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Time to end one-sided
‘diplomatic truce’ ploy
By Mark Chen 陳唐山
Addressing a meeting of the European Council on Foreign Relations in London on
Feb. 8, Taiwan’s Representative to the UK Shen Lyu-shun (沈呂巡) said he hoped that
Taiwan and China would embark on a new mode of benign interaction in the
international community. He also said that Taiwan should strive to participate
using the proper name of its government in intergovernmental international
organizations and specialized UN agencies, adopting the same method under which
it takes part in the World Health Assembly (WHA).
However, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated its opposition to
Taiwan having any official dealings with countries that have diplomatic
relations with Beijing, and to Taiwan’s participation in international
organizations in which only sovereign states can take part.
China’s reaction struck a sore point and exposed two lies bandied about by
President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) government — the so-called “1992 consensus” and
the idea of a “diplomatic truce” with China.
To begin with, if the “1992 consensus” really existed, that would imply that
although neither side agrees with the other’s point of view, they would still
respect each other’s position. In fact, Beijing continues to be high-handed and
domineering in everything it says and does. It has never agreed to Ma’s claim
that the “consensus” means both sides agree that there is “one China, with each
side having its own interpretation.”
Second, when Ma was elected president in 2008 he called for a “diplomatic
truce,” saying that his government would not compete with China over
establishing diplomatic relations with other countries. Later on, the government
was overjoyed when Taiwan was admitted to attend the WHA under the name “Chinese
Taipei,” but Taiwanese were kept in the dark about whatever secret deal might
have been struck with China in exchange for being allowed to attend the meeting
as an observer.
Over the past four years, China has not tried very hard to get countries that
have diplomatic relations with Taiwan to switch sides. This has created an
illusion among some Taiwanese that all is quiet on the diplomatic front, but
there has been no let-up in Beijing’s effort to limit Taiwan’s living space in
international affairs.
For example, China has blocked Taiwan from joining or taking part in
international organizations. It has obstructed our participation in APEC and
meetings of scientific and technical officials. The official title of the
Central Bank of the Republic of China (Taiwan) at meetings of the South East
Asian Central Banks Governors’ Conference was changed to “Central Bank, Chinese
Taipei” without authorization and Taiwanese civic groups have also been forced
to change the names under which they participate in international activities.
Even the WHO circulated an internal memo that belittled Taiwan’s status.
These and many other incidents show that the so-called “diplomatic truce” is
really one in which Taiwan has stopped fighting, but Beijing has not. Ma’s
“truce,” is a state of passive inaction, which amounts to abandoning our
country’s dynamism and independence.
The sad thing is that the government appears oblivious to China’s scheming. It
has not only concocted the so-called “1992 consensus,” but also been ensnared in
Beijing’s “one-China” framework and adopted foreign policies that are damaging
to our national interest.
It would be hard to find another government anywhere in the world that is so
willing to disarm and surrender without a fight.
Mark Chen is a Democratic Progressive Party legislator.
Translated by Julian Clegg
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