On Saturday next week, Taiwanese are to vote in four referendums whose implications for Taiwan’s development make them of great concern to everyone. At the same time, Taiwan and China have applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which has important implications for Taiwan’s international status, so Taiwanese living overseas are watching the developments closely.
Joining the CPTPP requires the consent of its 11 member countries, one of which is Australia.
Former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott said during a parliamentary committee hearing on Sept. 30 that he was “strongly in favor” of Taiwan’s inclusion in the CPTPP, and in early October he paid a visit to Taiwan, during which he had a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
Taiwan’s referendums might seem unrelated to its application to join the CPTPP, but they are connected. If voters approve the referendum proposal to ban imports of pork that contains traces of the feed additive ractopamine, it would mean that Taiwan does not abide by international norms and standards, which would count against it when it applies to join international organizations.
On Nov. 22, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative caucus held a news conference at which KMT Legislator Wen Yu-hsia (溫玉霞) accused Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) Minister Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) of breaching administrative neutrality because, during a Nov. 20 video conference with the World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce to discuss Taiwan’s application to join the CPTPP, he said that the referendum against ractopamine would affect Taiwan’s prospects of joining international organizations.
This is a ridiculous accusation, because a referendum is supposed to be a mechanism for the public to review government policies, so it is perfectly normal for members of the government to defend its policies. It would be strange if it did not do so. Explaining policies to overseas Taiwanese is part of the OCAC’s remit, so how can Tung be accused of breaching administrative neutrality?
Overseas Taiwanese often have first-hand contact with China and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), so they can clearly see that the KMT’s promotion of “yes” votes in all four referendums is playing along with four of the CCP’s interests.
As the CCP wants to unify Taiwan with China, the easiest approach is to start with Taiwanese expatriate organizations. It is doing so under the guise of the Australian Council for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China and its equivalents in other countries, which subsidizes and infiltrates overseas Taiwanese groups. If Taiwan’s diplomats are not aware of what is going on, they will also fall into the trap.
On Nov. 5 the Sydney-based Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce in Australia held a Webinar about the CPTPP at which Wen was invited to speak. Most of the participants were from the pan-blue political camp or pro-China. Taiwanese diplomatic officials cooperated fully with the event. This incident is an indication of how “red” (pro-CCP) and pan-blue factions are mobilizing overseas.
Organizations such as these cannot represent pro-Taiwan Taiwanese businesspeople and other Taiwanese expatriates, but with the cooperation of Taiwan’s government offices abroad, they have become the mainstream of the overseas Taiwanese community, while being beyond the reach of the OCAC.
This is really rather worrying from the point of view of pro-Taiwan Taiwanese who are living overseas. In principle, Taiwanese living overseas should not be divided into pan-blue and pan-green, but they should support Taiwan’s government.
However, the influence of “red” infiltration has turned everything upside down.
The OCAC’s overseas offices keep carelessly appointing pro-CCP people to honorary positions in expatriate affairs. These people, who often spread pro-CCP ideas in the community and proclaim that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China, have actually become leading representatives of Taiwan in their respective countries.
It is like inviting rats into your own granary. It would be better to simply abolish these overseas Taiwanese honorary posts. After six years of Tsai’s administration, it is time to put Taiwan’s house in order.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government is adopting an ever-clearer policy of resisting China and protecting Taiwan, but the majority of Taiwanese expatriate organizations, having fallen into the hands of pro-China, pro-unification factions, are instead “resisting Taiwan and protecting China,” and acting contrary to Taiwan’s government.
How much longer are they going to be allowed to get away with it?
Susie Su is a Taiwanese resident in Australia.
Translated by Julian Clegg
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