The mass recall movement has been a grueling process: Petition gatherers, who are volunteers, are frequently turned away, often humiliated and even abused by those who disagree with them. Even people who share their stance cannot help but harbor doubts, while the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) treats them with contempt and mocks the movement in countless ways.
Despite all that, in a matter of months, Taiwanese have demonstrated the sheer power of civic engagement, evolving from an underdog to a surging force. As of yesterday, 30 groups had submitted the required number of signatures for the second phase of the movement to recall KMT legislators. One of the failed petitions was against KMT Legislator Hsu Hsin-ying (徐欣瑩) of Hsinchu County. Of the 19,521 petition forms submitted to the Hsinchu County Election Commission, the last 2,000 had no list attached. As a result, the commission disqualified them. As the petition failed due to a technical issue, the battle should not be considered completely lost. Hsu narrowly escaped due to a bureaucratic decision by the commission.
There are several high-profile figures among those whose petitions have met the second-stage threshold, including Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) and Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) of Taipei, and even KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) — which had been viewed as an “impossible” task — exceeded the required number of signatures by large margins. In central Taiwan, petitions targeting lawmakers in KMT strongholds, such as Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔), Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恆) and Ma Wen-chun (馬文君), were submitted successfully. The public’s will has transcended the traditional lines dividing the pan-blue and pan-green camps, breaking through the domains of local factions.
Meanwhile, the US’ global strategic goals have become increasingly clear. US President Donald Trump launched a major tariff war as a means of disguising his true intention — to target China. As of last week, the UK became the first to sign a tariff deal with the US, and both sides included clauses designed to keep China out of supply chains. With this, Trump revealed that the key to his overarching strategy lies in countering China.
Taiwan, as a key geopolitical hub, would play a crucial role in achieving this goal. As such, whether the public’s will can remain steadfast in resisting the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) influence is of vital importance. The success of the mass recall movement sends a clear message to the Trump administration and the international community — Taiwanese share an unwavering resolve to resist the CCP. This level of determination has proved enough for the US and Japan to recognize that “if Taiwan has a problem,” they do as well.
With such affirmations, everyone participating in the mass recall movement is making valuable contributions to promoting Taiwan’s increased security and elevating its international standing.
After recall votes are held, by-elections are to follow, the outcomes of which would affect the distribution of legislative seats and potentially reshape Taiwan’s political landscape. There is a long road ahead, but for now, those involved must take a moment to encourage themselves. They should especially cheer on the volunteers from across the nation, who — despite widespread skepticism at the outset — with hard work and dedication, contributed their time and money to tirelessly gather petitions.
The volunteers deserve the utmost respect.
For everyone who signed a petition — you should be proud of yourselves, as well.
Tommy Lin is chairman of the Formosa Republican Association and director of the Taiwan United Nations Alliance.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) were born under the sign of Gemini. Geminis are known for their intelligence, creativity, adaptability and flexibility. It is unlikely, then, that the trade conflict between the US and China would escalate into a catastrophic collision. It is more probable that both sides would seek a way to de-escalate, paving the way for a Trump-Xi summit that allows the global economy some breathing room. Practically speaking, China and the US have vulnerabilities, and a prolonged trade war would be damaging for both. In the US, the electoral system means that public opinion
They did it again. For the whole world to see: an image of a Taiwan flag crushed by an industrial press, and the horrifying warning that “it’s closer than you think.” All with the seal of authenticity that only a reputable international media outlet can give. The Economist turned what looks like a pastiche of a poster for a grim horror movie into a truth everyone can digest, accept, and use to support exactly the opinion China wants you to have: It is over and done, Taiwan is doomed. Four years after inaccurately naming Taiwan the most dangerous place on
In their recent op-ed “Trump Should Rein In Taiwan” in Foreign Policy magazine, Christopher Chivvis and Stephen Wertheim argued that the US should pressure President William Lai (賴清德) to “tone it down” to de-escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait — as if Taiwan’s words are more of a threat to peace than Beijing’s actions. It is an old argument dressed up in new concern: that Washington must rein in Taipei to avoid war. However, this narrative gets it backward. Taiwan is not the problem; China is. Calls for a so-called “grand bargain” with Beijing — where the US pressures Taiwan into concessions
Wherever one looks, the United States is ceding ground to China. From foreign aid to foreign trade, and from reorganizations to organizational guidance, the Trump administration has embarked on a stunning effort to hobble itself in grappling with what his own secretary of state calls “the most potent and dangerous near-peer adversary this nation has ever confronted.” The problems start at the Department of State. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has asserted that “it’s not normal for the world to simply have a unipolar power” and that the world has returned to multipolarity, with “multi-great powers in different parts of the
RSS