20031005

Rethinking the future with China

By the Liberty Times editorial

`The optimistic expectations and underestimation of Chinese threats within Taiwan have caused people to be off guard. As the two sides each proclaim sovereignty over each other, the emerging relationship is neither between two friendly countries nor between two enemy states. The two sides have always considered each other as hypothetical enemies.'

President Chen Shui-bian recently proposed a time table for a new constitution, linking the topic with the national referendum issue.

This has caused some members of the pro-unification camp to instinctively believe that Chen is moving toward Taiwan independence and thus to seriously condemn him for it.

On the other hand, there are pan-blue politicians who either remain mute on the new proposal or dodge the whole issue of democratic and constitutional reforms by saying that they have "no time to comment."

Although President Chen's talk about giving birth to a new Constitution remains something to be hoped for in the future, and no substantive bill or policy has been proposed in this regard thus far, it has already become a goal of his government.

China has not yet made any concrete comments or responses to Chen's proposal. However, both the Chinese government and many pro-China people in Taiwan ought to know very well that the birth of Taiwan's new Constitution will be attended by the never-ending threats from China.

Since the People's Republic of China's (PRC) founding in 1949, Mao Zedong and all the other Chinese leaders who have succeeded him, have uniformly ignored the existence the Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan. The thought of eradicating the ROC has never left their minds.

The Chinese leaders have long declared that the ROC died in 1949 and that Taiwan is part of China's territory. Even though the ROC name and national flag continue to be in use on Taiwan, to the PRC these are political totems from the past.

Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that, in the entire international community, the one who most wants to vanquish ROC is none other than the PRC.

Therefore, from the phase of cross-strait military standoff, to phase of peaceful exchanges between the two sides, China has never ceased to deny the sovereignty of Taiwan.

Even with its military prowess not yet fully matured and with economic development getting top priority, military threats have become the primary part of China's two-handed tactics with Taiwan.

Facing China's barbarism, if we called ourselves "Republic of China," Beijing will say that we are plotting for the recognition of "two Chinas."

If we suggest the existence of a "special state-to-state relationship" with China, we will be accused of moving incrementally toward "Taiwan independence."

If we called ourselves "Taiwan," China will respond by saying that we are practicing a "one China, one Taiwan" policy.

Even depicting the cross-strait reality -- "one country on each side" -- is condemned as practicing "Taiwan independence."

Even more absurd is that all efforts to highlight our Taiwan-centered culture is referred to as "cultural Taiwan independence" and strengthening our military defenses is called "military Taiwan independence."

The way that China has been elbowing Taiwan every chance it gets can only backfire and win nothing but the disgust of Taiwan's people.

China's threats toward Taiwan are not only political, they are also economic. The rapid economic development of China has sucked out Taiwanese capital, talent and technology. Chinese efforts to promote investments have been one way -- getting money from Taiwan to China. These efforts are not made with bilateral benefits in mind.

Statistics from Chung-Hua Institute for Economic Research indicate that Taiwan's economy is becoming increasingly dependent on China. Currently, Taiwanese investments make up about 63 percent of all foreign investments in China.

If China imposes any economic sanctions or other hostile measures against Taiwan for political reasons, dire consequences for Taiwan's economy will be at hand.

Although there are hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese businessmen in China earning foreign reserves for China and helping the country develop its economy, the Chinese government and their people remain very hostile toward the motherland of these Taiwanese investors. Therefore, the lives and property of Taiwanese businessmen in China are far from being protected.

In the area of foreign relations, China has used the "three noes policy" to stifle our survival space. Even the recently issued ROC passports (with the word "Taiwan" appearing on the front covers) have been rejected by a small number of countries as a result of Chinese coercion.

According to our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chinese maneuvers targeting these new passports range from the earliest failed attempts to solicit the help of Afghanistan and Pakistan to bribing members of the former Republic of Yugoslavia to adopt various obstructive measures -- making it difficult or impossible for Taiwan passport holders to get visas for those countries.

These efforts by China to trample on Taiwan cannot influence the existence of Taiwan's independent sovereignty. In fact, the inconvenience and frustration visited on the people of Taiwan can only make them resent Chinese barbarism even more.

In a nutshell, the never-ending threats of China have become serious obstructions and barriers to Taiwan's development and survival. These obstructions and threats have become more serious as a result of the existing complicated political relationship.

The optimistic expectations and underestimation of China's threats by people here in Taiwan have caused many people to be off guard.

As the two sides each proclaim sovereignty over each other, the emerging relationship is neither between two friendly countries nor between two enemy states. The two sides have always considered each other as hypothetical enemies.

