The Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ can't understand why many people in Taiwan are less than happy about the growing rapprochement between this island and China, in its editorial "Historic visit to Taiwan":
"The Taiwan Strait 台湾海峡 continues to narrow. Last week witnessed the highest-level contacts between Taiwan and mainland China since the 1949 civil war. The visit of Mr. Chen Yunlin (Ch'en Yunlin) to Taipei (T'aipei) 台北 continues the bridge-building between the two sides and is a step forward in the eyes of all who seek peace and stability in the region. Remarkably, though, significant numbers of Taiwanese oppose reconciliation; their bitter opposition to talks with China is a troubling sign for cross-strait relations and Taiwan's own politics."
After correctly noting that China refused to have anything to do with the previous administration of Chen Shui-bian (Ch'en Shui-pien) 陳水扁 (and thankfully refraining from calling Chen "provocative", as so many other Western news media outlets have done) "for fear of legitimizing him, his party and their agenda", the editorial goes on to say:
"The victory of Mr. Ma Ying-jeou (Ma Ying-chiu) 馬英九 in presidential elections earlier this year shifted the cross-strait dynamic. Mr. Ma is a member of the Kuomintang 中国国民党, which has a more moderate agenda and seeks a stable relationship with China. Mr. Ma took office pledging to rejuvenate the sputtering Taiwanese economy, rebuild relations with the United States, which had suffered during Mr. Chen's time in office, and stabilize relations with China, primarily to help boost the economy. China reciprocated to Mr. Ma's olive branch. Within weeks of his taking office, the two sides agreed to regular charter flights that expanded the number of flights and destinations and let more mainland tourists come to Taiwan. The atmosphere changed: There has been a sense that the cross-strait relationship is on the right path and that additional stabilizing and mutually beneficial steps are possible. Mr. Chen's visit was intended to realize those opportunities."
As anyone who has been following the story knows by now, the promised hordes of Chinese tourists (up to 3000 per day, we were told, roughly the current number of daily visitors from Japan and Korea) have failed to materialize yet. In all the hoopla, it was somehow overlooked that many Chinese tourists might not want to join pricey package tours to Taiwan just to see the same things (lakes, mountains, temples etc.) that they can see back home. Nevertheless, the editorial goes on to point out the agreements reached during Chen's visit to Taiwan - more direct charter flights, increased postal and shipping links, cooperation on food safety - and how they will benefit the Taiwanese business community:
"They (Taiwanese businesspeople) see their future interlinked with the mainland market. The new flights should help cut the costs of cross-strait business: Changes in routing, permitting more direct flights, will reduce travel time by as much as an hour and could halve fuel costs. Increasing traffic across the strait will require subsidiary cost-cutting measures: expedited travel procedures, insurance, easier ways to exchange money. And a relationship that has been drained of much of its tension and is more stable is more conducive for business as well as a net plus for the entire region."
Those who have read a few economics books while at Rocky Mountain colleges might not agree, but how can making Taiwan even more dependent on the Chinese market than it already is (and further increasing the hollowing out of Taiwanese industry) be for the overall good of the 23 million people on this island? The JT doesn't see it this way either, however:
"Incredibly, thousands, if not millions, of Taiwanese do not agree. Independence supporters deeply oppose Mr. Ma and any improvement in relations. They fear he will compromise Taiwan's (de facto) independence and give up many of the island's gains. For his part, Mr. Ma has insisted that he will safeguard Taiwan's sovereignty: He has said the two sides must meet in an atmosphere of mutual respect and not 'mutually deny' the other's existence. He pledged that there will be no discussions of reunification during his term in office."
George W. Bush, upon assuming the presidency in 2001, promised a more compassionate conservatism, an end to bi-partisanship and greater multilateralism in foreign relations. Instead, his administration will leave behind a legacy of ideology-driven policies, a unilateralist foreign policy that has isolated the U.S., and a divided nation. Many here in Taiwan are afraid that Ma's promises will amount to nothing, and that this country is heading down to a path that will eventually lead to a surrender of sovereignty and the assumption of a status similar to that of Hong Kong or Macau.
Towards the end of the editorial, the Times' writers inadvertently point out a problem that bedevils Taiwan's opposition:
"A reported half million Taiwanese demonstrated against Mr. Ma late last month. When Mr. Chen's deputy visited Taiwan more than a week ago, he was physically assaulted by protesters. Thousands of protesters provided a steady cacophony throughout Mr. Chen's visit, throwing eggs and bottles, confronting police and disrupting his schedule by virtually trapping him in a hotel where he was having dinner. He has been mocked on television and dogged in the streets. Protest is one thing; disrespect for visitors is another. These images sent across the world do not help Taiwan's cause."
What would help Taiwan's cause is an effort at greater public relations with regard to the international media. The pro-independence forces here have legitimate concerns with the direction in which Taiwan is headed, and the broken promises and backtracking of the Ma administration is a major cause of the violence. Yet little of that gets reported in the Western media. The Democratic Progressive Party 民主進歩党 and its allies need to break out of their insular mindset, and look beyond to the outside world to find sympathy and understanding for their opposition to what the KMT is doing. There is a propaganda war going on, and the Chinese/Nationalist camp is clearly winning.
My daughter makes cute in front of a bank of machines that dispense plastic balls containing various types of toys inside. The machines are from Japan, and the writing on the front is almost entirely in 日本語. It should come as no surprise, however, that Taiwanese kids have no problem figuring out what is inside the dispenser.
The above picture was taken at the general hospital in Fengyuan 豊原. I went there this afternoon as I've been suffering from vertigo for the past week or so. After conducting several tests (including one where I had to face the wall with my eyes closed, and march in place for sixty steps. When I opened my eyes, I had somehow turned my body to the right), the doctor diagnosed that I had a viral infection in my left ear, and told me I needed to get more sleep and avoid alcohol. Both are going to be difficult to do :) but I'm relieved the problem wasn't something more serious.
No comments:
Post a Comment