Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Getting Taiwan-China history right

Gerrit van der Wees

In an article published by the Harvard Kennedy School, renowned historian of modern China Rana Mitter used a structured question-and-answer format to deepen the understanding of the relationship between Taiwan and China.

Mitter highlights the differences between the repressive and authoritarian People’s Republic of China and the vibrant democracy that exists in Taiwan, saying that Taiwan and China “have had an interconnected relationship that has been both close and contentious at times.”

However, his description of the history — before and after 1945 — contains significant flaws.

Minister slams Chinese cyanide fishers

Taipei Times

Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) yesterday condemned Chinese fishers for using cyanide and urged them to respect the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Speaking to reporters after the International Conference on Marine Environmental Management in Taipei, Kuan made the remarks following the seizure of a Chinese vessel carrying cyanide by the Coast Guard Administration for illegally operating near the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea.

Cyanide fishing involves spraying a sodium cyanide mixture into a habitat to stun fish for capture. The practice harms not only the target species, but also other marine organisms, including coral reefs.

‘Natural independence’ eats itself

Taipei Times Editorial

A large part of the discourse about Taiwan as a sovereign, independent nation has centered on conventions of international law and international agreements between outside powers — such as between the US, UK, Russia, the Republic of China (ROC) and Japan at the end of World War II, and between the US and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) since recognition of the PRC as the sole representative of China at the UN.

Internationally, the narrative on the PRC and Taiwan has changed considerably since the days of the first term of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) of the Democratic Progressive Party, when then-US president George Bush was rumored to have referred to Chen as a “troublemaker” for standing up for Taiwanese sovereignty. Historians would view the COVID-19 pandemic as a watershed moment in which the international community stopped seeing Taiwan as a troublemaker and woke up to the dangerous actions of the Chinese Communist Party.

‘Domino effect’ if Taiwan falls: Chiu

Taipei Times

China is preparing for war to seize Taiwan, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said in Washington on Friday, warning that Taiwan’s fall would trigger a regional “domino effect” endangering US security.

In a speech titled “Maintaining the Peaceful and Stable Status Quo Across the Taiwan Strait is in Line with the Shared Interests of Taiwan and the United States,” Chiu said Taiwan’s strategic importance is “closely tied” to US interests.

Geopolitically, Taiwan sits in a “core position” in the first island chain — an arc stretching from Japan, through Taiwan and the Philippines, to Borneo, which is shared by Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, he said.

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