With a backdrop of a superficially friendly relationship that is in reality tense, the situation can only be described as murky.

When Taiwan sincerely made proposals to improve cross-strait relations, Beijing accused Taipei of making phony gestures. In contrast, some people within Taiwan mistake China's tactics in the propaganda war for genuine goodwill gestures.

To counter Chinese threats toward Taiwan, one must thoroughly re-examine the future national status and political system of Taiwan, and clarify the complicated political relationship with China.

While Taiwan does not need to sever its cultural and historical links with China, Taiwan's people will not hesitate to cut off their relationship with a Chinese regime that poses threats to the lives and property of Taiwanese people.

The people of Taiwan should rethink future developments from a frame of mind that is Taiwan-centered.

Reviving the spiritof Taiwan's democracy

By Wang Chien-chuang

Taiwan seems to be very democratic these days. Decrees and regulations concerned with democracy are almost complete, and shortcomings are made up for by referendums.

In reality, however, Taiwan can at best claim to be democratic in form, not in spirit. So what does this mean? It means that the political culture, especially the culture of decision-making is usually undemocratic and is often anti-democratic.

Compared to former presidents Chiang Ching-kuo and Lee Teng-hui, I guess President Chen Shui-bian probably is the more democratic leader. He protested against authoritarianism and dictatorship, and he was also a victim of the dictatorship. How could someone with a past in the opposition not understand the meaning of democracy?

But such is the reality.

Each time Chen raises his voice, whether it is about one country on each side of the Taiwan Strait, referendums, changing the official name of the country or the creation of a new Constitution, his comrades in the Presidential Office, the Cabinet, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) or the Legislative Yuan all react in the same way

At first, they're startled, not understanding what he means or his motives, they stutter and don't know what to say when discussing the matter among themselves. But in the blink of an eye these lost comrades indeed seem to be the closest of confidantes, with one offering one explanation, another offering a heap of theoretical proof and a third busily clarifying and cooling things down.

Chen's predecessors were dictators, no two ways about it. But, frankly speaking, what is the difference between the one-man decisions of Chen and those of his predecessors?

Even more unexpectedly, that huge supporting government apparatus -- the Presidential Office, the Cabinet, the party -- does nothing without Chen's say-so. Once he utters a word, though, it moves immediately, with its full power. Chen is not the emperor and his words are not imperial decrees, but everyone in the party follows his lead. They believe whatever he says and act as if his words were law. Although the imperial decree is no more, Chen's words still have the effect of an emperor's words.

The bureaucracy in imperial China included a censor. It was not a very high position. A censor followed the emperor, and his only duty was to criticize the emperor's words and behavior. He could tell the emperor what prime ministers and other high ministers dared not say.

The DPP doesn't have a censor, nor is there one in the Cabinet. Although minority factions within the party sometimes try to fill this function, they don't have the president's ear. No matter how loudly they speak, they will at best be considered noise.

Most of the people close to Chen are plotters, they plot and do not criticize -- or they may be plotting while following orders. In the end, all this plotting turns all politics -- including elections -- into one huge conspiracy.

So how can Taiwanese politics avoid becoming a mess and become democratic?

The president, of course, doesn't have to ask the opinions of others every time he opens his mouth. But his sensational statement about the creation of a new Taiwanese Constitution is huge. The number of people who knew of this statement prior to Chen's making it can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

Maybe Chen wanted to create a theatrical effect by taking the opposition by surprise. Such effects may be needed in art. In politics, too many theatrical effects only prove a shortage of democracy. Restraint is to be recommended.

Wang Chien-chuang is president of The Journalist magazine.

Youth not fit to compete

It is extremely worrying indeed that way too many Taiwanese youths are becoming nothing but a bunch of unfit, obese, unmotivated and lazy couch potatoes, while by contrast their average Chinese counterparts are not only much fitter physically, but also intellectually and knowledge-wise much more prepared to study in Western Universities, especially the best ones.

But why?

Taiwanese students feel totally alienated in a school system that imposes on them truckloads of work which they rightly regard as dull, boring, irrelevant and useless. As a consequence, since the Taiwanese society seems to do its best to actively discourage sports, PE and other formative activities, these youths have no choice but to seek some solace and escapism in junk food shops and restaurants, PC games, videogames, arcades and other activities that cannot really be regarded as constructive. In a few words, the Taiwanese school system is needlessly producing thousands of would be social rejects.

To tackle this problem, I would like to put forward a few humble suggestions.

One, there is no doubt that students' workload must be significantly reduced -- remember the old proverb "all play and no work makes Jack a mere toy, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy?"

Also, it must be made relevant to them. For instance, I remember once speaking to some students from a vocational school for design, and they bitterly complained that Chinese literature had much more weight in their syllabus than design, draftmanship and other technical subjects, and that an essential tool like computer aided design (CAD) was not even on the syllabus.

Two, much more emphasis needs to be put on encouraging critical, original and creative thinking.

Three, much more emphasis must go on developing those skills (like creative, social, interpersonal, organizational, communication, you name them) that will be so badly needed once students leave school and start facing the real world and its challenges.

Four, much, much more emphasis has to be laid on sports, PE and martial arts. For example, a lot of South Korean schools make sure that taekwondo, their own indigenous martial art, is included in their PE syllabus.

Now, since today's Taiwanese kids and adolescents are supposed to be tomorrow's soldiers and defenders of the country -- who will fight off a much anticipated Chinese invasion -- it only makes sense that physical fitness and martial arts must be an integral part of their skills.

George Dukes

Sunderland,UK

Lee, Chen make firm commitment to Constitution

MARCH ON: Comparing himself to Moses and his successor to Joshua, Lee Teng-hui said that the Taiwanese must struggle to build their own nation

By Chang Yun-Ping

STAFF REPORTER

"The Israelites didn't acquire the promised land without reason, but they made a long-term effort, including experiencing the pains of war, to establish their nation."－Lee Teng-hui, former president

President Chen Shui-bian and former President Lee Teng-hui yesterday joined together to participate in the 2003 World Association of Taiwanese Christian Churches conference to pray for turning the nation into a "normal and complete" state.

Chen yesterday reiterated the importance of pushing for a new constitution, urging the public to decide the issue through a referendum.

"Although Taiwan is an independent, sovereign country, it has long been neglected by the international community. We are prevented from entering the UN, denied membership in the World Health Organization and constantly face the threat of a missile attack from China."

"Promoting a new constitution and letting the people ratify it through a referendum is a necessary act to transform Taiwan into a normal, great country. We hope that by writing a new constitution, we can deepen the democratization of our constitutional system," Chen said yesterday to a crowd of more than 3,000 participants at the Christian assembly.

Chen said the entire population should take part in creating a new constitution, and no individual or political party could achieve it alone.

"This undertaking requires all 23 million people in Taiwan, who must togethert act like a midwife and assist in the birth of the new constitution. I believe that God granted the people of Taiwan the right of self-determination, the right for people to exercise their free will in deciding the future of our country," Chen said.

Chen and Lee were invited by the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan to address the conference, and yesterday was their first public appearance together since Chen proposed creating a new constitution.

Lee gave a speech promoting the awareness of Taiwan's national identity and echoed Chen's call for a new constitution.

Lee talked about the biblical story of Moses and Joshua, who led the Jewish people through the desert to build Israel in the promised land of Canaan. Lee said Taiwan is the promised land that God gave to the Taiwanese, and urged the people to be grateful for such a blessing.

Lee said that this was the only way Taiwan can be separated from China and that the prosperity of the next generation could be ensured.

"The people of Taiwan have to acknowledge their love for this land, because nothing could replace it. God is with us, so there is no need to fear the threats from China," the former president said.

The reactions to President Chen Shui-bian's statement last Sunday about pushing for a new constitution are worthy of re-examination.

Outside the country, both the US and China have been relatively controlled and cautious. For Beijing authorities, who are given to outlandish denouncements of anything that smacks of independence, this was a surprise. Here at home, the pan-blue alliance appears somewhat disappointed that the whole thing did not escalate into a greater controversy.

The statement by US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher the day after Chen's talk -- that the US did not want to comment on an election campaign statement -- demonstrated primarily a determination on the part of the US government to maintain a hands-off posture toward the domestic politics of Taiwan. With the next presidential election approaching rapidly, the US obviously hopes to refrain from giving the impression of siding with any particular political party or candidate.

Still, some local pro-China media and politicians said that Boucher's talk had a condescending tone and that his underlying message was that Chen's announcement was a mere campaign gimmick -- not to be taken seriously.

It is certainly appropriate to characterize Chen's remarks as part of his "campaign platform," as they depict a goal he has set or a promise he has made to the voters about what is to be accomplished once he is re-elected. It is hard to understand why that characterization, by itself, is a negative one.

After all, all candidates must have campaign platforms. Otherwise, how would the voters be able to decide for whom to cast their votes? KMT Chairman Lien Chan and PFP Chairman James Soong have campaign platforms too.

Of course in Taiwan, most politicians have been unable to live up to even half of their campaign promises after they are elected. Sometimes this inability reflects the irresponsibility of the politicians who simply become too preoccupied with other matters, such as looking after their own interests. Sometimes the failure to deliver on promises is a result of being held back by political obstacles.

