What separates great leaders from good leaders is that great leaders can identify challenges and tackle them with vision and determination. President Chen Shui-bian's (
Chen is facing three major challenges: an antagonistic Beijing regime that has shown no respect for the newly re-elected president; a US-Taiwan relationship that is somewhat damaged by different views on Chen's push for a referendum; and a prolonged domestic entanglement over the election that originates from a lack of trust in the past four years.
Despite the fact that Beijing has not reacted in an extreme way to Chen's victory, it has used diplomatic as well as political means to sabotage Chen's new mandate. For example, soon after Chen was officially certified as the winner of the election, Beijing bought out Taiwan's diplomatic ally, Dominica. Moreover, Beijing's plan to dictate policy on political reform in Hong Kong -- which includes a proposal to directly elect the head of the Special Administrative Region by 2007 -- is regarded as a "preventive mechanism" to counter growing local consciousness.
Even though Chen has called for both sides of the Taiwan Strait to put aside the political deadlock and restart dialogue on a peace framework, China has poured cold water on Chen's new goodwill gesture. Chen will have to work hard to draw Beijing into a fair game.
When it comes to the question of repairing the strained Taipei-Washington relationship, Chen will have to reassure his American counterparts that the US will not be caught in the middle of a clash between Taiwanese consciousness and Chinese nationalism. In particular, he must make it clear that his desire to approve a new constitution by 2006 has no bearing on the status quo.
While urging the US to play a constructive role as mediator between Taipei and Beijing, Chen will have to explain to the US government what steps he will take to make cross-strait interaction workable and predictable.
Given that the US presidential election is approaching, Chen must work hard to restore Washington's trust and establish clear and candid channels of communication.
Because Chen pledged during the election that he would continue to reform and build trust in Taiwan, the first item on his domestic agenda must be to bridge the divisions in Taiwanese society that resulted from a heated election campaign.
As a country struggling to deepen democracy, Taiwan yearns for more discipline, structure and order in all aspects of its national life. Upset with political finger-pointing, a sense of political chaos and instability and sometimes-intentional political manipulation of ethnic problems, Taiwanese voters are looking for national reconciliation and leadership that can bring forth a mature civil society.
Last month's election displayed a public eagerness for more political stability, economic improvement, efficient government and well-established political institutions and rule of law.
By taking the theme of strength and unity and applying it to healthy political competition, anti-corruption efforts, economic rejuvenation, crime-fighting and government downsizing, Chen can win more support.
When his administration was criticized by the opposition as "the new kids in town" four years ago, Chen stepped out and launched a campaign based on love for Taiwan and a continued belief in reform. The 1.5 million additional votes that Chen received in this year's election represent a mandate for him. Making use of his popularity to advance cross-strait rapprochement, rejuvenate the US-Taiwan relationship and promote national harmony would position him to establish three major legacies during his time in office.
On Sept. 3 in Tiananmen Square, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) rolled out a parade of new weapons in PLA service that threaten Taiwan — some of that Taiwan is addressing with added and new military investments and some of which it cannot, having to rely on the initiative of allies like the United States. The CCP’s goal of replacing US leadership on the global stage was advanced by the military parade, but also by China hosting in Tianjin an August 31-Sept. 1 summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which since 2001 has specialized
In an article published by the Harvard Kennedy School, renowned historian of modern China Rana Mitter used a structured question-and-answer format to deepen the understanding of the relationship between Taiwan and China. Mitter highlights the differences between the repressive and authoritarian People’s Republic of China and the vibrant democracy that exists in Taiwan, saying that Taiwan and China “have had an interconnected relationship that has been both close and contentious at times.” However, his description of the history — before and after 1945 — contains significant flaws. First, he writes that “Taiwan was always broadly regarded by the imperial dynasties of
A large part of the discourse about Taiwan as a sovereign, independent nation has centered on conventions of international law and international agreements between outside powers — such as between the US, UK, Russia, the Republic of China (ROC) and Japan at the end of World War II, and between the US and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) since recognition of the PRC as the sole representative of China at the UN. Internationally, the narrative on the PRC and Taiwan has changed considerably since the days of the first term of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) of the Democratic
A report by the US-based Jamestown Foundation on Tuesday last week warned that China is operating illegal oil drilling inside Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Island (Dongsha, 東沙群島), marking a sharp escalation in Beijing’s “gray zone” tactics. The report said that, starting in July, state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corp installed 12 permanent or semi-permanent oil rig structures and dozens of associated ships deep inside Taiwan’s EEZ about 48km from the restricted waters of Pratas Island in the northeast of the South China Sea, islands that are home to a Taiwanese garrison. The rigs not only typify
RSS