Department of Health Minister Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川) lost control when Taiwanese students confronted him in Geneva, where he was attending the World Health Assembly (WHA) earlier this month. President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said the accusations against Yeh were “intolerable,” so he could understand Yeh’s feelings, while Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said the government had no choice but to accept “Chinese Taipei.” They clearly didn’t know what they were saying.
Their reaction only highlights the guilty conscience of the Ma administration, which is lying in its attempts to gain credit while treating Taiwan’s sovereignty as child’s play.
Yeh said he felt “great” as he participated in the WHA as an observer and acted pleased with himself, while ignorantly claiming it was the first time in 38 years Taiwan participated in a UN “event” despite the fact that the Republic of China (ROC) was still a member of the World Bank and the IMF in 1980. In seeking credit for Ma, Yeh put down Ma’s mentor, former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), by ignoring events that occurred during Chiang’s presidency.
The government can be flexible on the title under which it participates in international organizations, but it must uphold the principles of independence and reciprocity. Although Chiang agreed that Taiwan maintained membership as “Chinese Taipei” in the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on the advice of former US president Ronald Reagan’s administration, he refused to send a delegation to attend bank meetings. When former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) decided to send delegations to the ADB meetings, he insisted that the delegation lodge a protest and cover the title “Chinese Taipei” on their name tags.
Taiwan’s national status is in a special predicament, so participation in international events only makes sense if they are beneficial to the open or tacit recognition of Taiwan’s sovereignty. If the way in which the government participates in international organizations implies that Taiwan is part of China, then participation brings disgrace to the nation.
Despite China’s attempts to annex Taiwan, the Ma government goes along with the “one China” framework while Yeh made innane remarks while sitting as an observer at the WHA. The WHO has listed Taiwan as a province of China and included Taiwan’s cases of A(H1N1) influenza under China’s listing. The Ma government sold out Taiwan for participation in an international event.
In 1971, “the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石)” were expelled from the UN and all its related organizations. Yang Hsi-kun (楊西崑), then- deputy foreign minister, told US officials that the wording of UN Resolution 2758 proposed by Albania and 22 other countries was “to expel forthwith the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek” instead of “the ROC,” and thus if a future government in Taiwan declared jurisdiction over Taiwan alone, it might easily gain sympathy and acceptance as a member at UN specialized agencies.
Two elected governments — those of former presidents Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Lee Teng-hui — declared that the “ROC” was simply the national title of Taiwan, that neither the People’s Republic of China nor the ROC had jurisdiction over the other, and that the ROC was actively seeking international recognition.
Ma, however, restored the party-state system and is conforming to the “one China” framework. He is implementing the “one country, two systems” model according to China’s directives. If Yang knew, he would have heckled Ma too.
James Wang is a media commentator.
TRANSLATED BY TED YANG
Taiwan’s victory in the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12 championship is an historic achievement. Yet once again this achievement is marred by the indignity of the imposed moniker “Chinese Taipei.” The absurdity is compounded by the fact that none of the players are even from Taipei, and some, such as Paiwan catcher Giljegiljaw Kungkuan, are not even ethnically Chinese. The issue garnered attention around the Paris Olympics, yet fell off the agenda as Olympic memories retreated. “Chinese Taipei” persists, and the baseball championship serves as a reminder that fighting “Chinese Taipei” must be a continuous campaign, not merely resurfacing around international
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) appears to be encountering some culture shock and safety issues at its new fab in Arizona. On Nov. 7, Arizona state authorities cited TSMC for worker safety violations, fining the company US$16,131, after a man died in May. The Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health released its six-month investigation into the fatality and cited TSMC for failing to keep the workplace free from hazards likely to cause death or serious harm. At about the same time, the chip giant was also sued for alleged discriminatory hiring practices favoring Asians, prompting a flurry of debate on whether TSMC’s
This month, the National Health Insurance (NHI) is to implement a major policy change by eliminating the suspension-and-resumption mechanism for Taiwanese residing abroad. With more than 210,000 Taiwanese living overseas — many with greater financial means than those in Taiwan — this reform, catalyzed by a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, underscores the importance of fairness, sustainability and shared responsibility in one of the world’s most admired public healthcare systems. Beyond legal obligations, expatriates have a compelling moral duty to contribute, recognizing their stake in a system that embodies the principle of health as a human right. The ruling declared the prior
US president-elect Donald Trump is inheriting from President Joe Biden a challenging situation for American policy in the Indo-Pacific region, with an expansionist China on the march and threatening to incorporate Taiwan, by force if necessary. US policy choices have become increasingly difficult, in part because Biden’s policy of engagement with China, including investing in personal diplomacy with President Xi Jinping (習近平), has not only yielded little but also allowed the Chinese military to gain a stronger footing in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. In Xi’s Nov. 16 Lima meeting with a diminished Biden, the Chinese strongman signaled little
RSS