The pair of cuddly panda bears hand-picked by the Chinese government as gifts for Taiwan have become a most effective propaganda tool in the war for hearts and minds. Chinese officials must be congratulating each other on a job well done, for they could never have hoped to create such fierce internal division in Taiwan by targeting the nation with missiles -- a tactic which is far more costly and also damaging to the image of the Chinese government.
The overwhelming success of the ploy was amply demonstrated by the press conference held by China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) on Friday. The event almost felt like a mixture of an Academy Awards ceremony and a Christmas party, with enthusiastic press coverage, suspense over which two lucky pandas had been picked from the list of finalists, distribution of souvenir pins, laughter and a generally festive atmosphere. Even TAO officials, usually notable only for their harsh comments about "Taiwan's splittist activities," reveled in the collective role of Santa Claus.
This naturally puts the Taiwanese government in an extremely embarrassing position. Obviously, a large segment -- if not a majority -- of the public would be sympathetic to the pan-blue argument that there can be no harm in accepting a pair of cuddly pandas.
Although the press conference held simultaneously by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Friday to condemn the gift as "unification propaganda" spoke the simple truth, it is inevitable that the MAC will be perceived as cold-hearted by a lot of people. Taiwan -- which is typically on the receiving end of Chinese abuse in the cross-strait relationship -- was seen to be the one dishing it out this time around.
One cannot help but feel that the government underestimated the "soft power" of the panda strategy and failed to carry out damage control. It is not as if they didn't have any warning.
Talk of China making Taiwan a gift of a pair of pandas as a symbol of "peace" and "unity" began during former Chinese Nationalist Party chairman Lien Chan's (
In all the excitement, a lot of people seem to have forgotten that even if the considerable political problem is somehow overlooked, accepting this gift is not as simple as it seems. Matters of Taiwanese and international law pertaining to the importing and exporting of endangered species cannot be ignored simply because the pandas are a gift from China. The public needs to be aware that these more mundane concerns -- not just the political ones -- could lead to the pandas being rejected. However, after the MAC's poorly orchestrated press conference on Friday, few may be willing to accept this.
To The Honorable Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜): We would like to extend our sincerest regards to you for representing Taiwan at the inauguration of US President Donald Trump on Monday. The Taiwanese-American community was delighted to see that Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan speaker not only received an invitation to attend the event, but successfully made the trip to the US. We sincerely hope that you took this rare opportunity to share Taiwan’s achievements in freedom, democracy and economic development with delegations from other countries. In recent years, Taiwan’s economic growth and world-leading technology industry have been a source of pride for Taiwanese-Americans.
Next week, the nation is to celebrate the Lunar New Year break. Unfortunately, cold winds are a-blowing, literally and figuratively. The Central Weather Administration has warned of an approaching cold air mass, while obstinate winds of chaos eddy around the Legislative Yuan. English theologian Thomas Fuller optimistically pointed out in 1650 that “it’s always darkest before the dawn.” We could paraphrase by saying the coldest days are just before the renewed hope of spring. However, one must temper any optimism about the damage being done in the legislature by the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), under
To our readers: Due to the Lunar New Year holiday, from Sunday, Jan. 26, through Sunday, Feb. 2, the Taipei Times will have a reduced format without our regular editorials and opinion pieces. From Tuesday to Saturday the paper will not be delivered to subscribers, but will be available for purchase at convenience stores. Subscribers will receive the editions they missed once normal distribution resumes on Sunday, Feb. 2. The paper returns to its usual format on Monday, Feb. 3, when our regular editorials and opinion pieces will also be resumed.
This year would mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the India Taipei Association (ITA) in Taipei and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) in New Delhi. From the vision of “Look East” in the 1990s, India’s policy has evolved into a resolute “Act East,” which complements Taiwan’s “New Southbound Policy.” In these three decades, India and Taiwan have forged a rare partnership — one rooted in shared democratic values, a commitment to openness and pluralism, and clear complementarities in trade and technology. The government of India has rolled out the red carpet for Taiwanese investors with attractive financial incentives
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