Research by the National Museum of Natural Science confirmed that Denisovans — a species of archaic humans — inhabited Penghu 100,000 years ago, revealing for the first time their presence outside areas near present-day Mongolia. The finding not only revealed the complexity of the evolutionary and migratory history of ancient hominids in Asia, but also showed the diversity of the people who comprise Taiwan’s population.
As my mother is from Penghu, I am excited about this news, because I myself might also have a one-in-a-million blood relationship with the Denisovans.
The identity of a nation is not restricted to blood relationships. As another ancient group in Penghu has been added to Taiwan’s diverse origins, this proves that Taiwan should not be locked into a “one China” framework.
I still remember that when former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was in office, he emphasized the need to sign the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement in 2010. Luckily, the 2014 Sunflower movement blocked the passage of a trade in services agreement, otherwise Taiwanese businesspeople would have been thrown into chaos when the COVID-19 pandemic began or amid US President Donald Trump’s tariff war.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Yu-jen (陳玉珍) is proposing to turn Taiwan’s outlying Kinmen County into a so-called “Kinmen autonomous region.”
However, Trump’s tariff policies put the proposal in a bad light, as it gives rise to suspicions of “origin laundering” of Chinese goods, as well as opening the door to fake Chinese doctors.
If Chen has such great vision, why does she not propose building an international port in Penghu? Everyone would applaud that idea.
Jane Ywe-hwan is an associate professor at National Pingtung University.
Translated by Eddy Chang
On Sept. 3 in Tiananmen Square, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) rolled out a parade of new weapons in PLA service that threaten Taiwan — some of that Taiwan is addressing with added and new military investments and some of which it cannot, having to rely on the initiative of allies like the United States. The CCP’s goal of replacing US leadership on the global stage was advanced by the military parade, but also by China hosting in Tianjin an August 31-Sept. 1 summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which since 2001 has specialized
In an article published by the Harvard Kennedy School, renowned historian of modern China Rana Mitter used a structured question-and-answer format to deepen the understanding of the relationship between Taiwan and China. Mitter highlights the differences between the repressive and authoritarian People’s Republic of China and the vibrant democracy that exists in Taiwan, saying that Taiwan and China “have had an interconnected relationship that has been both close and contentious at times.” However, his description of the history — before and after 1945 — contains significant flaws. First, he writes that “Taiwan was always broadly regarded by the imperial dynasties of
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will stop at nothing to weaken Taiwan’s sovereignty, going as far as to create complete falsehoods. That the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has never ruled Taiwan is an objective fact. To refute this, Beijing has tried to assert “jurisdiction” over Taiwan, pointing to its military exercises around the nation as “proof.” That is an outright lie: If the PRC had jurisdiction over Taiwan, it could simply have issued decrees. Instead, it needs to perform a show of force around the nation to demonstrate its fantasy. Its actions prove the exact opposite of its assertions. A
A large part of the discourse about Taiwan as a sovereign, independent nation has centered on conventions of international law and international agreements between outside powers — such as between the US, UK, Russia, the Republic of China (ROC) and Japan at the end of World War II, and between the US and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) since recognition of the PRC as the sole representative of China at the UN. Internationally, the narrative on the PRC and Taiwan has changed considerably since the days of the first term of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) of the Democratic
RSS