Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida went to the US last week on an official state visit. It is a visit of massive historical significance.
The interactions between Kishida and US President Joe Biden, the press interview following their White House summit and Kishida’s speech to the US Congress are all proof that Japan is overcoming its defeat in World War II, as well as its shedding of the shadow of its relatively weak national defense policy.
Not only does this bolster Japan, but it also serves as a unifying point that augments the informal Quad alliance between the US, India, Japan and Australia, the AUKUS alliance between Australia, the UK and the US, and the US-South Korea and US-Philippines mutual defense treaties.
It also requires from Japan a much more forceful and resolute posture to jointly protect the world order alongside the US, and not accept meddling from members of the new Axis — China, Russia, North Korea and Iran — and these countries’ attempts to create a new world order through troublemaking.
Kishida said that a Japan that believes in upholding international law and shared values would strongly expand its involvement in international and national defense and economic security, defend the international order and not accept any unjust external unilateral changes.
Taiwan is a free and prosperous nation whose prospetity is built upon free and open order. Therefore, the nation cannot depart from the trends of this foundation, much less depart from Japan and the US as they take charge of an Indo-Pacific framework.
However, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wants to have his own way regardless of what Taiwanese want, expressing a message that runs completely counter to the free and open international community.
His words and deeds are aimed at Taiwanese who hold independence, sovereignty and continued prosperity near and dear. Ma’s deeds are utterly unforgivable.
When looking at the bigger picture of Ma’s latest trip to China, his trip could be said to be an overly cooperative song and dance show for China.
With his indulgence in a Chinese identity, he said that both “sides” of the Taiwan Strait share blood ties, culture and historical memory.
He even went as far as to cry for the cameras on five out of the nine days of his trip.
He waited until he could finally receive the blessing of Chinese authorities to be granted an audience with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on the afternoon of April 10.
His performance with Xi was cloying and cliched, making promises behind a bold facade.
Ma has fallen into a completely nonexistent framework of “two sides of the Taiwan Strait belonging to China.”
He was satisfied with his cute wordplay of mistaking the wording for the “Republic of China” (中華民國, Zhonghua minguo) and the “Chinese people” (中華民族, Zhonghua minzu).
Ma does not possess any of the qualifications or speech befitting a former president of Taiwan.
Despite Kishida facing a plethora of domestic issues in Japan, at least he has clearly cemented his legacy on the diplomacy front.
Ma is delusional, falling to his knees to seek approval from Beijing in order to secure his own cross-strait legacy.
Not only is it difficult to compare Ma to Kishida, it would be adding insult to injury, with the opposite effect of raising Taiwanese disgust and ire toward the former president.
Roger Wu works in the service industry and is a part-time freelance writer.
Translated by Tim Smith
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