Not surprisingly, China's unilateral attempt to enact the so-called "anti-secession" law backfired for the government, the people of Taiwan and the international community.
Even though the pan-blue camp is keeping a low-profile regarding the legislation, most opinion polls result in an absolute objection to Beijing's unwise move. Suggested scenarios to counteract China's assertion to incorporate "non-peaceful means and other necessary measures to sabotage any hurdles toward reunification" range from mobilizing hundreds of thousand of people to protest to initiating the "defensive referendum" article of the referendum law.
Even the Mainland Affairs Council did not exclude the possibility of postponing or even terminating current policy toward China, including chartered cargo flights negotiations and the ultimate opening of direct links as further retaliation.
International observers also expressed their dissatisfaction over Beijing's disruption of the recent thaw in the cross-strait atmosphere. The Bush administration viewed the legislation as "unhelpful and something that runs counter to recent trends toward a warming in cross-strait relations." Washington has called on Beijing to reconsider the law, and opposed any attempts to unilaterally change the status quo and determine the future of Taiwan by anything other than peaceful means.
It is imperative for the Chen Shui-bian (
While Chen and his government plan to counteract Beijing's change of the status quo -- issuing the People Liberation Army a "blank check" for attacking Taiwan as they wish -- a pressing task is to seize the opportunity by distinguishing Taiwan's peace-driven democracy with China's military-oriented and obstructionist approach to destabilize regional peace and stability.
As the US urged both sides of the Taiwan Strait to "avoid that risk beginning a cycle of reaction and counter-reaction," Taiwan should appeal to the universal values of peace and democracy as the most effective tools to garner international support.
By upholding the principles of democracy and peace, Taiwan may use the case to rebuild its twisted image as "trouble maker" in cross-strait relations. In return, Taipei can take this opportunity to convince the world that what really "separates" China and Taiwan is not the sovereignty but the degree to which democracy can be rooted and consolidated.
The main element contributing to cross-strait uncertainties is China's refusal to renounce the use of "non-peaceful means" to solve the cross-strait dispute, rather than the Taiwanese people's pursuit of democracy and freedom. If a law is passed that clearly defines a `"red line" for using force against Taiwan's independence movement or its hesitation to embrace an ultimate unification, Taiwan should ask for support from the international community, especially the US and Japan, to enhance its security and protect its hard-won democracy.
If over half a million people take to the streets in Taiwan after the NPC passes the law, it will be a manifestation of a collective will to strive for democracy and peace. And the historical meaning would be a lot more significant than the Hong Kong people's protest against Beijing's scheme to revise the Basic Law on July 1, 2003. Let the world witness how a democratic torch can light up the darkest side of China's passage of a bill for war and a disgrace to democracy.
Liu Kuan-teh is a Taipei-based political commentator.
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