Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) often says the Republic of China (ROC) is a sovereign state, and that its sovereignty extends to all China. When dealing with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), however, he does not require that it recognize the ROC as such. This nonsense has made Taiwan a laughing stock to China’s 1.4 billion people.

Hearing Ma’s claims, we want to ask him what the ROC really is. It is not a UN member, nor is it recognized by any major country. Ma claims that the territory of the PRC — a UN member — falls within the ROC’s borders. If we follow this ridiculous claim, the world’s textbooks on international law would all have to be rewritten.

A year that began with uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, tsunami-like flooding in Australia and massive mudslides in Brazil, shows no signs of easing up. From Christchurch’s pulverizing earthquake to Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s scorched-earth policy and the escalating disaster in Japan, the world is being rocked on a daily basis. Old certainties can no longer be relied upon.

What is clear is that new standards are now required — in disaster preparedness, in damage-proofing nuclear power stations, in accountability both on the part of government and private industry and in the public’s expectations of themselves. While it is not possible to guarantee against every possibility, much more can be done and the last thing that is needed is bland reassurance from governments, whether in Japan, Taiwan, the US, Egypt, China or elsewhere.