As Chinese Nationalist Party Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) sat down, pundits were questioning who needs who more? Does the aging Lien, who has never won a real election, need Hu to salvage his image and even keep in the game? Does Hu need Lien for public relations and to put pressure on President Chen Shui-bian(陳水扁)?
The real question, however, is at a deeper level. Does Taiwan need China or does China need Taiwan? My view? China needs Taiwan, hands down.
Let's forget about the fact that the People's Republic of China (PRC) needs Taiwan so its submarines and navy can have immediate blue water access.
Let's forget about the fact that China needs Taiwan to dominate travel between the East and South China Seas and so isolate Japan and the Koreas from their other Asian neighbors.
Let's forget about the fact that China needs the cash cow Taiwan, with its millions of Taiwanese investment dollars and businesses to help fuel its growing economy.
Let's forget about the fact that China needs Taiwan because foreign companies don't trust China's rule of law and intellectual property rights (IPR) protection, and so use Taiwan as a safe place for their R&D investments and access to China markets. Let's forget these many pragmatic reasons. The PRC needs Taiwan because of the "D" word.
Yes, the "D" word, democracy. Democracy is not antithetical to those of Chinese heritage. China needs Taiwan to show that democracy can and does work. It needs Taiwan to see that its people can be trusted with the right to vote.
Chinese can live by rule of law.
Chinese don't have to be treated like children, to be "protected" from themselves by a privileged hierarchical elite.
Chinese don't need their religion and beliefs controlled. The Falun Gong have never posed a threat to Taiwan's rule of law.
Chinese don't need their press muzzled. A free press and access to information and differing points of view have made Taiwan vibrant, not destructive.
Chinese don't need to be imprisoned if they question or challenge the government and its judgment. Taiwan's many vocal dissident minorities freely stroll the streets.
Contrary to PRC propaganda, chaos is not the result of the above freedoms.
Taiwan has shown that free people with free elections and a free press can live harmoniously under the rule of law even in little matters. When Taiwan imposed a motorcycle helmet law, many foreigners said, "It won't work, Chinese think the law is for other people." But it worked.
When Taipei imposed a strict separation of garbage and trash, foreigners said, "Chinese won't go into such detail for the environment." But they did.
Believe it or not, Taiwanese have and continue to show the way for those of Chinese heritage.
So maybe then, after more than a half a century since the People's Liberation Army "liberated" those in China, it's time to start trusting the people.
Does China need Taiwan? You bet.
China needs Taiwan to understand its own people and culture.
Jerome Keating has lived in Taiwan for 16 years and is co-author of Island in the Stream, A Quick Case Study of Taiwan's Complex History.
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
RSS