Macron a victory for Taiwan
French president-elect Emmanuel Macron’s election victory has been greeted with relief by European governments and markets, but challenges still loom.
To effect proposed reforms, the next agenda item would be to secure a majority in the legislative elections on June 11 and 18. The Opinionway-SLPV polls look optimistic. What then?
Dealing with Frances’ economic frustration would be a priority for the new president. Macron is aware of this.
During his visit to a Whirlpool Co factory in Amiens, France, that is to be closed, he was greeted with jeers. He later tweeted “MLP [National Front presidential candidate Marine Le Pen] = 10 mins with her supporters at a parking lot in front of cameras; me = 1 hr 15 mins of work with the union without reporters, 7/05 [May 7] you choose.”
“France’s recovery will take time,” he added.
High unemployment has exacerbated economic conditions for young people, as well as immigrants living in the banlieues.
Notable French political scientist Gilles Kepel said that faced with jobless unrest and disintegration, isolated young Salafi muslims could become increasingly susceptible to radicalization, posing a potential threat to national security.
A Macron presidency would favor steady relations between Taiwan and France. For instance, education is an area in which the two nations have enjoyed much mutual cooperation.
Ministry of Education data show that France is the most popular destination in continental Europe for Taiwanese students. More surprisingly, as of 2012, more than 1,200 French students have studied in Taiwan every year, making France the largest source of incoming students from Europe.
With this in mind, Macron’s openness to multiculturalism and globalization could bring greater prospects for renewing or prolonging initiatives, such as working-holiday agreements, cultural exchanges and direct flight arrangements.
Claire Wang
Taipei
Titles and nationality
I am writing in regards to the article on titles and nationality (“US’ NAS mislabels nationality of vice president, academic,” May 4, page 1). While I understand that Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), along with many other Taiwanese, might have a strong opinion on this issue, it is the height of absurdity that Chen, the vice president of the Republic of China (ROC), would insist on the nomenclature of “Taiwan.”
Perhaps His Excellency — for that is his correct honorific — has forgotten the name of the government he represents.
This objection, of course, is rooted in aversion to the implication that Taiwan is in any way beholden to the illegitimate communist regime in Beijing. It is not. That said, the “China” of “Taiwan, China” could just as easily refer to the legitimate government of China, based in Taipei. If his nation were labeled “Taiwan, PRC [People’s Republic of China]” I would understand the objection, but that is not the case.
His Excellency is an official of the government of the Republic of China. If he takes issue with that, perhaps he should have become an independence activist rather than the vice president of China.
Of course, one could argue that accepting the nomenclature “Taiwan, China” implies that the ROC legitimately governs Taiwan, an implication His Excellency may wish to avoid. In that case, is it not true that to change the label to “Taiwan” would imply that the ROC and Taiwan are one and the same? That the ROC, being synonymous with “Taiwan,” is Taiwan’s legitimate government? That seems hardly palatable from a pan-green standpoint.
Finally, by insisting on the label “Taiwan,” His Excellency is in effect renouncing his nation’s claim to Kinmen and Matsu counties, which are not, and never have been, administered as part of Taiwan Province, and are certainly not geographically part of the island of Taiwan. If His Excellency were to insist on “Taiwan,” but not “China,” would it not be more appropriate to label the nation “Taiwan, Kinmen and Matsu”?
Regardless of whether the ROC is the legitimate government of Taiwan — which, remember, does not include Kinmen or Matsu — His Excellency is the holder of a public office in the Republic of China, sworn to uphold its Constitution. If, as a Democratic Progressive Party member, “Taiwan, China” is unpalatable to him, it would be within his rights to insist on “Republic of China” or “China.” To demand recognition as “Taiwan” is not only factually inaccurate — for, as I say, he is the vice president of China — but a betrayal of the people of Kinmen and Matsu.
Pai Po-hsueh
Changhua
March of the Trojan horses
Stephanie Saul’s article for the NY Times News Service describes Beijing’s use of Chinese students studying abroad and the Chinese Students and Scholars Association as one method to affect the discussion on campuses in the US and elsewhere of Communist China and its policies (“Beijing’s hand felt on US college campuses,” May 8, page 7).
However, in truth, Beijing has been constructing these Trojan horses for decades. They take the form of Chinese student organizations, Confucian Institutes and other organs that offer subtle propaganda to show Beijing’s supposedly kinder, gentler side; its “peaceful rise.”
However, make no mistake, China’s aim is to squelch all discussion, all mention, all free speech about its evils. These Trojan horses are filled to the brim with propaganda about how benign Beijing’s dictatorship is; its denial of all freedoms to its people; its oppression of its people; denial of justice; its absolute protection of Chinese companies over foreign companies doing business in China; its anti-democratic policies; hegemony; oppression of Hong Kong; hatred and genocide in Tibet and effort to smear, destroy and replace the Dalai Lama; its murder and abuse of Falun Gong followers; its South China Sea aggression; its attempts to sideline Taiwan and render it invisible or irrelevant and destroy its democracy; and most of all its intentions for world peace with Chinese characteristics — which means peace on its terms, in other words “no peace,” but a world led by Chinese totalitarianism.
Communist China has vast plans in place to affect perceptions about it around the world, to infect public discourse about its tyranny by whatever means possible. Whether it takes the form of spying through acquisition of businesses, or in the case of Australia, leasing a port in Darwin for more than A$300 million [US$221 million] close to a US military installation, or trying to filter any negative mention of China, it is usually imposing its will on those who fear losing money — as in the Australia situation, as well as in Europe and Latin America and around the world.
Any time a Chinese company, which are all a captive of the Beijing government no matter if it is private or state-run, attempts to acquire a foreign entity, there is usually a strategic reason for it tied in some way to expanding China’s influence in that area, or infecting the industry or commerce with pro-China influence, or spying.
With Saul’s article I felt I was reading not about a student organization, but more about a Communist Chinese platform, a Trojan horse designed to affect free speech on American campuses — something popular these days among the politically correct ultra-left who also seek to squelch discussion of subjects and positions with which they disagree — to basically stop any campus organization or event from even mentioning the Chinese Communist Party’s pet sensitivities: Taiwan, the Dalai Lama, Tibet and China’s longstanding cultural genocide there, strict limitations on Hong Kong’s democracy, Falun Gong mistreatment and murder in China, Xinjiang’s Muslim population and China’s attempts to destroy their culture.
These taboo subjects must be avoided to stay within Beijing’s good graces and disobedience can result in China pulling back students and their tuition — much as China has done in Taiwan with not just education, but tourists and business opportunities.
The commercial blackmail is one of Beijing’s favorite intrigues.
The Trojan horse is alive and well in Hollywood as well. Those studios needy enough to take Chinese funding suddenly self-censor so that no movie would dare case Beijing in a bad light. This is ironic considering that Hollywood has no problem portraying US presidents and government officials, the CIA and FBI, and its military in a very bad light as part of many stories.
Studios that have sold larger stakes so they are close to being taken over will have more direct censorship. As for a Chinese company purchasing a major studio, such as China’s Wanda Group, which already acquired AMC theaters and a piece of Legendary Pictures, tried to acquire Dick Clark Productions, including the Golden Globes, and was sniffing around Paramount Pictures, this would be a disaster of tremendous magnitude.
Not only would this provide enormous power to the Communist Party regime, allowing it to hobnob with the elite in Hollywood, affecting Hollywood’s discussion of China’s brutality around the world, and its hegemony — Hollywood is quick to hate the US government, making it ripe for acceptance of the sales talk by Beijing of its benign intentions — it would open the door to propaganda by the studio in the form of what will by then be major motion pictures portraying the free world poorly and Communist China in illusions of grandeur and peace.
Just to make the plan more horrifying, Beijing limits the number of foreign films allowed to be screened in China.
Therefore, a major studio would be better off moving its movie-making to Wanda’s gigantic studio in China, completing the theft of international movie primacy and killing jobs in Hollywood and the US.
Beijing’s cavalry of Trojan horses is on the march and it is marching to a college or movie theater near you. I ask that you beware and hold dear the US’ hallowed principles of free speech and constitutional protections for freedom and free speech. Without that protection we are vulnerable to Beijing’s insidious Trojan horse machinations.
Lee Longhwa
Los Angeles, California
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