Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and Minister of Culture Li Yuan (李遠) last month held a meeting in New Taipei City to discuss “cultural diplomacy,” with a particular focus on the Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, which is to be held next month.
Taiwan could not take part in this world-class festival under its own national name. Its international visibility is again compromised by political reality.
However, a project of building “Taiwan’s own pavilion” has been initiated by civil society, bringing light into darkness. The unofficial project was coordinated by civil groups including the Central Taiwan Association of University Professors.
The project’s plan is to build a pavilion with 2,300 wood pillars to represent the collective will of 23 million Taiwanese. The wood pillars are not only building materials, but would also deliver a political metaphor and a cultural expression to the world — despite being suppressed and marginalized, Taiwan would not be absent.
“Taiwan’s own pavilion” is not only a strategic cultural breakthrough, but also a civic action attempting to cover for the government’s limitations.
When the legislature slashed the budget for the “Yushan Pavilion,” limiting the government’s participation, civil groups raised funds, came up with creative designs, made plans and curated the project, demonstrating the resilience and creativity of Taiwanese society.
While their action is worth rounds of applause, it also calls for reflection. The opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party slashed and froze the general budget proposed by the government, leaving citizens to fend for themselves, demonstrating the predicament faced by the government under the current balance of political powers.
The opposition lawmakers manifested their short-sightedness in policymaking by slashing budgets for Taiwan’s international participation.
This is a critical moment to integrate resources to showcase Taiwan’s achievements at a world-class festival, and yet we failed to do so. If the government continues to be absent, Taiwan would not be able to shine on the global stage.
What is more worrying is that this method of global participation is apparently unsustainable. Although the Ministry of Culture has plans to hold cultural activities in Japan, Taiwan could only rely on fundraising by civic groups, while other countries have pavilions present at the Expo in the name of their countries and have comprehensive strategies of cultural diplomacy.
“Taiwan’s own pavilion” carries a powerful implication — civil society can cover for the government in its absence.
However, in the long run, Taiwan’s international status cannot be consolidated only by civil society’s efforts and enthusiasm.
The government should address the problem, promote cultural diplomacy, proactively seek international support, strengthen cooperation with allies and develop a long-term and stable international participation strategy.
We should not let civil society fight on its own. The government should not be allowed to use political reality as an excuse for its inaction.
Only when the government works together with the public can Taiwan truly step on the world stage to enhance its international visibility and garner support.
Edwin Yang is an associate professor at National Taiwan Normal University and chairman of the Central Taiwan Association of University Professors.
Translated by Fion Khan
I came to Taiwan to pursue my degree thinking that Taiwanese are “friendly,” but I was welcomed by Taiwanese classmates laughing at my friend’s name, Maria (瑪莉亞). At the time, I could not understand why they were mocking the name of Jesus’ mother. Later, I learned that “Maria” had become a stereotype — a shorthand for Filipino migrant workers. That was because many Filipino women in Taiwan, especially those who became house helpers, happen to have that name. With the rapidly increasing number of foreigners coming to Taiwan to work or study, more Taiwanese are interacting, socializing and forming relationships with
Whether in terms of market commonality or resource similarity, South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co is the biggest competitor of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC). The two companies have agreed to set up factories in the US and are also recipients of subsidies from the US CHIPS and Science Act, which was signed into law by former US president Joe Biden. However, changes in the market competitiveness of the two companies clearly reveal the context behind TSMC’s investments in the US. As US semiconductor giant Intel Corp has faced continuous delays developing its advanced processes, the world’s two major wafer foundries, TSMC and
Earlier signs suggest that US President Donald Trump’s policy on Taiwan is set to move in a more resolute direction, as his administration begins to take a tougher approach toward America’s main challenger at the global level, China. Despite its deepening economic woes, China continues to flex its muscles, including conducting provocative military drills off Taiwan, Australia and Vietnam recently. A recent Trump-signed memorandum on America’s investment policy was more about the China threat than about anything else. Singling out the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as a foreign adversary directing investments in American companies to obtain cutting-edge technologies, it said
The recent termination of Tibetan-language broadcasts by Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) is a significant setback for Tibetans both in Tibet and across the global diaspora. The broadcasts have long served as a vital lifeline, providing uncensored news, cultural preservation and a sense of connection for a community often isolated by geopolitical realities. For Tibetans living under Chinese rule, access to independent information is severely restricted. The Chinese government tightly controls media and censors content that challenges its narrative. VOA and RFA broadcasts have been among the few sources of uncensored news available to Tibetans, offering insights
RSS