Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last week revamped his Cabinet, replacing former defense minister Nobuo Kishi in consideration of his health. The newly appointed minister of defense, Yasukazu Hamada, and former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba, along with several lawmakers, visited Taiwan last month to hold talks with senior Taiwanese officials and academics on security issues. The delegation met with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), reaffirming the Japanese government’s stance on cross-strait issues. Kishida’s change of staff carries obvious implications.
When South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declined to meet US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on her Asia tour, citing his vacation schedule, people accused him of intentionally shunning the face-to-face meeting to placate China. Yoon’s original “pro-US, anti-China” stance was brought into question, making critics wonder if there has been a change in policy.
South Korea also pushed back against China’s demand that it abide by its 2017 agreement — called the “three noes, one restriction” — no additional deployment in the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, no participation in a US missile defense system, no formation of a trilateral military alliance with Washington and Tokyo, and restriction in the use of the THAAD system deployed.
As Seoul’s deployment of a THAAD system allows the US to keep an eye on China’s movements, Beijing has repeatedly demanded the removal of the system and even interfered in South Korea’s domestic politics in the hope of abolishing it. Even though former South Korean president Moon Jae-in has been considered a liberal for forming close ties with China, Yoon’s national strategy has been far from ambiguous: The THAAD system is grounded on a firm position of protecting the life and safety of South Korea.
China has also been spurned by Europe. The Beijing-led “Cooperation Between China and Central and Eastern European Countries” initiative had 17 participating countries, but last year, Lithuania became the first state to officially withdraw from the cooperation, followed by Estonia and Latvia. The Baltic states’ severing of ties with China has dealt a heavy blow to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
When Lithuanian Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Agne Vaiciukeviciute last week led a delegation on a five-day visit to Taiwan, China could only threaten the country with sanctions. However, Lithuania has already deemed China’s trap-laden market as not worth the trouble.
The Chinese market has become increasingly hostile. For five straight years, Chinese population growth has dropped, with observers saying the actual figures might be worse than the government has let on. Debt crises and banking scandals have become deep-rooted problems, as exemplified by several incidents, such as a number of banks in Henan Province freezing millions of yuan in deposits.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of China’s increasing unpopularity in the global community. Countries used to eye its massive market, but China’s theft of technologies and deplorable behavior have crossed the line. Now that its market has become a bubble that is waiting to burst, China’s “wolf warrior” diplomacy has started to lose its edge and power.
As things are looking up for Taiwan in terms of international relations, we should also work hard to boost our economy and military prowess. As the adage says: God helps those who help themselves. As long as we have the will to strive for a better future, Taiwan’s goal to become a normal country will come sooner than expected.
Tommy Lin is director of Wu Fu Eye Clinic and president of the Formosa Republican Association.
Translated by Rita Wang
Saudi Arabian largesse is flooding Egypt’s cultural scene, but the reception is mixed. Some welcome new “cooperation” between two regional powerhouses, while others fear a hostile takeover by Riyadh. In Cairo, historically the cultural capital of the Arab world, Egyptian Minister of Culture Nevine al-Kilany recently hosted Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki al-Sheikh. The deep-pocketed al-Sheikh has emerged as a Medici-like patron for Egypt’s cultural elite, courted by Cairo’s top talent to produce a slew of forthcoming films. A new three-way agreement between al-Sheikh, Kilany and United Media Services — a multi-media conglomerate linked to state intelligence that owns much of
The US and other countries should take concrete steps to confront the threats from Beijing to avoid war, US Representative Mario Diaz-Balart said in an interview with Voice of America on March 13. The US should use “every diplomatic economic tool at our disposal to treat China as what it is... to avoid war,” Diaz-Balart said. Giving an example of what the US could do, he said that it has to be more aggressive in its military sales to Taiwan. Actions by cross-party US lawmakers in the past few years such as meeting with Taiwanese officials in Washington and Taipei, and
Denmark’s “one China” policy more and more resembles Beijing’s “one China” principle. At least, this is how things appear. In recent interactions with the Danish state, such as applying for residency permits, a Taiwanese’s nationality would be listed as “China.” That designation occurs for a Taiwanese student coming to Denmark or a Danish citizen arriving in Denmark with, for example, their Taiwanese partner. Details of this were published on Sunday in an article in the Danish daily Berlingske written by Alexander Sjoberg and Tobias Reinwald. The pretext for this new practice is that Denmark does not recognize Taiwan as a state under
The Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan has no official diplomatic allies in the EU. With the exception of the Vatican, it has no official allies in Europe at all. This does not prevent the ROC — Taiwan — from having close relations with EU member states and other European countries. The exact nature of the relationship does bear revisiting, if only to clarify what is a very complicated and sensitive idea, the details of which leave considerable room for misunderstanding, misrepresentation and disagreement. Only this week, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) received members of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations