Saturday, January 28, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Media
Support Us
Macdonald-Laurier Institute
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Who Makes MLI Work
    • Tenth Anniversary
    • Jobs
  • Experts
    • Experts Directory
    • In Memoriam
  • Issues
    • Domestic Policy Program
      • Agriculture and Agri-Food
      • Canada’s Political Tradition
      • Economic policy
      • Energy
      • Health Care
      • Innovation
      • Justice
      • Social issues
      • Telecoms
    • Foreign Policy Program
      • Foreign Affairs
      • National Defence
      • National Security
    • Indigenous Affairs Program
  • Projects
    • COVID and after: A mandate for recovery
    • COVID Misery Index
      • Beyond Lockdown
    • Provincial COVID Misery Index
    • Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests Abroad
      • Dragon at the Door
      • The Eavesdropping Dragon: Huawei
    • An Intellectual Property Strategy for Canada
    • Speak for Ourselves
    • Canada and the Indo-Pacific Initiative
    • DisInfoWatch.org
    • The Transatlantic Program
    • Indigenous Prosperity at a Crossroads
      • Aboriginal Canada and Natural Resources
    • Talkin’ in the Free World with Mariam Memarsadeghi
    • Past Projects
      • Justice Report Card
      • Munk Senior Fellows
      • A Mandate for Canada
      • Confederation Series
      • Fiscal Reform
      • The Canadian Century project
      • Fixing Canadian health care
      • Internal trade
      • From a mandate for change
      • Size of government in Canada
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • MLI Dinners
      • Great Canadian Debates
  • Latest News
  • Libraries
    • Inside Policy Magazine
      • Inside Policy Back Issues
      • Inside Policy Blog
    • Papers
    • Columns
    • Books
    • Commentary
    • Straight Talk
    • Video
    • Multimedia
    • Podcasts
    • Leading Economic Indicator
    • Labour Market Report
    • MLI in the Media
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Who Makes MLI Work
    • Tenth Anniversary
    • Jobs
  • Experts
    • Experts Directory
    • In Memoriam
  • Issues
    • Domestic Policy Program
      • Agriculture and Agri-Food
      • Canada’s Political Tradition
      • Economic policy
      • Energy
      • Health Care
      • Innovation
      • Justice
      • Social issues
      • Telecoms
    • Foreign Policy Program
      • Foreign Affairs
      • National Defence
      • National Security
    • Indigenous Affairs Program
  • Projects
    • COVID and after: A mandate for recovery
    • COVID Misery Index
      • Beyond Lockdown
    • Provincial COVID Misery Index
    • Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests Abroad
      • Dragon at the Door
      • The Eavesdropping Dragon: Huawei
    • An Intellectual Property Strategy for Canada
    • Speak for Ourselves
    • Canada and the Indo-Pacific Initiative
    • DisInfoWatch.org
    • The Transatlantic Program
    • Indigenous Prosperity at a Crossroads
      • Aboriginal Canada and Natural Resources
    • Talkin’ in the Free World with Mariam Memarsadeghi
    • Past Projects
      • Justice Report Card
      • Munk Senior Fellows
      • A Mandate for Canada
      • Confederation Series
      • Fiscal Reform
      • The Canadian Century project
      • Fixing Canadian health care
      • Internal trade
      • From a mandate for change
      • Size of government in Canada
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • MLI Dinners
      • Great Canadian Debates
  • Latest News
  • Libraries
    • Inside Policy Magazine
      • Inside Policy Back Issues
      • Inside Policy Blog
    • Papers
    • Columns
    • Books
    • Commentary
    • Straight Talk
    • Video
    • Multimedia
    • Podcasts
    • Leading Economic Indicator
    • Labour Market Report
    • MLI in the Media
No Result
View All Result
Macdonald-Laurier Institute

The lesson of Pelosi’s trip: Don’t be afraid of engaging Taiwan – Daniel Twining and J. Michael Cole in the National Review

Taiwan’s transformation into a prosperous and democratic society on the doorstep of one of Asia’s most oppressive regimes is an asset to the international community.

August 8, 2022
in Columns, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy Program, In the Media, J. Michael Cole, Latest News
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
Photo by Chien Chih-Hung / Office of the President of Taiwan, via Flickr.

This article originally appeared in the National Review.

