Since the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) initiated a referendum on joining the UN using the name "Taiwan," Washington has strongly voiced its opposition to the plan.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last week criticized the DPP government's UN referendum as a "provocative policy" that "unnecessarily raises tensions in the Taiwan Strait and ... promises no real benefits for the people of Taiwan on the international stage."
She was the highest ranking US official to express disapproval.
Lin Cheng-yi (林正義), a research fellow at Academia Sinica's Institute of European and American Studies, said he expected to see overall Taiwan-US relations return to normal next year after the country chooses a new leader.
He did not think the US opposition would deliver a significant blow to the DPP, unless the KMT uses it as a political tool and encourages its supporters to sink the proposal.
He said he also did not think the DPP would take advantage of US opposition to stir up public resentment against Washington because the DPP is well aware that most Taiwanese are not anti-American and it is relatively easier to whip up anti-China sentiment than anti-American feeling.
"Beijing is smart enough to realize that they do not need to be vocal about Taiwan's UN referendum because they can hide behind Washington's back and use them to oppose the campaign," he said.
Lin said Washington's disapproval has come at Beijing's request, but he also pointed out that while voicing opposition to Taiwan's UN referendum, Rice reiterated the US position that they do not want to see Beijing unilaterally change the "status quo" in the Taiwan Strait or use any non-peaceful means against Taiwan.
It is significant that the people of Taiwan send out a strong message to the world that they want to participate in the international community, he said, adding that the best-case scenario would be that both referendum proposals pass, because that would only strengthen the message and be in the best interests of the country.
Former presidential adviser Wu Li-pei (
One thing that seems apparent, however.
"It seems the shortest distance between Beijing and Taiwan is through Washington," Wu said.
While Beijing has kept relatively quiet on the referendum proposal, Wu said Washington was vociferous about it mainly because they did not want to see tensions rise in the Taiwan Strait and they wanted to placate China, who firmly believes that the referendum is a step toward Taiwan's de jure independence.
"If the US fails to stop Taiwan from holding the referendum, I suspect China will jump into the driver's seat and take matters into its own hands," he said. "It remains to be seen what impact that will have on Taiwan."
Wu said that it is wishful thinking to believe that the US would support Taiwan at this time because US interests in China are much greater than its interests in Taiwan.
"There is only interest in a diplomatic community," he said. "There is no such thing as right or wrong."
To break Taiwan's isolation in the international community, Wu proposed an appeal to the American public, including connecting with grassroots organizations and diverting diplomatic funding for the country's diplomatic allies to the US in a bid to secure broader understanding across the US of the situation here.
Jerome Keating, a Taiwan-based commentator, said he believed the US State Department was indulging in overkill and that its response to the UN referendum was excessive in the context of a bona fide plebiscite.
"They have made a commitment [to China] to hold back Taiwan without making it public," he said.
Keating said the US has consistently been misinformed on events on the ground in Taiwan.
"They are reaping the results of what they have sown by purposely keeping the position on Taiwan vague for over 50 years," he said.
To describe Rice's statement as "unfair" may not be the right word, Keating said, but rather "inappropriate" or "embarrassing."
"Here is the Secretary of State caught having to defend the indefensible. This all happens when at the same time the US is backing the independence of Kosovo against Russian influence," he said.
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
RSS