We are witnessing a sea change in the government’s approach to China, from one of reasonable, low-key reluctance at rocking the boat to a collapse of pretense over and patience in Beijing’s willful intransigence. Finally, we are seeing a more common sense approach in the face of active shows of hostility from a foreign power.
According to Article 2 of the 2020 Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法), a “foreign hostile force” is defined as “countries, political entities or groups that are at war with or are engaged in a military standoff with the Republic of China [ROC]. The same stipulation applies to countries, political entities or groups that advocate the use of non-peaceful means to endanger the sovereignty of the Republic of China.”
To have that definition and to not mention that the only country it could substantially refer to is the People’s Republic of China (PRC) runs against all good sense. There has been a reluctance to state the obvious in official discourse. This reluctance is not unrelated to the fact that the relationship between Taiwan and China is intentionally kept vague for ideological reasons.
Now, President William Lai (賴清德) has officially identified the PRC as a foreign hostile force, and this return to common sense opens the door to a change in how the China threat could be addressed. We can drop the pretense that Beijing has the best interests of “Taiwanese compatriots” at heart. Taiwan can finally start getting serious about mobilizing a whole-of-society approach to thwart the ambitions of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and its “united front” efforts.
Even the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), so ideologically wed to the idea that the ROC still represents China in any meaningful way, cannot object to the characterization of the PRC, the CCP or the PLA as a foreign hostile force.
The KMT objects to overt expressions of China as the enemy, because it does not want to provoke the CCP or the PLA. It is true that it is unwise to taunt the tiger prowling around the village; at the same time, if you understand the reason that the beast is circling, it is equally unwise to ignore it, or to leave morsels at the village border. That tiger would not leave until it has been fed.
Instead of listening to disappointed complaints about a lack of discipline or loyalty within the armed forces, or treasonous activity, Lai is preparing to reinstate military courts and place constraints on travel to and activities within China.
Civil servants at all levels, including borough wardens, would need to disclose their trips before traveling to China. At the same time, anyone found to have been engaged in Beijing’s “united front” work would be denied entry for participating in such activities.
Taiwanese artists would need to be aware of the pitfalls regarding damaging Taiwan’s national dignity while pursuing their careers in China.
There is an awareness that the government needs to take a tool out of the CCP’s playbook and mobilize culture for soft power to counteract Beijing’s attempts to distort the narrative.
Lai has said that the government should formulate plans to enhance cultural competitiveness on the international stage, and to encourage the study of Taiwanese history and culture. Taiwan could learn from the experience of South Korea and the soft power dividends that K-pop has brought the nation.
In terms of hard power, the army is now on the fourth day of “immediate combat readiness drills,” based on the assessment that the PLA could pivot military exercises around Taiwan to an actual invasion attempt.
Officially naming the CCP as a foreign hostile force would hopefully consolidate a whole-of-society awareness of the threat that was previously less well-defined.
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