Archive for 2008 elections

Chinese Property Tycoons Set to Invade Taiwan

via nostalgiphile

18 Apr, 2008  Comments off


Finally, from the IHT, great news of the KMT’s first big “sell out” of Taiwan:

A group of Chinese property tycoons will visit Taiwan next week in what could bring the first wave of mainland investment to the island since civil war split the two in 1949.

Ah, the first fruits of those traitorous “agreements” made between the KMT and CCP in 2005 are finally ripening. Hu Jintao’s mouth must be watering!

“Taiwanese have invested billions of dollars on the mainland to take advantage of its cheap labor, but Chinese investments are banned in Taiwan for fear it would give Beijing economic and political control of the island — a big concern for the outgoing pro-independence government of President Chen Shui-bian.”

Yah, a big concern for anyone who gives a damn about Taiwan in fact. As we’ve seen, economic control IS political control when the masses are so easily swayed by idiotic TV news, lies about the economy, and all sorts of traitorous pro-China talk. Now they (KMT-CCP) get to own Taiwan in the concrete sense:

“The Chinese business group is scheduled to visit a planned construction site near the international airport complex in Taoyuan County, a commercial-leisure complex in the central city of Taichung, and several resort areas in southern Taiwan.

“We are sure the visit by the Chinese group and subsequent investments will give a big boost to Taiwan’s property market and the economy,” said Hsiao Chia-chi, Taichung’s vice mayor.

At this point it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if Taichung’s KMT mayor, Jason Hu, showed up with an army of KTV girls and offered to “service” his ‘compatriots’ (同胞) on the spot, when they arrive in Taichung, Sin City, the capital of the Bamboo United States…mainland sex tourism to Taiwan is going to be such a blast!

Taiwan’s (Broken) New Template

via Diogenes Hwang

4 Apr, 2008  Comments off


IN a fascinating, highly immoral article for the IHT called “The Taiwan Template,” Humphrey Hawksley writes that “China’s integration and growing influence within the global economy have given diplomacy and roads to peace or conflict a new, untested set of benchmarks.” What HH means is that the governments of China and the USA, along with major business interests in the region, have triangulated on the issue of “Taiwan independence” in a new and highly disturbing manner. Hawksley points out that:

For its part, the United States since 2003 has taken the side of China whenever Taiwan makes rumbling noises on the issue of independence. This inconsistency between America’s claim to a global democratic mission and its warning to Taiwanese voters not to upset the Chinese apple cart is another example of the changing paradigm. “America is praising the people of Iraq for going to the polls yet at the same time condemning us for having a vote to express our desire to be part of the international community,” notes Bi-khim Hsiao, international affairs spokesman for Taiwan’s defeated Democratic Progressive Party.

To Taiwan independence supporters the US has both betrayed Taiwan and used it as a pawn in the high-stakes game of meddling in world affairs for the sake of capitalist elites everywhere, but to Hawksley the betrayal apparently means a triumph for “global integration” and “peace.” He goes on to glibly compare the outcome of the struggle for democracy in Taiwan to the situation in Tibet, finally concluding that:

Tibet straddles India and China, the two economic giants of the 21st century, and is perfectly placed to become an integral member of the global supply chain. For that to happen, though, Tibetan activists must stop attacking Chinese businesses. Chinese security forces must give space to Tibetan culture and expression. Both sides could then begin to trust each other and work together to create a Taiwan-style success story instead of a lingering victim with an unjust past.

The westerner’s message here seems to be something like: “make the localists STFU and forget about their right to national self-determination, democracy, independence, the preservation of their culture/heritage, etc.–then get them on the China bandwagon as quickly as possible.” The all mighty “Global Economy” demands it, therefore, it must be true and they should bow down and submit to their masters.

Seriously, I’m not sure what to make of the people who write this sort of triumphalist, global technocratic fluff. It’s as if they welcome a world where the governments of China and the US can colonize the planet for Fortune 500 companies in the name “integration,” “free trade,” and “global marketplace.” Nevermind that China is a rising fascist empire; nevermind that the US has gone from “beacon of democracy” to “beacon of bankers and capitalists” — that’s all good because “peace” means supporting their wretched, unjust “status quo.” If reducing Tibet and Taiwan (not to mention Iraq, the Sudan, Burma, and soon, Iran) to economic vassaldom is the mission of the two “great powers” in preserving the “status quo,” then I really have to wonder if perhaps conflict and war isn’t actually the better alternative. After all, some things are worth fighting for.

