Several lawmakers from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party on Wednesday last week held a news conference to protest a market at the Aviation Education Exhibition Hall in Kaohsiung that has been selling Chinese-made aircraft models with simplified Chinese characters.
The Ministry of National Defense justified the sale, saying that understanding Chinese military jets is a vital part of aviation education.
Vendors have the right to sell Chinese-made toys in Taiwan without having to change the simplified Chinese characters into traditional Chinese. This is in line with Taiwan’s democratic practices.
However, details on the models demonstrate that China’s “united front” strategy is at play. The toy manufacturer, Ustar, once produced a batch of CM-11 tank models that were sold in Taiwan.
However, Ustar changed the product name to “Taiwan, China” to undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty. Some toy shops put stickers over the names before their sale so that young minds would not be affected by the ploy.
Another trick is employed in the images printed on the model toy box, usually consisting of oil paintings or computer graphics featuring a theme to attract enthusiasts. Over the decades, as model toys became more sophisticated, these box paintings became an art in their own right.
However, Trumpeter, a Chinese model manufacturer, many years ago made a box painting depicting a Chinese-made gunship destroying military vehicles in Taiwan, including the CM-31 armored vehicle that once served as transportation for the Republic of China president. Such fictional content not only takes advantage of Taiwanese, it is an affront to the nation’s armed forces.
The crux of the problem lies not in the simplified Chinese characters, but in the manipulative scenarios depicted by the toys.
Although the Chinese-made toys and military aircraft models being sold at the Aviation Education Hall do not demonstrate malicious intent, it is necessary to inspect whether any hidden “united front” messages appear when the hall sells similar products.
Education and awareness of an adversary is also important. The model toys should be marked with their country of origin, and information should be provided to the public.
A visitor would then better understand Taiwan’s armed forces and its role in defending the country, as well as China’s repeated harassment of Taiwan over the years. This is a good opportunity for Taiwan to establish awareness of a hostile actor.
Chen Kuan-lin is a research manager from Taipei.
Translated by Lin Lee-kai
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