Over the past few months, spontaneous protests have been occurring frequently across Taiwan — whether calling to question the serious ambiguity of the relationship between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), or raising concerns over shifts in the opposition’s political direction, civil society has demonstrated a strong sense of autonomy and democratic awareness. All such demonstrations have concluded peacefully and rationally, without any conflicts or violence, serving as successive resilience exercises for the nation’s democratic society.
A truly mature democratic society not only tolerates protests, but requires such mechanisms as channels for relieving public pressure. The key is whether these mechanisms are sufficiently legitimate, a condition that relies on citizens’ power to speak up — something that cannot be decided unilaterally by political parties. Recent demonstrations have shown Taiwanese uniting of their own volition, creating their own signs and slogans, organizing transportation and maintaining order — even voluntarily cleaning up the site after the events wrap up.
None of these events were organized by political parties or the government. Rather, they are the natural result of years of democratic education and civil organization within Taiwanese society.
From a strategic perspective, while these peaceful protests appear unrelated to the issue of national defense, they are the foundation of an asymmetric force against authoritarian interference. A society that can successfully demonstrate the ability to mobilize, coordinate, communicate and exercise self-control during peacetime would be capable of functioning when met with external threats — it might even develop into a grassroots resistance network. The various skills and experiences developed throughout protests — such as communications coordination, sharing resources, spatial organization and legal support — can all be transformed into foundational support capabilities during extraordinary times.
The CCP is accustomed to regarding public protests as the result of external interference, as its ruling logic struggles to comprehend the underlying power of civil autonomy. Therefore, Taiwanese society’s repeated demonstrations of its ability to self-mobilize — organizing protests without relying on political parties, financial support or other external forces — are a source of significant psychological pressure for the CCP. Even if it managed to take over the government or paralyze the military, it would still have a hard time assuming control over such a deeply resilient society.
This has forced Beijing to realize that its true adversary is not limited to Taiwan’s government or military, but the entire civil society — a society well-versed in organization and cooperation, and one that refuses to bow to authoritarianism. In this regard, Taiwanese society’s resilience capabilities act as a deterrent force against the CCP.
Peace has never been achieved through surrender or negotiation alone. Peace is achieved when one’s adversary, after recognizing that the cost of aggression is too high to bear, withdraws. Every peaceful protest in Taiwan is a grassroots democratic exercise, filling energy reserves in preparation for potential times of crisis.
The survival of Taiwan’s democracy depends on Taiwanese society’s ability to demonstrate internal order, autonomous will and collective resilience in the wake of challenges.
We must prepare ourselves to safeguard peace, and spontaneous civil resistance is the start of that preparation.
Yu Ming is an architect.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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