I was the first chairman of the World United Formosans for Independence (WUFI, 台灣獨立建國聯盟). Eighteen years ago, when I returned to Taiwan from the US, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman at that time, Huang Hsin-chieh (黃信介) told me that Taiwanese independence was something that had to be achieved but not something that we could talk about loudly.
A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then, but now President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has said that unification is something that must be carried out but that cannot be talked about loudly.
On July 12 in an interview with Germany’s Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, Ma said that Taiwan is not interested in obtaining formal independence from China, but will not take part in unification talks with Beijing.
Ma has pledged to keep to his policy of maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.
Judging from what he is saying, Ma is not pursuing unification with China. Looking at his actions, however, it is easy to see that he is actively promoting it.
PRESSURE
In terms of Taiwan’s sovereignty, Ma has backed down in the face of pressure from China on numerous occasions, including on the so-called “1992 consensus” that there is “one China, with each side having its own interpretation.”
Because Ma states that “one China” refers to the Republic of China, it will be very difficult for his claims to be internationally accepted, and since the “one China with each side having its own interpretation” is not going down well, Ma has in effect been forced to accept China’s “one China” principle.
In addition, Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Ou (歐鴻鍊) has said that in the future, Taiwan will use the name “Chinese Taipei” when applying for membership at international organizations such as the WHO.
These moves are aimed at pushing Taiwan into unification with the People’s Republic of China.
THREATS
Apart from all of these threats, since taking office Ma has been insisting on the opening of direct chartered cross-strait flights while showing precious little regard for national security.
Waiving the restrictions on Taiwanese businesses establishing 12-inch wafer plants in China is tantamount to undermining the foundations of Taiwan’s largest and most important industry.
Ma has also greatly relaxed restrictions on China-bound capital investments and encouraged Taiwanese businesses to increase their investments in China.
BLUNDERS
The way in which Ma has been leaning toward China since coming into office has worried both the US and Japan. Talk of permanently canceling sales of US military equipment to Taiwan, and Premier Liu Chao-shiuan’s (劉兆玄) comments about not ruling out going to war with Japan over the Diaoyutai islands are serious diplomatic blunders that have put Taiwan in a dangerous situation internationally.
Ma is apt at saying one thing and doing another. The Taiwanese public should not fall for his tricks and they should pay close attention to what he says and does.
We must stay united and carefully monitor what is going on within Ma’s government. We must protest against anything that is not beneficial to Taiwan.
We cannot let Ma get away with his attempts to achieve unification.
Chai Trong-rong is a DPP legislator.
TRANSLATED BY DREW CAMERON
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry gives it a strategic advantage, but that advantage would be threatened as the US seeks to end Taiwan’s monopoly in the industry and as China grows more assertive, analysts said at a security dialogue last week. While the semiconductor industry is Taiwan’s “silicon shield,” its dominance has been seen by some in the US as “a monopoly,” South Korea’s Sungkyunkwan University academic Kwon Seok-joon said at an event held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In addition, Taiwan lacks sufficient energy sources and is vulnerable to natural disasters and geopolitical threats from China, he said.
After reading the article by Hideki Nagayama [English version on same page] published in the Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) on Wednesday, I decided to write this article in hopes of ever so slightly easing my depression. In August, I visited the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka, Japan, to attend a seminar. While there, I had the chance to look at the museum’s collections. I felt extreme annoyance at seeing that the museum had classified Taiwanese indigenous peoples as part of China’s ethnic minorities. I kept thinking about how I could make this known, but after returning
What value does the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) hold in Taiwan? One might say that it is to defend — or at the very least, maintain — truly “blue” qualities. To be truly “blue” — without impurities, rejecting any “red” influence — is to uphold the ideology consistent with that on which the Republic of China (ROC) was established. The KMT would likely not object to this notion. However, if the current generation of KMT political elites do not understand what it means to be “blue” — or even light blue — their knowledge and bravery are far too lacking
Taipei’s population is estimated to drop below 2.5 million by the end of this month — the only city among the nation’s six special municipalities that has more people moving out than moving in this year. A city that is classified as a special municipality can have three deputy mayors if it has a population of more than 2.5 million people, Article 55 of the Local Government Act (地方制度法) states. To counter the capital’s shrinking population, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) held a cross-departmental population policy committee meeting on Wednesday last week to discuss possible solutions. According to Taipei City Government data, Taipei’s