What matters is whether these politicians had the best interests of the people and the country in mind when they made the promises and whether they were sincere about living up to their pledges after being elected.

We believe that Chen's pledge is both sincere and in the best interests of the nation. It is both unfair and premature of the pro-China camp to accuse Chen of being insincere about implementing changes. After all, in the past three years, he has personally experienced the difficulties created by this handicapped Constitution.

Indeed, very few people could honestly deny the fact that there are serious flaws with the Republic of China Constitution. It was drafted in the 1940s in China, with a view to implementation there. Some of the fundamental problems with the current Constitution seriously impair the operation of the government in Taiwan.

One question that should be asked of the pan-blue forces is this: What do they intend to do with all these problems associated with the current Constitution? Surely, they can't argue that there is nothing wrong with it. And surely, they cannot merely say, as Lien did, that the whole subject is "boring."

RADICAL PROPOSAL?: The former head of Russia's military missile-strategy team says Washington should cut arms-sales to decrease tensions between China and Taiwan

A senior Russian military strategist has proposed that Russia and the US reach an agreement to mutually reduce arms sales to China and Taiwan to help reduce tensions in the Taiwan Strait and, by implication, in East Asia.

Victor Esin, a retired three-star general and former head of Russia's Strategic Missile Forces, made the suggestion in a conference in Washington on how Washington and Moscow can cooperate in seeking security in Asia.

"We could really reduce tension in the Strait if Russia and the United States could reach an understanding and could agree that we should reduce our sales of weapons to China and to Taiwan if we do it in a parallel way," Esin, who is now a top official of Moscow's Academy for Security, Defense, Law and Order Studies, said at a conference of the Association on Third World Affairs, a Russia-oriented think tank, on Thursday.

However, he noted such a plan is not in the works. "Unfortunately, there is no such understanding between Russia and the US today and, as far as I know, this issues is not even discussed," he said.

Still,"if we can make a breakthrough in this area, then we can hope to limit the transfer of military technology to China and Taiwan and to reduce tension," he said.

Short of such an agreement, Russia is likely to continue to be China's main arms supplier, Esin said. He noted that Russia has arms sales agreements with China and several years ago signed a treaty with China on the issue.

As a result, Russia has a legally binding commitment to provide military and technological aid to China, he said.

Esin's proposal is reminiscent of former Chinese president Jiang Zemin's suggestion to US President George W. Bush at Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas last October that China would be willing to reduce its ballistic missile buildup across the Strait from Taiwan if the US would curb its arms sales to Taiwan. Washington firmly rejected that proposal.

According to the Pentagon, China remains "highly reliant" on Russian arms. In a report to Congress this past July on China's military power and plans, the Pentagon said: "China hopes to fill short-term gaps in capabilities by significantly expanding its procurement of Russian weapon systems and technical assistance over the next several years."

The report cited China's recent arms purchases from Russia including additional Su-30MMK fighter aircraft, the AA-12 Adder active-radar guided air-to-air missile, and is looking to acquire A-50 Mainstay AWACS aircraft from Russia.

On the naval side, the Pentagon said the first two Sovremennyy-class guided missile destroyers are fully integrated into China's naval operations and Beijing has signed an agreement for two more such destroyers.

And the Pentagon said Beijing continues to acquire added advanced Russian weapon systems. It has already bought four Russian Kilo SS, one of the quietest diesel-electric submarines in the world, and has a contract for eight new Kilos with more sophisticated weaponry.

For greater air power, China has bought SA-N-7 naval surface-to-air missiles, providing China with the most capable medium-range surface-to-air defense system for the near term. Over the next 10 years, China is likely to acquire from Russia a long-range naval missile equivalent to the shore-based SA-10/20, the Pentagon report said.

At the same Washington conference, Mikhail Nosov, the deputy director of Moscow's Institute of the United States and Canada, and a specialist in Asian affairs, said that China would not attack Taiwan unless the island's government declares independence.

Calling the Taiwan Strait one of the "hottest spots in the world," Nosov said "I'm quite sure that until Taiwan will have proclaimed its independence, China won't use arms against Taiwan." But if Taiwan does declare independence, he said "it's possible that [China] will used their arms against Taiwan."

Noting that Washington has had a policy of ambiguity over its possible response should China attack Taiwan in place for a long time, Nosov charged that Bush "violated this law for a while," an apparent reference to Bush's April 2001 pronouncement that he would do "whatever it takes" to thwart a Chinese invasion -- a stance, Nosov said, that "disappeared from the newspapers" after a while.