I still remember the first time I heard about the possibility of an invasion by China. I was six years old. I thought war was coming and hid in my bed, scared. After 18 years, the invasion news tastes like a sandwich I eat every morning. As a Gen Z Taiwanese student who has witnessed China’s harassment for more than 20 years, I want to share my opinion on China.
Every generation goes through different events. I have seen not only the norms of China’s constant presence, but also the Sunflower movement, wars and people fighting over peace or equality, things that are becoming more common internationally.
Combined with my education and media influence, I am “naturally independent” with a high awareness of human rights, democracy and freedom. I see my national identity as Taiwanese without any doubt or pressure; I am proud to be Taiwanese.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sees every incident as an opportunity. After the incident of two Chinese fishermen drowning in waters around Kinmen, the China Coast Guard used “gray zone” tactics, saying it was entering prohibited waters around Kinmen to protect Chinese fishers. This is highly political, which fits the CCP’s wish: Salami-slicing its way to more territorial claims. Its behavior lacks transparency and diplomacy. The CCP is a cunning opponent; we skate on thin ice every time an incident happens, and we are careful with how we respond.
The CCP has insisted that “Taiwan should be a part of China” since 1949. China and Taiwan have an abundance of shared history, culture, art and precious craftsmanship. These valued treasures are bequeathed by their ancestors. Why do we choose to inherit a grudge from the past, instead of those disappearing crafts that no one has an interest in passing down to the next generation?
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) says that “Beijing reserves the right to use military force to bring Taiwan into the fold,” a sentence that has the power to affect countless people’s lives. Sometimes I feel it is unfair. Why do I have to carry these negative feelings from an experience that I never had, suffering under the fear of war and of losing my family, friends and way of life?
So, what do we want? Non-interference like before, “one country two systems”? Maybe it would be nice to go back to the time when we traded peacefully with silence and acquiescence, but with the ambition of Xi and our next president, William Lai (賴清德), I do not think this can happen. This year might be the sticking point for Taiwan. There is a high chance China might attack, but after seeing how wars can change a society into a painful and vulnerable place, I believe no one wants it to happen, or to see Taiwan no longer have the human rights we should have.
I heard an elderly person criticize Gen Z for being too weak to fight. Having an awareness of human rights, democracy and freedom does not mean we do not want to defend our beautiful island. We believe there might be other ways that are more civilized or peaceful to do so, instead of people losing their homes and families, and living in fear. It is just that so far we do not know what exactly it is we can do. I guess we could leave the issue to our future selves. We are not yet ready, but we have been keeping our eyes on every little piece of clues, because we want to fix the problem so this generation is the last to suffer, giving future generations a peaceful society.
Rather than holding a grudge, I prefer to pass down the appreciation of lives, the gratitude of knowledge and openness to my children. It makes no sense to allow future generations to be caught forever in this loop.
Huang Chieh-hsuan is a student in the Department of International Affairs at Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages.
Why is Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) not a “happy camper” these days regarding Taiwan? Taiwanese have not become more “CCP friendly” in response to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) use of spies and graft by the United Front Work Department, intimidation conducted by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the Armed Police/Coast Guard, and endless subversive political warfare measures, including cyber-attacks, economic coercion, and diplomatic isolation. The percentage of Taiwanese that prefer the status quo or prefer moving towards independence continues to rise — 76 percent as of December last year. According to National Chengchi University (NCCU) polling, the Taiwanese
It would be absurd to claim to see a silver lining behind every US President Donald Trump cloud. Those clouds are too many, too dark and too dangerous. All the same, viewed from a domestic political perspective, there is a clear emerging UK upside to Trump’s efforts at crashing the post-Cold War order. It might even get a boost from Thursday’s Washington visit by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In July last year, when Starmer became prime minister, the Labour Party was rigidly on the defensive about Europe. Brexit was seen as an electorally unstable issue for a party whose priority
US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House has brought renewed scrutiny to the Taiwan-US semiconductor relationship with his claim that Taiwan “stole” the US chip business and threats of 100 percent tariffs on foreign-made processors. For Taiwanese and industry leaders, understanding those developments in their full context is crucial while maintaining a clear vision of Taiwan’s role in the global technology ecosystem. The assertion that Taiwan “stole” the US’ semiconductor industry fundamentally misunderstands the evolution of global technology manufacturing. Over the past four decades, Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, led by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), has grown through legitimate means
Today is Feb. 28, a day that Taiwan associates with two tragic historical memories. The 228 Incident, which started on Feb. 28, 1947, began from protests sparked by a cigarette seizure that took place the day before in front of the Tianma Tea House in Taipei’s Datong District (大同). It turned into a mass movement that spread across Taiwan. Local gentry asked then-governor general Chen Yi (陳儀) to intervene, but he received contradictory orders. In early March, after Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) dispatched troops to Keelung, a nationwide massacre took place and lasted until May 16, during which many important intellectuals
RSS