For those who live in Taiwan and even those in other parts of the world, the population has had to listen to the droning pseudo claims of its sometime president Ma Ying-jeou that he has reduced tension in the Taiwan Strait. In one sense, yes tension has been reduced and the answer is simple. China no longer has to put the screws to Taiwan because Ma has kowtowed in obedience to China's whims. Since Taiwan will no longer stand up for its dignity, China can now put the screws to other countries in the region.

Case in point. 14 Taiwanese nationals who were accused of international fraud were deported not to Taiwan, but to China at China's request. China can indicate by this that Taiwan's citizens are really under China's control.

Ma's ineffectual government made its standard protest, but of course to no avail. And why should other governments listen to a protest from Ma's government when Ma allows himself to be addressed by Chinese envoys not as Mr. President but as Mr. Ma. Why should other countries respect Ma's government's wishes when Ma hesitates to show the national flag when Chinese delegations are in Taiwan. Why should surrounding nations show respect for Taiwan, if Ma does not show respect for the country that he claims to represent as its president.

In Taiwan, Ma will make the claim that all of China belongs to the Republic of China by its Constitution, but in practice Ma continues to grovel. Yes, Ma has reduced tension in the Taiwan Strait, because with Ma already groveling, China can now turn its focus on to other countries in the region and put pressure on them to recognize its hegemony.

Do Taiwanese really want to continue to support a weak-kneed poseur as its president?

Source: Jerome F. Keating's writings

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