Taiwan's New President has China Fixation Disorder (like so many)

Copied below is an essay by a fellow "son-in-law of Taiwan" about the apparent ineptness of the Taiwan's new (KMT) President and his "One China fixes all" approach to guiding Taiwan's economy and its warming relationship with the Peoples Republic of China.

To understand Dr. Keating's article better you need to know that in Mandarin, "Ma" means, or sounds like the pronunciation of the Chinese character for, horse.

Ma Ying-jeou, Taiwan’s One Trick Pony

by Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

While his cabinet continues making mistake after mistake in governing Taiwan, Ma Ying-jeou appears to be the proverbial one trick pony and have only one thing on his mind. Elected on his promises that he would send Taiwan’s economy soaring, Ma’s only solution and hope is to continue to keep repeating his mantra, “run to China.” Life however, is not that simple.

When he was running for the presidency, Ma ignored the plight of the world’s economy and focused only on the fact that Taiwan’s growth did not match China’s inflated numbers. Ma’s simple answer of course was to blame it all on the out-going Chen Shui-bian. Things would be different once he was elected. He would lead Taiwan to the Economic Promised Land and China was his solution. Now that he is president and Taiwan’s economy is worse, Ma’s answer is, “it’s a global problem, but we still need to go to China.”

Life as was said is not that simple and perhaps the only thing that is constant however is change. Ma should have had some sense of that when, in hopes of progress, he had filled his cabinet with yesterday’s so-called experts. Unfortunately yesterday’s solutions do not necessarily fit today’s problems. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) which has always controlled Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan, had not held the presidency for the last eight years and in those eight years a lot had happened. Both Taiwan and the world had changed a lot. This should have been his first awakening.

The KMT had always touted itself that it knew how to handle the economy. It was the reputed “A team” as far as Taiwan and the world was concerned. So enter then Ma’s specialists of eight years ago. Yiin Chii-ming, the KMT Minister of Economic Affairs boasted that now that they were in, the TAIEX, which had reached 9,309 when the KMT took office on May 20 would soon be breaking the 20,000 mark. Not so, at last count the TAIEX was 7,051 and heading south.

Not to worry, there were still the tourists from China to solve the problem and Ma rushed headlong to that solution. Taiwan was supposed to get 3000 a day, but China has only allowed 1000 a day. And for July 18, so far, no one has applied to come. So, thus far, the only visible result from Ma’s action of opening Taiwan to Chinese tourists on July 4th is that they have been jumping ship and disappearing at the rate of one a day. But Ma, the one trick pony, is not discouraged; he keeps insisting the only real solution is “run to China.”.

Yesterday’s answers don’t always fit today’s problems. Taiwan has been one of the major investors in China, but focusing on more investment does not appear to be the panacea that Ma hopes for. The rest of the world has already begun to discover the many pitfalls of dealing with China, its laws and copyright violations. This is more than the fact that China keeps producing tainted products toys, tooth paste, pet food etc. and more than the fact that China (Taiwan’s western neighbor) is leading the world in pollution. Unfortunately for Taiwan, the wind patterns blow east. Still the one trick pony keeps saying “run to China,” for it is not Taiwan’s reputation that he is most concerned about but his own. Will China be Ma’s savior? It may be too early to tell, but never has a fly been more easily enticed into the spider’s parlor. Ma does not seem to have a Plan B.


Other writings can be found at http://zen.sandiego.edu:8080/Jerome

MAC Official Stands Down the PRC on Olympic Moniker for Taiwan

Hurray for the Taiwan Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) official who seems to have more backbone that Taiwan's new KMT President, Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) who is too busy calculating how much 1000 to 3000 tourist a day from China will impact Taiwan's tanking economy. MAC Vice Chairman Liu Te-shun said no thanks to China's proposal to change Taiwan's Olympic name from "Chinese Taipei" to "Taipei China", an obvious attempt by the insecure Chinese in Beijing to further depredate Taiwan's current de facto sovereignty. I kind of like the name "Taiwan", myself, or better yet, "Formosa."

Taiwan nixes China move to change Olympic name

By PETER ENAV

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A senior Taiwan official has rejected China's attempts to change the name under which the island will compete in next month's Olympics, striking a discordant note to the two sides' recently improved relations.

