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US should look to
Taiwan: academic
DEVELOPMENT: A US academic said Taiwanˇ¦s
bloodless democratization and key role in producing value-added goods have
helped the nation become a global player
Staff Writer, with CNA, Los Angeles
The nationˇ¦s successful experience in economic and democratic development could
be borrowed by the US to bolster its rebuilding efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan,
a US expert in East Asian affairs suggested recently.
Taiwan should be held up as a model of successful and equitable economic
development and peaceful democratization, said Shelley Rigger, a professor of
East Asian politics at Davidson College in North Carolina, during a talk on
Tuesday on the Forum with Michael Krasny on KQED, a US public radio channel.
During the interview, Rigger talked about her new book, Why Taiwan Matters:
Small Island, Global Powerhouse, which aims to give people a better
understanding of Taiwanˇ¦s importance.
Taiwanˇ¦s representative office in San Francisco, the Taipei Economic and
Cultural Office (TECO), helped arrange the interview.
The Forum, an hour-long talk show, is the most popular program broadcast by KQED
and it is one of the most influential programs on public radio in the US,
according to the San Francisco TECO.
Rigger said the US, currently helping Iraq and Afghanistan rebuild their
war-ravaged countries, should take its cue from ˇ§Taiwanˇ¦s success in achieving
democratization without bloodshed,ˇ¨ efforts that Rigger described as being in
line with US values.
She said Taiwanese companies have been key players in Chinaˇ¦s economic rise over
recent decades. Made-in-China products have dominated global markets, but most
of the high value-added goods exported from China are developed, designed and
assembled by firms invested in by Taiwanese, Rigger said.
Although it is a small island nation, Taiwan is also an important trade partner
for the US, she said. She urged the US to continue supporting Taiwan in its
efforts to resist unification on Chinaˇ¦s terms.
On the cross-Taiwan Strait issue, she said that despite a common language and
culture, Taiwanese and Chinese people have very different ideas of nationalism
and identity as a result of their long separation.
Since it would be hard for China to force unification on Taiwan, Beijing has
made greater efforts to deter Taiwanese independence than to push for
unification, she said.
According to the TECO, a person from China called the forum while it was on air
and condemned Rigger for calling Taiwan a country.
Rigger rebutted the comment, saying that Taiwan is a unique case in the
international community. She pointed out that Taiwan has its own customs and
immigration system, which any foreigner wishing to enter the country must
satisfy.
In her book, Rigger also explains how Taiwan ˇX despite its small size ˇX has
become a key global player, highlighting economic and political breakthroughs so
impressive they have been called ˇ§miracles.ˇ¨
She links these accomplishments to Taiwanˇ¦s vibrant culture and unique history.
Drawing on the arts, economics, politics and international relations, Rigger
explores the importance of Taiwan to China, the US and the rest of the world.
She also examines how the focus of the nationˇ¦s domestic politics has shifted to
a Taiwan-centered strategy.
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