View of Taipei 101 from Maokong
Back in December 2007, I visited Taiwan for the first -- and, thus far, only -- time. In recent years, my interest in the country has increased and I got to thinking that I should pay another visit to it. Indeed, just before the Wuhan coronavirus came to Hong Kong (in January 2020), a copy of a Taiwan guidebook that I had ordered online had arrived and I was perusing it to figure out which part of it I wanted to visit on my second trip there.
Thanks to the pandemic and Hong Kong's continued pursuit of "Zero Covid", however, I've not left Hong Kong since my October 2019 trip to Japan (which I've still NOT finished blogging about!). So there's a bit of travel envy mixed into my reaction to seeing Nancy Pelosi visiting Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Japan in recent days.
Of course, Nancy Pelosi's Asian tour has not been all fun and games. And the Speaker of the U.S.A.'s House of Representatives' visit to Taiwan, in particular, has sparked quite a bit of ire from China and also well-meaning -- but, frankly, quite clueless -- left wing Westerners who don't seem to get that her visiting Taiwan should not be a trigger to World War III and that if China were to decide to invade Taiwan tomorrow, it won't be because she paid Taiwan a visit!
On a related note: The Guardian is probably my favorite newspaper in the world but I am unimpressed with its coverage of Speaker Pelosi's visit. This is not least because its analysis was written by a Mainland Chinese individual (Vincent Ni), an opinion piece by a Briton (which I think is super off base), it had more coverage on Taiwanese Americans thoughts about the visit than actual Taiwanese (since the piece about what things were like on the ground in Taiwan was written by a Taiwanese American (Brian Hioe), albeit one who was a resident there)! Put another way: Western coverage of Nancy Pelosi seems to exclude Taiwanese opinions by and large at the expense of fixating on what the Chinese and Americans (and nationals from each media outlet's country) think of it all.
Unexpectedly (because affairs not involving Hong Kong shouldn't be their concern), Hong Kong officials also weighed in with condemnations of Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan that echoed those of the (Mainland) Chinese. We're talking about not only Chief Executive John Lee but also Chief Secretary Eric Chan, Finance Secretary Paul Chan, Justice Secretary Paul Lam and -- talk about overkill -- the ministers for environment and ecology, housing, labour and welfare, and transport!
In contrast, the Taiwanese people and government seem pretty happy that she visited their country. (And yes, I'm going to stick my neck out and say that Taiwan seems very much a country to me. After all, when I visited in 2007, I did notice such things as Taiwan having its own currency, flag, laws, culture, etc., etc.!)
Also, here's echoing the following statement by Samuel Bickett: "For those saying this visit has no upside: respectfully, you’re wrong. It’s meaningful to people in Taiwan, Hong Kong, the East Asian diaspora & all those fighting for a just world. Morale matters. Solidarity with friends matters. And the world’s attention today helps our fight."
More than by the way, it's noteworthy that during her visit to Taiwan, Nancy Pelosi met -- at its Human Rights Park, no less -- with Lee Ming-che, a Taiwanese activist detained by Beijing; Lam Wing-kee, a Hong Kong bookseller kidnapped by the Mainland Chinese authorities who subsequently escaped from their grasp and moved to Taiwan; and Wu'er Kaixi, one of the student leaders at Tiananmen Square in 1989. As Taiwanese graduate student Joshua Yang opined: "It sends a strong message: Taiwan is a beacon of human rights & it is worth supporting."
In contrast, the Chinese ambassador to France announced on French television yesterday that China's plans for Taiwan would involve "re-education" in the wake of succesfully invading it. As a member of the Twitterverse who goes by Aunty Alice Tweeted: "No surprises here, it’s same process used in Xinjiang, Tibet, and now in process in Hong Kong". Nonetheless, it's chilling all the same.
I'll leave the last words to Nancy Pelosi. Specifically, the following is from her piece in the Washington Post earlier this week entitled "Why I'm leading a congressional delegation to Taiwan":
Taiwan... is an island of resilience. Taiwan is a leader in governance: currently, in addressing the covid-19 pandemic and championing environmental conservation and climate action. It is a leader in peace, security and economic dynamism: with an entrepreneurial spirit, culture of innovation and technological prowess that are envies of the world.
Yet, disturbingly, this vibrant, robust democracy — named one of the freest in the world by Freedom House and proudly led by a woman, President Tsai Ing-wen — is under threat....
Thirty years ago, I traveled in a bipartisan congressional delegation to China, where, in Tiananmen Square, we unfurled a black-and-white banner that read, “To those who died for democracy in China.” Uniformed police pursued us as we left the square. Since then, Beijing’s abysmal human rights record and disregard for the rule of law continue, as President Xi Jinping tightens his grip on power.
The CCP’s brutal crackdown against Hong Kong’s political freedoms and human rights — even arresting Catholic Cardinal Joseph Zen — cast the promises of “one-country, two-systems” into the dustbin. In Tibet, the CCP has long led a campaign to erase the Tibetan people’s language, culture, religion and identity. In Xinjiang, Beijing is perpetrating genocide against Muslim Uyghurs and other minorities. And throughout the mainland, the CCP continues to target and arrest activists, religious-freedom leaders and others who dare to defy the regime.
We cannot stand by as the CCP proceeds to threaten Taiwan — and democracy itself...
By traveling to Taiwan, we honor our commitment to democracy: reaffirming that the freedoms of Taiwan — and all democracies — must be respected.
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