As a recent visitor to Taiwan, may I be so bold as to make a few observations. To begin, I was greatly impressed with what I saw as a thriving and robust country you have for a homeland. The pride you have in your country is obvious and evident by the sparkling cleanliness of your towns and cities. Our hosts and everyone we encountered were warm, welcoming and gracious. We enjoyed our stay tremendously and feel a family-like kinship toward the Taiwanese people.
Having said that, I am at a loss to understand China's attitude toward Taiwan. China stands to gain far more from an independent, sovereign and friendly Taiwan than a subservient, repressed province. The potential for gain by both countries is only limited by the imagination which both have in abundant supply.
As a friendly ally, Taiwan could free China from a concern to defend her southern coastline and at no cost to China. It would also be in China's interest if it intends to become a power broker in Asian affairs to have Taiwan occupying a friendly seat in the UN. Taiwan, with a powerhouse economy, would be a plus as not only a local market, but a conduit for international business interests considering Taiwan's less intrusive government involvement. Besides all of this, China has no legitimate claim on Taiwan since Taiwan has never been a part of the People's Republic of China.
Another issue that I am sure is sensitive and may have become divisive, is that perhaps it is time to retire the identity of the Republic of China and accept the present reality of the "Democratic Republic of Taiwan." This certainly doesn't mean discarding your heritage as Chinese. Taiwan will always have a cultural and historical kinship with China as we in the US have with the UK.
Your bond is perhaps the stronger since the US is a great melting pot, having received its citizens from most of the countries in the world.
The US stood with China in its great struggle against Japan and shares many things with the Chinese people. We have a long history that was made rich by the Chinese contribution in many aspects of the US' development. The previous governor of Washington state is Chinese-American. Chinese blood courses through the veins of millions of American citizens, adding immensely to the US' greatness.
The ideal would be for China and the world to recognize Taiwan's sovereignty and for China to quit its efforts at intimidation. Taiwan and China should be peaceful neighbors and enjoy each other as allies. Each has so much to offer the other in a sovereign relationship, and nothing can be gained by pursuing the present tension.
What I think would be an appropriate effort would be a growing grassroots movement to herald the benefits of sovereignty for both countries. Instead of the negative, you could trumpet the positive, and I do believe a vigorous international public relations effort by your celebrities would catch the world's attention.
Freedom is on the move around the world and you all deserve your seat at the table.
Ray Womack
Olalla, Washington
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
RSS