An anti-war declaration urging Taiwan to work towards averting a US-China conflict by maintaining positive and “equidistant” ties with both countries was signed by 37 academics in Taiwan this week. However, it is disquieting how the seemingly “neutral” stance and call for “peace” implies undermining public awareness of the actual threat China poses.
The declaration was initiated by academics, active and retired, including National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University professor emeritus Fu Daiwei (傅大為), Academia Sinica Institute of European and American Studies research fellow Lu Chien-yi (盧倩儀), National Chengchi University (NCCU) College of Communications professor Feng Chien-san (馮建三), and presented at a news conference on Monday.
They appealed for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, ending “American militarism and economic sanctions” against Russia, averting a US-China war by having Taiwan maintain “equidistant” relations with both countries, and for Taiwan to cut its military budget and shift money to improving social welfare and climate change goals.
The declaration says that “negotiation is the only way to stop a war” and urged NATO to stop using “territorial integrity” and “freedom and democracy” as excuses to escalate the Ukraine war. Feng said the US and NATO “provoked” Russia to attack Ukraine, and Fu blamed US “provocations” as the source of China’s threats against Taiwan.
They also blamed the US for worldwide conflicts that have resulted in millions of casualties and refugees, and claimed that NATO’s continuous supply of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine has prolonged the war, while sanctions caused an energy crisis and global inflation.
Lu said Taiwan should not view China as its only threat, as the US might sacrifice Taiwan in a potential war, which she sees as just as dangerous as China annexing the nation. The group opposes visits by foreign high-ranking officials or military cooperation that could provoke conflict.
The statement has been widely criticized, with many questioning if these academics are “naive leftists” with insufficient understanding of real-world geopolitics, as they seem to be holding on to outdated ideas of Western imperialism via the US and NATO, while being overly tolerant of threats of Russian and Chinese aggression.
The declaration is barking up the wrong tree. It appeals to the US and NATO member countries to cease war and sanctions, and urges Taiwan to take a “neutral” stance between China and the US to avert war. However, their anti-war demands should be targeted at the aggressors — Russia, which launched the invasion of Ukraine, and China, with its longstanding threat to annex Taiwan.
They are suggesting that Taiwan adopt an appeasement policy toward China.
NCCU sociology professor Huang Hou-ming (黃厚銘) said that China would not accept Taiwan maintaining “equidistant” relations with the US and itself, as its ultimate goal is to terminate Taiwanese sovereignty. National Taiwan University history professor Chen Jo-shui (陳弱水) said that calling for opposition to war in Taiwan equals “anti-resistance” and “surrendering,” as China’s military spending is more than 11 times that of Taiwan, and distancing itself from like-minded democratic countries would put Taiwan in a dangerous situation.
The anti-war declaration is rooted in noble ideals for world peace, but it is founded on naive arguments that can be politically manipulated. It would be welcomed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in its scaremongering tactics, claiming that only its legislators can prevent young people from being sacrificed on the battlefield. It could even be used in Beijing’s cognitive warfare against Taiwan, endangering its national security and determination to defend itself.
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