Party competition is a normal phenomenon in democratic countries, but no opposition party in any country is so unreasonable as to block the national budget five times, disregard the constitution and undermine the government. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party’s (TPP) coalition is behaving barbarically, hoping to completely paralyze the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) administration for their own political gain. The real victims, however, are the Taiwanese. This not only impacts national defense, diplomacy and economic policy, but also prevents KMT-led local governments from implementing their own projects. DPP supporters are not the only ones harmed — KMT and TPP supporters also suffer as a result.
While stationed in the US, I witnessed the disastrous effects of the KMT cutting the international publicity budget. I personally experienced the profound harm to diplomatic efforts caused by their reckless actions. While I was working in Los Angeles in 2004, then-US national security advisor Condoleezza Rice was angered by China’s proposed “Anti-Secession” law. The law claimed that Taiwan’s desire to maintain the “status quo” was a call for independence, and asserted that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) held the right to attack or impose sanctions on Taiwan for pursuing independence or delaying unification. The law crossed a line drawn by the US that neither party unilaterally change the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, thereby severely harming US interests.
As the law was harmful to Taiwan, the administration at the time instructed all units stationed abroad to counteract it and work to promote international awareness. However, the KMT’s erasure of the international publicity budget for overseas offices made this task incredibly difficult.
Personally covering the costs for food and gas, I successfully lobbied an LA Times reporter to publish a story about Los Angeles’ Taiwanese community protesting the law, which expanded into a front-page international news feature. They created a striking piece featuring a tank being blocked by citizens, as during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. The tank was rolling over Taiwan’s democratic territory, the site of the 1990 Wild Lily student movement.
However, the office lacked the funds for printing at the time. Thankfully, the overseas Taiwanese community donated to help print the promotional flyers. Sure enough, the publication attracted the attention of the US public and major media outlets such as the LA Times, Fox News and The Associated Press. Reporters were sent to demonstrations to interview protesters and publish news reports supporting Taiwan. The LA Times dedicated the front page to its report, which spanned more than four pages and resulted in major publicity.
Although there were Taiwanese demonstrations in many large US cities, mainstream US media outlets for the most part did not publish reports on the issue. The press offices stationed across the US lacked funds for dinners with reporters and gas for business trips — thus, they could not expand the movement.
Countering China’s “Anti-Secession” law and fighting for international support for the “status quo” was an issue of great concern for national security and public safety. Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) took this diplomatic work seriously, yet the KMT made it difficult for units stationed overseas to carry on with their work and severely affected Taiwan’s national security. Today, opposition legislators continue to block the government budget, which would have a serious impact on Taiwan’s diplomatic relations and government functions. I ask all opposition legislators, do you not feel ashamed about hurting our country and people this way? How uncivilized must you be? How long can this spectacle drag on?
Michael Lin is a retired diplomat, formerly posted in the US.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
In the event of a war with China, Taiwan has some surprisingly tough defenses that could make it as difficult to tackle as a porcupine: A shoreline dotted with swamps, rocks and concrete barriers; conscription for all adult men; highways and airports that are built to double as hardened combat facilities. This porcupine has a soft underbelly, though, and the war in Iran is exposing it: energy. About 39,000 ships dock at Taiwan’s ports each year, more than the 30,000 that transit the Strait of Hormuz. About one-fifth of their inbound tonnage is coal, oil, refined fuels and liquefied natural gas (LNG),
On Monday, the day before Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) departed on her visit to China, the party released a promotional video titled “Only with peace can we ‘lie flat’” to highlight its desire to have peace across the Taiwan Strait. However, its use of the expression “lie flat” (tang ping, 躺平) drew sarcastic comments, with critics saying it sounded as if the party was “bowing down” to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Amid the controversy over the opposition parties blocking proposed defense budgets, Cheng departed for China after receiving an invitation from the CCP, with a meeting with
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) is leading a delegation to China through Sunday. She is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in Beijing tomorrow. That date coincides with the anniversary of the signing of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), which marked a cornerstone of Taiwan-US relations. Staging their meeting on this date makes it clear that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intends to challenge the US and demonstrate its “authority” over Taiwan. Since the US severed official diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979, it has relied on the TRA as a legal basis for all
To counter the CCP’s escalating threats, Taiwan must build a national consensus and demonstrate the capability and the will to fight. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) often leans on a seductive mantra to soften its threats, such as “Chinese do not kill Chinese.” The slogan is designed to frame territorial conquest (annexation) as a domestic family matter. A look at the historical ledger reveals a different truth. For the CCP, being labeled “family” has never been a guarantee of safety; it has been the primary prerequisite for state-sanctioned slaughter. From the forced starvation of 150,000 civilians at the Siege of Changchun
RSS