By J. Michael Cole
Taiwan wants many things. War isn’t on that list.
As a left-of-center and proud liberal Canadian who vehemently opposed the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq and once shared a page with Fidel Castro in CounterPunch magazine, it is fascinating how often I have been accused over the years of being a “right-winger,” a “warmonger,” or an instrument of Western intelligence for arguing that the international community has an interest in and the responsibility to help Taiwan defend itself against Chinese aggression. The systematic use of such allegations, which have been used to discredit supporters of Taiwan, demonstrates the extent of the Chinese propaganda apparatus’ success.
The plot is actually rather simple: A nation of 23 million people that bloodlessly transitioned from authoritarian rule to democracy in the 1980s faces the prospect of being taken over — perhaps by military force — by an authoritarian country of 1.4 billion people with an atrocious human rights record and increasingly expansionist tendencies. Unlike Israel, with which it is sometimes (wrongly) compared, Taiwan does not occupy another people’s land, nor does it have any intention to threaten its neighbors. In fact, its people are often accused of lacking martial spirit.
The majority of Taiwanese, including supporters and members of the “China-friendly” Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), either support de jure independence or the status quo (a euphemism for de facto independence). Only a small minority support unification with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), which Taiwan was never a part of, and among them most would only be amenable to such an outcome once (and if) China democratizes. The majority of Taiwanese trace their ancestry back to China, which with other influences — Aborigine, Japanese, Western — has contributed to the island-nation’s extremely rich culture and made the land a culinary and artistic paradise that should be celebrated for its idiosyncrasies.
The island is among the world’s 20 largest economies, a key node in the global supply chain, and has great potential to make substantial contributions in the fields of science and technology — potential that is clipped as a result of pressure from Beijing, which has resulted in Taiwan being excluded from most international bodies.
Read the full story at The Diplomat