At the UN General Assembly, it has been referred to as "T," for "The," while within NATO and the EU it is known by its acronym -- FYROM.
Last week, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia won a substantial diplomatic victory when the Canadian government announced it would dispose of silly euphemisms and officially recognize it by the name Macedonia, a name which Greece has vehemently opposed ever since the region gained its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.
Of course, Athens was not pleased with Ottawa's change of heart and the Greek foreign minister said she would contact her Canadian counterpart to "stress Greece's unwavering position" on the issue, which could possibly include Athens blocking any attempt by Macedonia to join the EU, the UN and NATO under that name.
By now, readers may have realized that the language used by Greece sounds so familiar that it's almost spooky. Substitute Athens for Beijing and Macedonia for Taiwan and you'd think we had left the Balkans for Asia.
Taiwanese could interpret Canada's decision in two ways. They could be disgusted, given the fact that during that same week Ottawa tactlessly prevaricated on issuing a visa to Democratic Progressive Party Chairman Yu Shyi-kun, only to use Typhoon Wipha as an excuse. Also, the UN yet again shot down Taiwan's bid to join the world body. Why, one would rightly ask, can Macedonia -- a country with a population one-twelfth that of Taiwan and, at US$16.96 billion, a GDP one-eightieth that of its Asian counterpart -- gain official recognition, while Taiwan continues to be snubbed?
To not call this unfair would, at best, be an exercise in delusion.
On the other hand we can look at the decision and see it as promising for Taiwan, however remote that glimmer of hope might be. Despite pressure from Macedonia's bigger, stronger neighbor and the fact that Canada and Greece are both NATO members, Ottawa still chose to recognize Macedonia, political fallout notwithstanding.
Truth be told, the damage to Canada's ties with Athens far outweighs the benefits of recognizing Macedonia. It will be interesting to see if, in the coming months, other countries follow suit.
For Taiwan, a decision like the one Ottawa made last week shows that patience and a sustained public relations campaign to sell a nation's struggle for recognition to the international community will, in the long run, bring benefits.
Sixteen years, as was the case with Macedonia, is short compared with Taiwan's nearly 60-year struggle -- and there is still no guarantee that Macedonia will successfully accede to the world bodies anytime soon. But a G8 and UN member now chooses to call it by its proper name.
Macedonia's success didn't come about all on its own, but followed a long charm campaign, accompanied by bullying and intransigence on the part of Athens. Such endeavors, like it or not, cost money.
Which brings us to the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) threat last week to sue the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for spending an estimated NT$100 million (US$3 million) on its UN campaign. Though the exercise failed in its primary objective, it was immensely successful in promoting Taiwan and engendering debate all over the world. Rarely has Taiwan been discussed so extensively in newspapers, from the US to Denmark, or had rallies -- from San Francisco to Vancouver -- held in support of the nation.
To put things in perspective, the DPP's campaign only came at one-fifteenth of the cost of an F-16 aircraft. From a PR point of view, that NT$100 million was a wise investment.
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then