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Worrying about Taiwan¡¦s future
Thursday, Aug 19, 2010, Page 8
A look at the headlines of most newspapers yesterday was
enough to make one break into a cold sweat over Taiwan¡¦s prospects.
One headline said a US Department of Defense report concluded that China¡¦s
military expansion is continuing and that ¡§The balance of cross-strait military
forces continues to shift in [China¡¦s] favor¡¨ while Taiwan¡¦s defense
capabilities remain disappointing.
The report also said China has raised the goal for its military expansion past
Taiwan and is now aiming to match the US. In other words, should the People¡¦s
Liberation Army take action, not only would Taiwan be unable to resist, but it
would be difficult for the US to assist Taiwan.
Another headline announced the legislature had passed the Economic Cooperation
Framework Agreement (ECFA), despite the doubts of the public. Although the ECFA
is only an economic agreement, it is symbolic of the qualitative change in
cross-strait relations. With the signing of the ECFA, Taiwan will come to depend
ever more heavily on China, and will have less power to make independent
decisions. Taiwan has taken the first steps down the road of no return.
Given these two stories, it is very difficult to see how these developments
indicate the success of the government¡¦s cross-strait policies. President Ma
Ying-jeou (°¨^¤E) and his administration have pushed their pro-China policies to
increase cross-strait exchanges in an attempt to lower Beijing¡¦s hostility
toward Taiwan and maintain cross-strait peace and stability. The signing of the
ECFA has improved commercial relations, but China¡¦s military threat continues to
grow. The Pentagon report underlines the security threat against Taiwan, and we
can only hope Ma keeps the military imbalance in mind as he reads his own
national security reports.
A look at Chinese President Hu Jintao¡¦s (JÀAÀÜ) policy of ratcheting up China¡¦s
soft and hard power approaches to Taiwan shows that he has been very successful.
The ECFA has been signed, and Chinese tour groups and purchasing delegations are
flooding Taiwan. Taiwan has taken the bait, and will now have difficulty
regaining the initiative. China¡¦s soft approach has been successful.
If Taiwan refuses unification, China has its ¡§Anti-Secession¡¨ law, which
authorizes it to take military action. It has well over 1,500 missiles aimed at
Taiwan, and it has the military power to seal off the region and block
intervention. If Taiwan tries to get off the hook, it will be difficult to break
through the Chinese military net. China¡¦s hard power approach has also been
successful.
While Ma continues to bask in the international glory of improved cross-strait
relations, it is all too clear that Taiwan is facing a superior enemy. A peace
built on a defenseless Taiwan is an illusion. China could change its approach at
any time and for any reason, be it economic, political or military. Taiwan,
however, is lowering its guard, and this is a crisis built into the ECFA.
The Ma administration¡¦s biggest problem is its short-term approach and
one-dimensional thinking ¡X in pushing for the ECFA, it focused stubbornly on the
pact¡¦s advantages and refused to discuss or prepare for any negative impact.
Through its pro-China policies, the government has made the livelihoods of all
Taiwanese dependent on Beijing¡¦s goodwill, and it has done so without a backup
plan. It is very difficult to trust such a government with major
responsibilities.
The legislature has been deprived of its ability to act as a control on the ECFA,
and we must now hope that the public will be able to wake the government from
its reveries.
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