Chen to get rights award on US visit

HIGH PRAISE: The US Congress will present the honor to Chen for his work to promote democracy when he makes a transit stop in the US on Sept. 20

BY CHARLES SNYDER

STAFF REPORTER , IN WASHINGTON

President Chen Shui-bian will be honored by the US Congress with a human-rights award when he arrives in the US on Sept. 20 en route to a tour of Taiwan's Latin American allies, it was disclosed in Washington this week.

The award, to be presented by the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, will honor Chen for his "efforts in promoting tolerance, democracy, and human rights," according to a House of Representatives resolution welcoming his visit. The caucus is made up of more than 250 House members, more than half the total House membership of 435.

UN Bid support

Meanwhile, several congressmen are preparing letters in support of Taiwan's bid to join the UN, in advance of a mass rally planned in New York next week on the eve of a global summit meeting accompanying the General Assembly's celebration of its 60th anniversary.

The summit will draw the heads of state of well over 100 nations, including presidents George W. Bush and Hu Jintao.

The House resolution was introduced Thursday by Representative Steve Chabot, a Republican who is a co-chairman of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus. It was also sponsored by the other three co-chairman of the Taiwan caucus, and has attracted the co-sponsorship of 10 other House members.

Sponsors expect it to receive sufficient additional support to enable the House International Relations Committee to approve the resolution at a business meeting slated for next Wednesday, and to send it to the full House for approval before Chen arrives.

Chen will stop over in Miami on his way to Latin America and will stay overnight in San Francisco on his way back to Taipei.

`Ironclad' ties

Calling the US-Taiwan relationship over the past half century "ironclad," the House resolution expresses the "sense of Congress" welcoming Chen to the US. It calls the trip "another significant step in broadening and deepening the friendship and cooperation between the United States and Taiwan."

Chen will bring with him "a strong message from the Taiwanese people that Taiwan will cooperate and support the United States campaign against international terrorism and efforts to rebuild an bring democracy and stability to Afghanistan and Iraq," the resolution says.

It also thanks Taiwan for its US$2 million contribution to relief efforts in the devastated Gulf of Mexico coastal areas stricken by Hurricane Katrina, and asks Chen to "communicate to the people of Taiwan the support of Congress and the American People."

The resolution praises Taiwan for "unequivocal support" of human rights, democracy, freedom of the press and speech, and "free and fair elections."

Also in Washington, Taiwan supporters are gathering letters from congressmen endorsing Taiwan's bid to gain UN membership. Those letters are planned to be read at the New York rally on Tuesday, which is expected to draw between 300 and 500 Taiwanese-Americans to demand Taiwan's admission into the world body.

The Taiwanese will hold their demonstration at the UN's Dag Hammarskjold Plaza at midday, and then move to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, where Bush and Hu are scheduled to meet that afternoon.

The congressional letters will be gathered by the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA), a major Taiwan lobbying organization in Washington, for presentation at the rally.

Unfair exclusion

Tom Tancredo, a Colorado Republican, wrote a typical letter to FAPA president Wu Ming-chi, saying Taiwan's exclusion "is both unfair to the people of Taiwan and counterproductive to the rest of the world."

"I am hopeful that the UN delegates will resist the relentless and irrational pressure of the communist regime in Beijing and accord the people of Taiwan their rightful representation in this important world body," he says.

Similar expressions were voiced on the floor of the House this week. Republican Representative Dan Burton, the chairman of the Western Hemisphere subcommittee of the House International Relations Committee, said in a speech welcoming Chen's US visit, "It has been a gross injustice to deny Taiwan's 23 million people their proper voice in the world. The United States should take more active steps in helping Taiwan re-enter the World Health Organization and the United Nations."

Chen appears at APEC, but in cartoon form

STAFF WRITER

The cartoon figure of President Chen Shui-bian has finally been granted permission to appear in the exhibition to celebrate the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Busan, South Korea, thanks to the efforts of officials from the Taipei Mission in South Korea and the Busan Cartoon Club.

The cartoon figure of Chen was put on display yesterday at the APEC Summit Cartoon Figure Exhibition in Busan City -- the venue of this year's annual event -- along with those of other heads of state slated to attend the APEC summit in November.

