Taiwan has become something like the Asian version of Asterix and Obelix’s irreducible
village.
A small enclave surrounded by a great empire that wants to engulf it...
And as with the small Gallic village, the citizens of Taiwan also have their own magic
potion to defend themselves against their enemies....
Of course, in this case we aren’t talking about potions made by a Druid... we’re talking
about the power of the United States.
Well... the United States... and also, recently, something else.
Folks, Taiwan has a new ally, a new secret advantage that is already fueling Beijing’s
wrath.
Listen up.
(BEIJING’S WRATH)
Taiwan, is facing enormous pressure from mainland China, which, as you know, claims the island
as part of its territory.
And, we’re not talking about the usual international politics tug of war...
You give it back, you take it, I get angry, I threaten you, then we let it be.
Not at all...
Beijing has even set a deadline:
See, the Chinese government has made it clear, time and time again, that it’s ready to
do what it takes, and that before the year 2049 – the centennial of the People's Republic
of China – Taiwan will have to rejoin mainland China.
Of course...
this leads to a problem...
and not exactly a small one: the Taiwanese aren’t really in favor of it.
They want nothing to do with it.
In fact, as we mentioned here on VISUALPOLITIK, in 2016 the Democratic Progressive Party of
Tsai Ing-Wen – who by the way, was one of our 2017 award-winning leaders of the year
– and who is rather an independentist, gained the power in Taiwan, all the power... both
of Congress and the presidency.
And since then... let's say that Beijing hasn’t taken this well.
What the hell... they took it horribly.
Since Tsa Ing-Wen became President...
practically from the very first minute, Beijing's pressures against the island multiplied...
and in recent months it’s already reached politically obsessive levels.
They’ve cut diplomatic ties, tried to punish Taiwan economically and have implemented huge
military exercises around the island.
But that’s not all.
Xi Jinping’s government is also using all its means to erase Taiwan’s name and identity
from the map.
For example, when we published our first video about Taiwan...
20 countries formally recognized the island’s government in Taipei as China’s legitimate
government.
Yes, as we’ve mentioned before, Taiwan has never declared its independence...
but for years it’s been claimed under China’s legitimate government.
And of course, diplomatically, a country can only have one recognized government.
Well, Beijing has multiplied its diplomatic agenda to end this situation.
Today, just a year later, only 17 countries consider it so, and almost all of them are
tiny.
But that’s not all.
In fact, given the circumstances, Beijing’s move would be understandable.
Something like: “I’m the legitimate government of China”.
But this is no longer a question of who’s the legitimate government... but simply that
Beijing has said both actively and passively... that it will never allow Taiwan to become
independent.
And one way to prevent that... is, precisely, by trying to erase all traces of the island’s
national identity.
Taiwan?
What’s Taiwan?
A car brand?
See, in order to pull this off, Beijing is blocking the presence of Taiwanese representatives
– and even its journalists – from all of the international bodies it can… such
as the World Health Organization.
It’s fining companies that sell products in China with the “Made in Taiwan” label.
Which for example happened to the Japanese chain Muji.
Another case we know about is that of the GAP clothing chain, which had to apologize
for selling T-shirts in North America that didn’t include Taiwan as part of China.
Even Taiwanese music groups like the indie punk band Fire EX, who don’t support the
reunification, are disappearing from Chinese streaming music services.
And...
Want one last example?
Well...
Due to Beijing’s threat, airlines from all over the world are no longer using the island’s
name.
Yes, you heard that right.
Even American companies aren’t using Taiwan’s name anymore.
I mean, yes, you can book a ticket from New York to Taipei... but don’t ask which country
you’re going to.
Although yes, unlike other international companies such as British Airways or Lufthansa, who
are already selling tickets to Taiwan as part of China...
American companies have simply resorted to the ghost country trick:
I sell tickets to…
Taipei.
Where is that?
Who cares?
And we can’t blame them… the Chinese aviation market is too big... and many companies have
direct interests in the country.
( “China’s goal regarding Taiwan has never changed.
That goal is to swallow up Taiwan’s sovereignty, exterminate Taiwanese democracy and achieve
ultimate unification.” Lee Teng-hui, Taiwan’s first democratically elected president to
New York Times.)
Without going any further...
American Airlines is a shareholder of China Southern Airlines and Delta, on the other
hand, of China Eastern Airlines.
However...
just a moment... because it’s not all bad news for Taiwan.
Along with the US’s support, the island has gained another powerful ally…
Or… you could say…
Taiwan is developing its own magic potion...
And no, I'm not talking about weapons.
Listen up.
(THE MECA OF FREEDOM)
Folks, Taiwan has been chosen as the first Asian host of the Oslo Freedom Forum, something
like a Congress, an international meeting on human rights.
But...
some of you may be wondering...
A Congress?
Is that really so important?
Well, my friends, in fact it is.
NOT so much for the Congress, but ultimately for what it means.
(“Even though global democracy has experienced a general trend of backsliding in the past
few years, Taiwan’s democracy has persisted and continues to thrive.
Taiwan can continue to serve as inspiration to democrats in Asia, including those in China.”
Ketty Chen, vice president of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy)
See, for decades, Hong Kong was the great bastion of freedom of expression in this area
of the world.
