Cross-strait relations are tangled with history and ideologies. Despite 70 years of confrontation, Taiwan has become a mature democratic country, while China has remained a one-party authoritarian state. Faced with the new international situation that is the dispute between China and the US, Taiwanese need to develop a new way of thinking regarding some aspects of cross-strait ties.
Veterans Affairs Council Minister Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) at a news conference called on veterans’ groups not to join China’s celebrations for the Whampoa Military Academy’s 99th anniversary in June to avoid falling into Beijing’s “united front” traps. Feng also expressed his hope that, at a difficult time like this, veterans’ groups would support the academy’s grand centennial celebrations in Taiwan next year.
Veterans Affairs Council Deputy Minister Lee Wen-chung (李文忠) said that since 1950 when the academy relocated to Taiwan, its legitimacy has been bound to its existence here. Veterans’ groups should be cautious about traveling to China as they might be duped by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), he said.
On a practical level, Taiwan has every right to claim Whampoa after reopening the academy more than 70 years ago. Regardless of the number of times political power has transferred in Taiwan or the transformation from an authoritarian system to a democratic one, the Republic of China (ROC) military defends Taiwan proper, and Penghu, Kinmem and Lienchiang counties, not China.
Considering the national identity of the ROC, it would be inappropriate for groups to join the CCP’s Whampoa celebrations.
Since 2017, the CCP’s military aircraft have repeatedly intruded into the air defense identification zone southwest of Taiwan, while its warplanes and warships have crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan’s air force and naval personnel take turns on alert missions.
The situation has added a lot of pressure on military personnel. Despite the hardships, the ROC military has always adhered to its principles, continuing to carry out missions and issuing radio alerts to drive Chinese warplanes and ships away.
Retired officers who insist on going to China for the Whampoa event would be an embarrassment for the nation’s active military personnel.
The CCP’s “united front” technique is based on the principle of creating disunity among its enemies, with “enemies” categorized as primary or secondary.
From the CCP’s perspective, Taiwan’s active and retired military personnel — whether they are members of the pan-blue or pan-green political camps — are targets of its “united front” work. This has been the CCP’s tactic for a long time.
The government’s call for retired military personnel not to go to China for the anniversary is justified.
Feng’s heartfelt remarks and Lee’s appeal should be taken seriously. Veteran officers, regardless of party affiliation or stance on the cross-strait issue, should stay in Taiwan for next year’s Whampoa celebrations. They should not allow China to disunite Taiwan through its “united front” work.
Ray Song is a doctoral student in Tamkang University’s Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies.
Translated by Eddy Chang
As former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) concludes his fourth visit to China since leaving office, Taiwan finds itself once again trapped in a familiar cycle of political theater. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has criticized Ma’s participation in the Straits Forum as “dancing with Beijing,” while the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) defends it as an act of constitutional diplomacy. Both sides miss a crucial point: The real question is not whether Ma’s visit helps or hurts Taiwan — it is why Taiwan lacks a sophisticated, multi-track approach to one of the most complex geopolitical relationships in the world. The disagreement reduces Taiwan’s
Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is visiting China, where he is addressed in a few ways, but never as a former president. On Sunday, he attended the Straits Forum in Xiamen, not as a former president of Taiwan, but as a former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman. There, he met with Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Huning (王滬寧). Presumably, Wang at least would have been aware that Ma had once been president, and yet he did not mention that fact, referring to him only as “Mr Ma Ying-jeou.” Perhaps the apparent oversight was not intended to convey a lack of
A foreign colleague of mine asked me recently, “What is a safe distance from potential People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force’s (PLARF) Taiwan targets?” This article will answer this question and help people living in Taiwan have a deeper understanding of the threat. Why is it important to understand PLA/PLARF targeting strategy? According to RAND analysis, the PLA’s “systems destruction warfare” focuses on crippling an adversary’s operational system by targeting its networks, especially leadership, command and control (C2) nodes, sensors, and information hubs. Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, noted in his 15 May 2025 Sedona Forum keynote speech that, as
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) last week announced that the KMT was launching “Operation Patriot” in response to an unprecedented massive campaign to recall 31 KMT legislators. However, his action has also raised questions and doubts: Are these so-called “patriots” pledging allegiance to the country or to the party? While all KMT-proposed campaigns to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers have failed, and a growing number of local KMT chapter personnel have been indicted for allegedly forging petition signatures, media reports said that at least 26 recall motions against KMT legislators have passed the second signature threshold
RSS