The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) last week unveiled its legislator-at-large nominees for the Jan. 13 elections, with Kuma Academy cofounder Puma Shen (沈伯洋) at the top of the list. Coincidentally, in a recent talk show, China Television Co (CTV) compared the Kuma Academy to the Islamist militant movement Hamas.
The major role of the Kuma Academy is not to launch a war or invade other countries, but to safeguard Taiwan and prepare its people for battle. To compare it to Hamas, a terrorist organization that has launched merciless attacks on Israelis, is not only unfair, but a serious abuse of freedom of speech. The show only served as China’s mouthpiece in spreading its propaganda.
Perhaps this kind of conflict arises out Taiwan’s lack of a national security strategy, one which would clearly outline the state’s allies, enemies and values. With such a document, the military would know what they are fighting for.
In the US, every new administration publishes its own National Security Strategy report, such as former US president Barack Obama’s “pivot to East Asia,” and US President Joe Biden’s statement of China remaining the largest threat to global order. With a document setting the tone, both government and opposition unite and rally behind the consensus.
If Taiwan were to put its national security strategy to paper, what would it say? If the document were to list China as the largest threat to Taiwan, it could spark a backlash, with critics condemning it for opting for division and enmity over dialogue and friendship.
The Chinese threat remains the elephant in the room, mutually felt yet shielded from open discussion. Despite the two sides of the Taiwan Strait having had their own governments for more than 70 years, there is still a percentage of people, especially those who retreated to Taiwan from China with the KMT and their offspring, that are still shackled to ideas of “unification” and “returning to the motherland.” With such mixed identities and complications, made worse by polarization, it is no wonder that Taiwan cannot come up with its own national security strategy.
Not wanting to face the inconvenient truth of China being the biggest enemy, this mentality has given pro-China politicians much to work on, such as advocating the idea that arming oneself to the teeth is a “provocation.”
There are periodic cases of retired generals receiving bribes to surrender to China and overthrow the DPP government, or officials being invited to attend lavish parties to help promote “peaceful unification” and “one China, two systems.” People might be surprised why such personnel, who should be the most patriotic, are the most susceptible to treason and bribery.
This issue could be traced back to the time of former president Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) rule, which promoted the five basic values: national ideology, national leader, country, duty and honor. As a party-controlled state, and the party leader as the head of state, military personnel were taught to worship and place their loyalties to the leader, not the nation. Taiwan has since become a democratic society, but some military personnel have yet to excise these demons from their mentality.
Without defining the enemy or having a clear idea of what they are defending, military personnel are easily led astray with bribes or other seductions.
In view of next year’s presidential election, it is high time that different parties come to a consensus on China and turn it into Taiwan’s version of a national security strategy. The Russian invasion triggered Ukrainians into uniting behind the same cause. Taiwan should not leave that question to a time when war breaks out, only to belatedly realize the invaluable importance of freedom and democracy.
Labubu, an elf-like plush toy with pointy ears and nine serrated teeth, has become a global sensation, worn by celebrities including Rihanna and Dua Lipa. These dolls are sold out in stores from Singapore to London; a human-sized version recently fetched a whopping US$150,000 at an auction in Beijing. With all the social media buzz, it is worth asking if we are witnessing the rise of a new-age collectible, or whether Labubu is a mere fad destined to fade. Investors certainly want to know. Pop Mart International Group Ltd, the Chinese manufacturer behind this trendy toy, has rallied 178 percent
My youngest son attends a university in Taipei. Throughout the past two years, whenever I have brought him his luggage or picked him up for the end of a semester or the start of a break, I have stayed at a hotel near his campus. In doing so, I have noticed a strange phenomenon: The hotel’s TV contained an unusual number of Chinese channels, filled with accents that would make a person feel as if they are in China. It is quite exhausting. A few days ago, while staying in the hotel, I found that of the 50 available TV channels,
There is no such thing as a “silicon shield.” This trope has gained traction in the world of Taiwanese news, likely with the best intentions. Anything that breaks the China-controlled narrative that Taiwan is doomed to be conquered is welcome, but after observing its rise in recent months, I now believe that the “silicon shield” is a myth — one that is ultimately working against Taiwan. The basic silicon shield idea is that the world, particularly the US, would rush to defend Taiwan against a Chinese invasion because they do not want Beijing to seize the nation’s vital and unique chip industry. However,
Cosmetics have long been one of the “golden pillars” of revenue for department stores in Taiwan. With rows of beauty counters and a full lineup of brands, they once served as a powerful draw for customers. However, since last year, the halo surrounding the sector has begun to fade. It is not an isolated issue affecting one retailer — it is a widespread phenomenon across department stores in Taiwan. Department store executives admit that business is tough, but they also stress that the root cause is not a drop in Taiwan’s spending power or a surge in outbound travel. Instead, a
RSS