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UN¡¦S
image on Sep 20, 2004 Chen's
conference with UN press effective UN
BID: The president's news conference with international media was successful in
highlighting Taiwan's situation and Beijing's meddling, analysts say By
Huang Tai-lin Although
Taiwan has failed to have discussion of its UN membership included on the UN
General Assembly agenda this year, President Chen Shui-bian's unprecedented
video conference with the UN Correspondents Association (UNCA) successfully
boosted Taiwan's profile in the international media, political observers said. "Chen's
video conference with the UNCA was successful," said Chin Heng-wei, a
political commentator and editor-in-chief of Contemporary Monthly
magazine. "The staging of the teleconference, has clearly conveyed to the
international community Taiwan's appeal to join the UN." Chen,
in the one-hour video conference which took place on Wednesday to coincide with
the commencement of the 59th UN General Assembly plenary session, shared with
the international press Taiwan's appeal to join the world body. In
his speech Chen stressed that Resolution 2758, which recognized the People's
Republic of China (PRC) as the representative of the people of China and its
subsidiary organizations, has been misinterpreted to block Taiwan from UN
membership, and thus deprive its 23 million people of their basic human right to
participate in the UN family. According
to the Government Information Office (GIO), which helped organize the satellite
news conference, Chen's meeting with the UNCA drew more international media
attention than expected. The
GIO had so far documented 39 reports made by international media on the event,
including 12 in North America, 13 in Europe, 11 in Asia and the Pacific, and
three in Central and South America. CNN
aired Chen's video conference remarks as well as the GIO's ads on Taiwan's UN
bid on its Diplomatic License program this past weekend. "Judging
from the coverage ... by international media groups ... I would certainly say
[the teleconference] was a success, despite the nation's failing bid to join the
UN this year," Chin said, adding that China's obstruction had actually
worked to enhance the international media's interest in the event. Chin
was referring to Beijing's interference in the UNCA's original plan to host the
satellite news conference at the association's club room at UN headquarters. The
UN secretariat barred the event, however. Under pressure from China, the
secretariat said holding the video conference on UN property would violate the
UN resolution that recognized the People's Republic of China as the sole
legitimate representative of China at the UN. It suggested that the association
hold the teleconference somewhere else. In
the end, organizers were forced to relocate the video conference to the UN Plaza
Hotel, across from UN headquarters. The event was not hosted by the UNCA, but
rather the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in New York. "People
don't like to see conflict," Chin said. "when conflict does arise,
however, through the process of it all, it highlights the issue even more and
people have a better glimpse of the issue." Political
watchers also noted the change of strategy in the nation's campaign to join the
UN family. By
arguing that UN Resolution 2758 did not address Taiwan's status, Chen worked to
de-link the PRC's UN representation with Taiwan's own pursuit of UN membership,
according to Holmes Liao, a research fellow at the Taiwan Institute of Research.
Although
saying the GIO's outdoor billboards in Manhattan promoting Taiwan's UN bid were
notable, Chin said the climax of this year's UN campaign had been Chen's
conference with the international press. It highlighted the sovereign status of
the nation while underscoring Beijing's incessant move to squeeze Taiwan's
diplomatic space.
China's
tough Taiwan policy may backfire COUNTERPRODUCTIVE:
China's humiliation of Taiwan may be designed to convince Taiwanese to give up
notions of independence. But it's having the opposite effect Taiwan
suffered two recent humiliations in its public relations war with rival China --
embarrassment that might eventually haunt the communist giant. The
president's wheelchair-bound wife was briefly stripped of her credentials to
lead the Taiwanese delegation at the ongoing Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.
And for the 12th straight year, the island was blocked from joining the UN last
week. China
is usually successful at snuffing out Taiwan's efforts to win the world's
recognition. It seems the strategy is to wear down the Taiwanese, convince them
that their efforts to play a role on the global stage are ridiculous and futile.
