To borrow from Charles Dickens, the world has of late seen one of the worst of times, with the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s war in Ukraine, a sluggish economy and global inflation. There is a common Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) idiom to describe times like this: “In bad times, nutjobs are a dime a dozen,” and with nutjobs come all manner of preposterous nonsense and codswallop.
Chinese Ambassador to France Lu Shaye (盧沙野) has stayed true to his reputation of being a “wolf warrior” and made a name for himself for his outlandish, “nutty” remarks. In an interview on French television in August last year, Lu accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of using “extremist” propaganda and turning Taiwanese against “reunification” with China.
“We will re-educate [Taiwanese]. I’m sure that the Taiwanese population will again become favorable of reunification and will become patriots again,” Lu said, mirroring the language the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has used to describe its treatment of the Uighurs in Xinjiang.
‘THREATENED’
In an interview on Friday, when discussing a simulation of China’s invasion of Taiwan, Lu said: “We are not the threat; we are the party being threatened.”
After the host said that China appeared to be the party dropping bombs in the simulation, Lu said that it is because the “integrity of China’s territory is threatened by the Taiwan independence separatist forces in Taiwan and some countries.”
He went further to say that “the Chinese will decide the destiny of Taiwan,” causing widespread outrage.
This was not Lu’s only controversial remark.
Asked about China’s view of the status of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, Lu said that the question of Crimea “depends on how the problem is perceived,” as the region was “at the beginning Russian” and then “offered to Ukraine during the Soviet era.”
“Even these former Soviet countries don’t have an effective status under international law, because there is no international agreement under international law to concretise their status as sovereign countries,” he said.
The remark that appeared to disavow the sovereignty of countries that became independent after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 drew ire and caused a backlash across Europe. Countries such as Ukraine and the Baltic states, which suffered the most behind the Iron Curtain, demanded that China clarify its position unequivocally, while 80 European parliamentarians called on France to expel Lu.
HYPOCRISY
Lu’s inflammatory remarks came at a time when China was busy trying to rectify its image of siding with Russia in Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine by wrapping itself in a cloak of neutrality.
However, the global community has seen through China’s hypocrisy. The two autocratic strongmen — Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Russian President Vladimir Putin — harbor dreams of bringing nationalism and “great rejuvenation” back to their countries, and their ideological ambitions have not only permeated their speeches, but also shaped their actions.
In a hearing on April 18, US Representative Adam Smith said that China’s agenda and incendiary rhetoric of unification with Taiwan have led to increased cross-strait tensions.
“We’ve got to build the capability” to deter a cross-strait invasion, he said.
He added that China does not only pose a threat to Taiwan, but also to other nations, as it has been laying claim to territories in at least six sovereign nations.
Aside from its territorial ambitions, Beijing demands that other countries share its position that Taiwan is Chinese territory and refuses to hear of others’ condemnation of its plan to annex Taiwan due to the principle of peace.
A few days ago, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said that increased tensions around Taiwan were due to attempts to change the “status quo” by force, and that Seoul is opposed to such an idea.
“The Taiwan issue is not simply an issue between China and Taiwan, but, like the issue of North Korea, it is a global issue,” Yoon said in an interview ahead of his state visit to the US.
While in the US, Yoon echoed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s words in February that a crisis in the Taiwan Strait is not China’s “internal matter,” but concerns worldwide stability and peace.
Concise and lucid, Yoon’s words fall in line with the global consensus, yet have drawn displeasure from China, which hit back with uncouth and abrasive replies such as: “Those who play with fire on the question of Taiwan will burn themselves.”
In response, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Chinese ambassador to Seoul, expressing its hope that China will be “careful with its words and deeds.”
China’s overbearing and oppressive actions have only strengthened Taiwanese’s resolve to counter China’s invasion. Just as Vice President William Lai (賴清德) said last weekend: “Peace cannot be achieved by kneeling and groveling, it cannot be granted by the enemy invading our homeland,” but can only be achieved if Taiwanese unite to defend their homeland, to safeguard peace in Taiwan through democracy and by having a strong military defense.
Former US president Ronald Reagan’s famous policy of “Peace through strength” perhaps best describes Taiwan’s earnest buildup of its military strength to keep China at bay.
For China, the ideal plan is to take over Taiwan without firing a single shot, and this is why it has been stoking social unrest in Taiwan through cyberattacks, propaganda, aerial incursions, large-scale military drills, bribing military generals in exchange for state secrets, infiltration and incessant cognitive warfare. These actions aim to shake Taiwanese’s resolve to defend their homeland, and hinder the global community’s support and assistance.
For the past few months, pro-Chinese voices have crept up in Taiwanese society, ranging from downright obstinacy and absurdity to bigotry, putting people’s media literacy and discretion to the test.
Identifying pro-China “anti-war” narratives is not a difficult task. Taiwan has always been the one seeking peace, while China seeks war. Those who are calling for an “anti-war” movement should be directing their appeals at Beijing, yet the very same people would never speak a word against Xi.
Just as United Microelectronics Corp founder Robert Tsao (曹興誠) said, pro-China cohorts are barking up the wrong tree and are spreading hypocritical narratives embedded with left-wing, anti-US ideology, casting doubts on the US’ commitment to defend Taiwan and coming up with terms such as “pawn” or “equidistant ties.”
After World War II, US security and economic assistance, coupled with Taiwanese’s steadfast opposition to China, enabled the nation to flourish.
As the nation faces renewed threats from China, it is inconceivable that anyone would want Taiwan to embrace Beijing and turn its back on the US, an indispensable ally for countering the Chinese Communist Party.
‘COMMON ENEMY’
Representative to Germany Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉) could not have put it better: “As long as Taiwanese put aside their political differences and unite against the common enemy of China, Beijing would fail in its attempt to annex Taiwan.”
Common ideas in pro-China narratives, such as “consensus,” “non-provocation” and “one family,” are based on fantasy and self-defeating mantras that give fodder to China’s “boiling frog” policy. Former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) visit to China last month saw him addressed with a demeaning title during meetings with Chinese officials, who had an ingratiating and obsequious attitude. Despite Ma’s subservient visit, China responded with larger military drills. While Ma might have felt smug and proud of his “achievement,” the rest of Taiwan certainly does not feel the same.
Translated by Rita Wang
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