The international community is trapped in the debate over whether to oppose or support the US war on Iraq. As a result, the major powers in the UN are divided into two camps. At first glance, it seems, a similar debate is underway in this country. But, upon closer examination, one discovers that the debate here is much more about being pro-American or anti-American than about the war itself. In particular, political parties with particular positions on the unification question have seized the moment to debate the war in a self-serving manner.
It is human nature to prefer peace. But most members of the media and political circles here are anti-American. They also support unification. This is an intriguing phenomenon worthy of further observation and reflection.
In reality, from the standpoint of national interest, Taiwan has virtually no choice but to support the US in the war. President Chen Shui-bian (
Indeed, cross-strait history has shown us that only the US will give Taiwan military assistance in times of need. When the KMT government first withdrew to Taiwan, the island was highly vulnerable to invasion by Chinese communist troops, who were bent on taking over Taiwan once and for all. Once the Korean War broke out, the US deployed its Seventh Fleet to assist in the defense of Taiwan, putting paid to the communists' ambitions. The highly volatile situation in the Taiwan Strait was finally stabilized.
In 1958, however, the communists launched the Battle of the Taiwan Strait and hundreds of thousands of shells landed on Kinmen. Had it not been for strong US support, even if Taiwan had survived the assault, it would have lost the off-shore islands and the balance of power would have shifted dramatically in China's favor.
When the Cold War gravitated toward a "cold peace," the situation was stabilized once again. Taiwan strove to develop its economy. With the assistance of the US, the country experienced an economic miracle. Later, through democratic reforms and a nativization campaign, it underwent a democratic miracle as well.
But, at the most critical moment in Taiwan's democratization -- the 1996 presidential election -- China made verbal and military threats against Taiwan by engaging in missile "tests" in an attempt to blockade the Taiwan Strait. Fortunately, the US sent carriers to nearby waters, preventing China from getting away with its intimidation tactics.
In other words, throughout Taiwan's transformation into a democratic and prosperous sovereign state, the assistance of the Americans has been crucial. It is only reasonable that, when the US needs support, the people of Taiwan, out of gratitude, grant that support and do so firmly. To accuse the government of "sucking up" and Chen of "playing the puppet emperor," is too much. Besides, apart from anything else, the members of the opposition camp who have made these criticisms did much more "sucking up to the US" when they were in power.
One important lesson we can learn from the US-Iraq war is that, irrespective of external developments, the level of security a country enjoys is in direct proportion to the extent of its military power. Moreover, lack of popular support is the biggest roadblock to national defense. Only when the people all know precisely who are their friends and enemies are can they become united in standing up against foreign aggression.
Continued political and military antagonism with China seems inevitable and beyond resolution. On the other hand, cross-strait economic and business exchanges are very frequent. Taiwan's total volumes of trade and investment in China, its life-threatening enemy, far exceed safe levels.
The nation's ever increasing economic reliance on China is weakening its political and military lines of defense. This deepening economic and trade relationship might have brought more understanding between the two sides, eroding the animosity between them. But the one-sided nature of the relationship has accomplished precisely the opposite, increasingly placing the country's security in the hands of its enemy.
Taiwan must strengthen its military might. It cannot afford to be deceived by the seemingly stable cross-strait relationship and lower its guard. But, Taiwan is a small country after all. No waste can be tolerated in the spending of its limited resources on military build-ups.
So, irrespective of whether new weapons are purchased from abroad or researched and developed here at home, whether the weapons are suited for defense should be the number-one consideration of the government. China is increasing the number of missiles aimed at Taiwan by about 50 per year. So there is, without question, a desperate need to establish missile-defense systems. Whether to purchase the Patriot PAC-3 Plus system is a question which the Minister of National Defense Tang Yao-ming (
Unlike Russia, Germany and France, China did not stand at the forefront of the opposition to the US-Iraq war, nor has it expressed support for the war. Obviously, it is trying to lie low and reap benefits from the ongoing fight. This way, assuming the US and the UK defeat Iraq, China won't be on bad terms with the US. It will still have room to speak out on Middle East issues. On the other hand, should the war drag on, and US strength be weakened in the process, China will be able to seize the opportunity to undertake military and economic expansion and consolidate its position as it waits for the opportunity to rise to the top.
Taiwan is therefore confronted with many potential crises. So long as the US is preoccupied with the war, it is hard to say whether China will take the opportunity to make trouble in the Taiwan Strait. Even if China does not make trouble, it will continue to be able to lure Taiwanese businessmen through unification propaganda. Taiwan must not let itself be consumed by the debate about whether to oppose the war. How to respond to the political, economic, and military challenges posed by China is the question to which its people must find answers.
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