Contradicting Bonnie Glaser and Others：DPP Provokes War
China Times Editorial, December 27, 2023
"Vote for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), and the youth go to the battlefield" is no longer an election rhetoric, nor is it a smear against the DPP; rather, it accurately reflects the DPP's stance on cross-strait issues. Deutsche Welle (DW) recently interviewed Vincent Chao, Taipei City Councilor, spokesman for DPP presidential candidate William Lai's campaign, and director for International Affairs of the DPP. He stressed that "Taiwanese people can no longer accept peaceful reunification." If this is truly the shared sentiment of the Taiwanese people, wouldn't it force the mainland to abandon peaceful reunification and resort to military force? Any Taiwanese must categorically reject such claims that would undermine cross-strait peace and incite war, and they must use their votes to dump these "terrorists" who fake Taiwanese public opinion for election purposes without regard to the danger of inciting cross-strait war.
Rejecting Peaceful Unification and Choosing War
In the interview, DW asked Mr. Chao: "Three American scholars including Bonnie Glaser mentioned that for Beijing, the increased risk of war is due to the lack of possibility for "peaceful reunification" with Taiwan. However, Beijing still mentioned its desire for "peaceful reunification" as far as possible. For the DPP, is there the possibility of "peaceful reunification" between the two sides? Mr. Chao answered that even if the Kuomintang (KMT) were in power today, could it let the mainland see the consummation of the so-called "peaceful reunification" by both sides of the Taiwan Strait? I would say it is really difficult. When DW pressed the issue, "So you mean there is no possibility of peaceful reunification?" Chao's response was: "I believe this is not something the Taiwanese people can accept."
The remarks made by Mr. Lai's campaign spokesman not only represent Mr. Lai's camp but should also represent the overall thinking of the entire DPP. However, it does not mean that all Taiwanese people accept this version of the statement. Yet, when answering the question, Mr. Chao stated: "I 100% do not believe this is something the Taiwanese people can accept." Since he believes that the people of Taiwan cannot accept peaceful reunification, then the foundation for maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait no longer exists. If the mainland shares the same belief that there is no hope for peaceful reunification, and instead adopts the policy of military reunification, would the two sides of the Taiwan Strait immediately enter the "quasi-war state" that former Vice President Annette Lu said?
In order to whitewash his bellicose thinking, Mr. Lai once again called for "peaceful defense of Taiwan" while campaigning in Kaohsiung on Christmas Eve, intending to distance himself from President Tsai Ing-wen's slogan of "Resist China to protect Taiwan." During the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden in San Francisco, Xi denied that anyone had told him about any plans to attack Taiwan in 2027 or 2035. Mr. Lai was quick to interpret Xi's remarks as flying in the face of the KMT's manipulation of lies about any imminent war. However, Mr. Chao's statement that "peaceful reunification is unacceptable" immediately revealed Mr. Lai’s true colors.
No wonder Wang Zaixi, the former Deputy Director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Mainland, recently expressed his concern that insisting on pursuing Taiwan independence would lead to war sooner or later. He also referred to Mr. Lai as a stubborn radical Taiwan independence activist and should he come to power, the possibility of cross-strait military conflict could not be ruled out. The spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office of mainland China's State Council also indicated that Mr. Lai was trying to downplay and deny the harmfulness and danger of separatist activities for Taiwan independence, and whitewash his image as a "war instigator." Doesn't the mainland's rebuttal, juxtaposed with Mr. Chao's statement of rejection of peaceful unification, truly confirm that "choosing Lai means choosing war"?
Myth of Peacefully Protecting Taiwan
In order to whitewash his image as a "war instigator", Mr. Lai put forward the proposition of "peaceful protection of Taiwan". He probably also knows that what he called "pragmatic Taiwan independence" is not only impossible to achieve, but also has the potential to undermine cross-strait peace. In order to strengthen his argument for "peaceful protection of Taiwan," in the second round of candidates' policy presentation of the presidential election, he even tried piggybacking on late President Chiang Ching-kuo by absurdly arguing that Chiang's "Three Nos" policy of "no contact, no negotiation, and no compromise" was consistent with his proposition of "peaceful protection of Taiwan."
Perhaps Mr. Lai did not realize that although President Chiang maintained the "Three Nos" policy in the very early stage, he later lifted the ban and allowed people to visit the mainland based on the "One China" principle of the Constitution. Moreover, Chiang had been anti-communist but not anti-China throughout his life. The goal he pursued was cross-strait reunification, which is fundamentally different in nature than Mr. Lai's "pragmatic Taiwan independence." It is evident that Lai deliberately distorted Chiang's mainland policy so as to piggyback on Chiang's revered legacy to get votes. This move turned his "peaceful protection of Taiwan" into a fallacy.
Especially when Mr. Chao stated that "Taiwanese people can no longer accept peaceful reunification", it further exposed the fallacy of Mr. Lai's peace myth. In his campaign trail, Mr. Lai kept saying that the democratic camp should oppose authoritarianism but "peacefully protect Taiwan." Now Mr. Chao's narratives not only contradicted the three scholars including Bonnie Glaser, but also eliminated all possibilities for peaceful cross-strait exchanges. They could also put Taiwan in immediate danger of war. Could this be the hope of most Taiwanese people?
Now that Mr. Lai's campaign cannot accept peaceful reunification, how can it "peacefully protect Taiwan"? How can "peaceful coexistence" with the mainland be possible? As Mr. Lai’s campaign signals its rejection of peace, is it echoing the DPP's repeated assertion that "if you want peace, prepare for war?" If this is the case, "Today's Ukraine, tomorrow's Taiwan" is by no means an empty talk. If Mr. Lai wins the election, then Taiwan will soon face a "quasi-war state" across the Taiwan Strait. This is indeed the Taiwanese people's biggest nightmare.
From: https://www.chinatimes.com/opinion/20231227005407-262101?chdtv