According to the US Department of Defense's annual report to Congress on China's military power, there has been talk in Taiwan about attacking high-value targets in China, such as the Three Gorges Dam, if the nation comes under attack from China. Immediately, some media outlets began to portray this as a suggestion by the US that Taiwan attack, or interpreted it to mean that the nation is actually planning such an attack.
This is of course all very irresponsible and the whole story could not be further from the truth. This is not to mention that the story has created unnecessary anxiety in Taiwan.
It is imperative to point out that Taiwan could not possibly make a first strike against China in any event. If it did, it would lose all international support, in particular that of the US, which is the lifeline onto which it has been hanging in the face of increasing Chinese threats. Even talk of enhancing Taiwan's sovereignty or adopting a new constitution has triggered pressure from the US, which has repeatedly emphasized that the US is obligated under the Taiwan Relations Act only to help Taiwan in its self-defense, not in other situations; so it is not hard to imagine what would happen if Taiwan made a first strike. Under the circumstances, it is completely erroneous to depict Taiwan as planning such an attack or the US as suggesting such a thing.
But it is an entirely different matter to think about what could be done in self-defense if China attacked. Attacking the Three Gorges Dam is merely one among many options that might be discussed against such a backdrop. There is really no need to highlight such a scenario -- doing so would only create a hawkish image of Taiwan, when in reality China is the biggest threat to peace in the Taiwan Strait and in fact the entire Asia-Pacific region.
When pressed by legislators on Wednesday about the nation's ability to attack the Three Gorges Dam, Vice Minister of National Defense Tsai Ming-hsien (
Though Tsai was telling the truth, the strange thing is that such comments probably created anxiety instead of comfort among the public. This reflects the mindset of the people of Taiwan: They do not want any talk of military hostility between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. Many people can't seem to face the genuine nature of the cross-strait relationship -- that is, that China is a very hostile country waiting eagerly to take over the nation. While the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have been engaging in close economic, social and cultural exchanges, the Chinese government has never altered its hostile attitude.
Tsai also indicated in the Legislative Yuan that China may very well launch a small-scale attack as early as 2006 or 2008. He was of course condemned for encouraging hysteria and paranoia. The truth of the matter is that while giving a precise timetable about an attack is probably unwise, the possibility of an attack is real. The topic is now taboo precisely because the possibility is so real.
The day that the people of Taiwan finally face the truth and adjust their mentality may be the day that the current "national identity" crisis becomes a thing of the past.
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
RSS