Young artist not shaken by China on Aug 19, 2004

Young artist not shaken by China

ART AND POLITICS: A 15-year-old artist will continue to do what he loves after China stepped in to remove him from a UNESCO commemorative stamp campaign

By Jewel Huang
STAFF REPORTER
 

Although his prize-winning painting was disqualified from becoming a commemorative stamp because the UNESCO succumbed to pressure from Beijing, the 15-year-old Yang Chih-yuan said yesterday that he will not be frustrated by China and will stand by his passion for the arts and his country.

Last Thursday, Beijing pressured the UNESCO to scrap Yang's selected work which was meant to be printed on stamps to commemorate International Peace Day on Sept. 21, saying that Taiwan's national flag shown in the boy's painting was an attempt at "splitting China's territory."

In addition to Taiwan, five other paintings drawn by child artists from Thailand, Israel, Indonesia and Peru and Philippines were also chosen to become commemorative stamps. Yang's work, however, was soon dropped and replaced by the work of a Belize boy after UNESCO buckled under pressure from Beijing.

Pan Wen-chuang, director of Taipei County's bureau of education yesterday went to Yang's Junior High School in Hsinchu to encourage Yang to continue to be a voice for Taiwan through his art. Pan gave Yang a commendation and a new set of paint supplies as motivation to continue his work.

"China's actions toward this child are unacceptable," Pan said yesterday.

"The creation of art should not be hindered by political matters ... that they would stoop so low is regrettable," he added.

With an impressive array of colors, Yang's work represents children's desire for peace and security.

In the picture, two children are riding a dove, symbolizing the escape from war and towards a peaceful nation. The right side shows a scene of war, with homeless children crying amid looming tanks, while the left side of the picture shows a joyful earth with vivid colors.

Most noticeably, a string of DNA-like spiral comprising national flags goes around the dove. The ROC flag is among them.

Yang said that his painting was inspired by the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the US.

"I just don't understand why my art was dragged into politics," Yang said yesterday. "I was born in Taiwan. I just want to draw what is in my mind. I will go on painting and I will have no misgivings about drawing the national flag into my work," Yang said.

Yang suffered from hydrocephalus when he was born. At only 3 months old he underwent an operation to install a tube in his head to channel water to his abdomen. This tube created limitations for the child, and his sense of equilibrium and motor skills were also hindered by the surgery.

"But it also helped me concentrate on painting," the boy said. "I can always have a calm head."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized China's move by issuing a protest statement on Sunday, and the Chunghwa Post Co will soon publish stamps of Yang's work at the suggestion of the Presidential Office.

US troops move benefits Taiwan

'INVISIBLE ASSISTANCE': The plan to return troops to the US and reassign others will benefit Taiwan, experts say, because it better reflects the dangers of N Korea and China

By Joy Su
STAFF REPORTER

The reassignment of US troops overseas could bode well for Taiwan, according to military analysts who pointed to an increase in troop numbers in the Asia-Pacific as evidence of enhanced military security in the region.

"Traditionally, the US military has stressed Europe over Asia. It is now taking away its forces from Europe and adding forces to Asia in response to the situation in the Korean peninsula, and even more importantly in the Taiwan Strait," said Holmes Liao, a professor at the National Defense University's Armed Forces College and an advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Asked whether Taiwan could benefit from the troop revisions, Liao said: "Of course. The US presence in the area provides a strong deterrent for everyone."

He added that "military contingencies in the area are becoming more and more `real.'"

"It's hard to say what this [reassignment of troops] will mean for Taiwan in the short term, but my take is optimistic for the long term," said Lee Hua-chiu, a National Policy Foundation researcher and the deputy secretary-general of the Friends of Hong Kong and Macau Association.

Lee said that the US plans amounted to "invisible assistance" for Taiwan.

According to Lee, the situation's impact had to be analyzed with US military interests in North Korea and South Korea in mind. He said that the increased presence in the Asia-Pacific was linked with the possibility of military engagement on the Korean peninsula.

"Given the situation in North Korea, the US would be especially interested in China because of the influence China could have. As a result, the Taiwan Strait will also be taken into account," Lee said.

"By increasing the number of troops on Guam, the US will be `closer' to North Korea and the Taiwan Strait. There will be an increased presence on the East China Sea rim," Lee said.

While US President George W. Bush's military realignment plans will send home 70,000 to 100,000 troops stationed in Europe and Asia, local media reports said the plans reflected changing priorities.

