China's continued military expansion has not only increased tension across the Taiwan Strait, but has also made Japan, the US and other nations nervous. The US, as the world's policeman, is especially troubled, for it is responsible for maintaining security in the Asia-Pacific region. If Taiwan's position became endangered, the US could not easily ignore the situation.
The Sino-Japanese relationship has been marked by attacks on each other's territory, with China's Yuan (
China's strengthened military serves not only to discourage any move toward formal independence by Taiwan, but also to threaten Japan. China continues to believe that Taiwan's sense of identity has not completely rid itself of Japanese colonial influence. It has even accused Japan of fanning the flames of Taiwan independence, using this as a way of hinting at its sense of historical injustice at Japan's hands. But Japan is a powerful nation in its own right, and economically at least China is beholden to Japan, so that it dare not adopt too harsh an attitude. Instead it has taken out its sense of historical injustice on Taiwan.
In his video conference with foreign correspondents in Japan on Tuesday, President Chen Shui-bian (
The US, however, seems to clearly understand the close security relationship between Taiwan and Japan resulting from historical and geopolitical factors. That's why it draws Japan closer into the maintenance of security in the Strait as part of the US-Japan security treaty.
"God helps those who help themselves," the saying goes. One could also say that a state must be determined to defend itself in order to expect its neighbors to help. A state lacking that determination will be doomed, for what state will put its people in harm's way for a state that is ready to surrender? The arms procurement bill, so long delayed by the legislature, is really a test of the Taiwanese people's will to defend themselves. If the bill is passed, it will substantially improve the nation's ability to defend itself. And it will also tell the international community that the Taiwanese people are determined to continue moving toward greater autonomy.
At the same time, the pan-blue camp's obstructionism highlights the lack of a central guiding idea in Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and People First Party (PFP) positions. The priority of the past KMT government's diplomatic activities was to purchase advanced weaponry. We must not forget that F-16 fighter jets, French Mirage fighter jets and Lafayette frigates were purchased during the KMT era. Now, with a new government, they have changed their minds and instead make it their top priority to block anything the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government tries to do to improve the nation's military capabilities.
The KMT's fickle ways only prove that the party lacks a clear and constructive political plan. How could such a party gain the public's trust?
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
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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
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