In spite of any friction between Taiwan and the US caused by the US during President Chen Shui-bian's (
The first is the US announcement that it seeks to normalize diplomatic relations with Libya. Although Chen's recent visit to Libya was a diplomatic breakthrough, pro-China forces slammed the visit as an attempt to consort with a rogue nation in definance of the US. On May 15, three days after Chen had returned to Taiwan, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced that the US and Libya would renew full diplomatic ties, and that the US would remove Libya from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.
The announcement no doubt embarrassed pro-China forces in Taiwan. They had just finished extolling the importance of the US-Taiwan relationship and criticizing Chen; their true colors would have been revealed if they were to suddenly shift gears and adopt an anti-US stance to keep the heat on Chen. However, being China-friendly, their true nature is to oppose the US -- drumming up US-Taiwan relations at the time was merely part of a strategy to undermine Taiwan.
Libya's interaction with democratic Taiwan is beneficial to the former's image, and will promote improvements in Libya's behavior. This is something that the US looks forward to, especially as North Korea and Iran, with China's support, continue to lock horns with the US. Resuming diplomatic ties with Libya after a quarter century of enmity is a constructive development in the US effort to forge a united front against terrorism. Muammar Qaddafi's comments regarding China's oppression of Taiwan during his meeting with Chen, were especially moving. Such boldness and support is rare.
Before all this, US President George W. Bush met Chinese human rights advocates Yu Jie (余杰), Wang Yi (王怡) and Li Boguang (李柏光) at the White House on April 11. The meeting, which was extended to an hour from the originally scheduled half-hour, took place in a residential room, and was very cordial and warm. The human rights advocates discussed with Bush problems pertaining to religion in China and their own families' situations there. Afterwards, they even prayed together.
Although the meeting was nominally focused on the topic of human rights in China, it had more to do with religion which is an important aspect of human rights. The meeting's intense focus on religion became especially controversial when a non-Christian member of the human rights coterie did not attend the meeting, sparking speculation among dissidents. China capitalized on the buzz to advance its divide-and-conquer strategy.
In the past, US presidents have met with exiled proponents of democracy. Nowadays, not only has the president met with dissidents from China, but their topic of discussion has often been religion, indicating that the US hopes that freedom of religion can be the starting point in promoting democracy in China. The inclusiveness of religion can solve the disputes within China's democratic movement.
The democratization of China in turn could generate a resolution to the Taiwan problem. However, recent disputes among Chinese democratic proponents reveal just how complex the dynamics of the Chinese democratic movement are. It is hoped that such proponents will come to appreciate the greater cause and set aside their disputes.
Religious freedom thrives in Taiwan, and the country needs to capitalize on this to promote democratic reform in China, and to confront that nation's united front tactics.
Paul Lin is a New York-based political commentator.
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
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
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of
RSS