"Overall, the US is shifting its emphasis away from Europe towards Asia. Of course, the Middle East and Central Asia are also important factors ... but the [former] Soviet Union is no longer a military concern for the US," said Arthur Ding, a cross-strait military affairs expert and research fellow at the National Chengchi University's Institute of International Relations.

"At the very least, the changes will not have a negative impact on Taiwan," Ding told the Taipei Times yesterday.

According to Ding, the restructuring of US troops in Asia pointed to the possibility of the deployment of another aircraft carrier group to the Asia-Pacific. Currently, the USS Kitty Hawk is the only aircraft carrier group in the region.

"Deploying an aircraft carrier group, which includes submarines and destroyers, would mean sending thousands of troops to the deployed area," Ding said.

A senior government official yesterday said that while the number of US troops deployed overseas is being cut, the overall firepower of the US is increasing.

"This has always been [US Defense Secretary Donald] Rumsfeld's stance -- that technology replace ground forces. One missile can hit the target, therefore troops can be cut," Ding said.

Ding downplayed Bush's announcement, saying that election concerns played a role in the plans.

"This redeployment plan will take a decade to complete, while Bush has at most 4 more years in office ... this is the US' overall military strategy, but Bush is placing emphasis on it for the sake of re-election," Ding said.

Deng ordered Tiananmen crackdown, Li Peng says

AFP , HONG KONG

China's late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping "resolutely backed" the Tiananmen Square Massacre 15 years ago, former premier Li Peng said in a rare commentary on the bloody incident he has long been blamed for.

Li was premier when Chinese soldiers were ordered into Tiananmen Square in Beijing to quell a month-long rally by students demanding more democracy in communist China. He and Deng have been the target of blame for the resulting massacre on June 4 and June 5, 1989.

But in an article in the Communist Party magazine Seeking Truth cited widely by Hong Kong media yesterday, Li said it was Deng who made the decision to send in the troops.

"In the spring and summer of 1989, a serious political disturbance took place in China," Li reportedly wrote. "Comrade Deng Xiaoping -- along with other party elders -- gave the party leadership their firm and full support to put down the political disturbance using forceful measures."

Li's comments are among the most explicit made about the event, on which Chinese authorities maintain a strict gag.

It follows reports authorities had blocked his efforts to publish memoirs that sought to clear him from blame for the massacre.

In March, the Chinese-language magazine Yazhou Zhoukan claimed Li's nearly 300,000-word manuscript, entitled The Key Moment, detailed how important decisions at the time were not made by him as widely believed. But he was told it was inappropriate to publish the book for the time being.

In his article, Li also said Deng decided to ignore opposition in Hong Kong and push for the construction of the country's largest nuclear power plant at nearby Daya Bay on the coast of southern Guangdong Province.

The plan caused a stir in Hong Kong, where environmentalists were worried over possible radioactive leaks.

Li, who became premier in 1988, also recalled how Deng advised him, then a timid apprentice, to deal with the daunting job.

"Comrade Xiaoping said: What I am worried about is that you are not bold enough to carry out your work. You have to study hard and train yourself in work in order to make yourself more mature," Li was quoted as writing.

Other former leaders also wrote articles for Seeking Truth to mark the centenary of Deng's birth this Sunday, but only Li referred directly to the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

Bolster nation's defensive abilities

US President George W. Bush has announced that the US will withdraw between 60,000 and 70,000 troops stationed overseas over the next decade, representing the US' greatest military redeployment since the end of the Cold War. Although the US has repeated that there will be no changes to its security commitments, this country would do well to pay attention and formulate early responses to the effects that the redistribution of US troops will have on international, Asia-Pacific and even cross-strait security.

With the development of modern weapons and tactics, the size of military deployments is no longer the vital issue. Troop mobility and impact are now keys to victory on the battlefield. The US' current strategic goals are focused on striking against terrorism and restricting China from becoming a great military power. Although Bush still has not made public any details of the pullback, he has pointed out the need to redeploy large numbers of troops in areas where the wars of the previous century have ended. Clearly, this means that the focus of troop redeployment will be Europe. The Asia-Pacific will also be affected, but due to the military tension on the Korean Peninsula and in the Strait, these areas will probably not see too much change.

There are two major island chains in the region -- the first forms a line through the Kurile Islands, through Japan, Taiwan, Guam, the Philippines and Indonesia; the second forms a north-south line from the Kuriles through Japan, the Bonins, the Marianas, the Carolines and Indonesia.

