If the stories related by President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen recounted how two members of an opposition party from Lesotho were charged with treason to stop them from attending, proving that China is not only willing to interfere with the internal affairs of other nations in its efforts to squeeze Taiwan, but is also prepared to abuse the human rights of non-Chinese citizens.
Various other delegates were blocked from traveling to Taiwan while transiting via Hong Kong. But most shocking of all, perhaps, was the claim that the French government also tried to help the Chinese campaign of repression by blocking African travelers as they transited in Paris.
While Hong Kong, as a Chinese territory, has a history of such behavior, if the stories about France are true, then the French government has also sunk to a new low and should be denounced.
If any doubt is left in the minds of Taiwanese about how single-minded Beijing is about bringing Taiwan to heel, then this episode should finally dispel it. All those reassurances from Beijing of "concern" for its "Taiwan compatriots" are hogwash; China only cares about annexing Taiwan -- period. These latest examples only further demonstrate the utter vileness of the current Chinese regime and surely vindicate the government's reluctance to deal with what is, in effect, the enemy of all Taiwanese people.
But why would China go to such lengths to prevent a handful of opposition legislators and NGO members from attending the forum? Maybe it is worried that Taiwan's more responsible, partnership-based approach to diplomacy may tempt other African nations to switch allegiance to Taipei. Because despite all the accusations of "dollar diplomacy" from Beijing and domestic critics, the Taipei government -- through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs -- does make an effort to help its underdeveloped allies in many ways, including healthcare, agricultural development and humanitarian relief.
Of course it also provides cash payments, but it cannot compete with the amounts Chinese President Hu Jintao (
Contrast this with China's destabilizing influence in Africa, which in Sudan has seen Beijing -- with its UN Security Council seat -- protect a vicious regime from UN sanctions in return for access to oil reserves. The Council on Foreign Relations' Web site lists other examples of China stripping African nations of their natural resources in order to feed its ravenous economy, often in return for arms.
Just think of the good China could do if it channeled all the time, money and resources it wastes trying to belittle Taiwan at every juncture into positive help for its African allies.
But then, if China treated its African allies with a little more respect, maybe some of them would not want to travel to Taipei in the first place.
China may have only one thing on its mind when it comes to Taiwan, but each time it behaves in such a belligerent and unconscionable manner, it repels the Taiwanese people. China will sooner or later have to face the fact that any amount of bullying will never change the minds of the majority in Taiwan, who see the nation as independent -- whether as Taiwan or the Republic of China.
While China can make the rest of the world dance to its tune with its mixture of threats and economic might, most Taiwanese are proving to be a different proposition altogether.
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