SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, proposed the absurd “recommendation” to “figure out a special administrative zone for Taiwan.”
His proposal suggests that cross-strait tensions could be solved by handing some control of Taiwan to Beijing. Musk’s recommendation came after his last “whimsical” comment on international politics: To make peace, he said, Crimea should be officially given away to Russia.
Musk’s “unthinkable” plan was proposed in an interview with the Financial Times. He believes that conflict in the Taiwan Strait is “inevitable,” and it would cause trouble for Tesla, which operates a huge factory in China.
“Apple would be in very deep trouble,” he added.
Is there a solution for the cross-strait conflict? Musk recommended finding a way to “figure out a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is reasonably palatable.”
The proposal “probably won’t make everyone happy,” but “they could have an arrangement that’s more lenient than Hong Kong,” he added.
Pardon me for giving offense, but is this guy out of his mind? As misinformed and inappropriate as Musk might be, it is not possible for Taiwanese to accept Taiwan as “a part of China.” Nor would this be acceptable to any of the major political parties in Taiwan.
Let us also look at the international stage. With the American pivot to the Asia-Pacific and Indo-Pacific, the US has been strategically concentrating on drawing other countries to its side. This clearly demonstrates that every democratic country spearheaded by the US would not accept Musk’s recommendation.
As a white man born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Musk could and can travel around the world, deciding his place of residence as he sees fit. Holding a Canadian passport through his Canadian-born mother, he left South Africa to avoid mandatory military service. Then he went to the US to start a business.
Musk is the epitome of the less-than-charitable notion that businessmen have no motherland.
Unlike Musk, who has options and the capital to move freely, most of us do not have other choices — and we do not need one.
Our country is Taiwan. We are Taiwanese. The status of Taiwan and our future can only be determined by all Taiwanese. Outsiders should not intervene.
Hung Yu-jui is a Japanese-language teacher and translator.
Translated by Liu Yi-hung
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