Many years ago, US weather announcer Tex Antoine, who was live on air, said: “With rape so predominant in the news lately, it is well to remember the words of Confucius: ‘If rape is inevitable, lie back and enjoy it.’”
Who knows how Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) supporters would respond to a remark like that. Antoine’s offensive and frivolous comment aroused public fury and he was suspended. Not long ago, a British Conservative Party councilor made similar remarks and was asked not to stand for re-election.
Of course Ko does not speak like that, but it is equally nonsensical to simplify something concerning the nation’s survival and compare it to daily life, such as when he said that the “two sides of the Strait are one family,” as if China’s threats were no greater than household arguments.
Even worse, he said that cross-strait ties resemble “a married couple saying bad things about each other in an argument, but a quarrel between lovers begins at one end of the bed and is mended at the other end.”
Ko has apologized, but only to those who felt offended, as if they were in the minority.
In the face of China’s military threat, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has called on like-minded democratic nations to stand together and take action to constrain Beijing.
Asked what he thought of Tsai’s call for international collaboration, Ko said that Taiwan also needs to strengthen itself, otherwise raising its voice would only bring derision for having delusions of grandeur.
In what way is Ko’s reaction different from saying “lie back and enjoy it”?
The law of the jungle, in which the strong prey on the weak, was prevalent during the age of imperialism. After two world wars, democratic nations turned to international organizations to maintain collective security and followed the principles of international law to resolve conflicts through peaceful means.
These are the dominant values among democratic nations. China, an anti-democratic country, is the only nation that conceals its desire of hegemony and expansionist mindset.
Taiwan cannot compete with China in terms of sheer size, population and military might.
Deluded former president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) clamored about “retaking mainland China through military action.”
In contrast, what Taiwan really needs is to survive China’s forceful coercion. It is necessary for the nation to call for help in the name of maintaining collective and regional security — such as Tsai has done — rather than passively accepting China’s annexation and “enjoying” the consequences.
For decades, the US has wanted to change China by using various forms of communication and interaction. Nevertheless, China’s political system remained unaffected, while its economy grew by deceiving Western nations, and it even seeks to achieve further hegemony.
Now that the US has admitted its strategies of communication and interaction have failed, it has begun to adjust its foreign policies and set up countermeasures against China. Apparently, the Chinese political system and its aggressive ambition is the main danger facing world peace and stability.
Tsai has adopted a two-prong approach: improving the nation’s self-defense capabilities, while calling on other democratic nations to stand up and work together on constraining China. Such a strategy not only serves to maintain every country’s common interest, but also constitutes a necessary condition for safeguarding the survival of Taiwan as an independent sovereign nation.
Ko seems to think otherwise, and this explains why he would think calling for help is laughable.
James Wang is a senior media commentator.
Translated by Chang Ho-ming
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