The Hong Kong-based Oriental Daily News on Aug. 26 ran the following headline: "Lee Teng-hui has heart attack, undergoes surgery, pushing for Taiwan independence." It is no surprise that, under Beijing's "one country, two systems" formula, Hong Kong would treat the former president in this way.
But it's chilling to see that such a simple matter was politicized into a piece of news that smacked of schadenfreude.
Promoting Taiwan's independence and having a heart attack are two different matters. Apparently the daily committed a non sequitur in viewing "pushing for Tai-wan's independence" as the cause of the illness. There are plenty of reasons behind its attempt to tarnish independence movements. But this unwise act has exposed the cold-bloodedness and ruthlessness of the "Greater China" mind-set.
Lee Teng Hui's (李登輝) illness is of course not directly related to the 6 million people of Hong Kong. From the perspective of universal humanity, it's all right if they did not show any sympathy. But how come they took this opportunity to scoff at him?
What's even more deplorable is that not long ago, Taiwan Advocates, a think tank chaired by Lee, invited some Hong Kong friends to discuss the territory's future under the "one country, two systems" formula, as well as the prospects for autonomy and democracy in Hong Kong.
Even though the host and guests disagreed on certain mat-ters, such exchanges between Taiwan and Hong Kong are definitely beneficial. Surprisingly, the Hong Kong media still treated Lee in an unfriendly way and reported his illness in an indecorous manner.
This seems to show that the Hong Kong people's "democracy" cannot link to the Taiwanese people's "self-awareness" (discovery and construction of a Taiwanese entity). It also serves as a warning: too much expectation and fantasies about the so-called "three places across the Taiwan Strait" -- China, Hong Kong and Taiwan -- is not conducive to changing the status quo. Neither will it bring in surprise outcomes if one does not make all-out efforts to achieve one's goals and ideals.
God helps those who help themselves. It all depends on one's own sense of pride and dignity.
In addition, the various interpretations of what Lee said that, "the ROC [Republic of China] no longer exists," must be based on accepting the nation's status as a reality. Otherwise, the emotionally charged term "pushing for Taiwan's independence" will rapidly spread here, posing a threat to the 23 million Taiwanese people's national identity.
Never mind pro-unification or pro-independence factions. The one and only "Taiwanese faction" is the ultimate foundation on which we can stand and face the world. At least, we should recognize the reality and respect the land on which we were born and raised.
Obviously, Taiwan is "real" while the ROC is "fictional." At this historic crossroads, one who is willing to work for the community's common prosperity deserves people's respect.
Yeh Hai-yen is director of the department of philosophy at Soochow University.
Translated by Jackie Lin
Two weeks ago, Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) raised hackles in Taiwan by posting to her 2.6 million Instagram followers that she was visiting “Taipei, China.” Yeoh’s post continues a long-standing trend of Chinese propaganda that spreads disinformation about Taiwan’s political status and geography, aimed at deceiving the world into supporting its illegitimate claims to Taiwan, which is not and has never been part of China. Taiwan must respond to this blatant act of cognitive warfare. Failure to respond merely cedes ground to China to continue its efforts to conquer Taiwan in the global consciousness to justify an invasion. Taiwan’s government
This month’s news that Taiwan ranks as Asia’s happiest place according to this year’s World Happiness Report deserves both celebration and reflection. Moving up from 31st to 27th globally and surpassing Singapore as Asia’s happiness leader is gratifying, but the true significance lies deeper than these statistics. As a society at the crossroads of Eastern tradition and Western influence, Taiwan embodies a distinctive approach to happiness worth examining more closely. The report highlights Taiwan’s exceptional habit of sharing meals — 10.1 shared meals out of 14 weekly opportunities, ranking eighth globally. This practice is not merely about food, but represents something more
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
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