A Taiwan Reminder
I'm sure that over the last couple of years more and more people living outside of Asia have come to recognize that Taiwan is a country distinct from China, regardless of how Reuters and the AP preface any article concerning the two ( Taiwan, which China views as a renegade province...Taiwan, which China views as part of China...Taiwan, which China thinks should just shut-up and roll over...). I won't go into details here. Go to Michael Turton's blog for anything you would like to know about Taiwan and the world. Here are some short, easy-to-remember bullet points from John Tkacik in today's Taipei Times.
- Its population is bigger than Australia's.
- Its GDP is larger than Indonesia's.
- Its technology base is second only to Japan's (in Asia).
- Taiwan is the US' eighth-largest trading partner -- with two-way trade at US$60 billion last year.
- It is the US' sixth-largest agricultural customer.
- For more than half a century, the nation has been one of the US' important defense and intelligence partners.
In a recent interview with Reuters, Bao Tong (鮑彤), a top aide to former Communist Party chief Zhao Ziyang (趙紫陽) - the lone dissenter to vote against declaring martial law during the Tiananmen Square protest - accused the Party and Mao of betraying the founding principles of the Party. He goes on to state that "Taiwan is a very good teacher. It is good to have a choice." - Reuters English article - or " China should draw from Taiwan's process of democratization and not worry about the outcome of implementing reform." - My translation of the Chinese language Malaysian newspaper, Sin Chew Daily article).
The article was in both the China Post and the Taipei Times print version, but unavailable online from any of the three English language newspapers here. Furthermore, any mention of Bao's comments regarding Taiwan were absent anywhere other than the Sin Chew - great name, huh? Chinese language searches on Google, Yahoo Taiwan and Chinese language newspapers returned next to zilch, except plenty of articles about Reuters' great coup in interviewing Bao. So where is that article? A trip to Reuters' web site in English will let you search categories of news including politics. Change to the Chinese traditional character site and the news is broken down into only finance, technology, sports and entertainment. Neither carry their own story. Maybe I'm a little tired of reading Chinese and missed something but I prefer to believe in the high degree of suckitude that is Reuters.
8 comments:
You know, I don't buy that Taiwan's culture is so different or "distinct" from China's that they are or should be a separate "country." At most we are talking about a Canada/USA situation...plus you have a million Taiwanese in China muddying the waters. China manages to fit in a lot of different provinces with differing cultures including a province called Fujian where they basically speak Taiwanese...
Your stats were very interesting though.
The US has a state where they speak a lot of French but I sure as hell don't wamt to have anything to do with Quebec.I'm sure we got a million of alternative hemp farmers north of the border also, but I'm more than willin to let Canadia stay the same.
I am not saying they have to unify, I am just suggesting their cultures aren't so "distinct." Taiwan would fit in fine with the rest of China right now, except politically. And, yeah, that's a big difference but one that could change very fast.
p.s. I agree with the sentiment that we should avoid any contact with Quebec. I am still haunted by Celine Dion singing "God Bless America" on Taiwanese radio to this day.
hey, don't youse be messin wit dat great country of Kaybec, inventors of poutine and d'hockey. you tink we's want anyting to do with frickin americaners? Celin singing "God Bless America? is what haunts you?, after Chung Chewer Karl posts her version of "You Shook Me"? I still wake up screaming.
So, tis' agreed. Canadia and the United States of America shall forewith be unified with hatred for Celine Dion and her ilk, (tho Avril Lavigne has some pretty good tunes...and din't she shoot some porn when she was young?) arrrrgh, and yea, Mariah Carey shall be exiled to the Australian islands to perform hard labor...
your stats are irrelevant j-hole. california has the 6th largest economy in the world, is america's largest producer of nimrods, exports more culturally to the world than any other political locale, has a technology base second to none (in the world), etc. great stats do little to indicate independence or sovereignty, and have little relevance in the ongoing debate of whether or not taiwan is an independent state (both the american meaning and the geopolitical one)
The relevance of the stats is just as stated: more people are recognizing that Taiwan is not just a "somewhere in China" but an entity unto itself. My predilection for Taiwan's sovereign status was implied but not stated. I did, however overtly say that I did not want to go into details - that has been done and will be done for a long time and see no real benefit continuing it here. The stats from the article were merely meant to serve as a notice and/or reminder to those not aware.
Oh, California is not the world's 6th largest economy. It's the eighth. I think Montana and Quebec slipped in ahead of them this year.
Wheres my Thesaurus???
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