US President Donald Trump’s seemingly throwaway “Taiwan is Taiwan” statement has been appearing in headlines all over the media.
Although it appears to have been made in passing, the comment nevertheless reveals something about Trump’s views and his understanding of Taiwan’s situation. In line with the Taiwan Relations Act, the US and Taiwan enjoy unofficial, but close economic, cultural and national defense ties. They lack official diplomatic relations, but maintain a partnership based on shared democratic values and strategic alignment. Excluding China, Taiwan maintains a level of diplomatic relations, official or otherwise, with many nations worldwide. It can be said that there is a shared understanding of Taiwan’s “national character.”
A nation’s character is not dissimilar to personal character. A person’s character can be understood as the combination of their intelligence, behavior, emotions, interpersonal relationships and self-control expressed in how they lead their life. Personal character is usually stable in the day-to-day and shifts tend to be predictable — it is inextricably linked with the self. It is a product of how a person sees themself and of how others perceive them.
National character can be understood similarly. After 70 years of peace, Taiwan has emerged as a unique sort of nation. It has all the trappings of a country — a people, land, taxes, military and a democratically elected president. What to call it continues to hang in the balance, despite most other countries, according to their understanding of the nation’s character, overwhelmingly referring to it as Taiwan.
To borrow the phrase, Trump is Trump. Trump understands what it means to navigate shifting world affairs. Taiwanese must properly manage and protect their country, and Taiwan itself must continue to maintain strong relationships with free and democratic nations worldwide.
Taiwan is Taiwan; Taiwan is not China.
Chen Chiao-chicy is a professor of psychiatry and an attending physician at Mackay Memorial Hospital’s Department of Psychiatry.
Translated by Gilda Knox Streader
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