Last year, it was South Korea. Now, it is Japan.
Yes, nation-bashing is now, apparently, a winning campaign strategy. At least for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
And this disturbing trend is showing no signs of abating.
Remarks made on Saturday by KMT presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) that “Taiwan will lose to Japan” if she does not win next year’s election reflect the latest in a set of statements that are likely to cause some head-scratching in both Taipei and Tokyo.
After all, is Japan not Taiwan’s second-largest trading partner? Is Japan not a key influence in Taiwan’s geostrategic position? Did President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) not recently say that Taiwan and Japan enjoy a “special partnership”?
So where is all this negativity coming from?
The answer is simple.
It reflects the KMT’s willingness to place politics above all else — even above the importance of Taiwan-Japan relations. More fundamentally, it shows that the KMT is not above expending what is in the nation’s best interests — having a strong, healthy relationship with Japan — in order to advance its own political agenda.
The implications of this trend feeds into a common criticism that in Taiwan, politics trumps all.
It sends a detrimental message to our important allies that anything and everything can be sacrificed and expended in the course of an election. That is not a message Taiwan can afford to be sending as it seeks to strengthen global relations.
Taiwan’s position in world order is premised on maintaining strong international relations. It is the foundation of what keeps Taiwan free and secure; and it is essential as to diversifying the economy.
This is the foundation of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) foreign policy direction: That Taiwan should be building better and more engaging partnerships with global partners. It should be looking to find new opportunities to strengthen — not weaken — these relations.
That was the message DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) shared when she visited the US in June. It has also been Taiwan’s consistent message to the international community as well. This is a message that will not change based on the whims of an election campaign.
As for history?
History did not stop the US and Japan from building one of the strongest and most enduring alliances of the 20th century, and it certainly would not stop Taiwan from forging a vital and dynamic partnership with Japan.
Vincent Y. Chao is a deputy director of international affairs for the Democratic Progressive Party.
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