An evolution of ties
After President Chen Shui-Bian (
I think that period could be instructive. President Jiang Zemin (江澤民) has recently asserted that China's self-unifying expansion is historically inevitable. I can accept its inevitability but its terms are still unclear. China's expansions into Tibet, Eastern Russia, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Macau and the South China Sea have been driven as much by the need for land and resources as for the purpose of national defense.
But China's desire to annex Taiwan has created a situation in which both sides are rejecting traditional solutions. Taiwan rejects the traditional solution of being a province of China. China rejects the traditional solution of Taiwan being a sovereign state.
These rejections leave us with a situation much like the silence after the election; no one has a name for the way the situation is evolving. Perhaps this is the best state of affairs. Perhaps, regardless of the uncertainty over Taiwan's future, Taiwan and China are pioneering a new form of international relations.
I would like to make several suggestions: One, all parties to the dispute agree to disagree. Two, all parties to the dispute stop trying to put one name or one formula on the situation. Three, all parties to the dispute agree that evolution rather than war is the best process for resolving the dispute. Four, all parties to the dispute put as much energy as possible into the myriad constructive links that are moving Taiwan and China slowly toward a workable future together.
David Cornberg
Taipei
Bad treatment by Japan
Taiwanese residing in Japan are compelled by Tokyo to have their nationality registered as "Chinese." For years, many Taiwanese have requested the Immigration Bureau to correct it to "Taiwanese," only to be ignored, or even rudely humiliated. This has been a major insult and a cause of pain for people from Taiwan living in Japan. Taiwan's dignity has also been crassly trampled upon by the Japanese government.
For that reason we launched an all-out protest in Japan
yesterday against the Japanese government's false recording of nationality. We will demand that our nationality be corrected as "Taiwanese." Meanwhile, we will appeal to the Japanese people, media and politicians and seek support from all sides.
We hereby call on our fellow Taiwanese to show their concern over the issue by lodging protests with Japan's representative office in Taipei, the Interchange Association (
Let's fight together for the dignity of Taiwanese in Japan.
Lin Chien-liang
Chairman, Taiwanese Association in Japan
Two weeks ago, Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) raised hackles in Taiwan by posting to her 2.6 million Instagram followers that she was visiting “Taipei, China.” Yeoh’s post continues a long-standing trend of Chinese propaganda that spreads disinformation about Taiwan’s political status and geography, aimed at deceiving the world into supporting its illegitimate claims to Taiwan, which is not and has never been part of China. Taiwan must respond to this blatant act of cognitive warfare. Failure to respond merely cedes ground to China to continue its efforts to conquer Taiwan in the global consciousness to justify an invasion. Taiwan’s government
This month’s news that Taiwan ranks as Asia’s happiest place according to this year’s World Happiness Report deserves both celebration and reflection. Moving up from 31st to 27th globally and surpassing Singapore as Asia’s happiness leader is gratifying, but the true significance lies deeper than these statistics. As a society at the crossroads of Eastern tradition and Western influence, Taiwan embodies a distinctive approach to happiness worth examining more closely. The report highlights Taiwan’s exceptional habit of sharing meals — 10.1 shared meals out of 14 weekly opportunities, ranking eighth globally. This practice is not merely about food, but represents something more
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
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