Analysis of the Linkage Between Taiwan and Ukraine
By Chang Ching
United Daily News, February 19, 2022
The tense confrontation along the border of Ukraine and Russia in like manner has impact on the development of political situation in Taipei. On January 18 before the Chinese New Year, the Taiwan government convoked a national security meeting pinpointing the situation of Ukraine and Russia.
The meeting was chaired by President Tsai Ing-wen personally and she instructed the National Security Council to invite related units to form an “ad hoc task unit” to continuously watch closely the eastern Ukraine situation development and its potential impact upon our national security. Meanwhile, President Tsai further requested to keep close contact with countries concerned to really master all important information, in hope to inform in time in order to respond appropriately.
With the increasing tension of the Ukraine-Russia situation, the degree of public concern and discussion all over the country was also escalating during the lunar new year vacation. As a consequence, there surfaced an analogy of situation between Taiwan and Ukraine, gradually the public began to review the current governmental Beijing policy and strategy in dealing with cross-strait relations. As a result, barrages of negative criticism and outcries for policy review began to proliferate from social opinion.
The high echelon of green camp government in witness of the back surge of public opinion, sensing that the Russia-Ukraine situation unexpectedly backfired to the government, in no time instructed Spokesman Chang Tun-han of the Office of the President to come out and speak to put out the fire ignited by the “Ad Hoc Ukraine Situation Responding Task Unit”. Through the issuing of a five-point statement, the government hoped to stabilize the public mind and reverse the public opinion.
On his statement, Spokesman Chang in a style of strict political accusation referring to point four of the statement said “the Taiwan Strait Situation” was essentially different from that of Ukraine, reminded the public not to be misled by false information. We have found there were many inaccurate false information recently, trying to use Ukraine situation to influence the social and public morale of Taiwan. All government agencies would continue to strengthen clarifying wrong false information and call for the public to pay attention to the accurate information provided by government agencies not to be misled and not to spread the falsehood.”
But in comparing with the original text of instruction given by president Tsai in the national security meeting on January 28:
“For a long time, Taiwan has faced the military threat and bully from China. Therefore, we empathize with Ukraine situation and would support the efforts of maintaining regional security by all parties. We call for all parties, by way of peaceful means, to strengthen dialogue and consultation to settle dispute rationally and in joint efforts to maintain regional stability.”
Apparently, the presidential spokesman’s assessment that the situation in the Taiwan Strait is essentially different from that of Ukraine responds to President Tsai’s sympathy. This makes us wonder why then the government established the “Ad Hoc Ukraine Situation Responding Task Unit”. It is hard to understand. Is there paradox between these two statements, it is indeed very staggering to us.
Is there linkage between Ukraine situation and Taiwan Strait situation whereby destiny development can be analogized to gaining enlightenment? To analogize these two situations is out of inner heart zeal and reflection of passion or a rational and precise information calculation judgement analysis? Actually, all parties will stick to their persistence and engage in never ending arguments without reaching a conclusion in this highly polarized Taiwanese society.
However, it is undeniable that from the very start, our current government national security high echelon linked Taiwan and Ukraine on national security level, convoked a formal meeting and established ad hoc responding task unit. While they could achieve nothing in this linkage but found the public opinion was not in their favor, they began to “pass the buck of culprit” to blame others and keep themselves at bay. This is by no means a responsible attitude to face issues.
In assessment of the bilateral relations between Taiwan and Ukraine, there are many valuable objective indexes for reference, either from the perspective of diplomatic jurisdiction such as political, business, overseas compatriots, academic and consular affairs or from trade volume, products supply, numbers of expatriates, students and intermarriages, interchange visits and academic cooperation. But we do not establish an office there in Kiev, the country is under the jurisdiction of our representative office in Moscow. This fact attests the insignificant importance of Ukraine to us.
When the government responded to Ukraine situation in much fanfare, it intended to convey its political position to Washington. As the core focus was to express political attitude, it is a matter of passional appeal not based upon rational calculation. This is very similar to the case in the early Qin Dynasty in China when all court officials facing the all-powerful regent Zhao Gao pointing to a deer but called it a horse, asked them to confirm the animal was a horse or deer. The answers from the court officials were not based on what they really saw in their eyes but on the consequence of their answers.
If we judge a case based upon political position rather than the merit of the case, then the professionalism of national security staff would totally disappear. The national security staff became nothing but a public relation group. That is why the constitutional mechanism of the Republic of China government provides that the National Security Council and the presidency are two independent institutions. But in the actual governance operations under the DPP, allowing the presidential spokesman to speak on behalf of the National Security Council’s ad hoc Ukraine responding task unit reflects that the national security team is only meant for public relations.