The exhibition started on Monday in Busan City, but until yesterday the cartoon representing Taiwan was that of Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh. Lee, a co-winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in chemistry, has represented Chen at the annual APEC leadership meeting for the past three years.

APEC is one of the few international organizations to admit both Taipei and Beijing. But because of Beijing's opposition, Taiwan's head of state has never been allowed to attend any of the previous informal leadership meetings and has instead had to name a proxy to attend on his behalf.

On insisting that the cartoon of Chen be displayed at the show, Taiwanese officials in South Korea maintained that the nature of such an exhibition was cultural, and had nothing to do with political activities.

They also said that since the exhibition was going to feature the caricatures of national leaders participating in the APEC summit, and as Chen has yet to decide if he will attend, the South Korean government should respect "Chinese Taipei" as an economy.

Prior to the cartoon figure exhibition, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already pointed out that the cartoon figures on display should be of national leaders who will participate in the APEC summit, adding that exhibiting the cartoon figure of one who is unable to attend the meeting was simply inappropriate.

A lie told a thousand times

By Kengchi Goah

Could a lie told a thousand times become a truth?

Yes, it could. That is what China believes in, and attempts to concoct regarding Taiwan's sovereignty. China has been entertaining vengeance against Japan and the West, for both have abused China in the past. Unable to take revenge on either country, China instead turned its anger on Taiwan, a small chip that China once abandoned and now claims as part of its territory. However, the claim stands on thin ice and must be refuted with facts.

Geometry says that a platform requires a minimum of three pillars to stand firmly on the globe. How many pillars support China's claim of title to Taiwan? Zero.

In 1895, by signing the Treaty of Shimonoseki with Japan as a result of defeat in a Sino-Japanese war, China ceded Taiwan to Japan in perpetuity, in addition to paying huge amounts of monetary compensation.

In 1943, the Cairo Declaration, a joint statement slightly better than a press release with no legal power, was issued expressing the common intent of restoring Taiwan to China after the war as a condition enticing China to pin down Japanese forces on the Asian continent.

In 1945, World War II ended with Japan's defeat and surrender to the Allied powers. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government was assigned by the Allied powers as their agent to administer Taiwan.

In 1949, defeated by the Chinese Communists, the KMT took refuge in Taiwan. The KMT was supposed to be an agent of the Allied powers, but they began a reign of terror. Meanwhile, the communists declared the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC) government in Beijing.

In 1950, the Korean War broke out. US president Harry Truman dispatched the Seventh Fleet to the Taiwan Strait.

In 1951, by signing the San Francisco Peace Treaty (SFPT), Japan renounced its title to Taiwan. That treaty, however, did not nullify the Treaty of Shimonoseki. In essence, Taiwan's legal status did not revert to what it was prior to the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki.

Furthermore, neither the Republic of China (ROC) government nor the PRC government represented the state of China in drafting or concluding the treaty. The treaty, which entered into effect in 1952, completely overrode the Cairo Declaration and excluded China from issues pertaining to Taiwan.

In 1952, after the SFPT took effect, the ROC government taking refuge in Taiwan signed a Treaty of Peace with Japan reaffirming the terms of SFPT. However, the ROC government was at that time not representing Taiwan in any legal capacity.

In 1971, the PRC government replaced the ROC government as the sole representative of China in the UN.

In 1972, following US president Richard Nixon's visit to China, the US government and the PRC government issued the Shanghai Communique. It contains, however, statements of disagreement in which both the US and China staked out incongruent positions. The US government only acknowledged that China claimed title to Taiwan.

In 1978, the PRC government signed a Treaty of Peace and Friendship with Japan. No provision of the treaty deals with title to Taiwan. In the same year, the US derecognized the ROC government and established formal diplomatic ties with the PRC government.

In 1979, the US Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act, a domestic law for handling all affairs with Taiwan.

Given the condensed history and all known legal documents associated with those events, it is without doubt that Taiwan's sovereignty is as yet unsettled. No single state was ever conferred title to Formosa Taiwan since 1952.