Vice Chairman Liu Te-shun of the Mainland Affairs Council in Taipei on Thursday said "Zhongguo Taipei" — a name in the Chinese language that strongly suggests that Taiwan is part of China — "is not acceptable to us."

A month from the Aug. 8 Olympic opening ceremonies, spokesman Yang Yi of China's Taiwan Affairs Office said that "Zhongguo Taipei" is just as valid as an Olympic designator as the previously used "Zhonghua Taipei."

"Zhongguo Taipei" means "Taipei China" and uses "Zhongguo," the name China calls itself, implying Taipei is a part of China. "Zhonghua Taipei" uses "Zhonghua" — a more ambiguous word that applies to a deliberately undefined Chinese nation.

The dispute — arcane to many outsiders — goes right to the heart of the battle over Taiwan's identity, which has been fought over by the sides since they split amid civil war in 1949. It also casts a shadow over recently improved economic ties, in the form of the first direct flights between the old foes in nearly six decades.

China continues to claim Taiwan as part of its territory and says it will attack if the island moves to permanently break from the mainland.

Most Taiwanese oppose a formal declaration of independence, something they made clear in March when they rejected the candidate of a pro-independence party in presidential elections. But they are also strongly against a union with the mainland, fearing it would put an end to their hard-won democratic freedoms.

In his comments on Wednesday, Yang said that Beijing's Olympic organizing committee would continue to use the "Zhonghua Taipei" name first agreed upon in 1989, but that other Chinese groups could opt for "Zhongguo Taipei" if they wished to do so.

At that time the two agreed that Taiwan could compete at the Olympics under the name "Chinese Taipei" in English, and designated "Zhonghua Taipei" as the Chinese language translation for that term.

Liu rejected Yang's assertion on Taiwan's Olympic name out of hand.

"Zhonghua Taipei has been in use for years, and this will not change just because it is Beijing which is holding the Olympics this year," he said.

Gotcha, KMT!

Reference the following plank from the 2008 Republican Party of Texas Platform:

Taiwan – We urge full recognition of Taiwan with a “One China, One Taiwan Policy.” Being a long-time ally of the United States as well as an independent and sovereign nation, we call upon the President and the U.S. State Department to strongly support the people of Taiwan.

The International Community Radio Taipei (ICRT) transcript of a 6/26/2008 broadcast in Taiwan shown below is evidence that it is a very good thing that in the Republican Party of Texas Platform Taiwan plank shown above there is no mention of the government of Taiwan (but rather of its people) and why the Bush Administration was foolish to think that a Ma Ying-jeou (KMT) Administration in Taiwan would be better for US and Taiwan security than was the Chen Shui-Bian (DPP) Administration.

Note in the quote below from Joseph Wu that when he says "his government" he means the Chen (DPP) Administration.

TOP PENTAGON OFFICIAL: ‘TAIWAN POLITICS DROVE ARMS FREEZE’
ICRT MDK 6-26-08

S.L. A Top US Defense Department Official has thrown the onus back on Taiwan for the current US arms sale freeze.

ICRT Washington correspondent Matt Kaye reports…

M.K. Just days after a congressional report charged the US freeze on arms sales to Taiwan is two-years—not six-months-old…Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asia and the Pacific—James Shinn—told the House Armed Services Committee:

Shinn: “I don’t believe that we made a decision to put things in abeyance, this was driven—as far as I understand—by Taiwanese domestic politics.”

Former US Ambassador Harvey Feldman says outgoing Taiwan representative here, Joseph Wu, claims the arms freeze is ‘not the policy of his government’. Feldman says the Ma government only wanted a temporary halt during it’s first round of talks with Beijing, which is now over.

O.C. Matt Kaye, ICRT News, Washington

The New Kuomintang (KMT) of Taiwan - Big Goverment Liberals

As conservative Republicans we rightly complain about the excesses of big government liberals, whether they be Democrat or Republican. But the Obama of Taiwan (President Ma Ying-jeou) and his Kuomintang Mandarins are set to make American liberals look like members of the Grace Commission's Citizens Against Government Waste and Ron Paul activists, by comparison.