Both international media and human rights organizations established their headquarters
there.
And not only that, Hong Kong also became a refuge for many political exiles... like,
for example, the student leaders who led the Tiananmen protests.
However, in recent times and as we’ve seen here on VISUALPOLITIK...
things have changed…
And Beijing has tightened its grip on Hong Kong politics.
(“Hong Kong was originally the first choice for the Asia bureau.
But today China doesn’t just suppress its own people, it is now increasingly exporting
that suppression to Hong Kong.”
Wu’er Kaixi, an emeritus member of Reporters Without Borders, and a student leader of the
1989 Tiananmen protests.)
But... as this change was taking place...
Taiwan consolidated itself as a vibrant democracy and one of the freest places in the region.
That’s precisely why it’s replacing Hong Kong as the Mecca for freedom activists and
human rights in Asia.
Even though until 1987, Taiwan was under the control of an ironclad dictatorship.
Now, for example, one of the human rights film festivals that used to be held in Hong
Kong moved to Taiwan.
Lam Wing-Kee, one of the Hong Kong book publishers who was kidnapped by Chinese government agents
2 years ago, has announced that he will reopen his bookstore in Taiwan.
And Reporters Without Borders announced in 2017 that its first Asian office will be in
Taipei.
(“Freedom of expression is a big part of Taiwanese culture.”
Cédric Alviani, the Taipei bureau director of Reporters Without Borders.)
These are just some examples of what is already becoming a generalized trend.
Democracy, political plurality, freedom of expression, human rights, same-sex marriage...
Taiwan is becoming a benchmark.
And obviously this poses a huge problem for China’s interests.
For one, the Taiwanese love freedom...
so, of course, they don’t want anything to do with being ruled by Beijing's orders
again.
And for another, while the Chinese government attempts to erase, to annihilate the Taiwanese
identity throughout the world...
the country has suddenly emerged as a center of freedom...
with all the influence that entails.
Also, it’s much harder to consider attacking a country that is famous for its commitment
to human rights.
The International Community wouldn’t accept it.
And the truth is that this may be Taiwan’s best move.
Listen up.
(THE NEW MOVE)
In mid-July 2018, the second Apache helicopter squadron, made in Taiwan, went into service.
It’s part of what is strengthening the partnership between Washington and Taipei
- Of which, incidentally, we’ll speak in a future video -, which among other things
includes a significant increase in the sale of equipment and military technology to the
island.
Taiwan is buying helicopters, tanks, missiles, anti-aircraft systems and now even wants to
develop its own submarines.
However...
despite all this, it seems increasingly clear that militarily, it’ll be difficult for
Taiwan to stop China...
the budget difference is overwhelming...
China's military budget is between 15 and 20 times that of Taiwan... and it shows.
Yes, it's true, nowadays there’s the United States umbrella... but even that isn’t enough.
To have the guarantee that the international community would act in their favor, Taiwan
needs to reinforce its influence in the world... especially if it wants to become an independent
country.
Now, the question we need to ask ourselves is how on earth can they achieve this?
Well, folks, though it may surprise you, the military strategy – while essential – may
not be the most important.
Taiwan has to gain influence and prominence in the world, while overcoming the economic
problems that we talked about in a previous video.
To do so, it can, for example, seek to attract students from all over Asia and around the
world... by giving them facilities, promoting programs in English and attracting first-rate
teachers.
That would mean gaining a lot of influence and, of course, human capital.
Second, Taiwan can set in motion an aggressive policy to attract multinationals and get them
to establish not only factories here but, above all, research centers and administrative
headquarters.
They can do so by devoting special attention to attracting content creation companies:
media, film studios, youtubers, etc., etcetera.
Third... the government could seek to become a logistic enclave... for example by developing
its airport capabilities and thus becoming a large communications hub.
Fourth, it can attract more professionals from the rest of Asia...
Which would allow it both to face the island’s aging population, and, also, to strengthen
its ties with the workers’ places of origin.
And fifth, it must continue to promote its role as a center for human rights and freedom
of expression.
Okay, it's true, maybe a plan like this isn’t as exciting as huge weapons plans... but it
would be much cheaper – as trying to compete with China only via the military route seems
complicated – and it would boost the island’s economy as well as give it a lot of influence
around the world.
Given the circumstances, a university, a film studio, a hotel or the headquarters of a human
rights or multinational organization can be much more important for the island’s survival
than, for example, a battleship.
And no, it's not about giving an ultra-pacifist discourse or anything like that...
it's about pure pragmatism...
if we're talking about guaranteeing Taiwan's independence and freedom.
But now it's your turn.
Do you think the International Community should guarantee Taiwan’s security?
Leave your answer in the comments as well as in the survey.
So I really hope you enjoyed this video, please hit like if you did, and don’t forget to
subscribe for brand new videos.
Don’t forget to check out our friends at the Reconsider Media Podcast - they provided
the vocals in this episode that were not mine.
Also, this channel is possible because of Patreon, and our patrons on that platform.
Please consider joining them and supporting our mission of providing independent political
coverage.
And as always, I’ll see you in the next video.
Thanks for watching!