Speaking at the Asia-Pacific Forward Forum in Taipei, former Singaporean minister for foreign affairs George Yeo (楊榮文) proposed a “Chinese commonwealth” as a potential framework for political integration between Taiwan and China. Yeo said the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait is unsustainable and that Taiwan should not be “a piece on the chessboard” in a geopolitical game between China and the US.
Yeo’s remark is nothing but an ill-intentioned political maneuver that is made by all pro-China politicians in Singapore. Since when does a Southeast Asian nation have the right to stick its nose in where it is not wanted and make judgements on cross-strait relations?
Singapore’s first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀), and former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) were on such cordial terms that Chiang signed an agreement called “Project Starlight,” allowing Singapore to dispatch troops to Taiwan for training. With that history in mind, perhaps Yeo thought he could “help” decide the fate of Taiwan by helping to spread Beijing’s propaganda.
Neither Taiwan nor China is made up of a single ethnic group. Terms such as “Zhonghua minzu” (中華民族, “Chinese nation”) or “Chinese people” were invented to support pro-unification ideology. Even in Singapore, only three-quarters of the population are considered “Chinese” or are the descendants of Chinese people.
Perhaps Yeo should first conduct a survey in Singapore by asking how many Singporeans are willing for Singapore to form a “Chinese commonwealth” with China. If the majority approved, Yeo could then sell the idea to Taiwan.
The UK and the US are democratic countries. Despite their shared language and history, and overlapping in religious beliefs and legal principles, as well as ties that reach back hundreds of years, they are close allies and independent entities that have each other’s backs. They are not a “commonwealth.”
In the case of China and Taiwan, anyone can see that the two have more differences than similarities, in terms of political systems, ideologies and values, not to mention distrust and no feelings of kinship. How could this become a “commonwealth”?
Beijing has always accused other nations of interfering in China’s internal affairs; why is it now being oddly silent about Yeo’s stupid remark?
Hung Yu-jui is a Japanese-language teacher and translator.
Translated by Rita Wang
Congratulations to China’s working class — they have officially entered the “Livestock Feed 2.0” era. While others are still researching how to achieve healthy and balanced diets, China has already evolved to the point where it does not matter whether you are actually eating food, as long as you can swallow it. There is no need for cooking, chewing or making decisions — just tear open a package, add some hot water and in a short three minutes you have something that can keep you alive for at least another six hours. This is not science fiction — it is reality.
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
In a world increasingly defined by unpredictability, two actors stand out as islands of stability: Europe and Taiwan. One, a sprawling union of democracies, but under immense pressure, grappling with a geopolitical reality it was not originally designed for. The other, a vibrant, resilient democracy thriving as a technological global leader, but living under a growing existential threat. In response to rising uncertainties, they are both seeking resilience and learning to better position themselves. It is now time they recognize each other not just as partners of convenience, but as strategic and indispensable lifelines. The US, long seen as the anchor
Kinmen County’s political geography is provocative in and of itself. A pair of islets running up abreast the Chinese mainland, just 20 minutes by ferry from the Chinese city of Xiamen, Kinmen remains under the Taiwanese government’s control, after China’s failed invasion attempt in 1949. The provocative nature of Kinmen’s existence, along with the Matsu Islands off the coast of China’s Fuzhou City, has led to no shortage of outrageous takes and analyses in foreign media either fearmongering of a Chinese invasion or using these accidents of history to somehow understand Taiwan. Every few months a foreign reporter goes to