Two German warships passed through the Taiwan Strait earlier this month, leading to protests by the Chinese government. The commanding officers of those vessels responded by saying that Germany has to do more than state that it wants to defend the international order — it must take action, too.
What is there to protest?
The Taiwan Strait is an international waterway, not Chinese territory. These measures indicate that the international community would not tolerate China’s attempts to stir up trouble in the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is definitely displeased, because like the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), it loathes international support of Taiwan.
This was the first time in 22 years German naval vessels have passed through the Taiwan Strait. It comes as little surprise that the CCP was displeased. Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning (毛寧) said that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, including the inner waters of the Taiwan Strait from either coast extending out toward the ocean. She said that China’s internal waters, territorial waters, contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone are all within the scope of China’s sovereignty. She also said that the involved nations are provoking China, and threatening its sovereignty and safety in the name of navigational freedom.
Who actually acknowledges that the Taiwan Strait is part of China’s internal waters? Who concedes that Taiwan is a part of China?
China should first focus on regaining its northeastern territory that was stolen by Russia rather than being hypocritical.
Through its naval actions, Germany sternly made clear that it opposes Beijing’s unilateral attempts to alter the situation in the Taiwan Strait. It used realistic and practical measures to defend the Strait’s status as an international waterway to be freely navigated.
Additionally, on Sept. 12 the Dutch House of Representatives — in a vote of 147 for and three against — overwhelmingly passed a Taiwan-friendly motion stating that UN Resolution 2758 does not determine that the People’s Republic of China has sovereign control over Taiwan. The motion also stated that the resolution does not rule out Taiwan’s right to participate in international organizations. The Netherlands is the first European nation to pass such a motion.
If we must discuss the issue of Taiwan’s “motherland,” it could be easily argued that the Netherlands — the first nation to ever rule over Taiwan — is Taiwan’s true “motherland.” If given the choice, 99 percent of Taiwanese would prefer the Netherlands over China because the former is a liberal democracy, while the latter is not. Only a fool would choose China.
However, it is not merely the Netherlands and Germany, but practically all Western nations that support Taiwan. The Russia-Ukraine war has allowed the West to see China’s true face and understand that Taiwan stands beside them in supporting Ukraine.
It was the US, not the CCP or the KMT, that was instrumental in delivering Taiwan from colonialism. China was unable to defeat Japan on its own and would have been defeated had it not been for US assistance. The US military had just fought a gruesome war in the Pacific, so it was not about to foolishly hand Taiwan over to the Chinese government.
Taiwan’s largest issue now is not foreign aggression, but domestic unrest. The two major opposition parties lack moral judgement and national identity. They prefer to keep the enemy close while battling their own people, displaying a true lack of moral standards.
However, those who have virtue are not alone. There are like-minded partners abroad. The Democratic Progressive Party’s insistence on Taiwanese sovereignty is key to earning the respect and support of Western nations, which would further guarantee Taiwan’s liberty, democracy and prosperity.
Teng Hon-yuan is an associate professor at Aletheia University.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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