No wonder China was unable to support its claim of reacquiring title to Taiwan in the Shanghai Communique of 1972, except by sneaking in a legally unsupportable statement that "Taiwan is a province of China which has long been returned to the motherland" to indulge itself.

Chinese people in the past hundred years have immersed themselves into a state of constantly seeking ways to shake off its humiliations at the hands of the West and Japan. The strong desire is understandable and respected. What is deplorable is the tactics they employ.

Imperial Russia sold Alaska to the US, a voluntary transaction which the succeeding Russian governments may regret but cannot revoke. By the same token, imperial China ceded Taiwan, considered an unruly island, to Japan in 1895 -- a deed that China can't revert.

It was a bitter pill that the state of China had to swallow to keep the rest of its territory intact. Neither ignoring its past misdeed nor attempting to whitewash well-documented international treaties will restore China's pride or glory. Whipping up nationalistic riots against Japanese interests or passing an Anti-Secession Law against the Taiwanese people will only ill serve China.

Taiwan was once a territory of China. So was Cuba once a territory of Spain, and New Mexico a part of Mexico. Claiming title to Taiwan by twisting historic facts, China may fool some people some times, but can never fool all the people all the time.

No, a lie told a thousand times never becomes a truth.

Kengchi Goah

Cranbury, New Jersey

More fair system of benefits needed

By the Liberty Times editorial

The unemployment rate remains at a high level. As victims of factory closure or after relocating to China, many workers have been left without a pension. Military personnel, civil servants, and government-employed teachers, on the other hand, are often better off after retirement as a result of generous pensions or savings, receiving preferential interest rates of 18 percent.

How much better off are these retired military personnel, civil servants and teachers? President Chen Shui-ban said that if you look around the world, receiving 80 percent of income as a retirement payout is considered extremely high, but in Taiwan, the figure can often exceed 100 percent, to go as high as 120 percent.

This is clearly absurd. Although Chen's intention to introduce reform is admirable, results cannot be expected immediately. It will require across-the-board planning to devise a system that is long-lasting and fair.

Although military personnel, civil servants, and teachers are employed by the government, they are still ordinary workers. But ordinary workers in Taiwan enjoy none of their advantages. Clearly there is a double standard in effect. From the previous Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime to today's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government, military personnel, civil servants, and teachers have been pampered, while farmers, fishermen and other workers cannot even hope for such treatment. It is not an exaggeration to say that they have been treated as second-class citizens.

The majority of workers have long been dissatisfied with the preferential treatment, monthly pension and 18 percent interest savings that is given to military personnel, civil servants and teachers. In recent years, the deterioration of the economy has meant that these benefits impose a heavy financial burden on the country. If the system is not thoroughly reformed, the government will not be able to bear this burden indefinitely.

Chen recently pointed out that the military personnel and public servants recruited after 1995 are no longer entitled to the preferential savings rate of 18 percent, adding that "there should be an opportunity to reform such a policy even though we cannot abolish it." In this case, the government should draw up a timetable and a comprehensive plan to get the reform off the ground rather than constantly putting it off.

Aside from this preferential interest rate, it is also about time the government reformed the monthly pension enjoyed by retired civil servants.

Nowadays, life expectancy is generally much longer than before as a result of advanced medical treatment and the growing awareness of healthy living. At present, many people who entered the public service in their early twenties are still in the prime of life, but are already eligible for retirement.

Consequently, it will be easy for these people to receive a pension for 20 or even 30 years. This will only lead the nation to face a heavy burden on the financial front and to waste precious human resources, for these people are still able to contribute much to the nation. Instead, the current system encourages former public servants to retire in their prime.

Unfortunately, most of the taxpayers in Taiwan are unable to enjoy this kind of retirement system. We believe that the problem is going to deteriorate into chaos as society gradually ages and the birth rate declines.

Most would not oppose the idea that the government should take care of retired military staff, public servants and public school teachers. However, if their retirement earnings exceed what they could earn when they were working, and also exceed most of the laborers, farmers and fishermen, the general public will become disgruntled if such a system continues to operate.

In principle, public servants are employed by the nation, which means they are also employed by the people. If their performance at work has bettered the life of people, it is reasonable to increase their pay or pensions. In Taiwan, no matter how the economy fares and no matter whether the general public is satisfied with the performance of civil servants, the salary and pensions of government workers simply continue to increase, and are never cut back.

