End the word games
On July 30, former premier Simon Chang (張善政) said he has accepted Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential nominee Han Kuo-yu’s (韓國瑜) invitation to be convener of his national policy advisory team, but the post is unrelated to any future appointment.
He said he would recommend that the KMT stop making the “1992 consensus” its cross-strait stance, replacing it with the more neutral “constitutional one China, placing Taiwan first.”
He said that since the consensus has been stigmatized, it is almost equal to Beijing’s “one country, two systems.”
Chang obviously understands mainstream public opinion, and that the “1992 consensus” is an empty phrase that means different things to the KMT and Beijing in the lack of any consensus.
However, former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Lin Cho-shui (林濁水) questioned whether keeping “one China” and abandoning “with each side having its own interpretation” is a return to the old “gentlemen and thieves cannot coexist” concept, and expressed concern that Chang does not understand the situation.
That might be going too far, but the lack of persuasiveness of “constitutional one China, placing Taiwan first” is indeed problematic.
Furthermore, it is evident that Beijing only accepts “one China,” and that this refers to the People’s Republic of China” (PRC).
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has always opposed or refused to recognize “one China, with each side having its own interpretation.”
Is there a “1992 consensus,” and who stigmatized the term? The answers is quite clear, and Chang cunningly bypassed such questions, failing to follow through.
Finally, “constitutional one China, placing Taiwan first” might sound reasonable at first, because it may convince or attract more moderate voters.
Nevertheless, “constitutional one China” refers to the Republic of China (ROC), and it completely excludes the PRC.
Since it refers only to the ROC, its independence, sovereignty and system, its core values are the dignity of Taiwan and the interests of the Taiwanese; this is the government’s only focus, and there is no question of whether Taiwan should come first.
Instead of playing word games, why doesn’t Chang try to convince the public with a term that is easy to understand, such as “one China, one Taiwan,” “two equal Chinas independent of each other,” or “constitutional one China is Taiwan.”
If he did, perhaps he would get closer to reality and mainstream public opinion.
Chen An-wen
New Taipei City
No defender of democracy
US President Donald Trump is no great defender of democracy. His statement earlier last week that the situation in Hong Kong was a matter between China and Hong Kong was seen in China as a green light for military intervention.
Likewise, his administration is selling arms to Taiwan because, for the moment, it suits the strategic interests of the US, not because Taiwan is a democracy.
The US did Taiwan a great disservice during the presidency of Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) by preventing Taiwan developing a nuclear deterrent. Had the nuclear program proceeded, Taiwan and its democracy would now be in a position of relative security contra China.
The US has been content to observe the dwindling number of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies when it could have given the lead in according full diplomatic recognition to Taiwan, a move which would have been followed by other nations.
The unwillingness of the US to accord recognition to Taiwan is the true litmus test of its sincerity.
Taiwan must take note of that fact and act accordingly.
Gavan Duffy
Queensland, Australia
With escalating US-China competition and mutual distrust, the trend of supply chain “friend shoring” in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fragmentation of the world into rival geopolitical blocs, many analysts and policymakers worry the world is retreating into a new cold war — a world of trade bifurcation, protectionism and deglobalization. The world is in a new cold war, said Robin Niblett, former director of the London-based think tank Chatham House. Niblett said he sees the US and China slowly reaching a modus vivendi, but it might take time. The two great powers appear to be “reversing carefully
Taiwan is facing multiple economic challenges due to internal and external pressures. Internal challenges include energy transition, upgrading industries, a declining birthrate and an aging population. External challenges are technology competition between the US and China, international supply chain restructuring and global economic uncertainty. All of these issues complicate Taiwan’s economic situation. Taiwan’s reliance on fossil fuel imports not only threatens the stability of energy supply, but also goes against the global trend of carbon reduction. The government should continue to promote renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, as well as energy storage technology, to diversify energy supply. It
Former Japanese minister of defense Shigeru Ishiba has been elected as president of the governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and would be approved as prime minister in parliament today. Ishiba is a familiar face for Taiwanese, as he has visited the nation several times. His popularity among Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmakers has grown as a result of his multiple meetings and encounters with legislators and prominent figures in the government. The DPP and the LDP have close ties and have long maintained warm relations. Ishiba in August 2020 praised Taiwan’s
On Thursday last week, the International Crisis Group (ICG) issued a well-researched report titled “The Widening Schism across the Taiwan Strait,” which focused on rising tensions between Taiwan and China, making a number of recommendations on how to avoid conflict. While it is of course laudable that a respected international organization such as the ICG is willing to think through possible avenues toward a peaceful resolution, the report contains a couple of fundamental flaws in the way it approaches the issue. First, it attempts to present a “balanced approach” by pushing back equally against Taiwan’s perceived transgressions as against Beijing’s military threats
RSS