Following the nine-in-one elections in Taiwan on Nov. 29, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office held a news conference reiterating its adherence to the so-called “1992 consensus” and its opposition to Taiwanese independence. The office’s spokesperson said it would not change its guiding policy of peaceful cross-strait development, while expressing hope that this development would continue at a stable momentum and that “compatriots” on both sides of the Taiwan Strait will protect the fruits of this process.
The Mainland Affairs Council responded by saying it will stick by peaceful and stable cross-strait development, while working hard to maintain positive cross-strait interactions and lasting peace in the Taiwan Strait. Council Minister Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said that the “mainland policy” is correct and that Taiwan would continue to work on fostering exchanges on cross-strait issues and promoting related legislative bills.
This of course means that President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration will stick to its plan to follow through on the agreements on trade in services and goods, the bill regulating oversight of cross-strait agreements and an exchange of liaison offices.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are sister parties. They both ignore public opinion and think only about fulfilling the “China dream.” It seems that the message Taiwanese voters sent through the local elections was not loud enough and that it is necessary to raise the volume further to make the parties understand that it is time to step back.
The backslapping between the KMT and the CCP — once again bringing out the “peace” slogan — makes it seem as if they are the only ones protecting peace in the Taiwan Strait, while those who oppose them are troublemakers trying to destroy that peace. This is a matter of a thief crying: “Stop thief.” Taiwan has never tried to invade China and former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) ended the period of communist rebellion. However, China has never abandoned the use of force against Taiwan. It passed the “Anti-Secession Law” and interferes in Taiwan’s elections — directly or indirectly, with or without military force. The number and level of cases against Chinese spies keep rising, while the Ma administration is trying to numb everyone with talk of “peace.”
When US President Barack Obama signed into law a bill authorizing the sale of four Perry-class frigates to Taiwan to strengthen national defense, China protested, saying the move ran counter to the peaceful development of cross-strait relations. Is all this a matter of true peace or false?
Taiwan is a sovereign, independent nation and a majority of its 23 million citizens want to maintain this status. However, what the CCP and the KMT are striving for is to create a situation where there is “one China” and “one country, two areas.” Anyone opposed to annexation and “unification” are labeled Taiwanese independence activists, while anyone who works toward maintaining this situation is threatened in any number of ways by the Ma administration and China’s military terrorism.
The military situation in the Taiwan Strait is off-balance and tipping in China’s favor, so where is there a foundation on which to build peace?
It is clearly China that is causing all the tension, while pretending to be protecting the peace. Beijing is using this bizarre reasoning to brainwash Taiwanese and cripple their reasoning abilities so Taiwan falls into the trap China is setting with its sophistry.
If Taiwanese make the mistake of believing these preposterous ramblings and start questioning real attempts to promote peace, the nation will be in danger. If political parties and politicians start believing these ramblings, they will deliver Taiwan to China while — in their dazed and confused state of mind — thinking that they love their country.
In the Martial Law era, the KMT promoted piecemeal reform, treating the move as one of amazing magnanimity and presenting it as the very image of enlightenment, with the help of media outlets. The Martial Law era deprived Taiwanese of human rights that should have been given to them freely, but at the same time introduced democracy. One cannot take everything away and then return only bits and pieces, while praising oneself for taking the initiative to introduce reform and caring for the public.
Returning to the present, the KMT’s ill-gotten party assets should have been returned to the public long ago. New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) of the KMT is differentiating between “ill-gotten” assets and “legitimate” assets. What kind of reform is that? Not to mention that Ma for years said that all controversial party assets have been returned, including the questionable sales of China Television, Broadcasting Corp of China and Central Motion Pictures. To then say that almost all controversial party assets were returned and that public expectations of the KMT are moving faster than party reform is a bit of an exaggeration that looks like an attempt to trick everyone into believing the parry’s good intentions.
The CCP and the KMT are sister parties skilled in sophistry and deceit. China is throwing its weight about in northeast Asia and the South China Sea, but calls this a “peaceful rise.” The peacefulness of this rise is clear: Nobel Peace Price laureate Liu Xiaobo (劉曉波) was thrown into jail for his political views. It is equally clear what a “harmonious society” is all about.
This year, the so-called “Confucius Peace Prize” was given to former Cuban president Fidel Castro and before that it went to Russian President Vladimir Putin and former vice president Lien Chan (連戰). This is how someone with “Chinese characteristics” stands out from the crowd.
Ma’s statements that the Taiwan Strait is experiencing unprecedented peace are nothing but unprecedented lies. Political parties and politicians must be on their guard against China’s definition of “peace.” It is not the kind of peace brought by a dove, but rather an “aggressive peace” intended to bring about surrender.
Falling for this trick means destruction. The KMT has already fallen for it and if the DPP does too, Taiwanese are done for.
The return of US president-elect Donald Trump to the White House has injected a new wave of anxiety across the Taiwan Strait. For Taiwan, an island whose very survival depends on the delicate and strategic support from the US, Trump’s election victory raises a cascade of questions and fears about what lies ahead. His approach to international relations — grounded in transactional and unpredictable policies — poses unique risks to Taiwan’s stability, economic prosperity and geopolitical standing. Trump’s first term left a complicated legacy in the region. On the one hand, his administration ramped up arms sales to Taiwan and sanctioned
The Taiwanese have proven to be resilient in the face of disasters and they have resisted continuing attempts to subordinate Taiwan to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Nonetheless, the Taiwanese can and should do more to become even more resilient and to be better prepared for resistance should the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) try to annex Taiwan. President William Lai (賴清德) argues that the Taiwanese should determine their own fate. This position continues the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) tradition of opposing the CCP’s annexation of Taiwan. Lai challenges the CCP’s narrative by stating that Taiwan is not subordinate to the
World leaders are preparing themselves for a second Donald Trump presidency. Some leaders know more or less where he stands: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy knows that a difficult negotiation process is about to be forced on his country, and the leaders of NATO countries would be well aware of being complacent about US military support with Trump in power. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would likely be feeling relief as the constraints placed on him by the US President Joe Biden administration would finally be released. However, for President William Lai (賴清德) the calculation is not simple. Trump has surrounded himself
US president-elect Donald Trump is to return to the White House in January, but his second term would surely be different from the first. His Cabinet would not include former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo and former US national security adviser John Bolton, both outspoken supporters of Taiwan. Trump is expected to implement a transactionalist approach to Taiwan, including measures such as demanding that Taiwan pay a high “protection fee” or requiring that Taiwan’s military spending amount to at least 10 percent of its GDP. However, if the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) invades Taiwan, it is doubtful that Trump would dispatch
RSS