Unite against foreign coercion
The Chinese National Radio and Television Administration recently asked Taiwanese band Mayday to publicly voice support for Beijing’s “one China” principle and acknowledge that “Taiwan is part of China,” according to an internal Taiwanese security memo reviewed by Reuters. Reuters reported that China would be “conducting an investigation” on the rock band. This is a maneuver echoing the Chinese Internet users’ accusation of the lead singer Ashin (阿信) of “lip-syncing.”
There is nothing new with this latest incident, which is a continuation of China’s old tactics of manipulation and another repeat of its playbook to pressure Taiwan.
The Kuma Academy (黑熊學院) once said that for Taiwanese artists who wish to advance their careers in China, Beijing would at first allow their careers to grow, but once things started taking off and they started relying on the Chinese market for their income and popularity, Beijing would pressure the entertainers to support the “one China principle,” or have them say that “China is not complete without Taiwan.”
If the artists do not comply, the Chinese government would launch a media campaign lambasting the artists’ characters or initiate an investigation into their financial situation, as was the case with Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) when he threw his hat in to run for president. Finally, they would pin the artists with “crime” or “misconduct.” As Taiwanese citizens got fatigued with these tricks, the Chinese government achieved its goal with its actions.
The only one at fault here is the Chinese government.
There is nothing wrong with artists wishing to promote their work or seeking a breakthrough in their careers. What we should be condemning is the Chinese government using bullying and coercion to manipulate artists’ dreams in the service of Beijing’s malicious strategic objectives.
No one should be subjected to this kind of interference. Yet in Taiwan there are still pro-China supporters who always defend China, saying that “two sides of the strait are one family” or “Taiwan should not provoke China,” even while China deploys a host of vindictive measures to isolate and harm Taiwan.
As the saying goes: “Give someone an inch and he will take a mile.”
In the face of China’s coercive behavior, we should rally behind Taiwanese artists subject to coercion and pressure, and unite against the common enemy of Beijing. Only by resisting Beijing’s provocation together can we stand united and defend Taiwan.
Kuma Academy
Taiwan
To The Honorable Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜): We would like to extend our sincerest regards to you for representing Taiwan at the inauguration of US President Donald Trump on Monday. The Taiwanese-American community was delighted to see that Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan speaker not only received an invitation to attend the event, but successfully made the trip to the US. We sincerely hope that you took this rare opportunity to share Taiwan’s achievements in freedom, democracy and economic development with delegations from other countries. In recent years, Taiwan’s economic growth and world-leading technology industry have been a source of pride for Taiwanese-Americans.
As Taiwan’s domestic political crisis deepens, the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) have proposed gutting the country’s national spending, with steep cuts to the critical foreign and defense ministries. While the blue-white coalition alleges that it is merely responding to voters’ concerns about corruption and mismanagement, of which there certainly has been plenty under Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and KMT-led governments, the rationales for their proposed spending cuts lay bare the incoherent foreign policy of the KMT-led coalition. Introduced on the eve of US President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the KMT’s proposed budget is a terrible opening
Next week, the nation is to celebrate the Lunar New Year break. Unfortunately, cold winds are a-blowing, literally and figuratively. The Central Weather Administration has warned of an approaching cold air mass, while obstinate winds of chaos eddy around the Legislative Yuan. English theologian Thomas Fuller optimistically pointed out in 1650 that “it’s always darkest before the dawn.” We could paraphrase by saying the coldest days are just before the renewed hope of spring. However, one must temper any optimism about the damage being done in the legislature by the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), under
“I compare the Communist Party to my mother,” sings a student at a boarding school in a Tibetan region of China’s Qinghai province. “If faith has a color,” others at a different school sing, “it would surely be Chinese red.” In a major story for the New York Times this month, Chris Buckley wrote about the forced placement of hundreds of thousands of Tibetan children in boarding schools, where many suffer physical and psychological abuse. Separating these children from their families, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to substitute itself for their parents and for their religion. Buckley’s reporting is
RSS