Despite political pressure at home to keep her from doing so, US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi finally visited Taiwan last week, causing quite a stir. As Pelosi stuck to her guns, her visit was of considerable significance.
Pelosi was born into the D’Alesandro political family. Her father, Thomas D’Alesandro Jr, was a US Representative and later mayor of Baltimore for 12 years. Pelosi was elected to the US House of Representatives at the age of 47 after her children were grown, and became the US’ first female House speaker in 2007 after the Democratic Party won the House majority. Today, she is second in line of succession to the presidency, after US Vice President Kamala Harris.
In response to Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) said that “the People’s Liberation Army of China will never sit idly by, and will make resolute response and take strong countermeasures to uphold China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
When speaking with US President Joe Biden on the telephone on July 28, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) said that “the historical context of the Taiwan question is crystal clear, and so are the fact and status quo that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China.”
Many Taiwanese were confused by Xi’s statement; perhaps he could try to clarify. What is the historical context of the Taiwan question? Is it really a fact that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China? And what exactly is the “status quo” across the Strait?
According to Chinese logic, perhaps the entire European map needs to be redrawn. I remember when China protested a Swedish TV station for not including Taiwan and Tibet on a map of China. Faced with the harsh Chinese condemnation, a Swedish TV host became so exasperated that he simply covered a world map with the Chinese five-star flag, joking that the whole world apparently belonged to China from a historical context.
Despite the Chinese Communist Party’s threats and intimidation, as well as the White House’s doubts, Pelosi insisted on visiting Taiwan to express support to the democratic country. She not only displayed “woman power,” she also showed fearless courage.
Her passion for justice, human rights, democracy, redressing any wrongdoings and having compassion for others shows her wisdom and bravery. She serves as a role model for all women.
Of all the virtues, courage is the highest. Without it, nothing can be done in life. So it was good to see you in Taiwan, Speaker Pelosi, and thank you for your courage.
Maysing Yang is chairwoman of the Asia-Pacific Liberal Women Association and the Dr Chen Wen-chen Memorial Foundation.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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