We are witnessing a sea change in the government’s approach to China, from one of reasonable, low-key reluctance at rocking the boat to a collapse of pretense over and patience in Beijing’s willful intransigence. Finally, we are seeing a more common sense approach in the face of active shows of hostility from a foreign power.
According to Article 2 of the 2020 Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法), a “foreign hostile force” is defined as “countries, political entities or groups that are at war with or are engaged in a military standoff with the Republic of China [ROC]. The same stipulation applies to countries, political entities or groups that advocate the use of non-peaceful means to endanger the sovereignty of the Republic of China.”
To have that definition and to not mention that the only country it could substantially refer to is the People’s Republic of China (PRC) runs against all good sense. There has been a reluctance to state the obvious in official discourse. This reluctance is not unrelated to the fact that the relationship between Taiwan and China is intentionally kept vague for ideological reasons.
Now, President William Lai (賴清德) has officially identified the PRC as a foreign hostile force, and this return to common sense opens the door to a change in how the China threat could be addressed. We can drop the pretense that Beijing has the best interests of “Taiwanese compatriots” at heart. Taiwan can finally start getting serious about mobilizing a whole-of-society approach to thwart the ambitions of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and its “united front” efforts.
Even the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), so ideologically wed to the idea that the ROC still represents China in any meaningful way, cannot object to the characterization of the PRC, the CCP or the PLA as a foreign hostile force.
The KMT objects to overt expressions of China as the enemy, because it does not want to provoke the CCP or the PLA. It is true that it is unwise to taunt the tiger prowling around the village; at the same time, if you understand the reason that the beast is circling, it is equally unwise to ignore it, or to leave morsels at the village border. That tiger would not leave until it has been fed.
Instead of listening to disappointed complaints about a lack of discipline or loyalty within the armed forces, or treasonous activity, Lai is preparing to reinstate military courts and place constraints on travel to and activities within China.
Civil servants at all levels, including borough wardens, would need to disclose their trips before traveling to China. At the same time, anyone found to have been engaged in Beijing’s “united front” work would be denied entry for participating in such activities.
Taiwanese artists would need to be aware of the pitfalls regarding damaging Taiwan’s national dignity while pursuing their careers in China.
There is an awareness that the government needs to take a tool out of the CCP’s playbook and mobilize culture for soft power to counteract Beijing’s attempts to distort the narrative.
Lai has said that the government should formulate plans to enhance cultural competitiveness on the international stage, and to encourage the study of Taiwanese history and culture. Taiwan could learn from the experience of South Korea and the soft power dividends that K-pop has brought the nation.
In terms of hard power, the army is now on the fourth day of “immediate combat readiness drills,” based on the assessment that the PLA could pivot military exercises around Taiwan to an actual invasion attempt.
Officially naming the CCP as a foreign hostile force would hopefully consolidate a whole-of-society awareness of the threat that was previously less well-defined.
There are moments in history when America has turned its back on its principles and withdrawn from past commitments in service of higher goals. For example, US-Soviet Cold War competition compelled America to make a range of deals with unsavory and undemocratic figures across Latin America and Africa in service of geostrategic aims. The United States overlooked mass atrocities against the Bengali population in modern-day Bangladesh in the early 1970s in service of its tilt toward Pakistan, a relationship the Nixon administration deemed critical to its larger aims in developing relations with China. Then, of course, America switched diplomatic recognition
The international women’s soccer match between Taiwan and New Zealand at the Kaohsiung Nanzih Football Stadium, scheduled for Tuesday last week, was canceled at the last minute amid safety concerns over poor field conditions raised by the visiting team. The Football Ferns, as New Zealand’s women’s soccer team are known, had arrived in Taiwan one week earlier to prepare and soon raised their concerns. Efforts were made to improve the field, but the replacement patches of grass could not grow fast enough. The Football Ferns canceled the closed-door training match and then days later, the main event against Team Taiwan. The safety
The National Immigration Agency on Tuesday said it had notified some naturalized citizens from China that they still had to renounce their People’s Republic of China (PRC) citizenship. They must provide proof that they have canceled their household registration in China within three months of the receipt of the notice. If they do not, the agency said it would cancel their household registration in Taiwan. Chinese are required to give up their PRC citizenship and household registration to become Republic of China (ROC) nationals, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said. He was referring to Article 9-1 of the Act
The Chinese government on March 29 sent shock waves through the Tibetan Buddhist community by announcing the untimely death of one of its most revered spiritual figures, Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche. His sudden passing in Vietnam raised widespread suspicion and concern among his followers, who demanded an investigation. International human rights organization Human Rights Watch joined their call and urged a thorough investigation into his death, highlighting the potential involvement of the Chinese government. At just 56 years old, Rinpoche was influential not only as a spiritual leader, but also for his steadfast efforts to preserve and promote Tibetan identity and cultural
RSS