Continued and unjustifiably negative commentary on the state of the nation's economy compelled President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen said that Taiwan was still one of the "Four Asian tigers" and rubbished claims that Taiwan has fallen far behind other regional economies.
The opposition, along with international business interests, has long been pushing for a complete lifting of cross-strait investment restrictions. The opposition would have us believe that only a full and unrestricted opening to China, as detailed in their "Chinese common market" policy, can cure the nation's supposed economic ills.
But apart from the security risk such a strategy presents, one only has to look at the example of the US to see how unbridled economic cooperation with China can weaken a country.
The US and the rest of the international community have rightly expressed their disgust and condemned the junta in Myanmar following its brutal crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy activists.
But, apart from the odd slap on the wrist and an annual report here and there, the same powerful countries stay strangely silent on China's human rights abuses, even though scenarios similar to those in Myanmar occur on an almost daily basis. Human rights don't count in China when there are economic interests at stake, it appears.
The mantra-like calls that were emanating from Washington not so long ago for China to revalue its currency have decreased since a number of important Chinese academics made public threats in the international media about China cashing in its bonds and destabilizing the US economy.
Meanwhile, a reluctance to upset Beijing has also led the US to look disingenuous when it talks about supporting democracy. On the one hand members of the US administration traverse the globe touting Taiwan's democratic achievements and the US' belief in and support for emerging democracies, but on the other the US tells Taiwan it can't hold a referendum, for doing so may upset its giant undemocratic neighbor and make life difficult for the White House.
These are just the most recent examples of how the US' economic recklessness and blind consumption has given China the upper hand in bilateral relations. And the dream that economic development would lead to political change in China has proved to be no more than that.
Of course, the opposition in Taiwan considers that economic cooperation dovetails nicely with their stated aim of "eventual unification."
But for those of us who want to preserve Taiwan's democracy and see this nation thrive, complete integration with the Chinese economy would be a disaster. It would leave the nation even more vulnerable to communist threats and coercion. Hence the need to protect Taiwan's high-tech industries and resist the temptation to make a fast buck at the expense of national security.
If close economic ties can reduce the US to the role of a submissive customer, then what chance does Taiwan have?
Better to be a little tiger with sharp teeth than a snack for a giant dragon.
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
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
If you had a vision of the future where China did not dominate the global car industry, you can kiss those dreams goodbye. That is because US President Donald Trump’s promised 25 percent tariff on auto imports takes an ax to the only bits of the emerging electric vehicle (EV) supply chain that are not already dominated by Beijing. The biggest losers when the levies take effect this week would be Japan and South Korea. They account for one-third of the cars imported into the US, and as much as two-thirds of those imported from outside North America. (Mexico and Canada, while
I have heard people equate the government’s stance on resisting forced unification with China or the conditional reinstatement of the military court system with the rise of the Nazis before World War II. The comparison is absurd. There is no meaningful parallel between the government and Nazi Germany, nor does such a mindset exist within the general public in Taiwan. It is important to remember that the German public bore some responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. Post-World War II Germany’s transitional justice efforts were rooted in a national reckoning and introspection. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps not
RSS