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US-based Taiwan supporters decry
‘province’ remark
By William Lowther
STAFF REPORTER IN WASHINGTON
Thursday, Jun 24, 2010, Page 1
US supporters of Taiwan reacted with surprise and anger at
President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) reference to Taiwan as a “province” during talks
with visiting Texas Governor Rick Perry in Taipei earlier this week.
“In 1988, Texas and Taiwan Province became sister states,” Ma said. “Over the
past two years, we have engaged in many exchanges in technology, culture,
education and agriculture.”
In fact, an official resolution passed last year by the Texas House of
Representatives — reaffirming the friendship agreement — refers to Taiwan
throughout as a “Sister State” and not as a province.
What particularly upset Taiwanese-Americans was that only last week, the
Federal Register — the official journal of the US Government — announced that
for the first time Taiwan was being regarded as a “new designated country.”
The announcement said the Federal Acquisition Regulation had been amended to add
Taiwan “as a designated country, due to the accession of Taiwan to membership in
the World Trade Organization Agreement on Government Procurement.”
The move, which has been pending for about a year, is not expected to have any
major impact on trade.
Nevertheless, it was considered significant for symbolic reasons.
The fear by many Taiwanese-Americans is that by referring to Taiwan as a
“province,” Ma may have conceded that a Chinese takeover was inevitable.
“It is extremely disturbing,” said Coen Blaauw, executive director of the
Formosan Association for Public Relations (FAPA).
“American policymakers and government institutions bend over backwards in the
international community to treat Taiwan as a sovereign country,” he said. “And
here we have President Ma referring to that very country as a province of China
when dealing with Governor Perry. Many of our members are very upset.”
A typical reaction came from a Taiwanese-born American now working for the US
government in Washington.
“It makes me furious. All of my Taiwanese friends here can’t understand why
President Ma would talk in this way. Obviously, we are not a province of China.
If we were, we would be ruled by Beijing,” he said.
FAPA president Bob Yang (楊英育) said: “ I am concerned that Taiwan will start
attending international meetings such as the WHA with permission from China and
that this will become a trend and an accepted norm. It will mark a slippery
slope for Taiwan and for Taiwan’s supporters, who want to see Taiwan as a free
and democratic country receive greater international recognition.
“The bottom line is that the Chinese leadership cannot be trusted. It is high
time Taiwan’s leadership recognized that,” Yang said.
While not directly connected to Ma’s remarks, Congressman Scott Garrett on
Tuesday called for full membership for Taiwan in international organizations
instead of just “meaningful participation.”
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