At the recent press conference for his new book, President Chen Shui-bian (
The problem with their argument is that both Chen and his predecessor, Lee Teng-hui (
But could it be that Chen is in the wrong because Beijing has been insisting that the "one China" consensus of 1992 is the one and only foundation for the development of cross-strait relations? On this point, Taiwan's opposition parties have been acting like Beijing's mouthpieces. The "one China" principle and the 1992 consensus as Beijing understands them merely represent the political objectives that Beijing wants to achieve.
At a press conference during the recent APEC summit in Shanghai, China's Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan (
"One China, with each side making its own interpretation" is a semantic trap set up by Beijing. It is meant only for domestic consumption within China and for deceiving the people of Taiwan. Internationally, there is only enough room for one China, not for different interpretations of it.
For Taiwan, whether or not to accept "one China" is a matter of life and death. It is a question of whether Taiwan wants to accept "one country, two systems" and become a local government. For the people of Taiwan, this question is a choice between democracy or authoritarianism, human rights or despotism, rule of law or rule by whim. Certainly, for both the president and the people of Taiwan, the answer to Beijing's offer is "no." Taiwan's electorate must make its voice heard at the polls on Dec.1 -- by stripping the pan-blue camp of its legislative majority.
That the PRC and the ROC coexist is reality. How can anyone say that any consensus has been reached on "one China?" Beijing can bring up "one China" as an issue to be discussed, but to make it a precondition? To demand that Taiwan must surrender before any negotiations can begin? Don't even think about it, China -- nor its Quislings in Taiwan.
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
The military is conducting its annual Han Kuang exercises in phases. The minister of national defense recently said that this year’s scenarios would simulate defending the nation against possible actions the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) might take in an invasion of Taiwan, making the threat of a speculated Chinese invasion in 2027 a heated agenda item again. That year, also referred to as the “Davidson window,” is named after then-US Indo-Pacific Command Admiral Philip Davidson, who in 2021 warned that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had instructed the PLA to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027. Xi in 2017
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of