Regardless of how the international community assesses the political life of former US president Ronald Reagan, for the people of Taiwan, his contributions during his eight years in office far outweigh his deficits. His policy that the Taiwan Relations Act was the only foundation on which the cross-strait political problem could be resolved swept away the shadows that had been gathering over Taiwan after then president Jimmy Carter broke off diplomatic relations in January 1979. Reagan helped Taiwan recover its confidence after that crisis in Taiwan-US relations.
In his dealings with Taiwan and China, Reagan's biggest mistake was to follow the advice of Secretary of State Alexander Haig, who advocated the erroneous policy of sacrificing Taiwan and joining with China to contain the Soviet Union during the early stages of the first Reagan administration. During a visit to China in August 1982, the Joint Communique of August 17 was signed, in which the US promised to gradually reduce arms sales to Taiwan. Fortunately, Haig resigned some months later and the Reagan government took measures to redress the damage done, issuing Reagan's "six assurances" the following year, in which the US stated that it would not set a date for termination of arms sales to Taiwan, not alter the terms of the Taiwan Relations Act, not alter its position about Taiwan's sovereignty, not recognize Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan, not consult with China over arms sales to Taiwan and not act as a mediator between Taiwan and China.
The "six assurances" were historically significant as they marked the first time the US made a policy announcement based on the Taiwan Relations Act. In dealings between Taiwan, the US and China, this statement provided substantial and clear guidance to subsequent US administrations and opened the way for the US to send its navy to patrol the Taiwan Strait. With the guarantees that this policy provided, Taiwan's military situation improved enormously, and the nation continues to benefit from these guarantees. When some call Reagan the "guardian of Taiwan," they are not exaggerating.
We cannot say that Reagan made direct or obvious contributions to promote Taiwan's democratic reforms. But he stabilized the cross-strait situation, and therefore gained precious time and space for Taiwan's democratic movement to develop.
During Reagan's presidency from 1981 to 1989, activists bravely established the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) -- the first opposition party in Taiwan's history -- even as the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government led by then president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) made mistake after mistake in trying to suppress democracy, even going so far as to send gangsters to California in 1984 to assassinate writer Henry Liu (劉宜良), who had written critically of him. The DPP forced Chiang to tacitly recognize the party's existence, and this was a turning point for Taiwanese, who had endured almost 40 years of oppression under martial law. Finally, this vicious law that deprived the Taiwanese people of their freedoms of speech, publication, assembly and association was lifted in July 1987. In 1988, the ban on newspapers also was lifted.
The Reagan administration helped to provide a stable external environment for Taiwan, helping the Taiwanese people stand up again after the repression surrounding the 1979 Kaohsiung Incident. Taiwan's democracy activists were able to change the destiny of the people, eventually allowing the nation to cast off an autocratic regime and join the ranks of the world's democratic countries.
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