Support out of Africa
Communist China's legislature has begun deliberating on a proposed anti-secession law which to all intents and purposes is meant not only to obstruct Taiwan's growing friendship with the outside world, but also to prevent the formalization of Taiwan's independence and participation in the UN.
Africans United for Taiwan (AUT) wishes to strongly condemn this latest attempt by the communist regime in Beijing to unilaterally arbitrate on cross-strait issues and concoct a legal basis for military aggression and annexation. We firmly oppose these aggressive and intimidating activities against the 23 million peaceful and freedom-loving people of Taiwan.
The proposed anti-secession law is criminal and infringes upon peace, humanity and freedom. It is also a gross violation of the inalienable rights and democratic freedoms of the people of Taiwan, and a dangerous threat to security in the entire Asian region and beyond. Needless to say, the people of China have not been consulted on the matter.
The experience of the 1990s with the emergence of new Balkan states -- Macedonia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina -- and, of late, East Timor, as sovereign independent states and members of the UN speaks volumes. One thing is crystal clear from all of this, and that is when a people come together, say enough is enough and want to be left alone to create their future, no force on this earth can stand in their way.
Today, the 23 million people of Taiwan and their elected leaders clamor for a peaceful formalization of independence. They have shunned all acts of violence and have taken the civilized path to achieve their goal, which is realizing Taiwan's independence without resorting to the destruction of innocent lives and infrastructure -- unlike in the Balkans and East Timor.
It is in this context that Africa, and of course the rest of mankind, should lend support for Taiwan's admittance to the UN. Right-thinking members of the civilized international community must be quite intrigued by the UN's policy of political apartheid towards the people of Taiwan. It is embarrassing, disheartening, unsettling and totally unacceptable. The UN's silence on Taiwan must also be seen as a miscarriage of international justice and a betrayal of trust.
AUT is a staunch supporter of Taiwan's independence. In this respect, we call upon communist China to, first, act responsibly and refrain from all activities that undermine the peace, security and sovereignty of Taiwan. Second, China should cease promoting the illusion that Taiwan is part of communist China under "one country, two systems." Third, China should prepare for direct talks with the democratically elected authorities in Taiwan on the basis of mutual understanding and respect for sovereign rights.
We also call on the civilized world to exert pressure on communist China to end all plans for invasion and annexation, and instead help lay the foundations for peaceful co-existence with Taiwan.
We will continue to work with conscientious human-rights organizations, civic groups, Taiwan-solidarity organizations, political parties, religious bodies, the media, the African Union, regional groupings and legislatures across the continent in shaping the policies of governments to ensure that they are compatible with and supportive of the interests and aspirations of the 23 million people of Taiwan.
We want to assure the proud people of Taiwan that they can count on the African peoples' support for their just struggle for formalization of their country's independence, and their opposition to the subjugation of this democracy by a communist dictatorship.
Alimamy Bakarr Sankoh
President,
Africans United for Taiwan
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
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
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
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of
RSS