This year, 228 Memorial Day saw a memorable and meaningful commemoration. Yesterday was a most touching scene as people of Taiwan formed a human chain from one end of the island to the other and then held up their hands at precisely 2:28 pm. Rather than feeling hatred and vengeful, the message that the people tried to get across to the world is their love and faith in their land and their longing for peace. This was despite the tragic massacres and bloodshed perpetrated 57 years ago by the totalitarian Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government, which served as a prelude to decades of white terror and the martial-law era.
Vice President Annette Lu (
The 228 experience taught us the importance of democracy and freedom and the ruthlessness of single-party totalitarianism. The people of Taiwan will never give up the fruits of democracy and embrace the dictatorship of Beijing. The sovereignty of this country must be safeguarded. The experience also revealed to us the evil of unchecked aggression. Therefore, the people of Taiwan must call for peace and say "no" to Chinese missiles.
Moreover, it is the wish of the organizers and the participants of the event to unequivocally teach not only China, but in fact the entire world the valuable lessons they have learned, so that Beijing can no longer deceive the international community about what is the will of the people of Taiwan.
The lessons of the 228 Incident are heartfelt by the people of Taiwan, and have become a part of their core values. This was reflected by the overwhelming and enthusiastic participation in the rally yesterday. It was estimated that 500,000 people would have been enough to form the human chain. At the end, according to the chairman of the rally, Huang Chao-tung (
However, it is truly puzzling how some people, mostly supporters of the pan-blues, could paint the holding of the rally as inciting and manipulating ethnic rivalry and hatred. For example, as late as on Friday, the Miaoli campaign headquarters of pan-blue presidential candidate and KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
While it is true that in the past many people in Taiwan perceived the 228 Incident as a massacre of native Taiwanese by the ruling Chinese regime, people in Taiwan -- across all ethnic groups -- have come to realize that such an interpretation is an over-simplified depiction of the tragedy. Everyone who lives here is Taiwanese. In fact, it was the intention of the organizers to highlight the theme of ethnic harmony and unity through this rally -- as demonstrated by the participation of people from every ethnic group in the rally and the invitation of representatives from the five major ethnic groups in Taiwan to stand next to Chen and Lee in the event.
The 228 Incident should not be a taboo or a hush-hush topic -- the way it was treated before Lee openly issued an apology for it during his presidency. It is part of Taiwan's history that must be faced with love and tolerance, which is exactly what this rally was about.
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
If you had a vision of the future where China did not dominate the global car industry, you can kiss those dreams goodbye. That is because US President Donald Trump’s promised 25 percent tariff on auto imports takes an ax to the only bits of the emerging electric vehicle (EV) supply chain that are not already dominated by Beijing. The biggest losers when the levies take effect this week would be Japan and South Korea. They account for one-third of the cars imported into the US, and as much as two-thirds of those imported from outside North America. (Mexico and Canada, while
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
RSS