When the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) vice presidential candidate, Broadcasting Corp of China chairman Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康), spoke at National United University in Miaoli County on Dec. 19, a student asked him how anyone could negotiate with China about the so-called “1992 consensus” when there was no consensus.
Jaw said that the “consensus” is a matter of each side — The People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan — saying what it wants, and you can think of it as an “open sesame.”
He said there is no need to worry about what the “consensus” really is, because when upon shouting “open sesame,” the door would open.
Since the Democratic Progressive Party got into government, it has insisted on asking Beijing whether the “consensus” means the ROC, which is what has caused a stalemate between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, he said.
In the fable Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, “open sesame” is a magic spell used to open the door of a cave full of hidden treasure.
Ali Baba is a woodcutter. One day, when he is out gathering wood, he discovers a cave full of treasure hidden there by a band of thieves. Ali Baba overhears the chief of the robbers shouting “open sesame,” upon which a hidden door swings open, and it swings shut again when he shouts “close sesame.”
Ali Baba waits until the thieves leave, whereupon he opens the cave door by shouting “open sesame.” Having gained access to the cave, he carries away enough gold and jewels to make him rich.
By chance, his brother Kassim finds out what happened and goes on his own to the cave where the treasure is hidden, but in his excitement he forgets the password, gets locked inside the cave, and is found and killed by the thieves.
Judging by Jaw’s analogy, the KMT wants to repeat former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) trick of getting China to open its doors by shouting “open sesame.” What it does not realize is that the robber chief has long since changed his predecessor’s system. The old conditions of saying “open sesame” to open up the door were clearly not enough to tell whether the person saying it was “Ali Baba” or one of the “thieves,” so the “open sesame” password has been changed.
If the KMT tries to use the “open sesame” of 1992, it would not open the door of China’s cave.
Even if the KMT gets hold of the new password, it would find the cave full of tumbling real-estate prices, soaring unemployment, the risk of a financial crisis and problems left over from three years of COVID-19 lockdowns.
What would anyone who enters the cave see? A vault full of treasure or a pile of junk?
All Taiwanese should be cautious about setting foot inside.
Moreover, the thieves are not as gullible as the KMT seems to think. They keep making changes. If the KMT makes the slightest mistake, it might get shut inside the cave and killed by the thieves like the unfortunate Kassim.
Jaw’s analogy linking “open sesame” and the “1992 consensus” reveals how, for him and his “blue fighters,” the “consensus” is not really a political expression of “one China,” but merely a password to get into China and do business there.
Li Ta-yu is a freelancer who lives in Hsinchu City.
Translated by Julian Clegg
Trying to force a partnership between Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and Intel Corp would be a wildly complex ordeal. Already, the reported request from the Trump administration for TSMC to take a controlling stake in Intel’s US factories is facing valid questions about feasibility from all sides. Washington would likely not support a foreign company operating Intel’s domestic factories, Reuters reported — just look at how that is going over in the steel sector. Meanwhile, many in Taiwan are concerned about the company being forced to transfer its bleeding-edge tech capabilities and give up its strategic advantage. This is especially
US President Donald Trump’s second administration has gotten off to a fast start with a blizzard of initiatives focused on domestic commitments made during his campaign. His tariff-based approach to re-ordering global trade in a manner more favorable to the United States appears to be in its infancy, but the significant scale and scope are undeniable. That said, while China looms largest on the list of national security challenges, to date we have heard little from the administration, bar the 10 percent tariffs directed at China, on specific priorities vis-a-vis China. The Congressional hearings for President Trump’s cabinet have, so far,
US President Donald Trump last week announced plans to impose reciprocal tariffs on eight countries. As Taiwan, a key hub for semiconductor manufacturing, is among them, the policy would significantly affect the country. In response, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) dispatched two officials to the US for negotiations, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC) board of directors convened its first-ever meeting in the US. Those developments highlight how the US’ unstable trade policies are posing a growing threat to Taiwan. Can the US truly gain an advantage in chip manufacturing by reversing trade liberalization? Is it realistic to
The US Department of State has removed the phrase “we do not support Taiwan independence” in its updated Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, which instead iterates that “we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means, free from coercion, in a manner acceptable to the people on both sides of the Strait.” This shows a tougher stance rejecting China’s false claims of sovereignty over Taiwan. Since switching formal diplomatic recognition from the Republic of China to the People’s Republic of China in 1979, the US government has continually indicated that it “does not support Taiwan independence.” The phrase was removed in 2022
RSS