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EDITORIAL:
Whitewashing China’s ambitions
All was cheerful and merry as President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday lauded
former vice president Lien Chan’s (連戰) recent meeting with Chinese President Hu
Jintao (胡錦濤) on the sidelines of the APEC leaders’ summit in Vladivostok,
Russia. Praising Lien’s trip as fruitful, Ma commended his APEC envoy for not
only winning a promise from Hu to “seriously study” the possibility of “helping”
Taiwan participate in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), but
for striking an agreement with US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to
begin exploratory work for resumption of the bilateral Trade and Investment
Framework Agreement talks.
Focusing on how Lien conveyed Ma’s appreciation to Hu for the “great
contributions” he has made to cross-strait ties, and how Hu, for his part, said
China would continue to promote peaceful development across the Taiwan Strait,
it might appear to the public that China has reduced its hostility toward
Taiwan.
If only everything were as rosy as pictured by the Ma government.
The truth is that the Ma administration has a long-term problem of telling only
half-truths, for example creating the false impression that cross-strait
relations are all clear sailing under Ma’s governance.
Rather than praising Lien for obtaining Hu’s “promise” to “help” Taiwan take
part in the ICAO, why does Ma not condemn Beijing obstructing Taiwan’s joining
the organization in the first place? Let us not forget that Hu actually said
China would study the possibility of letting Taiwan participate in the ICAO in
“an appropriate way.”
As Hu reiterated Beijing’s “one China” principle in his talk of expanding
cross-strait ties and deepening the development of cross-strait peace, how proud
can Taiwan really be if it only obtains ICAO observer status on the grounds that
it is part of China?
As for Lien expressing appreciation to Hu for the “great contributions” he has
made to cross-strait ties, did it even for a nanosecond occur to either Ma or
Lien how ironic it was to be thanking Hu, when it is China’s blatant
obstructionism that has prevented Ma (and his predecessors) from attending the
APEC leaders’ summit as a leader duly elected by the people of Taiwan?
It certainly is a good thing for the government to share good news with its
people, but it is totally despicable for a government to play down an
oppressor’s ambition to annex the country. This show of goodwill toward Taiwan
is nothing but a poisoned chalice.
According to the Ministry of National Defense’s China Military Power Report 2012
recently delivered to the legislature, the number of Chinese ballistic and
cruise missiles aimed at Taiwan has increased from 1,400 last year to more than
1,600 this year.
If China were truly sincere in extending goodwill to the Taiwanese, then it
should remove all its missiles targeting Taiwan and stop obstructing Taiwan’s
participation in international organizations. Attaching the condition of the
“one China” principle to its willingness to help Taiwan take part in
international bodies is no goodwill at all.
All the whitewash in the world cannot help Ma and his government disguise
China’s goals, no matter how much they praise its cross-strait contributions.
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