The US will likely cut down troop deployments in South Korea and along the "second island chain" while improving military capabilities in order to build a deterrent force. In case of military tension in the Asia-Pacific region, the US will be able to use its military flexibly, both for purposes of attack and defense. China and North Korea will be the targets of this force. For Taiwan, located in the first island chain, this development would seem to leave it more exposed, with the country acting as a shield for US forces in Guam and Hawaii. But it could actually improve the country's overall security, to the extent that it makes Taiwan's role even more critical to regional security, and so strengthens the country's alliances.

In response to the developing military situation, Taiwan should increase its defensive capabilities. Only if the country shows China that it can both defend itself and also counterattack will the country inhibit China from using force to "unify" Taiwan. Even if the worst happens and a conflict erupts between Taiwan and China, this nation must have the defensive capability to hold off the aggressor until international forces can intervene to re-establish peace across the Strait.

To achieve this, the first step is to strengthen the country's defensive capability. In addition to procuring submarines, anti-submarine aircraft and Patriot missiles, the nation should also aggressively seek approval to purchase AEGIS-equipped destroyers, now that the US is considering including this item in its arms sales to Taiwan. The country should actively seek admission to the Theater Missile Defense network. In this way Taiwan can establish itself as an integral link in Asia's regional defense.

In addition, Taiwan should actively seek inclusion into international security networks in Asia to play a role in assuring regional security. The nation should purchase intelligence-gathering equipment to improve its capability in this area, taking advantage of its position in the center of the first island chain to collect information on military deployments in China. This intelligence capability would allow for expanded information exchanges between the first and second island chains. This will serve as a foundation of Taiwan's national defense. It will also put the nation in a position to provide the US, Japan and other countries with key information when necessary, making it an active member of a cooperative regional defense network.

China's rising not all that 'peaceful'

By Hsu Tung-ming

 
While in the golden years of their power, China's leaders like to propose new discourses on the legitimacy of the communist regime.

After former Chinese president Jiang Zemin proposed the so-called "Three Represents," President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao also posed the "Peaceful Rising" theory -- which has become the prevailing description of China's political and economic development.

Externally, China has conveyed the message that it wants to strengthen its role in the international community and is not seeking to become a hegemonic power. Internally it is building a new nationalism based on fashionable ideas including modernization, globalization and economic development.

There are several examples, however, that highlight the not-so-peaceful nature of China's "Peaceful Rising." In recent months, the Chinese government has engaged in diplomatic squabbles with South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, and even its own administrative zone -- Hong Kong.

For example, a row erupted between China and South Korea in April when the former's ministry of foreign affairs removed a description of the ancient Korean Koguryo kingdom (37 BC-AD 668) from on its official Web site. This drew protests from the South Korean government. Meanwhile, Chinese academia now refers to Koguryo as a part of China in their so-called "northeastern project."

As for Sino-Japanese relations, Chinese fans treated the Japanese team in a rude manner during the Asian Cup soccer tournament. Even Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi protested the behavior of the Chinese, albeit indirectly.

The anti-Japan sentiment reached its climax on the day of the tournament. Team China's loss led to rioting and the burning of Japanese flags after the championship game. Angry Chinese fans also threw bottles at buses of the Japanese team. Even a limousine carrying a Japanese diplomat did not go unmolested.

Hong Kong came under Chinese administration in 1997. After the July 1 demonstration last year, Beijing has promoted patriotism there through the media while giving the region economic incentives to mute ongoing calls for democracy. Hong Kongers nonetheless desire democracy; the number of street protests this year surpassed those of last year.

In Taiwan's case, China's repression is relentless. The recent incident involving pop singer A-mei, serves as a typical example of China's hostility toward the people of Taiwan and its government.

In recent years, China's successful efforts to catch up with the rest of the world include its entry into the WTO, its successful bids for the 2008 Olympic as well as the 2010 World Expo have all boosted the Chinese people's confidence.

A prevailing theory is emerging within China's academic community. As the gap between China's urban and rural areas broadens, nationalism has become the only way to unite the nation.

This characteristic is especially important as China's international influence grows. Since the gap between rich and poor has worsened, instilling a sense of nationalism among its people becomes increasingly necessary as a tool of social control.

Nationalism is on par with patriotism in China, and Chinese patriotism has its own traditions. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) originally rose from the working class and resistance to foreign imperialism was an important basis of the CCP's political mobilization in founding the People's Republic of China.

Traditionally, Chinese nationalism emphasizes that China is a "nation state" based on shared ties of blood, history, culture as well as other factors. In terms of political mobilization, it emphasizes the resistance to the world's former imperial powers.