Bei-jing says Taiwan should face the inevitable and just unify with China. But
the intense rivalry could turn into a classic case of winning all the battles
but eventually losing the war. Each time China embarrasses the nation in front
of the world, Taiwan drifts further away from it, Taiwanese leaders frequently
say. Public opinion shifts more toward the independence movement -- a group once
viewed as reckless zealots but now viewed as increasingly mainstream. Beijing
is facing a serious problem with Taiwan. More than five decades have passed
since the two sides split amid civil war, and Taiwan is developing its own
national identity. More and more people are considering themselves to be
Taiwanese, not Chinese. Just
before Taiwan lost its latest bid Thursday to join the UN, President Chen
Shui-bian warned that China's campaign against the island "only
serves to further alienate Taiwan from China and causes rancor on both
sides." Earlier
last week, when first lady Wu Shu-jen led the Taiwanese Paralympics delegation
to Athens, she proudly wore around her neck her credentials as the group's
leader. A few days later, Taiwanese media began reporting that Beijing was
pressuring Paralympics officials to yank the credentials, which they eventually
did. "China
probably used its indirect influence to remind Taiwan that the one-China idea
still has to be respected," said Philip Yang, professor of international
studies at Taipei's prestigious National Taiwan University. Each
hour on Wednesday, the island's cable news stations showed images from Greece of
the frail first lady, paralyzed from the waist down since being hit by a truck
in 1985. The networks also replayed the protests of Presidential Office official
James Huang , who said, "The humiliation is just too deep." Another
top Taiwanese official, Joseph Wu, said, "This kind of thing will only make
the distance between Taiwan and China larger and larger, for Taiwan it's very
unfavorable, but for China's long-term aims it's also not the right
direction." After
a few rounds of discreet negotiations, the Paralympics organizers allowed the
first lady to lead the delegation at the opening ceremony, but she didn't lead
Taiwan's team in the ceremony's parade. On the streets in the capital, some
Taiwanese agreed that China's move against the first lady would backfire. "China
is being shortsighted. If they hadn't stopped Wu, nobody would've talked about
her. Now everyone sees how unreasonable they are," said Tony Liu, 36, an
accountant who was enjoying his afternoon tea at a coffee shop. Wallis
Cheng, a 42-year-old teacher, said, "It is hard for us to receive
attention, but China is helping us by pushing us too far." Beijing
likely sees itself on a slippery Great Wall. Allowing Taiwan's first lady to
play a high-profile role at the Paralympics might embolden the Taiwanese to try
other things and create the impression that China is growing soft. It might also
send signals to other groups that it's now OK to work closely with the country.
Open
letter to the IPC By
Hsiu-min Wu Taiwan
first lady Wu Shu-hen has demonstrated outstanding strength in the past few days
in standing up to protect the nation's dignity and integrity. The International
Paralympic Committee has also set an example for international society of moral
courage by respecting the Taiwanese athletes and their leader. I
believe the IPC's action is worthy of recognition from all who love Taiwan. The
first lady and the entire Taiwan delegation are entitled to further support and
encouragement from every Taiwanese. Therefore,
together with other progressive organizations, I have drafted an open letter to
the IPC to commend it on its fair and just action, and to support the first lady
-- who in spite of weak health continues to stand up for her people and country
-- and all Taiwanese athletes. This
letter along with e-mail addresses are provided for public use, and I expect
each Taiwanese send an e-mail to the IPC to support our delegation and speak out
for the energetic Taiwan civil society. E-mails can be sent to the IPC at info@paralympic.org,
or to the IPC's Executive Committee contact Leen Coudenys at leen.coudenys@paralympic.org.
