Tue, Nov 03, 2020 page2

• Women are leading Taiwan’s public relations campaign to counter China

  • By Chris Horton / Bloomberg
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  In the battle for public opinion between China and Taiwan, Beijing has many advantages over its neighbor: the ability to leverage the world’s second-largest economy, an influential diplomatic corps and vast resources.

  Diplomatically isolated, democratic Taiwan has amplified its message and pushed back against Chinese propaganda with one of the few things Beijing does not have many of — high-profile women taking the lead in defending the government’s interests.

  Taiwan’s first female president, Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), is leading a diverse group of women holding key positions in the government, aiming to raise its international profile at a time when China is attempting to block its neighbor from the global conversation — and warning of a possible invasion.

  The women running Taiwan are looking to boost a soft-power edge over Beijing and promote an inclusive democratic system.

  Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) is on the front line of that effort in the US, Taiwan’s most important strategic partner.

  “I’m proud that Taiwan has one of the highest rates of women in politics in Asia,” Hsiao said in an e-mail. “Over 40 percent of our legislature is comprised of women, many with diverse backgrounds ranging from academia, [non-government organizations] and the private sector.”

  Although Taiwan and the US lack an official diplomatic relationship, bilateral channels are the most open they have been in four decades.

  Hsiao is pushing for even closer ties, telling the Washington Post last month that it is time to adjust the concept of “strategic ambiguity” regarding whether the US would come to Taiwan’s aid if it was attacked by China.

  Hsiao’s visible approach to diplomacy comes as the US government is showing its strongest support for Taiwan in decades, with the US Department of State approving two arms packages worth a combined US$4.2 billion.

  Politics drew Hsiao to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which she began working for in the US as an activity coordinator before returning to Taiwan and joining its international affairs division.

  She moved up in the party’s ranks and served four terms as a DPP legislator-at-large from 2012 to January this year. Before relocating to Taiwan’s unofficial embassy in Washington, Hsiao served Tsai as a national security adviser.

  Hsiao’s role in Washington stands in stark contrast to Chinese diplomacy, which is overwhelmingly male.

  “Women have virtually no influence on important matters in Beijing,” said Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, adding that there is only one woman serving in the 25-member politburo at the top of the Chinese Communist Party, and none in the seven-member Standing Committee at its apex.

  Taiwan’s legislature, on the other hand, is 43 percent women, the highest rate of female legislative representation in Asia, and among the highest in the world.

  Another of those voices is that of Minister Without Portfolio Audrey Tang (唐鳳), who has played a key role in the successful handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  Tang, who at age 35 was Taiwan’s youngest-ever and first transgender Cabinet member, advocates “radical transparency” and is an architect of a unique system of crowd-sourcing laws.

  “Our long-term commitment to gender equality and inclusion has achieved considerable results,” Tang said. “As a democratic and tolerant society, the government and the people are always listening to each other’s voices.”
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