Feb
16
More Communist Paranoia From Beijing
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A common theme among communist regimes, and authoritarian regimes in general, is intense paranoia…often about the most absurd things. And “state-run” media makes exercising that paranoia all the more efficient. From the editorial board at the Rocky Mountain News comes this too funny tale of paranoid censorship in Beijing:
Employees of China’s national TV network, celebrating the lunar new year with illegal fireworks, managed to lob a skyrocket onto the roof of a nearly complete ultramodern hotel adjoining their own headquarters building.
The resulting fire gutted the 44-story structure, leaving a charred, smoking shell looming over the Beijing skyline. Despite their complicity in the blaze, you would think this would be a real break for China TV’s reporters: How great is it to be able to cover one of the biggest stories of the year simply by looking out your office window?
But China’s ever alert propaganda office immediately issued a directive: “No photos, no videos, no in-depth reports.” Fortunately, technology, the bane of the censors’ existence, prevailed, and amateur photos and videos were posted on the Internet faster than the authorities could block them.
Still, pity the poor official tour guide who is required to respond to a tourist’s question about a 44-story fire-blackened hulk in central Beijing with, “Building? What building?”
Feb
9
I have a piece in today’s Colorado Daily newspaper on how President Obama can change U.S. policy toward Taiwan for the better…without having to commit thousands of U.S troops or billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to either regime change or nation building.
Here is the piece, re-printed in its entirety:
For 30 years, the U.S. has maintained an “unofficial” relationship with Taiwan.
And while this outdated policy acquiesces nicely to communist China’s absurd (and equally outdated) claim of sovereignty over democratic Taiwan, it also badly undermines the American tradition of supporting democracy around the globe.
President Barack Obama could begin undoing this backward policy and send a significant foreign policy message by simply instructing his State Department to issue new guidelines lifting travel restrictions on Taiwanese officials to the U.S. and allowing direct contact between Washington and Taipei.
In fact, Mr. Obama suggested this during the campaign.
In March 2008, Taiwan held a presidential election. Ma Ying-Jeou of the Nationalist Party defeated the Democratic Progressive Party candidate. It was Taiwan’s second peaceful transfer of party power through democratic elections.
Commenting on the election, then-candidate Obama stated that the U.S. should respond by “rebuilding a relationship of trust and support” with democratic Taiwan. “The U.S. should reopen blocked channels of communication with Taiwan officials,” Obama said.
What is President Obama waiting for?
The State Department issued its first backwards set of Taiwan guidelines in 1979, when the U.S. ended diplomatic relations with Taipei in order to recognize the communist dictatorship in Beijing.
Since then, Taiwan has transformed itself from an authoritarian regime (much like China remains today) and into a vibrant representative democracy with a market economy — precisely the kind of country whose representatives should be able to not only communicate directly with their counterparts in Washington, D.C., but who also should be welcomed into the United States for official visits.
The Bush administration continued undermining American support for democracy abroad by expanding and re-issuing the backward guidelines in 2008.
For instance, high-level Taiwanese officials, including the democratically elected president of Taiwan, are barred from visiting Washington. On the other hand, the unelected leader of China’s thuggish communist party has been welcomed into the White House.
Another rule precludes U.S. embassy personnel from accepting invitations to “official” Taiwan-hosted functions, or functions held at “Taiwan’s official premises” and vice versa.
In a particularly bizarre ban on communication, U.S. officials are not allowed to communicate directly with their counterparts in Taiwan, but rather must send letters to each other through a third party.
As the Taipei Times newspaper describes, “Even personal thank you notes must be written on plain paper and put in a plain envelope to disguise the sender’s official identity.”
All of this, and more, just to appease the Chinese communists in Beijing.
President Obama could change this — without having to commit thousands of American troops, or billions of U.S. tax dollars, to either regime change or nation building.
In his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Obama noted that “we cannot meet 21st century challenges with a 20th century bureaucracy.”
If this is so, how can we meet 21st century foreign policy challenges while tied to a 20th century Taiwan policy that contradicts everything the U.S. is supposed to stand for?
Feb
2
U.S. Congressman John Linder, a Republican from Georgia, has introduced House Concurrent Resolution 18 (HCR 18) calling for diplomatic recognition of Taiwan by the U.S., and an end to America’s backwards “one China” policy.
Concurrent resolution are not submitted to the president, and lack the force of law. Rather they are intended to express the sentiments of the Congress in an official way towards a particular issue.
One of Taiwan’s biggest supporters in the U.S. Congress, Tom Tancredo from Colorado, retired last year. He had introduced several similar resolutions in the past, all of which of course failed…China appeasment runs deeep in the U.S. Congress. It is good to see Representative Linder keeping the issue alive.
The Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) offers a link to ask your member of Congress to support HCR 18 here.
Read all about it in the Tapei Times.
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