China has done everything in its power to give the impression it has some right to claim sovereignty over Taiwan, despite the fact that the communist dictatorship in Beijing has not ruled Taiwan in any way since the day it seized power in 1949.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), like so many other international organizations needing to fawn over Beijing and kowtow to its belligerent claims regarding Taiwan, Tibet, the Dalai Lama, Falun Gong and a host of others it considers dangerous to its dictatorship, has long prevented Taiwan from flying its flag at Olympic events, or playing its national anthem, or even using its real name. Taiwan is called "Chinese Taipei." As if.
Now, Beijing has blamed Taiwan for refusing to accede to its restrictions for the Olympic torch route, which include prohibiting people in Taiwan from displaying the nation's flag along the torch's route.
I have a newsflash for Beijing and the IOC. In a democratic nation like Taiwan, the government has absolutely no authority whatsoever -- despite former Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou's (
In a free country, there is no police power to prevent people from expressing themselves. I can understand why Beijing would not understand this, despite its attempts to use the terms "democracy," "free speech" and "human rights" as if it understands what they mean. We are well aware there is no precedent in the People's Republic of China (PRC) for citizens to exercise their rights to do anything the government doesn't like. But that's not how it works in free countries. Which only highlights the fact that the PRC and Taiwan are not the same country.
Of course, if the IOC prohibits displaying the flag and the Taiwanese display it, and millions of Taiwanese parade in the streets calling the name of Taiwan, and singing its national anthem, and carrying signs that criticize China and say that Taiwan is free and independent, the IOC probably can try to later refuse to allow Taiwan to host an event, or even participate in an event. But doing so would only highlight how the IOC is merely acting as a proxy for the world's most brutal communist dictatorship -- a distinctly political act. How embarrassing.
Taiwan is a free, democratic nation. The PRC is a totalitarian dictatorship, and is not a free country. We know it. The world knows it. Beijing should just concede it already, and get on with the games.
Lee Long-hwa
New York
On Sept. 3 in Tiananmen Square, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) rolled out a parade of new weapons in PLA service that threaten Taiwan — some of that Taiwan is addressing with added and new military investments and some of which it cannot, having to rely on the initiative of allies like the United States. The CCP’s goal of replacing US leadership on the global stage was advanced by the military parade, but also by China hosting in Tianjin an August 31-Sept. 1 summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which since 2001 has specialized
In an article published by the Harvard Kennedy School, renowned historian of modern China Rana Mitter used a structured question-and-answer format to deepen the understanding of the relationship between Taiwan and China. Mitter highlights the differences between the repressive and authoritarian People’s Republic of China and the vibrant democracy that exists in Taiwan, saying that Taiwan and China “have had an interconnected relationship that has been both close and contentious at times.” However, his description of the history — before and after 1945 — contains significant flaws. First, he writes that “Taiwan was always broadly regarded by the imperial dynasties of
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will stop at nothing to weaken Taiwan’s sovereignty, going as far as to create complete falsehoods. That the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has never ruled Taiwan is an objective fact. To refute this, Beijing has tried to assert “jurisdiction” over Taiwan, pointing to its military exercises around the nation as “proof.” That is an outright lie: If the PRC had jurisdiction over Taiwan, it could simply have issued decrees. Instead, it needs to perform a show of force around the nation to demonstrate its fantasy. Its actions prove the exact opposite of its assertions. A
A large part of the discourse about Taiwan as a sovereign, independent nation has centered on conventions of international law and international agreements between outside powers — such as between the US, UK, Russia, the Republic of China (ROC) and Japan at the end of World War II, and between the US and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) since recognition of the PRC as the sole representative of China at the UN. Internationally, the narrative on the PRC and Taiwan has changed considerably since the days of the first term of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) of the Democratic
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