When DPP presidential candidate Chen Shiu-bian (
Chen's basic premise is that international contradictions and conflicts are generated largely by the debate between the proponents of so-called globalization and the proponents of national sovereignty and by the emergence of new types of international actors based on distinct identities. Therefore, Taiwan's international vision and role have to be re-scrutinized and re-adjusted, in order to find a balanced "new middle way" and broader diplomatic space in the international community.
Chen's argument deserves greater attention.
As a "small country" in the traditional sense, Taiwan must now come to terms with repositioning its international role and readjusting its diplomatic strategies.
Taiwan needs to consider ways to escape from its passivity -- such as its dependence on a super-power during the Cold War -- and take advantage of its own strengths, expanding an independent and autonomous diplomatic space to form more extensive and more reliable international cooperation.
For nearly 40 years, Taiwan's diplomatic practice has been dominated by the so-called "one China" myth, in which the direction of Taiwan's foreign policy has been determined by cross-strait interaction.
Thus, the implementation of Taiwan's diplomacy has often fallen unwittingly into a reactive pattern, merely responding to Chinese actions.
The result is a zero-sum game, or a meaningless competition over the number of formal diplomatic partners.
Under China's relentless obstructions, Taiwan has faced major difficulties getting established and recognized in the international arena.
The KMT, however, was unwilling to highlight Taiwan's independent sovereignty; instead, it proclaimed Taiwan to be a so-called "political entity"(
By these goals, they set Chinese unification as the sole option for Taiwan's future.
More recently, President Lee Teng-hui (
Although this timely claim highlights the significant political reality of Taiwan as an independent sovereign nation, the entanglement between the ROC and the PRC over sovereignty was not clarified or dissolved.
The policy of "one China respectively interpreted by each side" (
The misleading "one China" myth has handicapped capable Taiwanese diplomats, turned away international sympathy, and diluted overseas Taiwanese support. It has wasted ROC investments in foreign affairs and brought Taiwan diplomacy to a dead end.
As a result, Taiwan's current foreign policy is oriented towards short-term interests and political point-scoring, which easily degenerates into a contest about the number of countries with diplomatic recognition and exposing the government to the accusations of "money diplomacy"(
To break out of this condition, Chen offers a scenario which calls upon the use of non-traditional diplomatic work. Taiwan's new international role could be described by the term "new internationalism."
The theory goes like this: Taiwan is a small nation, and Taiwan cannot afford to draw on isolationist, self-centered conservative thinking.
Nor should Taiwan be obsessed with the issue of sovereignty and thus passively subject itself to the rules of the game played by the great powers.
Rather, precisely because Taiwan has very limited resources to count on, it should explore a variety of channels to intensively open new battlefields outside of the international mainstream establishment.
The principle of "new internationalism" consists of pragmatic strategies such as extensive participation in international activities and a focus on establishing sustainable, long-term friendships.
Through a new internationalist outlook, Taiwan can act as a member of the international community, entering those international organizations that uphold peace, advocate security, sustain prosperity, support human rights, protect the environment, and provide humanitarian aid.
Taiwan's new role will be as a "loyal supporter of the world order" who respects the world's mainstream values, actively engages in international interactions and extensively participates in various levels of international affairs, instead of being a "troublemaker."
Inherent in Taiwan's new internationalist role, according to Chen, is another advantage, overcoming the problem of the forced prioritization of cross-strait policy within foreign policy. This problem has caused an imbalance and restricted the development of Taiwan's international relations.
The most salient feature of the current international system is the increasing blurring of national borders and the evolving concept of national sovereignty.
The interaction between nations no longer relies solely on the maintenance of formal, official relationships.
The rise of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the rising prominence of an international civil society signify that the international diplomatic arena in the post-Cold War era has gone beyond the boundaries of purely military and political affairs.
It now emphasizes economics and trade, environmental protection and human rights. Investing in these latter categories may not produce immediate results.
