A few days before this year’s Double Ten National Day celebration, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said he would not attend the official ceremony because he did not want his presence to be viewed as “an endorsement of Taiwanese independence.”
Yet on the day of the celebration in front of the Presidential Office Building, the words on the banners read: “The 112th National Day of the Republic of China,” not Taiwan.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who was elected by the citizens of the Republic of China (ROC), made a speech at the podium. Taiwanese heroes and students performed the national anthem of the ROC. The ROC Air Force showed off its achievements in locally designed and produced jet trainers, the AT-5 Yung Ying (“Brave Eagle”), arranging for the aircraft to fly over the Presidential Office Building. A military honor guard also performed.
In her address, Tsai said that over the past seven years, all Taiwanese have contributed to building a highly resilient economy. Taiwan’s economy has become a key force in the restructuring of global supply chains. As a result, the ROC has become stronger. She also expressed her gratitude to Taiwanese for giving her two terms as president of the ROC.
During the ceremony, “the strength of the ROC” and “the president of the ROC” were mentioned several times. It was nothing but a celebration of the ROC’s national day.
On the other hand, the site of the old Presidential Palace in Nanjing, China, that Ma visited in March is an empty shell. That “Republic of China” was already eliminated by the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Ma could have voiced his disapproval, yet he remained silent.
A nation’s development should follow international trends. The “anti-China” trend of today came into being after countries around the world began seeing China as a threat.
In addition to Taiwan’s own freedom and democracy, as well as its capability in technology, it has been following this trend, and therefore gains support from other democracies.
For example, the US Congress has passed a bill to defend Taiwan’s international status, saying that UN Resolution 2758 (which recognizes the PRC as the sole legitimate government of China) does not apply to Taiwan.
In terms of its economy, Taiwan was not overly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the economy has grown further thanks to the government’s issuance of stimulus vouchers and cash, and the introduction of the TPass monthly mass public transportation program. Rental subsidies were also provided to help people in a practical way. These are the fruits of the joint efforts of Taiwanese.
All the above are built upon the autonomous political institutions and economic system of the ROC in Taiwan.
Taiwanese agree with Tsai’s “four commitments.” The commitment emphasizing that the ROC and the PRC should not be subordinate to each other has clearly defined that Taiwan and China are two separate national entities. The issue has never been a domestic one.
The ROC exists on Taiwanese soil and its outlying islands. Along with the changing international situation, the ROC has developed into a country different from the one that claimed 35 provinces across the Taiwan Strait. The people of the ROC have been growing and thriving in Taiwan. This is the reality. As a reserve lieutenant commander, I disagree with Ma’s reasoning for not attending the official Double Ten National Day ceremony.
Arthur Chang is a navy reserve lieutenant commander.
Translated by Emma Liu
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry gives it a strategic advantage, but that advantage would be threatened as the US seeks to end Taiwan’s monopoly in the industry and as China grows more assertive, analysts said at a security dialogue last week. While the semiconductor industry is Taiwan’s “silicon shield,” its dominance has been seen by some in the US as “a monopoly,” South Korea’s Sungkyunkwan University academic Kwon Seok-joon said at an event held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In addition, Taiwan lacks sufficient energy sources and is vulnerable to natural disasters and geopolitical threats from China, he said.
After reading the article by Hideki Nagayama [English version on same page] published in the Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) on Wednesday, I decided to write this article in hopes of ever so slightly easing my depression. In August, I visited the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka, Japan, to attend a seminar. While there, I had the chance to look at the museum’s collections. I felt extreme annoyance at seeing that the museum had classified Taiwanese indigenous peoples as part of China’s ethnic minorities. I kept thinking about how I could make this known, but after returning
What value does the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) hold in Taiwan? One might say that it is to defend — or at the very least, maintain — truly “blue” qualities. To be truly “blue” — without impurities, rejecting any “red” influence — is to uphold the ideology consistent with that on which the Republic of China (ROC) was established. The KMT would likely not object to this notion. However, if the current generation of KMT political elites do not understand what it means to be “blue” — or even light blue — their knowledge and bravery are far too lacking
Taipei’s population is estimated to drop below 2.5 million by the end of this month — the only city among the nation’s six special municipalities that has more people moving out than moving in this year. A city that is classified as a special municipality can have three deputy mayors if it has a population of more than 2.5 million people, Article 55 of the Local Government Act (地方制度法) states. To counter the capital’s shrinking population, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) held a cross-departmental population policy committee meeting on Wednesday last week to discuss possible solutions. According to Taipei City Government data, Taipei’s