Government to boost middle class: Liu

LEGISLATIVE REPORT: The premier briefed lawmakers on his agenda, but not until apologizing for the surprise fuel price hike announcement

By Flora Wang
Taipei Times STAFF REPORTER
Saturday, May 31, 2008, Page 3

Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) yesterday promised to recreate a solid middle class by boosting the econo “Taiwan was renowned for its ‘economic miracle’ in the past. Back then, the economy was vibrant. Taiwan’s wealth was said to be ankle deep, while people had numerous opportunities to become rich,” Liu said in his first administrative report to the legislature.

“The solid middle class became the force to stabilize the society, but over the past several years, the suicide and unemployment rates hit a new high while the gap between the rich and the poor continued to widen,” he said.

So the Cabinet’s main goal was to recreate the prosperity of the middle class by reviving the economy and reducing the unemployment rate so that many people will be able to increase their income, he said.

Liu said he expected the Cabinet to prioritize financial issues in the face of keen international competition as well as take care of other aspect of people’s lives.

Click here to read the full article.

Taiwan's Second Peaceful Transfer of Power

On May 20th, the second peaceful transfer of power in history will take place on the island nation of Taiwan.

The first such transfer occurred eight years ago (in 2000) when a coalition of Taiwan's native (deriving from those living on Taiwan prior to the defeat of Japan in WWII) independence minded folk was the peoples' choice in only the second popular (i.e. democratic) election for the Executive Yuan ever held on the island nation (the first was in 1996). The 2000 election ended the 1949-1999 grip on power that the Nationalist Chinese Party (the Kuomintang - KMT) held with an iron fist through 1987 (when, due to international pressure the KMT finally lifted Marshal Law).

Four years later (in 2004), in a two way race with a razor thin margin of victory that was contested unsuccessfully (a copy cat to the Bush-Gore recount fiasco), power was peacefully retained by the Taiwanese.

The second transfer, on May 20, 2008, will return power to a new iteration of the Kuomintang. Will the new government be constrained by the Power of the People or will it return to its authoritarian past? Will it defend Taiwan's borders, language (spoken Taiwanese and Aboriginal tongues and written Traditional Chinese), and culture (that respects the contributions of Japanese, native Taiwan Aboriginals, and others) or will it deemphasize the differences between the Mainland and the Island and become permanently drawn into the Chinese orbit? Will there be "peace in our time" with the authoritarian regime in Beijing or will there be war?

We don't know, but according to two well respected conservative Congressmen, the outgoing leadership of Taiwan have much to be proud of regarding these past eight years of Taiwanese rule.

TAIWAN'S LEADERSHIP ON GLOBAL ISSUES
(Extensions of Remarks - May 01, 2008)

SPEECH OF
HON. DANA ROHRABACHER
OF CALIFORNIA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2008

Mr. ROHRABACHER. Madam Speaker, in the 6 1/2 years since terrorists attacked the American homeland, our government has undertaken a series of steps to prepare for, deter, and ultimately stop future attacks from occurring. In advancing these objectives, it has been essential to partner with like-minded nations to ensure security and freedom for all our citizens. In this regard, I would like to take the opportunity to express the appreciation of many in the Congress to President Chen Shui-bian of Taiwan as he prepares to leave office later this month.

During President Chen's time in office, Taiwan has demonstrated time and again its commitment to global security and cooperation. Such actions have been forthcoming despite the preoccupation of an existential threat facing it from across the Taiwan Strait.

After 9/11, Taiwan immediately opened its airspace to U.S. military aircraft transiting Pacific routes to Afghanistan. It subsequently partnered with our government and others in the Container Security Initiative, which seeks to prevent illicit cargo from reaching rogue entities around the world. Furthermore, Taiwan has committed over $100 million to recovery efforts in Afghanistan, making it one of the most significant contributors to coalition efforts there.

Recognizing that global security can be advanced in a variety of ways, Taiwan has been a leader in addressing public health issues internationally. Struck by SARS in 2003, Taiwan acted swiftly to share information with other nations that helped limit its spread. Soon thereafter, Taiwan's experience in tackling avian flu was again made available to the international community in order to deter that contagion's deadly proliferation.

Beyond these multilateral efforts, Taiwan has also developed one of the most extensive bilateral development assistance programs in the world. For instance, it has established 36 long-term technical missions in 30 partner countries, focusing on capacity building, agriculture, fisheries, horticulture, livestock, handicrafts, medicine, transportation, industry, mining, electricity generation, printing, vocational training, trade and investment. Taiwan allocates approximately 100,000 tons of rice annually as humanitarian foreign aid. After the South Asia tsunami occurred in December 2004, the Taiwanese government provided $50 million in initial relief assistance, and cooperated with international non-governmental organizations in additional relief efforts. It also provided more than 355 tons of relief materials to tsunami-affected countries.

