The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is using US pork as a vehicle for bringing chaos to Taiwan by working against the US and befriending China in a clear manifestation of its ill will.
KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) has claimed that he wants to rejuvenate the party, make it Taiwan-centered and befriend the US, but instead he has triggered a doctrinal backlash as the party’s pro-unification faction holds sway over its legislative caucus, while the party leadership has been turned into a lame duck. Chiang himself is becoming overwhelmed by the party’s infighting.
The KMT is fighting the import of US pork with such abandon because of its ill intent: It wants to create chaos. It wants to create the impression that Taiwan lacks an effective government capable of carrying out its international duties to prevent Taiwan from raising its international profile and winning more recognition.
A country as defined in international law requires a defined territory, a population, effective government and the ability to maintain international relations.
Last year, Taiwan displayed international responsibility, received universal praise in contrast to China’s neglect of its international responsibilities. This is China’s sore point and the pro-China camp’s most hated fact.
Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) does not stop at contradicting himself to oppose the import of US pork; deep-blue Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) used American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Brent Christensen for her own political purposes; and local government heads take local autonomy to extremes as they oppose the central government’s foreign policy responsibilities and duties.
In doing so, they fail to see the huge surge in Taiwan’s international reputation while suffering two self-inflicted slaps in the face from the US. It is difficult to know whether to laugh or cry.
The AIT issued a strong-worded criticism of Lu’s political media show and removed her from the high points in the AIT’s annual review.
The US National Security Council on Jan. 1 presented Ma with a slap in the face as it on Twitter welcomed Taiwan’s decision to remove the import ban on both US beef and pork, and said that it was looking forward to stronger economic relations between the US and Taiwan this year.
The US bluntly pointed to Ma’s hypocrisy in allowing the import of US beef, but opposing US pork imports, while also sending a reminder that joining the international community carries a responsibility to follow through on one’s promises.
All the US wants is fairness and the removal of trade obstacles — no one is forcing anyone to eat anything. Ma’s continued attempts to flatter Beijing while attacking Taiwan will only speed up the collapse of the KMT.
James Wang is a media commentator.
Translated by Perry Svensson
As China pushes the world to avoid official dealings with Taiwan, leaders across the globe are realizing just how dependent they have become on the democratic nation. Taiwan is being courted for its capacity to make leading-edge computer chips. That is mostly down to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, the world’s largest foundry and go-to producer of chips for Apple Inc smartphones, artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. Taiwan’s role in the world economy largely existed below the radar, until it came to recent prominence as the auto industry suffered shortfalls in chips used for everything from parking sensors to reducing emissions. With automakers
If social media interaction is any yardstick, India remained one of the top countries for Taiwan last year. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has on several occasions expressed enthusiasm to strengthen cooperation with India, one of the 18 target nations in her administration’s New Southbound Policy. The past year was instrumental in fostering Taiwan-India ties and will be remembered for accelerated momentum in bilateral relations. However, most of it has been confined to civil society circles. Even though Taiwan launched its southbound policy in 2016, the potential of Taiwan-India engagement remains underutilized. It is crucial to identify what is obstructing greater momentum
In memory of Diane Baker: one of the last working dance journalists, a true dance aficionado and dear friend. On Friday, through a mutual friend, I received the shocking news that dance critic Diane Baker had passed away suddenly at her apartment in Tianmu, Taipei. The news quickly spread, and messages of concern quickly swarmed in from the dance community in Taiwan and abroad. Her sister Sharon in the US later confirmed that Diane died of a heart attack on Wednesday last week. She was 65. Diane was a dear friend to Taiwan’s dance community. Her frequent appearance at dance performances in
A full year after an outbreak of a novel coronavirus was detected in Wuhan, the Chinese government last week finally relented to international pressure and granted access to a team of scientists from the WHO to investigate the origins of the disease. However, serious questions remain about whether the team would be able to carry out its investigation, free from the meddling hand of the Chinese state: The signs do not bode well. The team was originally due to arrive at the beginning of this month; however, their visas were abruptly canceled while several of its members were already in transit.