China’s oppression of its own citizens and dissidents not only harms human rights domestically, but also casts a shadow on its neighbors. Taiwan’s frontline fight against the rollback of human rights requires global attention and support from other democratic countries.
The UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday conducted a new universal periodic review on China. It is clear and without doubt that Beijing’s continued repression of human rights has triggered waves of criticisms and protests domestically, and also cast a shadow on its neighbors.
Over the past few years, protests in Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong have demonstrated the people’s desire for democracy and greater human rights protections. The introduction of a social credit system and the forced disappearance of pro-democracy activists have raised concerns. China’s violent suppression and refusal to acknowledge the appeals of the public is disheartening.
The international media have extensively covered the Chinese government’s forced rehabilitation of Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region “re-education camps.” The Chinese government’s labeling of innocent individuals as “extremists” and its systematic efforts to eradicate the unique culture and Islamic faith of the Uighurs are clear indicators of ongoing minority oppression in China.
China is also tightening its grip on the ability of individuals in Hong Kong to participate in politics. The disqualifications of Lau Siu-lai (劉小麗) and others in an effort to silence the public are in gross violation of the “one country, two systems” declaration and threaten Hong Kong’s civic society. China’s continued repression will only further alienate Hong Kong’s citizens and expose “one country under two systems” as a myth.
The New Power Party (NPP), as a party native to Taiwan, an advocate for the establishment of national normalcy and supporter of democracy in the region, urges the international community to take its responsibility in view of China’s human rights violations.
China’s use of economic coercion and the Belt and Road Initiative to export its own imperialistic ambitions threatens to undo half a century of democracy, human rights and rule of law in the region. Only through collective efforts can we reverse the humanitarian crisis of the century.
With local elections on Nov. 24, Taiwan is all the more vulnerable to China’s meddling and encroachment. The NPP appeals to the international community to join forces in condemning China, to call for an end to its internal repression and external economic coercion, and to declare their support for democracy in Taiwan — allowing Taiwan to continue to be a champion of human rights and peace in the global community.
Chen Nah-chia is an NPP press officer. She holds a master’s of international politics from the School of African and Oriental Studies at the University of London and was previously a legislative assistant for the NPP caucus. Shieh Yi-hsiang is a postgraduate student at George Washington University in Washington. He was previously also an NPP legislative assistant.
US aerospace company Boeing Co has in recent years been involved in numerous safety incidents, including crashes of its 737 Max airliners, which have caused widespread concern about the company’s safety record. It has recently come to light that titanium jet engine parts used by Boeing and its European competitor Airbus SE were sold with falsified documentation. The source of the titanium used in these parts has been traced back to an unknown Chinese company. It is clear that China is trying to sneak questionable titanium materials into the supply chain and use any ensuing problems as an opportunity to
It’s not every month that the US Department of State sends two deputy assistant secretary-level officials to Taiwan, together. Its rarer still that such senior State Department policy officers, once on the ground in Taipei, make a point of huddling with fellow diplomats from “like-minded” NATO, ANZUS and Japanese governments to coordinate their multilateral Taiwan policies. The State Department issued a press release on June 22 admitting that the two American “representatives” had “hosted consultations in Taipei” with their counterparts from the “Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.” The consultations were blandly dubbed the “US-Taiwan Working Group on International Organizations.” The State
The Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises, the largest naval exercise in the region, are aimed at deepening international collaboration and interaction while strengthening tactical capabilities and flexibility in tackling maritime crises. China was invited to participate in RIMPAC in 2014 and 2016, but it was excluded this year. The underlying reason is that Beijing’s ambitions of regional expansion and challenging the international order have raised global concern. The world has made clear its suspicions of China, and its exclusion from RIMPAC this year will bring about a sea change in years to come. The purpose of excluding China is primarily
The Chinese Supreme People’s Court and other government agencies released new legal guidelines criminalizing “Taiwan independence diehard separatists.” While mostly symbolic — the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has never had jurisdiction over Taiwan — Tamkang University Graduate Institute of China Studies associate professor Chang Wu-ueh (張五岳), an expert on cross-strait relations, said: “They aim to explain domestically how they are countering ‘Taiwan independence,’ they aim to declare internationally their claimed jurisdiction over Taiwan and they aim to deter Taiwanese.” Analysts do not know for sure why Beijing is propagating these guidelines now. Under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), deciphering the