Ma deaf to Taiwanese voices
Taiwanese artists and performers are being forced to say phrases such as “we Chinese.” After this was pointed out, the office of former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) asked: “When did Taiwanese start needing to apologize for saying ‘I am Chinese’ or ‘we Chinese’?”
Ma is pretending to be aggrieved when he is actually the one inflicting the damage.
His office should really be asked: When is China going to stop threatening Taiwan with military posturing or fiery speeches over “Taiwanese independence?” When is China going to stop trying to suppress or malign Taiwan? When are Taiwanese who identify as Chinese going to stop misrepresenting and demeaning our country?
I hope our nation gains de jure independence and that our people’s desire to be a normalized country would be fulfilled, but why do Chinese or Taiwanese who identify as Chinese continually refuse to respect that?
We should not forget that when Taiwan was under the heel of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) dictatorship and one-party rule, Taiwanese were prohibited from expressing views such as wanting “Taiwanese independence,” with many sent to military prisons and some even losing their lives.
Should Ma’s office not apologize for that first, and seek forgiveness from Taiwanese?
What is unforgivable are Taiwanese — who are not Chinese to begin with — being forced to say that they are “Chinese.”
This is deprivation of our national identity and differs little from killing off our national spirit. If one day that destruction of Taiwanese spirit is expanded in scope and is systematized, it would morph into a form of cultural erasure.
Is this not the same thing the KMT party-state tried to accomplish in the past? Is this not what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is trying to do to Taiwan?
Ma’s office has never reflected on this. Instead, he and it collude with the CCP from within Taiwan, as Beijing attacks Taiwan from outside.
As he feigns being some sorry, pitiful character, he poses a rhetorical question to Taiwanese: “When will you say that we Chinese should be excused?”
Trying to strong-arm Taiwanese, Hong Kongers, Tibetans, Uighurs and Mongolians into identifying as Chinese when none of them ascribe to a Chinese identity is unforgivable. This is national erasure.
When Taiwanese are forced to be Chinese, it is tantamount to falling into a hellscape where democracies, freedoms, rules of law and human rights do not exist.
Calling me Chinese when I am from and live in Taiwan is more painful than physical scars and is, of course, much more malicious — it is unforgivable.
Lin Yu-lin
Taipei
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,
For years, the use of insecure smart home appliances and other Internet-connected devices has resulted in personal data leaks. Many smart devices require users’ location, contact details or access to cameras and microphones to set up, which expose people’s personal information, but are unnecessary to use the product. As a result, data breaches and security incidents continue to emerge worldwide through smartphone apps, smart speakers, TVs, air fryers and robot vacuums. Last week, another major data breach was added to the list: Mars Hydro, a Chinese company that makes Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as LED grow lights and the
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