These and other measures undertaken by Taiwan over the past several years are to be commended. Under the leadership of President Chen, his government has served as a model for others seeking to play a constructive role in the international community. I encourage continued leadership by Taiwan as a new president prepares to assume office, and can assure him of America's enduring partnership in these efforts.

HONORING TAIWAN'S OUTGOING PRESIDENT CHEN SHUI-BIAN AND VICE-PRESIDENT ANNETTE LU
(Extensions of Remarks - May 01, 2008)

HON. THOMAS G. TANCREDO
OF COLORADO
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Thursday, May 1, 2008

Mr. TANCREDO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Taiwan's outgoing President Chen Shui-Bian and Vice-President Annette Lu.

Chen Shui-Bian and Annette Lu became Taiwan's second elected President and Vice-President in the year 2000. Perhaps more importantly, however, their election signified the first peaceful transfer of power from the Chinese Nationalist Party or Kuomintang--which had imposed martial law and ruled Taiwan for over a half-century.

In many ways, President Chen and Vice-President Lu's rise to the highest offices in the country is, itself, the story of Taiwan .

President Chen and Vice-President Lu's paths crossed for the first time among difficult circumstances. Ms. Lu was facing sedition charges for her work on the staff of Formosa Magazine, which had been critical of the Kuomintang dictatorship. Chen Shui-Bian, a young lawyer at the time, was a member of her defense team.

Ms. Lu was ultimately convicted and spent more than five years in prison, but the sentence failed to break her will or extinguish her passion for bringing democracy to Taiwan .

Mr. Chen lost the case, but he was won over by his clients' ideals. The defendants and their lawyers subsequently became the core of the democratic opposition in Taiwan . And Mr. Chen too, would spend time in jail for his political beliefs.

But the democratic movement they helped to spark would ultimately triumph. Martial law was lifted in 1987, and by 1996 then-President Lee Teng-Hui had initiated democratic reforms that allowed for the direct election of Taiwan's President and Vice-President.

After the lifting of martial law in Taiwan , Mr. Chen became a member of the Taipei municipal council, and after the birth of multi-party politics and the formation of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), he became the capital city's first popularly elected Mayor in 1994. And in 2000, his election as President of Taiwan marked the first peaceful, democratic transfer of power in the history of either Taiwan or China.

After her release from prison, Ms. Lu was elected to Taiwan's legislature and later, Magistrate of Taoyuan County--the equivalent of a Governor here in the United States. In 2000, she was elected as Vice-President on the DPP ticket with President Chen.

In the span of two decades, Mr. Chen and Ms. Lu had gone from political prisoners to political leaders. Ms. Lu's response to a TIME Magazine reporter's question shortly before she and Mr. Chen were inaugurated in 2000 perhaps summed up this amazing transformation best:

The reporter asked, ``Fifteen years ago you were sitting in a jail cell as a political prisoner. When you take the oath of office, what thoughts will be going through your head?''
She responded, ``What I'm proud of is that the same party, the KMT, that suppressed me 20 years ago will be transferring power to me, peacefully.''

President Chen and Vice-President Lu spearheaded efforts to amend Taiwan's antiquated constitution to modernize Taiwan's fledgling democracy. They also conducted Taiwan's first ever citizens referendum--a milestone for democracy not just in Taiwan , but in all of Asia. Taiwan's voters rewarded the two for their diligence and commitment by re-electing them in 2004.

Under their leadership, Taiwan has deepened its democratic roots, and has become an even brighter beacon of democracy than when they first took office eight years ago. I hope that very soon,

Madam Speaker, the people on the Chinese mainland will see that light, and emulate in that country what the Taiwanese have accomplished in their own.

Later this month, Mr. Ma Ying Jeou and Mr. Vincent Siew will be sworn in as Taiwan's new President and Vice President--signifying yet another peaceful transfer of power from one party to another in Taiwan .

So Madam Speaker, I rise to once again congratulate the people of Taiwan , and to recognize President Chen and Vice-President Lu for their contributions to democracy and human rights. I wish them both the best of luck as they leave office.