Two days after Taiwanese ignored Beijing’s threats and elected William Lai (賴清德) as president, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in an article published in the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Qiushi journal on Monday last week urged the party to do a better job winning the hearts of Taiwanese.
Xi outlined a strategy for the country’s “united front” tactics, saying that China must “develop and strengthen the patriotic, pro-unification forces in Taiwan, oppose the separatist acts of Taiwan independence and promote the complete reunification of the motherland.” He urged the CCP to redouble efforts to “stoke national awareness and patriotism” among Taiwanese.
However, Chinese authorities obviously failed to win over or pressure Taiwanese into voting for pro-China candidates on Jan. 13. The usual carrot-and-stick tactics — including military drills, and diplomatic and economic coercion — did not work.
Lai’s victory was not only a blunt rejection of China’s coercive tactics and unprecedented electoral interference, it was also a rejection of the so-called “1992 consensus,” the “one China principle” and the “one country, two systems” model.
On Monday last week, the US Pew Research Center published a survey which showed that more than two-thirds of Taiwanese see themselves as primarily Taiwanese, with only 3 percent calling themselves primarily Chinese, 1 percentage point lower than in a 2022 survey. Although many in Taiwan welcome trade with China, few support closer political ties, the survey showed.
A post-election poll conducted by the Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation echoed this trend, with more than 76 percent identifying as solely Taiwanese, while only 7 percent considered themselves to be Chinese.
A majority supported Lai’s objection to the “1992 consensus,” while 69 percent said they were not worried that his election victory would cause China to expedite any potential invasion plans.
The sophistry of calling the election a choice between “war and peace” failed.
Xi and the CCP should learn the lesson. Intimidation campaigns backfire, as they stir Taiwanese resentment toward the authoritarian power in Beijing, bolster Taiwanese identity and solidify support for a democratic, free and de facto independent Taiwan.
China should face the reality that a cross-strait conflict would be a costly catastrophe, especially amid its domestic economic decline and internal political turmoil. A Beijing-initiated change of the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait would lead to international sanctions and rejection, which would be the opposite of its plans to resume international engagements and de-escalate tensions with the US.
A Center for Strategic and International Studies report this week said that a poll of US and Taiwanese experts bolstered the view that China is likely incapable of launching a military invasion of Taiwan in the next five years, although there was still concern over its ability to isolate the nation.
Lai has expressed goodwill, vowing to maintain the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait and working toward resuming cross-strait dialogue.
If Xi really wants to win the hearts and minds of Taiwanese, he should hold back on the “wolf warrior” tactics and restart friendly communications with Taipei.
The government and local industries breathed a sigh of relief after Shin Kong Life Insurance Co last week said it would relinquish surface rights for two plots in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投) to Nvidia Corp. The US chip-design giant’s plan to expand its local presence will be crucial for Taiwan to safeguard its core role in the global artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem and to advance the nation’s AI development. The land in dispute is owned by the Taipei City Government, which in 2021 sold the rights to develop and use the two plots of land, codenamed T17 and T18, to the
Taiwan’s first case of African swine fever (ASF) was confirmed on Tuesday evening at a hog farm in Taichung’s Wuci District (梧棲), trigging nationwide emergency measures and stripping Taiwan of its status as the only Asian country free of classical swine fever, ASF and foot-and-mouth disease, a certification it received on May 29. The government on Wednesday set up a Central Emergency Operations Center in Taichung and instituted an immediate five-day ban on transporting and slaughtering hogs, and on feeding pigs kitchen waste. The ban was later extended to 15 days, to account for the incubation period of the virus
The ceasefire in the Middle East is a rare cause for celebration in that war-torn region. Hamas has released all of the living hostages it captured on Oct. 7, 2023, regular combat operations have ceased, and Israel has drawn closer to its Arab neighbors. Israel, with crucial support from the United States, has achieved all of this despite concerted efforts from the forces of darkness to prevent it. Hamas, of course, is a longtime client of Iran, which in turn is a client of China. Two years ago, when Hamas invaded Israel — killing 1,200, kidnapping 251, and brutalizing countless others
Art and cultural events are key for a city’s cultivation of soft power and international image, and how politicians engage with them often defines their success. Representative to Austria Liu Suan-yung’s (劉玄詠) conducting performance and Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen’s (盧秀燕) show of drumming and the Tainan Jazz Festival demonstrate different outcomes when politics meet culture. While a thoughtful and professional engagement can heighten an event’s status and cultural value, indulging in political theater runs the risk of undermining trust and its reception. During a National Day reception celebration in Austria on Oct. 8, Liu, who was formerly director of the
RSS