfair to disregard all of the KMT policies. The cross-strait initiatives it has championed do create opportunities for mutual understanding and contribute to an enriched understanding of Taiwanese identity. One could also argue that cross-strait rapprochement reduces the stakes of either side taking wrong steps, but considering China’s assertive behavior and its economic power, this may not be such a strong argument.
Internationally, these policies create a situation in which Taiwan is increasingly disappearing from the radar as it gets harder for international observers to see the real differences between China and Taiwan. The reason for this is that the countries have not yet moved into sensitive political discussions. Such discussions would reveal that the current cross-strait policies are not sustainable and that there is a huge gap between Taiwan and China that cannot be ignored.
This poses a reality problem: To be precise, the KMT is failing to address the real needs of Taiwanese in streets and homes across the nation, with unemployment rising and worries about the future increasing.
The nation needs a government with the ambition to build a strong Taiwanese society and democracy. Taiwan continues to have a great reputation in the international arena, and it can build on this by improving the cooperation on industrial innovation and research it already has with many countries.
To succeed, Taiwan has to reverse worrying developments in its democracy, because as press freedom and the legal system suffer, Taiwan and China get closer. Also, a robust democracy and respect for human rights are essential for Taiwan’s sustainable development.
The KMT’s strategy seems to rely on a recovery in the world economy to persuade the public to support its policies. Taiwanese want a better quality of life, but the KMT has no visionary project to fulfil these wishes.
Michal Danielsen is chairman of Taiwan Corner.
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
RSS