President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) recently defended his China policies by asserting that they didn’t jeopardize Taiwan’s sovereignty and that Taiwan’s participation at the World Health Assembly (WHA) was the result of a “diplomatic truce.” However, Taiwan’s participation at the WHA is a typical example of how Taiwan’s sovereignty is being chipped away.
With the WHO Web site referring to Taiwan as “China (Province of Taiwan),” the public needs to ask whether Taiwan’s sovereignty is really secure. In order to participate in the WHA, the government did not bat an eyelid at compromising Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and former presidents Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) could have gained entry for Taiwan into the WHA, but they did not. The only difference between Ma and the previous administration is a willingness to agree with the “one China” framework. Ma did what former presidents were not willing to do and called it an “ice-breaking” achievement. However, breaking the ice in this case is not worth bragging about.
Accepting Taiwan’s status as a province of China is tantamount to recognizing a new “status quo” that Taiwan belongs to China. By accepting this, China will consider any future president who wishes to change that status as a troublemaker, and the US will also agree with this viewpoint.
By that time, China will have the means to resort to force against Taiwan. If Ma feels “wronged” about Taiwan losing its dignity, why doesn’t the administration protest at international occasions by denying that Taiwan is a province of China? It is highly unlikely that China would have kicked Department of Health Minister Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川) out of the WHA because it would not want to create an international scene.
When Yeh arrived in Geneva, he asked to try out his seat at the venue beforehand. A clown of an official like this is even more embarrassing than former Democratic Progressive Party chairman Hsu Hsin-liang (�?}), who participated in cross-strait talks with an air of triumph without knowing that he had already become a pawn in China’s “united front” tactics. Yeh did not care that Taiwanese journalists were issued press passes that displayed an ambiguous national status.
Yeh likes to brag about his achievements and patriotism. However, his major achievement during the SARS outbreak at the Heping Branch of the Taipei City Hospital in 2003 was to protect Ma. So, it is now Ma’s turn to protect his servant. None of this has anything to do with patriotism. Even if they claim love for Taiwan, what they really mean is they love Taiwan as part of China. The Taiwanese students who spoke out against Yeh showed more patriotism than Ma and the minister. Not only did they heckle Yeh, but they also criticized WHO Director-General Margaret Chan (陳馮富珍), who is from “Hong Kong, China,” for accepting Chinese government payments to serve as its puppet at the WHO.
Because Ma and Yeh adhere to the “Taiwan, China” principle, they do not have the courage to protect Taiwan’s sovereignty, nor did they condemn China for covering up the SARS outbreak that took numerous lives back in 2003.
It is clear that Taiwan’s sovereignty has been eroded, but our government is still bragging about its achievements. This reminds me of the spirit of victory of “Ah Q,” depicted by Chinese writer Lu Xun (魯迅). I regret this “spirit” because it is why Taiwan is in such a mess.
Paul Lin is a political commentator.
TRANSLATED BY TED YANG
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