Is it any wonder that young Taiwanese are by-and-large unwilling to lay down their lives for national sovereignty? After all, why fight to the death against overwhelming odds for some independence ideal that the rest of the world does not recognize and that the government of the Republic of China (ROC) itself apparently does not support?
The results of a recent groundbreaking survey by the 21st Century Foundation show that almost 60 percent of people born after 1984 said they had the right to refuse conscription in the event of a war with China over independence, while 55.8 percent said taxes should not be increased to buy weapons to enhance national defense. An analysis of the figures suggested that at least 31 percent of those questioned felt Taiwan should surrender rather than mobilize in case of a war.
Media on both sides of the political spectrum are playing up these statistics, but in the end, is it really that much of a surprise?
Why fight for sovereignty when your president does not protect it? President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is happy to have Chinese officials refer to him as Mr Ma, as if he is the general manager of a subsidiary company. He has instructed his Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) subordinates to deliver the message to China that the ROC government is willing to accept a “one country, two areas” (一國二區) formula. He is going full speed ahead on cross-strait economic integration, with very little protection of sovereignty.
Why throw your life away on a lost cause when the Constitution itself does not recognize Taiwan’s sovereignty? Sure it recognizes Chinese sovereignty as represented by the ROC, but who still believes that fiction? It is doubtful even Ma believes in this despite his protestations to the contrary. Taiwan rules itself, but so does Palestine, so does Somaliland and so does Hong Kong (to an extent).
Why die for a country whose ruling political party has entered into closed-door negotiations with the enemy to split the proceeds of eventual unification? KMT-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) summits began in 2005, shortly after the re-election of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on a cross-strait standoff ticket. After failing to win the vote, the KMT went its own way, negotiating with China for help to return to power. The KMT, especially now with Ma at the helm, cannot even rule the country without China’s help. How’s that for independence?
Why fight your employer? Taiwan is autonomous, even sovereign, but it is not independent. It is dependent on China for money, cheap labor, economic growth and as a major market for its exports. Those very exports used to only be high-value-added products such as memory chips and LCDs, but increasingly they are raw goods: fruit, fish and other low-value items. Taiwanese used to mainly earn profits by exporting high-tech goods to China or save money by producing goods there for less, but now China is pouring money into Taiwan with tourists and investments. Real-estate is booming, tourism is soaring and banking is set to become an arm of the Chinese financial empire soon.
Why fight for independence when your elders and leaders have already conceded it? Ma and the KMT are doing their best to erode the nation’s ability to defend itself so that nobody ever makes the dumb move of deciding to fight China. Young people see this and respond in kind.
So why should they have the will to fight?
I came to Taiwan to pursue my degree thinking that Taiwanese are “friendly,” but I was welcomed by Taiwanese classmates laughing at my friend’s name, Maria (瑪莉亞). At the time, I could not understand why they were mocking the name of Jesus’ mother. Later, I learned that “Maria” had become a stereotype — a shorthand for Filipino migrant workers. That was because many Filipino women in Taiwan, especially those who became house helpers, happen to have that name. With the rapidly increasing number of foreigners coming to Taiwan to work or study, more Taiwanese are interacting, socializing and forming relationships with
Whether in terms of market commonality or resource similarity, South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co is the biggest competitor of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC). The two companies have agreed to set up factories in the US and are also recipients of subsidies from the US CHIPS and Science Act, which was signed into law by former US president Joe Biden. However, changes in the market competitiveness of the two companies clearly reveal the context behind TSMC’s investments in the US. As US semiconductor giant Intel Corp has faced continuous delays developing its advanced processes, the world’s two major wafer foundries, TSMC and
The recent termination of Tibetan-language broadcasts by Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) is a significant setback for Tibetans both in Tibet and across the global diaspora. The broadcasts have long served as a vital lifeline, providing uncensored news, cultural preservation and a sense of connection for a community often isolated by geopolitical realities. For Tibetans living under Chinese rule, access to independent information is severely restricted. The Chinese government tightly controls media and censors content that challenges its narrative. VOA and RFA broadcasts have been among the few sources of uncensored news available to Tibetans, offering insights
We are witnessing a sea change in the government’s approach to China, from one of reasonable, low-key reluctance at rocking the boat to a collapse of pretense over and patience in Beijing’s willful intransigence. Finally, we are seeing a more common sense approach in the face of active shows of hostility from a foreign power. According to Article 2 of the 2020 Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法), a “foreign hostile force” is defined as “countries, political entities or groups that are at war with or are engaged in a military standoff with the Republic of China [ROC]. The same stipulation applies to
RSS