I recently stumbled on a social media post from the office of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Washington proudly announcing its participation in the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
Is the DPP a conservative party now?
The post praised the “common pursuit of freedom, faith and fortitude.” I am all for freedom and fortitude, but faith? Which one? I have a feeling you do not talk much about Buddha or Guan Yu (關羽), the Chinese god of war, in such a place.
This is not a jab at the person who has been there and shared her experience: She was doing her job as a public relations person. The problem goes beyond that. This is not an isolated incident: Segments of the DPP are dangerously flirting with an ideological alignment they do not need to take.
Taiwan does not have the same level of freedom that other countries have when it comes to balancing its foreign affairs. Let us not be naive: It is always a priority for Taipei to keep a good relationship with Washington. However, advertising such a controversial forum and the use of the word “faith” in this context are not only unnecessary to keep US President Donald Trump’s administration on Taiwan’s side, they are also counterproductive to Taiwan’s long-term interests.
The right strategy for Taiwan has always been to ensure it was a bipartisan issue. This in itself justifies any Taiwanese political party reaching out to the Republicans. However, in the increasingly polarized climate in the US, it means treading carefully and making sure we are not viewed as being too close to one side or the other.
Just imagine if the Democrats come back to power and this post is exhumed: Suddenly Taiwan’s enemies would be granted the perfect weapon to assimilate Taiwan’s sovereignty with the kind of policies that have lost support.
We know, by observing other countries, that such an alignment is unnecessary. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is not servile or submissive toward Trump, but knows how to cajole him and meet him with the kind of strength he respects. She did not need to convert the Japanese people to Evangelical Protestantism or dismantle the Japanese national health insurance system.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is, so far, juggling the challenge of Trump 2.0 in a skillful manner. He is a Labor Party politician hailing from a unionist background that is anathema to Trumpists. His foreign minister, the very skillful Penny Wong (黃英賢), is LGBTQ and of immigrant ancestry: That is everything “faith-based conservatives” hate, but that did not stop her from dealing efficiently with the White House.
In short, it is possible to deal with the Trump administration while staying true to yourself, and there is no need for Taiwan to suddenly adopt the whole “make America great again” (MAGA) manifesto to keep the US on board.
To add a layer of irony, CPAC is not even that important to the Trump administration. Vanity Fair reported that the event has lost influence and momentum among US conservatives.
In Europe, in Africa, in Latin America, even among our ASEAN partners, such a reference to “faith” and US-style conservatism does not serve Taiwan’s image.
Domestically, there is no appetite for Christian nationalism or regression of social rights among the Taiwanese. If the DPP becomes the party of MAGA dominance over Taiwan, it would stop being the party of Taiwanese independence. That is quite frankly the only reason left for many people to keep voting for it.
Julien Oeuillet is an independent reporter in Kaohsiung and hosts the weekly program Taiwan vs the World on Radio Taiwan International.
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