At the London School of Economics (LSE) last Thursday, Minister of Education Tu Cheng-sheng (
Tu, an LSE graduate, was invited to deliver a speech on educational reforms and the future of the nation. He was introduced as the education minister of Taiwan.
During his speech, Chinese students in the audience held up signs reading: "Stop cultural brainwashing" and "Taiwan is a part of China."
A shouting match between Chinese and Taiwanese students broke out. Tu was also challenged by Chinese students during a question and answer session following his speech.
They asked Tu whether he "acknowledged" Chinese culture and what he meant by "Taiwan's sovereignty" in his speech.
In view of the disruption and attempted provocation, Tu performed admirably. He did not avoid the questions.
Tu, poised and unperturbed, responded calmly, noting Taiwan's values, rights and freedoms. He emphasized to his audience that Taiwan, as a democratic country, would decide its own future according to the will of its people.
Taiwan needs more officials like Tu -- officials who are unyielding in stressful situations that are used to belittle the nation.
Also last week, President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen downplayed the event afterwards, saying it resulted from the general international confusion regarding Taiwan and China. Whatever the reason behind such confusion, Chen, as head of state, should have taken a more active gesture and lodged a protest.
It is the government's job to uphold the identity and dignity of the nation, both in word and deed.
After all, China is China and Taiwan is Taiwan. The two should not be confused, even if the majority of the international community purposely does so.
Taiwan is a sovereign state with its own government, elections, currency and territory. It negotiates its own treaties and has its own president.
Let Taiwanese keep Taiwan, and by the same token, let the Chinese keep China.
The international community talking so highly of democracy is being hypocritical by ignoring Taiwan's plight. Taiwan must demand respect from the international community and make its identity clear. If Taiwan does not work to counter international "confusion" itself, we cannot expect the situation to improve.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky said: "If you want to be respected by others, the great thing is to respect yourself. Only by that, only by self-respect will you compel others to respect you."
The same applies to Taiwan's situation and international ignorance, indifference or confusion about Taiwan and China.
No one, especially officials, should give anyone the opportunity to insult Taiwan.
The return of US president-elect Donald Trump to the White House has injected a new wave of anxiety across the Taiwan Strait. For Taiwan, an island whose very survival depends on the delicate and strategic support from the US, Trump’s election victory raises a cascade of questions and fears about what lies ahead. His approach to international relations — grounded in transactional and unpredictable policies — poses unique risks to Taiwan’s stability, economic prosperity and geopolitical standing. Trump’s first term left a complicated legacy in the region. On the one hand, his administration ramped up arms sales to Taiwan and sanctioned
The Taiwanese have proven to be resilient in the face of disasters and they have resisted continuing attempts to subordinate Taiwan to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Nonetheless, the Taiwanese can and should do more to become even more resilient and to be better prepared for resistance should the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) try to annex Taiwan. President William Lai (賴清德) argues that the Taiwanese should determine their own fate. This position continues the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) tradition of opposing the CCP’s annexation of Taiwan. Lai challenges the CCP’s narrative by stating that Taiwan is not subordinate to the
US president-elect Donald Trump is to return to the White House in January, but his second term would surely be different from the first. His Cabinet would not include former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo and former US national security adviser John Bolton, both outspoken supporters of Taiwan. Trump is expected to implement a transactionalist approach to Taiwan, including measures such as demanding that Taiwan pay a high “protection fee” or requiring that Taiwan’s military spending amount to at least 10 percent of its GDP. However, if the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) invades Taiwan, it is doubtful that Trump would dispatch
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) has been dubbed Taiwan’s “sacred mountain.” In the past few years, it has invested in the construction of fabs in the US, Japan and Europe, and has long been a world-leading super enterprise — a source of pride for Taiwanese. However, many erroneous news reports, some part of cognitive warfare campaigns, have appeared online, intentionally spreading the false idea that TSMC is not really a Taiwanese company. It is true that TSMC depositary receipts can be purchased on the US securities market, and the proportion of foreign investment in the company is high. However, this reflects the
RSS