Contrary to some excessive speculation that the government might loosen restrictions on cross-strait economic ties, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) reset the tone of his administration's cross-strait policy in his New Year address to the nation.
He replaced the old doctrine of "active opening, effective management" with more emphasis on reducing the risks in increasing exposure to China.
Although the Presidential Office has denied any change in the nation's cross-strait policy, Chen's reorientation was a timely reminder of what matters in a political atmosphere in which leaders of the pan-blue opposition parties and some pro-unification local media are manipulating public opinion to open the nation up to the China market.
While both Chen and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) suffered a severe decline in public support after the party's huge loss in last month's local elections, the direction of national policy should be consistent and not be forced to change simply because of one electoral result or a minor change in the overall political landscape.
Moreover, any reading of Chen's speech should not be based solely on the adjustment of putting more emphasis on "active management."
Rather, more attention should be paid to the whole context of Chen's address, including the military threat posed by China and Taiwan's severe lack of self-defense capabilities.
Although Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) political influence is on the rise after securing the leadership of the pan-blue camp and probably the KMT's nomination for the next presidential election, the nation's independence will not be obscured by Ma's recent comment that "unification" is the KMT's ultimate goal.
Ma certainty has the right to openly embrace unification with China on behalf of his party. However, as the likely KMT candidate for the next presidential election and perhaps the most popular political figure in the country, Ma's words and deeds are significant in terms of China's "divide and conquer" strategy.
It is therefore imperative for the Chen administration and the DPP to assert the government's four principles of sovereignty, democracy, peace and parity as premises for cross-strait negotiations, as well as insisting on giving the Taiwanese people freedom of choice when it comes to the nation's developing relationship with China.
Moreover, complex cross-strait economic and trade policies should not be simplified into a dichotomy between "opening up" and "tightening up"; nor should "active opening" be given emphasis at the expense of the more important "effective management."
In other words, Taiwan cannot make concessions to China simply for the sake of making concessions.
With the 2008 Olympic Games on the way, and with the chances of the pan-blue camp regaining power in 2008 increasing, it is only natural for China to continue with its "no contact" policy toward Chen.
Under these circumstances, Chen must clearly understand the extent to which Taiwan can gain by "keeping a firm stance while moving forward pragmatically" with China.
By incorporating more effective management mechanisms, the government will not only reduce the risks involved in investing in China, but also maintain a relative advantage.
By emphasizing governmental or quasi-governmental negotiations on the opening of direct air links, Taiwan will be able to safeguard its own dignity and sovereignty.
The pan-blue camp may overlook Beijing's explicit political maneuverings -- such as the passage of the so-called "Anti-Secession" Law last March -- to enable the People's Liberation Army to "legally" attack Taiwan, but the DPP government should keep reminding Taiwanese people of the importance of maintaining national security in addition to purely economic interests.
Liu Kuan-teh is a Taipei-based political commentator.
It is employment pass renewal season in Singapore, and the new regime is dominating the conversation at after-work cocktails on Fridays. From September, overseas employees on a work visa would need to fulfill the city-state’s new points-based system, and earn a minimum salary threshold to stay in their jobs. While this mirrors what happens in other countries, it risks turning foreign companies away, and could tarnish the nation’s image as a global business hub. The program was announced in 2022 in a bid to promote fair hiring practices. Points are awarded for how a candidate’s salary compares with local peers, along
China last month enacted legislation to punish —including with the death penalty — “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists.” The country’s leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), need to be reminded about what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has said and done in the past. They should think about whether those historical figures were also die-hard advocates of Taiwanese independence. The Taiwanese Communist Party was established in the Shanghai French Concession in April 1928, with a political charter that included the slogans “Long live the independence of the Taiwanese people” and “Establish a republic of Taiwan.” The CCP sent a representative, Peng
Japan and the Philippines on Monday signed a defense agreement that would facilitate joint drills between them. The pact was made “as both face an increasingly assertive China,” and is in line with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s “effort to forge security alliances to bolster the Philippine military’s limited ability to defend its territorial interests in the South China Sea,” The Associated Press (AP) said. The pact also comes on the heels of comments by former US deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, who said at a forum on Tuesday last week that China’s recent aggression toward the Philippines in
The Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday announced that the military would hold its annual Han Kuang exercises from July 22 to 26. Military officers said the exercises would feature unscripted war games, and a decentralized command and control structure. This year’s exercises underline the recent reforms in Taiwan’s military as it transitions from a top-down command structure to one where autonomy is pushed down to the front lines to improve decisionmaking and adaptability. Militaries around the world have been observing and studying Russia’s war in Ukraine. They have seen that the Ukrainian military has been much quicker to adapt to