Tue, Jun 10, 2014 - Page 8
As much as Taiwan craves international attention, sometimes it has found itself in international headlines through no action of its own. More often than not, this has happened because of its neighbor across the Taiwan Strait.
Last week, actress Angelina Jolie drove the Middle Kingdom into a frenzy by telling the Associated Press that she admired director Ang Lee (李安), adding: “I’m not sure if you consider Ang Lee Chinese, he’s Taiwanese, but he does many Chinese-language films with many Chinese artists and actors.”
Chinese netizens responded by calling for a boycott of Jolie’s movies. Even Jolie’s partner — actor Brad Pitt — was dragged into the drama, with Chinese accusing him of supporting the Tibetan independence movement.
Lee is no stranger to China’s never-ending efforts to make Taiwan invisible. The director’s acceptance speech after winning the “best director” Oscar for Life of Pi in February last year was censored by China’s state-owned media, which took out his expressions of gratitude to Taiwan and Greater Taichung, where the film was shot.
Lee’s efforts to highlight Taiwan on the international stage whenever possible are heart-warming. Jolie also deserves credit for being able to differentiate Taiwanese from Chinese, a simple distinction.
Many Chinese refuse to admit that Taiwan is a sovereign, independent and separately governed country, including tennis player Peng Shuai (彭帥). Peng, the doubles partner of Taiwanese player Hsieh Su-wei (謝淑薇), interrupted an interview following the pair’s triumph in the women’s doubles at Wimbledon in July last year, saying that she could not accept Hsieh’s statement that Taiwan is a country.
Ironically, Peng and Hsieh won their second Grand Slam doubles titles at the French Open on Sunday. Peng should realize that a win like that one will not be called a “Chinese victory” forever.
Back to politics and Greater Tainan Mayor William Lai’s (賴清德) remarks during his two-day visit to Shanghai last week. In a meeting with Chinese academics, a Fudan University professor reportedly blamed the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) independence charter for what the professor described as a stalled cross-strait relationship. Lai said that the party’s independence charter and Resolution on Taiwan’s Future were part of the trajectory of Taiwan’s history.
Lai said that while the DPP supported Taiwanese independence, the party also respects the public’s right to self-determination, adding that there is a clear consensus for the cause in the nation, which was why former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was elected.
“Asking the DPP to freeze or remove its Taiwan independence charter will not do away with Taiwan’s call for independence,” Lai said.
He also made references to the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989 and the Sunflower movement in Taiwan, both considered taboo topics in China. Chinese media, as expected, censored them while Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office reiterated its opposition to Taiwan independence.
Whether Lai’s comments, which have won praise in Taiwan for “sticking it to the Chinese” and “saying what should have been said all along,” will impact the DPP’s relations with Beijing remains to be seen.
However, one thing is certain. While antagonizing China is unnecessary and unwise — from the perspective of the development of cross-strait ties — it is equally fruitless trying to placate China by catering to its every demand, which has been what President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), as well as several DPP politicians have been doing.
China has been burying its head in the sand and refusing to acknowledge the existence of Taiwan for far too long. At the end of the day, it is unlikely Taiwanese will agree to unify with a country that has always pretended they do not exist.