Such a practice runs counter to the principles of a market economy. It is nice to see that these people are affluent; however, such a practice has to be based on a reasonable system.

Establishing a rational and fair system is now a matter of great urgency. The government not only has to conduct a comprehensive review of such a system regarding military personnel, public servants and teachers but also to take into account benefits for the laborers, farmers and fishermen.

In short, the government should not favor a specific group. In the past, civil servants received relatively low salaries, but this was compensated for by offering a favorable retirement system. Nowadays, the salary of the public servants has exceeded those of the private sector.

It is now time to make some adjustments to make the system fairer to all. This will help smooth out the divisions within society. It will be necessary for the government to give such policy reforms serious thought if it is to avoid setting up obstacles for the future.

The nation needs more `oceanic thinking'

By James Holmes

The Taiwanese don't think of their nation as an island nation at all, Vice President Annette Lu said. Lu credited a recent trip to the island Republic of Palau for opening her eyes to East Asia's maritime geography. She said that her brief sojourn on Palau, surrounded by water, had impressed upon her Taiwan's "dwindling oceanic culture." Taiwan, she said, sorely needs that kind of "oceanic thinking."

Lu's brainchild, the Democratic Pacific Union (DPU), aspires to build a common culture -- she calls it a "blue civilization" -- among the 26 democratic countries adjacent to the Pacific Ocean. Seagoing culture, commerce, and security are central to the DPU's mission. She can start at home by reinvigorating Taiwan's own maritime culture.

Taiwan often seems to be a land-based society, but it sits about 160km off the Chinese landmass, at the midpoint of the "first island chain." Its Aboriginal tribes excelled at nautical pursuits such as fishing. Well-known seafarers such as the explorer Zheng He and the naval commander Shih Lang figured prominently in its history.

Traders operated from its coasts, flouting the Confucian injunction against profit-making. Pirates set up shop on the island, harrying shipping that, then as now, took the convenient route through the Taiwan Strait to Chinese seaports. Dissident Chinese intellectuals made the island a haven, a buffer against imperial oppression.

Over the centuries, however, emigration from the mainland eclipsed Taiwan's nautical culture. The Ming dynasty outlawed seagoing commerce in the 1500s, dismantling China's formidable navy. In the 1600s and 1700s, after the ban was lifted, settlers poured across the Strait in search of economic prosperity, bringing with them a culture that regarded China as the "Middle Kingdom," the epicenter of civilization.

To call China a land-based culture understates matters. Settlers from China superimposed their own culture, which placed enormous weight on ties to the ancestral homeland, on Taiwan's indigenous seafaring culture. The sea had little place in the worldview of the island's dominant group.

In the late 1940s, after battling vainly against Mao Zedong's Red Army, Chiang Kai-shek led his army across the Strait, re-establishing his nationalist government in Taipei. This new influx of Mainlanders imprinted their own China-centric view on Taiwan's culture. Followers of Chiang thought of Taiwan as little more than a base from which to "recapture the mainland."

Official dogma backed by martial law perpetuated the land-based view. Although Taipei has quietly abandoned its claim to rule all of China, the traditional attitude persists among older Taiwanese, especially those born in China, who tend to regard Taiwan not as an island nation in its own right but as a temporary outpost. Rejuvenating oceanic thinking will not be easy.

In part because of the land-oriented view, Taiwan's leadership has let the nation's maritime defenses slip at a time when China's naval power is surging, and the US military, the island's long-time protector, is tied down elsewhere.

Lu and like-minded maritime enthusiasts need to help others appreciate the dangers and opportunities emanating from the sea. Reaching out to young Taiwanese who harbor no illusions about "taking back the mainland" would be a good start. Celebrating the island's maritime heritage would also help. Interest in Taiwan's Aboriginal seafaring culture is on the rise, while the 600th anniversary of Zheng He's voyages is fast approaching. And the DPU's efforts to nurture a common Pacific culture could pay off in the long-term. Taiwan must look seaward.

James Holmes is a senior research associate at the University of Georgia's Center for International Trade and Security and a former US naval officer.