Taiwan stands alone
We can all take delight in seeing the pro-China forces becoming so worried about the recent developments as to spread such negative fatalistic pessimism as thinking that decades of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rule has pushed Taiwan so much into China’s orbit that there is no way out.
Garbage like this from the KMT is to be expected but it overlooks Taiwan’s inherent assets and strengths particularly after a new pro-Taiwan and pro-active government is in power to shape Taiwan’s future. Notorious among others is Taiwan’s all-important strategic position right in the middle of the first island chain like an unsinkable carrier to anchor the safety and security of East Asia.
That is why China is going to extra lengths to claim and insist, albeit without any legal basis, that Taiwan, whose international status is still undetermined, is a part of China and would resort to force to take it if necessary.
Taiwan’s full-fledged democratic government is a proud and rare showcase of its soft power which will buttress its people’s will to defend themselves — something difficult for the Chinese oligarch to fathom but an asset that is truthfully Taiwan’s No. 1 weapon, not just as a source of its internal solidarity, but also worthy of the free world to come and help out.
Is it that difficult also for Westerners to understand that freedom-loving people of Taiwan would rather die than live under despicable autocratic one-party rule?
Can they not understand it is not what China says or does based strictly on lies or threats that is so important to prevent the whole world lapsing into endless chaos and danger?
The key leverage here is Taiwan’s current and potential geopolitical contributions that are too numerous to mention.
It is up to policymakers in the rest of the world to carefully and thoroughly take them all into consideration in accordance with their own national interests to search for a permanent solution so that the free world will no longer be subject to the harassment, intimidation and blackmail of the Evil One that is also the proverbial bully that just will not let innocent Taiwanese, arguably non-consanguineous to any one single nationality or race, go.
Paul Ding
Redondo Beach, California
Whether in terms of market commonality or resource similarity, South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co is the biggest competitor of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC). The two companies have agreed to set up factories in the US and are also recipients of subsidies from the US CHIPS and Science Act, which was signed into law by former US president Joe Biden. However, changes in the market competitiveness of the two companies clearly reveal the context behind TSMC’s investments in the US. As US semiconductor giant Intel Corp has faced continuous delays developing its advanced processes, the world’s two major wafer foundries, TSMC and
The first Donald Trump term was a boon for Taiwan. The administration regularized the arms sales process and enhanced bilateral ties. Taipei will not be so fortunate the second time around. Given recent events, Taiwan must proceed with the assumption that it cannot count on the United States to defend it — diplomatically or militarily — during the next four years. Early indications suggested otherwise. The nomination of Marco Rubio as US Secretary of State and the appointment of Mike Waltz as the national security advisor, both of whom have expressed full-throated support for Taiwan in the past, raised hopes that
I came to Taiwan to pursue my degree thinking that Taiwanese are “friendly,” but I was welcomed by Taiwanese classmates laughing at my friend’s name, Maria (瑪莉亞). At the time, I could not understand why they were mocking the name of Jesus’ mother. Later, I learned that “Maria” had become a stereotype — a shorthand for Filipino migrant workers. That was because many Filipino women in Taiwan, especially those who became house helpers, happen to have that name. With the rapidly increasing number of foreigners coming to Taiwan to work or study, more Taiwanese are interacting, socializing and forming relationships with
Authorities last week revoked the residency permit of a Chinese social media influencer surnamed Liu (劉), better known by her online channel name Yaya in Taiwan (亞亞在台灣), who has more than 440,000 followers online and is living in Taiwan with a marriage-based residency permit, for her “reunification by force” comments. She was asked to leave the country in 10 days. The National Immigration Agency (NIA) on Tuesday last week announced the decision, citing the influencer’s several controversial public comments, including saying that “China does not need any other reason to reunify Taiwan with force” and “why is it [China] hesitant
RSS