This kind of nationalism could generate cultural chauvinism among the Chinese as it attempts to draw others into its sphere of influence.

During the handover of Hong Kong to China, the government emphasized the end of the historical humiliation of the region's cession to Britain, but denied Hong Kongers the political and economic autonomy which they built themselves.

The hatred directed toward the Japanese people during the Asian Cup tournament is the result of such patriotism. China's recent friction with Southeast Asian countries highlighted the not-so-peaceful nature of its so called "Peaceful Rising," and this is likely to continue.

In facing a belligerent China, Taiwan would do well to promote official and unofficial dialogue and exchanges with its neighbors to the south and west.

When dealing with Chinese nationalism, Taiwan must team up with other Southeast Asian countries to insist on peace and stability in the region.

Hsu Tung-ming is a freelance writer based in Beijing.

Taiwanese lack sense of self-worth

By Bob Kuo
 

One of the characteristics in Taiwanese society is the tendency of its people -- from the president to the social elite to peddlers and servants -- to rely on external judgements to determine their self-worth.

In psychology, constructing self-identity from this kind of dependency on others is like a bottomless pit that can never be filled. It can cause an individual to live in an empty and anxious norm, and create difficulties with relationships because indifference and estrangement are used to defend oneself, or one falls into a cycle of abuse and violence. Such conduct perfectly represents the current phenomenon of Taiwan today, doesn't it?

The social problems caused by people confused between applause and criticism can be seen everywhere. Take gender relations for example. Men's eagerness to be seen as strong in the eyes of women makes Taiwan the biggest consumer of Viagra in the world.

Meanwhile, the superstitious belief that by selecting an auspicious delivery date you can become the mother of an elite child has resulted in Taiwan having almost the world's highest proportion of caesarean sections.

The advances in medical technology which allow men to have optimal sex and women to choose when to give birth, however, cannot make people good lovers, husbands, wives or parents.

What is worse is that overemphasizing technology as a mean to pursue public approbation can engender a less intimate relationship between a couple or among relatives. After all, lacking the element of love, gender or family relations will inevitably be dehumanized, and all sorts of social problems will arise.

When reading the major newspapers, we see exaggerated reports about sex, about gender and about domestic violence. Rape and domestic violence that are the result of vanity and a search for social status are among the gravest social problems today.

Problems in politics and the media are also the result of people clinging to public opinion as a way to guide themselves. Examples of politicians' craziness in pursuing publicity are everywhere, and some politicians aren't even aware of their lack of subjective selves.

As examples, one could cite Diane Lee's falsely accusing top health official Twu Shiing-jer's of sexual harassment during a KTV party, New Party Councilor Lee Ching-yuan's damaging President Chen Shui-bian's portrait in the Taipei City Council chamber or People First Party Legislator Lee Tung-hao's inciting people to shoot Chen. Everything about Vice President Annette Lu, from what she wears to her words and actions, draws public attention, but the result of this attention is often opposite of the one intended so that she is constantly criticized.

Given Lu's intolerance of criticism, a once simple issue develops ramifications, and the criticism becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Lu, who is always getting into hot water, may envy Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou's virile public image and the public applause he has received since the start of his political career. Ma's success is due to his ability to shape and maintain his media image like a movie star receiving support from his fans.

Ma's media management techniques can be regarded as a kind of Viagra, which gives men assurance of sexual function, but with a trade-off of losing the passion for love and being enslaved to a little blue pill. Despite Ma's high ratings in opinion polls, he is just an empty shell lacking creativity and cannot stand the test of critical events such as Typhoon Nari and the SARS epidemic.

What is even more pathetic is the media getting swept up in the search for applause and forgetting their primary mission is to monitor and criticize the words and deeds of politicians. From the financial scandal surrounding fugitive tycoon Chen Yu-hao's to the legitimacy of the chauffeur service provided to to first lady Wu Shu-chen's caregiver Lo Shih Li-yun -- the media sensationalizes stories, frequently distorting the facts or just making up stories without a credible source.

As a result, the people must deal with the awkward behavior of politicians and media mesmerized by outside voices. No wonder politicians and media are regarded as major villains for their roles in creating social unrest.

Becoming an eternally virile man, an eternally beautiful woman, or a beloved politician is an impossible mission. But Taiwanese people can always ignore reality by making themselves puppets in the hands of others. This inflicts personal injuries and also causes instability -- the source of Taiwan's social problems nowadays.

This modern tragedy will only end when Taiwanese wake up to the pain of living in this fashion.

Bob Kuo is a professor of Information Systems at National Sun Yat-sen University.