Dear
International Paralympic Committee President Craven, I
am writing this letter to commend the International Paralympic Committee for its
courageous decision to respect first lady Wu as the head of the Taiwanese
Delegation. Both
you and I have been expecting the positive inspiration that the Paralympic
athletes' excellent performance will have on the global community of disabled
people. This
will be demonstrated and appreciated through empowering outstanding disabled
athletes to achieve sporting excellence in a fair and just competition. The
Paralympic spirit should above all be about fairness, which is often not given
to people with disabilities. Today IPC's important decision to respect Taiwan's
first lady as the head of the Taiwanese Delegation has demonstrated the true
spirit of fairness and justice. The
vision of the IPC is "to enable Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting
excellence, and inspire and excite the world." The
IPC creates the conditions for the empowerment of athletes with disabilities
through self-determination. This vision is the reason why the IPC exists. Today,
your action demonstrates great moral strength and upholds this vision despite
external intervention. In
this way you have helped protect the integrity and dignity of our athletes and
their outstanding leader. For this, I highly commend you on your great moral
courage and efforts. I
want to also express our appreciation and encouragement to the first lady and
the entire Taiwanese team. Despite her weak health, first lady Wu has stood up
for her people at a difficult time by committing herself to the enhancement of
the human rights of the disabled, and the protection of national dignity. I
also appreciate our athletes' courage and confidence in supporting their leader
and achieving sporting excellence in the coming games. They
have shown the best example possible for all disabled people around the world to
stand up for a just cause and dignity. Please
convey my sincerest respect to the IPC, first lady Wu and the Taiwanese team. Hsiu-min
Wu
Exam
language rule a mistake The
Examination Yuan has come up with "four noes" as guidelines for the
setting of national-level exams. About three of these noes, no political
ideology in questions, no racial or sexual discrimination and no classical
Chinese literature, we have no complaint. But given the importance of building a
Taiwan-centered consciousness, not only among the public at large but in the
bureaucracy -- which since 1945 has been a redoubt of an ethnic group with very
mixed loyalties -- the fourth no can only be regarded as a huge mistake. We
refer, of course, to the decision that exams are not to be based on any
"dialects that have not been accepted by the general public." This
weasel phrase actually means languages spoken by the people of Taiwan, such as
Hoklo, Hakka or Aboriginal tongues. So
what language is to be used for exams? Well, the very one which almost no native
used in Taiwan until it was imposed upon Taiwanese by their foreign overlords in
1945 and ruthlessly promoted during the decades of colonial government that
followed -- namely, Mandarin Chinese. So amid efforts to raise a national
consciousness, exams for the civil service must be taken in the language of
Taiwan's former oppressors and current enemies. It is hard to think of anything
more crass. The
reason why Mandarin Chinese has been chosen as the only medium for national
exams is that it is the one language that everybody who has been through the
education system -- which presumably includes all those likely to sit for civil
service exams -- can be guaranteed to speak, so well did the Chinese Nationalist
Party (KMT) do its work. So by adopting the Mandarin-only rule, examiners can
ensure that no ethnic group is left out. But
Taiwan needs civil servants who identify with Taiwan, and it would seem
reasonable to expect that someone born and educated here who identifies with the
country might -- in fact should -- be expected to speak one of its languages. So
some kind of local language component in the exams should be a priority and all
exams should have a local-language component. This
could be a simply an extra paper testing candidates' ability in a local
language. Or this paper could be dropped for those who choose take a paper in
any other subject using a local language. The idea is a simple one. Have exams
mainly in Mandarin if you wish, but make sure that all candidates are fluent in
at least one of the island's languages as well. And, of course, it should be up
to the candidates to choose which local language they wish to be tested in. One
problem about such a system is that it will make the Examination Yuan's task
significantly harder; it will have to set and mark exams not only in Mandarin
but also Hoklo, Hakka and any of the 12 recognized Aboriginal languages. Who in
the Examination Yuan is capable of setting or marking an exam in the Tao
language spoken on Orchid Island? On the other hand, this is a wonderful chance
to bring one of the stuffiest of Taiwan's bureaucracies into contact with a
wonderful range of linguistic and cultural diversity. One
group is sure to complain about such an arrangement, and that is the small
number of Mainlander Mandarin monoglots who monopolized Taiwan's bureaucracy for
half a century. They will protest about a "linguistic apartheid." Yet
of course it is they who practiced linguistic apartheid, and the system we
propose which could bring this to an end. Nothing prevents Mainlanders from
learning a local language, as People First Party Chairman James Soong and Taipei
Mayor Ma Ying-jeou have notably shown. What
Taiwan needs is an exam system in tune with both its cultural and ethnic
diversity and responsive to the nation's needs. The Examination Yuan's new
language rule is exactly the opposite.
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