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EDITORIAL: Provoking
conflict as distraction
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) have found
themselves dragged into the political mess that is the result of former
Executive Yuan secretary-general Lin Yi-shih’s (林益世) allegedly being caught with
his hand in the cookie jar. Their backpedaling tactics and lame promises to
crack down on corruption are pretty obvious, but the worst consequence is the
sudden outbreak of tensions between Taiwan and Japan, one of the nation’s
closest allies, over a few rocks in the Pacific that both sides claim as their
sovereign territory.
There is no proof that Ma, the KMT or anyone involved in the Lin corruption case
deliberately instigated this latest spat of tensions between Taiwan and Japan
over the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), but its timing seems suspicious. The Lin case
was making waves throughout the nation’s media just days before Coast Guard
Administration decided to escort a fishing boat to within spitting distance of
the islands, provoking a confrontation with Japanese coast guard vessels.
Why is it that this issue, which has not been high on the agenda for four years,
has once again become an irritant in Taiwan-Japan relations?
This boat, ostensibly sent to protect Republic of China (ROC) sovereignty, set
off in such a hurry that activists aboard said they had no time to grab an ROC
flag and had to make do with one from the People’s Republic of China.
Is it possible that Ma and the KMT are deliberately trying to inflame
anti-Japanese sentiment among some segments of the population to distract their
attention from the ongoing investigations?
Obviously, it is not a question that can be answered, but if this is indeed Ma’s
intention, it would be short-sighted in the worst possible way. If a
cross-strait conflict were to ever occur, Japan would be the only country likely
to come to Taiwan’s aid, besides the US. Protection in the form of US air and
sea power would be launched from Japanese soil; Tokyo has declared peace in the
Taiwan Strait a national interest; and it would not stand by and meekly watch if
China threatened its sea lanes with a cross-strait war.
It is not a good idea to provoke tensions with the one country that is most
likely to come to your rescue if a giant neighbor decides to invade.
However, that is exactly what the Ma administration is doing by sending coast
guard vessels to escort fanatical activists to within eyeshot of these disputed
islets. And this is not the first time the Ma administration has decided to do
this for short-term political gain.
When Ma had just been inaugurated for his first term in 2008, activists, under
the watchful eye of Taiwanese authorities, did the same thing, resulting in
Japan lodging a protest. Back then, Ma was likely trying to send a message to
Beijing about his intentions to side with China over Japan. This time, though,
his reasons do not even appear strategic, just politically motivated.
It would be regrettable if the Ma administration were to jeopardize Taiwan’s
relationship with Japan just so he can turn the public’s anger away from his
government’s alleged corrupt dealings. Not only would this alienate a loyal
friend of Taiwan, but it would also put the nation’s ability to defend itself
with the aid of allies in danger, should China decide to attack.
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