But under the present distress, in which sovereignty is a pretext for China's constant threats and suppression of international sympathy, Taiwan's foreign policy must transform to be more comprehensive and pluralistic.
"New internationalism" is precisely the diplomatic framework that can meet both the world's expectations and Taiwan's needs for broader international space.
Since NGO activities in the international community are exerting comprehensive influence across different spheres, Taiwan should think about how to establish long-term and stable partnerships with international NGO's.
Chen also addresses the question "How can Taiwan really go out?" (
He argues that for Taiwan's leaders to break through the Chinese obstructions and visit the US and other major countries is not sufficient, although such visits are not without significance.
Moreover, the exact number of countries with which we maintain diplomatic relations is not the sole measure of our diplomatic achievement, nor does it represent the degree to which we are a part of international society.
The real meaning of "Taiwan going out," according to Chen, is moving beyond the narrow focus on political interests to a focus on creating long-term, stable relationships.
For example, while Taiwan is managing its relationships with the major powers, we should also carefully consider the possibility of developing relationships with selected smaller but nonetheless important powers, such as the Benelux and Scandinavian countries, which might not be global powers but are influential in their regions.
Taking advantage of Taiwan's relatively abundant resources, we should actively engage in such activities as humanitarian relief, cultural exchange, sharing our experience with democratization and economic development, joint development of natural resources, economic and trade cooperation, party and local government diplomacy, and international NGO activities.
All of these, taken together, should form part of Taiwan's overall diplomatic picture.
Liu Shih-chung is deputy director of the DPP's International Affairs Department.
GAINING STEAM: The scheme initially failed to gather much attention, with only 188 cards issued in its first year, but gained popularity amid the COVID-19 pandemic Applications for the Employment Gold Card have increased in the past few years, with the card having been issued to a total of 13,191 people from 101 countries since its introduction in 2018, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday. Those who have received the card have included celebrities, such as former NBA star Dwight Howard and Australian-South Korean cheerleader Dahye Lee, the NDC said. The four-in-one Employment Gold Card combines a work permit, resident visa, Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) and re-entry permit. It was first introduced in February 2018 through the Act Governing Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及雇用法),
WARNING: From Jan. 1 last year to the end of last month, 89 Taiwanese have gone missing or been detained in China, the MAC said, urging people to carefully consider travel to China Lax enforcement had made virtually moot regulations banning civil servants from making unauthorized visits to China, the Control Yuan said yesterday. Several agencies allowed personnel to travel to China after they submitted explanations for the trip written using artificial intelligence or provided no reason at all, the Control Yuan said in a statement, following an investigation headed by Control Yuan member Lin Wen-cheng (林文程). The probe identified 318 civil servants who traveled to China without permission in the past 10 years, but the true number could be close to 1,000, the Control Yuan said. The public employees investigated were not engaged in national
The zero emissions ship Porrima P111 was launched yesterday in Kaohsiung, showcasing the nation’s advancement in green technology, city Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said. The nation last year acquired the Swiss-owned vessel, formerly known as Turanor PlanetSolar, in a bid to boost Taiwan’s technology sector, as well as ecotourism in Palau, Chen said at the ship’s launch ceremony at Singda Harbor. Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) also attended the event. The original vessel was the first solar-powered ship to circumnavigate the globe in a voyage from 2010 to 2012. Taiwan-based Porrima Inc (保利馬) installed upgrades with
ENHANCE DETERRENCE: Taiwan has to display ‘fierce resolve’ to defend itself for China to understand that the costs of war outweigh potential gains, Koo said Taiwan’s armed forces must reach a high level of combat readiness by 2027 to effectively deter a potential Chinese invasion, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said in an interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) published yesterday. His comments came three days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the US Senate that deterring a Chinese attack on Taiwan requires making a conflict “cost more than what it’s worth.” Rubio made the remarks in response to a question about US policy on Taiwan’s defense from Republican Senator John Cornyn, who said that Chinese
RSS