As SARS continues to wreak havoc in this nation, China has not only failed to express any regret, but has mobilized countries to shoot down Taiwan's bid to become an observer at the World Health Organization (WHO).
China is indeed at the center of the world. Not only does the Earth revolve around China, but WHO members take their cues from Beijing. The British envy Lord Macartney refused to kowtow to the Manchu Emperor Qian Long -- now everyone scrambles to kowtow to Beijing in order to win business opportunities in China. Hopefully such limitless business opportunities will materialize -- otherwise all the deaths from SARS in this country and elsewhere will have been a waste.
But every defeat is also a revelation. At least two things are clear. One, never believe the chatter about justice and morality coming from the mouths of international political leaders. Two, China will not soften its suppression of Taiwan no matter how hard Taipei tries to appease it.
It is time for President Chen Shui-bian's (
Since SARS first appeared in Hong Kong, the Department of Health has twice suggested that the Chen government temporary stop all passenger traffic between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. But the government was under pressure from business interests and was also worried about obstruction by the opposition parties. As a result, it not only ignored the department's suggestion but also tried to curry favor with the pro-unification forces, thereby missing the opportunity to readjust cross-strait relations.
Only after Kinman County, led by the New Party's Lee Chu-feng (
Many other countries have imposed restrictions on travellers from China, but this government has adamantly defended cross-strait exchanges. If the Chen government attaches such great importance to business opportunities in China, how can it blame those countries which kowtowed to China at the World Health Assembly meeting? What reason do we have to accuse others of injustice?
Chen should remember that a leader is not a people-pleaser, much less someone led by the nose by the pro-unification camp. After three years in office, he no longer has any excuse for being soft in the face of opposition arm-twisting. At a time when the country is in the grip of the SARS epidemic and its efforts to join the WHO has been frustrated once again, what is needed is a leader who can lead the entire citizenry, not a politician held hostage by business and pro-unification voters.
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
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I have heard people equate the government’s stance on resisting forced unification with China or the conditional reinstatement of the military court system with the rise of the Nazis before World War II. The comparison is absurd. There is no meaningful parallel between the government and Nazi Germany, nor does such a mindset exist within the general public in Taiwan. It is important to remember that the German public bore some responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. Post-World War II Germany’s transitional justice efforts were rooted in a national reckoning and introspection. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps not