Bloomberg News seems to have drunk China’s Kool-aid regarding the Democratic Progressive Party’s presidential candidate, Vice President William Lai (賴清德). Its interview with Lai had the somewhat misleading headline of “He wants to lead Taiwan, but can he keep the peace?” This headline exemplifies the media holding unreasonable skepticism of Lai for his firm and widely known stance on Taiwan’s status.
On nearly every occasion with an international media presence, Lai would certainly be asked how he plans to lead Taiwan under increasing Chinese aggression. It is no secret that he views Taiwan as an already-independent country; that the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People’s Republic of China (China) are not subordinate to each other. Hence, Taiwan’s declaration of independence is unnecessary.
Taiwan’s inclusive democratic election system is a prime example of its sovereignty, yet most media platforms ignore this.
The headline Bloomberg used for Lai’s interview — questioning whether he can maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait — is a fallacy in favor of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) agenda: Irritating China means breaking the peace.
Bloomberg and other international media should acknowledge that none of Taiwan’s presidential candidates nor Taiwanese will ever be the ones initiating such a war. It should be cherished, when people preserve their homeland, especially in the 21st-century free world where self-identity is a crucial element of human composition. The democratic values we have gained from history urge us to believe in democracy and fight authoritarianism, yet the way the media portray leaders like Lai seems to counter that.
Skepticsm of maintaining Taiwan’s democracy is not a value news outlets with democratic beliefs should possess. Taiwanese want to continue living in a free and democratic society; they surely want to avoid war more than anyone else. Bloomberg’s headline would unjustifiably drive down Taiwanese confidence in Lai, which could imperil Taiwan.
We do not teach our children to make peace with bullies, as that means tolerating abuse. We teach them to defend themselves — that is not the same as troublemaking. The same idea applies to China’s aggression toward Taiwan — that Taiwan is not a troublemaker for marching on its own unique path.
When the media adopt bias due to CCP propaganda, peace-lovers will unfortunately be perceived incorrectly; their love of democracy will be devalued. International media have a responsibility to publish impartial pieces that do not favor China’s agenda, and more importantly, do not discredit Taiwan for being a bellwether of global democracy.
Constantly prodding into what Taiwan’s next phase will be is impractical, as Taiwan should remain as it is. Taiwanese should not give up freedom for peace.
Instead of asking if Lai could maintain peace for Taiwan, it is more accurate to ask “how does he plan to peacefully maintain Taiwan.” Taiwan is a prosperous nation, and the president elected next January has a responsibility to preserve that. The international community should recognize that the CCP is the aggressor. Taiwan should not be blamed if China starts a war due to its irritation with what Taiwan stands for: a leading free democracy and global contributor.
Taiwan is at the forefront of defending universal democratic values that many countries, including the US, have been promoting. Taiwan should not be blamed or projected as an irresponsible actor of the international community merely for defending itself. Global media need to hold themselves accountable as they not only have influence on individual readers, but also have the power to influence the course of international conflict.
Albert Wang is a student at the University of Washington. He previously worked for the Formosan Association for Public Affairs as a policy intern, lobbying for US-Taiwan relations.
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