China Tensions Could Sway Vote in Taiwan

via Diogenes Hwang

21 Mar, 2008  Comments off


tw.jpg

From the NY Times:

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Violent unrest in Tibet has created shock waves in another volatile region on China’s periphery, shaking up the presidential election in Taiwan and sapping support for the candidate Beijing had hoped would win handily.
Vincent Yu/Associated PressMa Ying-jeou, right, the presidential candidate for Taiwan’s opposition Nationalist Party, greeted supporters Thursday from his vehicle while in Kaohsiung City.

The suppression of Tibet protests by Chinese security forces, as well as missteps by the Nationalist Party, which Beijing favors, have nearly erased what had seemed like an insuperable lead for Ma Ying-jeou, the Harvard-educated lawyer who has been the front-runner in the race.

Concern that China’s crackdown could herald a tougher line on outlying regions that Beijing claims as sovereign territory, including Taiwan, has become the most contested campaign issue ahead of Saturday’s election.

On Thursday, China acknowledged for the first time that security forces had opened fire on Tibetan protesters in Sichuan Province, while also saying that protests had spread to several areas of China where ethnic Tibetans live.

Even if Mr. Ma wins, the election may now give him a weaker mandate for his goal of pursuing closer economic ties and reduced diplomatic tensions with China.

A loss by Mr. Ma, which campaign analysts say is unlikely but now possible, would be a major setback for China’s leaders. They have cultivated the Nationalists in recent years to undermine Taiwan’s current pro-independence president, Chen Shui-bian, and reduce the chances that his Democratic Progressive Party will hold the presidency after Mr. Chen’s mandatory retirement.

The stirring up of the election on Taiwan, which Beijing has long considered its top national security priority, is a potentially heavy price for the Tibetan unrest and the ensuing police action. Beijing also faces a stronger international outcry over its human rights record and scattered calls to boycott the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games, which China hopes will showcase the country’s rapid development.

Both the Nationalists and the Democratic Progressive Party promise to reduce tensions between Taiwan and China. But China has been wary of the Democratic Progressive Party’s presidential candidate, Frank Hsieh, who inherits a volatile coalition that includes many native Taiwanese who favor outright independence from China.

Mr. Hsieh and his party, with help from Mr. Chen’s ministers, have moved swiftly to turn Tibet into a central campaign issue. They contend that Tibet’s fate is a warning of Taiwan’s future if it does not stand up to Beijing.

“What has happened in Tibet in the past three decades, and what is going on now, is a warning to us,” said Shieh Jhy-wey, the minister of information and a Democratic Progressive Party member who takes a hard line toward Beijing. “We don’t want to have the same fate as Tibet.”

Mr. Hsieh abruptly turned a campaign rally in Taipei on Wednesday night into a candlelight vigil for Tibetans who have been killed, injured or detained during the Chinese crackdown. Party activists unfurled a huge Tibetan flag, and Tibetan students sang a Tibetan anthem.

A huge television screen at the rally showed a documentary on Tibetan history provided by the Taiwan office of the Dalai Lama, as well as a short video of Chinese soldiers mistreating Tibetans. Mr. Hsieh’s running mate, Su Tseng-chang, has scheduled a “Support Tibet” rally for Friday morning while Mr. Hsieh has scheduled a “Protect Taiwan Democracy” election-eve rally in Taipei for Friday.

With politicians from both parties concluding that the Tibet issue is hurting the Nationalists, Mr. Ma has focused on damage control. To the surprise of many even in his own party, he warned this week that Taiwan might boycott the Olympics if the Chinese crackdown in Tibet turned more draconian and if conditions there deteriorated further.

Known for his gentlemanly style, his reluctance to engage in personal attacks on political adversaries and his long-held desire for more cordial relations with the mainland, Mr. Ma has also rushed to distance himself from Beijing by using uncharacteristically harsh language.

When Prime Minister Wen Jiabao of China said Tuesday that Taiwan’s future should be decided by people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and not just by Taiwan residents, Mr. Ma condemned what he described as a “ruthless, irrational, arrogant, foolish and self-righteous comment.” Mr. Hsieh has rejected any boycott of the Olympics.

Opinion polls showed Mr. Ma with a lead of up to 20 percentage points last week; Taiwan’s election laws do not allow the release of polls during the final 10 days before voting. PAGE 2