Is Taiwan "Free China"？
By Pan Chung
China Times, January 15, 2021
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, desirous of allying Taiwan to confront China, used the term “Free China” to praise Taiwan even at the cost of losing his portfolio. What he did was most embarrassing to Taiwan, “Free China” is term never heard of by the young people in Taiwan. What is more intriguing, the euphonic praise made the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) shudder and silent, not knowing how to respond. Actually, if we ask ourselves earnestly, is Taiwan really qualified to claim the title of “Free China?”
The DPP administration has shut down a critical television news station, tightened regulations on referenda, oppressed dissenters. Does Taiwan really have free speech? Besides, for de-Sinicization, DPP administration amended textbook, changed passports, repainted China Airlines aircraft logo, denied the “1992 Consensus”, and even not dare to utter the official name of the “Republic of China”. As such, can Taiwan be qualified for claiming itself China?
As a matter of fact, the image of “Free China” has multiple dimensions. For instance, after the Nationalist government withdrew to Taiwan in 1949, liberal intellectuals like Hu Shieh, Lei Chen, Yin Hai-kuang published the Free China magazine. The content and opinion of the magazine afterwards aimed at gaining freedom. During the era of opposing communism and the Soviet Union back then, this magazine played a role of opposing the government, demanding freedom of speech, campus democracy and party politics, catalyzing Taiwan’s later democratization.
If we compare the speech of the Free China magazine with the current Taiwan political environment, DPP interfering with the results of the National Taiwan University presidential selection, forming a cyber-army side wing, even abusing public power to interrogate those who spoke against the government and at last even shutting down CtiTV News station. Looking back, Free China was also forced to shut down, history seems to return Taiwan to a cold war confrontation of last century. With a misnomer of “Free China,” anti-communism alone can justify all evil means.
In those early years, to differentiate with Communist China, the free world called Taiwan as “Free China” but people all knew well that the R.O.C. then was not a genuinely free and democratic country. Looking back to the then United States of America which was in the same situation of “being afraid of one’s own shadow,” as if there were communist followers everywhere in the flowering years of McCarthyism, henceforth it was the destiny of Taiwan and the United States to bond together as good brothers only under these circumstances. However, never forget lessons of history, the United States always puts its national interest as the top priority, beginning from the staunchest anti-communist President Richard Nixon onwards, to win over Communist China, he kicked away Taiwan, the “Free China,” and turned to embrace Communist China.
Today, history is to repeat as we can see. President Donald Trump will soon step down after four years of allying Taiwan to confront China. As Joe Biden assumes the presidency, the fate of Taiwan hangs by a thread. What is about to happening next makes the DPP administration uneasy. Papa Sam says to change changes. Particularly, during the U.S. presidential election last year, the DPP administration directly bet on Trump, even after the election DPP supporters were still dreaming the possibility of an overturn of the presidential election result and ended up in smoke. At last, the Trump fans invaded Capitol Hill making Trump collapse politically overnight. At the last few days before the end of Trump’s presidency, Secretary Pompeo sent Kelly Craft, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, with a Republican investor background, to visit “Free China.” The embarrassment index of the DPP skyrocketed, luckily at last moment, the Department of State canceled the visit.
In the United States, the media confiscated the speech of the president but in Taiwan, the government confiscated the media. Even since the U.S. presidential election, the American media showed its high caliber of autonomy, calling off live broadcast of President Trump’s press conference because he was talking nonsense. Major social media shut down President Trump’s accounts because his speech brought hazard to the society. This is why the United States is truly a free and democratic country.
However, looking at the current Taiwan, the DPP administration intervened in the media everywhere, shutting down CtiTV News and making all cable television news stations pro-DPP now, losing the media’s function of monitoring the government. These news stations supportive of the DPP are convoying the government, reflecting every way the media phenomena of totalitarian states.
Now even they want to extend their hands into new media, daredevil and audacious as such, can Taiwan be called “Free China?” After the storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters, many Republican politicians distanced themselves from Trump. Vice President Mike Pence also held on at the last moment to safeguard the Constitution and declared Biden elected. How about Taiwan?
The DPP now controls the executive, legislative and judicial branches, and the entire government is becoming ruled by the voice of one person alone. When Secretary Pompeo uttered the words “Free China,” shouldn’t the DPP administration be ashamed of the word “Free”? Hasn’t the DPP administration embarrassed the name of “China”? Because the DPP is only a pawn in the game of confronting China.
From: https://www.chinatimes.com/opinion/20210115005167-262104?