By Daniel Twining and J. Michael Cole, August 8, 2022

Over the past 48 hours, the world’s attention was fixed on the aircraft carrying House speaker Nancy Pelosi and her delegation to Taipei International Airport on the evening of August 2. Ending more than a week of speculation and intensifying threats from Beijing, Pelosi was at long last on Taiwanese soil — the first such visit by a speaker of the House — in a quarter century. Her visit sent a clear signal to the world’s democracies — and to its authoritarians — that freedom-loving countries stand together and will not be deterred.

But there is a lot of work to do.

As autocracies such as the People’s Republic of China (PRC) intensify their offensive against the free world, democracies have often struggled to effectively counter this persistent threat to our values and institutions. Should we concentrate on bolstering democratic resilience at home, or should we confront Beijing, Moscow, and other autocratic hubs more directly? The world’s leading democracies have yet to reach a consensus. But one thing is clear: Our chances of prevailing in this era-defining ideological contest will largely depend on our ability to achieve unity of purpose within the democratic camp. And we cannot do this if we leave potential partners like Taiwan out in the cold.

In recent years, a growing number of countries have deepened their engagement with Taiwan, whose status as a democratic nation and leader in advanced technologies has increased the appeal of closer relations. From its dominance in the semiconductor industry to medical assistance in times of pandemic, Taiwan has demonstrated its ability and willingness to be a responsible stakeholder. There has also been growing recognition of the value of Taiwan’s experience coping with China’s authoritarian influence.

Despite these developments, many countries — including advanced democracies — remain wary of fully engaging the Taiwanese government, which on some occasions has resulted in Taiwan’s exclusion from international forums. Taiwan has even been kept out of gatherings with exclusively democratic membership, where China couldn’t exercise influence as it does in multilateral organizations like the U.N.

Some fear that highly visible relations with Taiwan will attract Beijing’s attention and invite retaliation. This is a serious threat for countries in China’s immediate neighborhood as well as those for those who rely heavily on infrastructure investment under the PRC’s Belt and Road Initiative. Yet countries with economies far less dependent on China have no such excuse for their being equally timid about public engagement with Taiwan.

For this latter group of countries, the key concern is the perception that Taiwan is “anti-China,” and that collaboration would therefore harm relations with China. Yet this shows a fundamental misunderstanding of Taiwan and the Taiwanese people. With very few exceptions, the great majority of Taiwanese recognize the legitimacy of the PRC (in contrast with Beijing’s refusal to recognize Taiwan’s independence) and are in favor of economic engagement. In fact, more than 40 percent of Taiwan’s external trade is with China and has continued to increase despite the rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait. More than 1 million Taiwanese work and live in China, according to some estimates.

However, the Taiwanese are also determined to defend their way of life and preserve the democracy they built after decades of martial law. They know they would lose these achievements if the PRC annexed the island. The destruction of Hong Kong’s political autonomy is an ominous precedent. Taiwan’s resistance to military coercion and to the Chinese Communist Party’s campaign to undermine its democracy is a natural outcome of the markedly distinct forms of government, mores, and values that characterize the societies on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan’s experience is therefore one of balancing, hedging, and pragmatism rather than denial or irrational hatred of China. Indeed, Taiwan is an excellent case study on how a democratic society can both engage with the PRC while protecting its sovereignty, good governance, democracy, and human rights. There is no better example on the planet of a society that can combine both. It therefore makes no sense for other democracies, as they develop their own tactics and strategies to balance their own relationship with China, to exclude Taiwan from that discussion.

In fact, Taiwan can help them find a better and more constructive balance between engagement and defense in their interactions with China, and a more granular understanding of areas where Chinese influence is legitimate and where it is potentially nefarious. By virtue of its long history with and proximity to China, Taiwan’s transformation into a prosperous and democratic society on the doorstep of one of Asia’s most oppressive regimes is an asset to the international community.

Being pro-Taiwan is not the same as being anti-China. As we collectively explore the best way to mitigate and counter the corrosive elements of our own engagement with the PRC, we would be unwise to exclude this success story from our conversations.

Daniel Twining is president of the International Republican Institute. J. Michael Cole is the Taipei-based senior adviser on countering foreign authoritarian influence at the International Republican Institute.

Source: National Review
Tags: ChinaNational ReviewTaiwan
Previous Post

After papal visit, let’s hope journey toward reconciliation continues: Ken Coates in the Edmonton Journal

Next Post

How far will China go? : Christian Leuprecht on the Roy Green Show

Related Posts

Canada can help Ukraine in better ways than sending tanks: Richard Shimooka in the Hub
Columns

Canada can help Ukraine in better ways than sending tanks: Richard Shimooka in the Hub

January 27, 2023
Just as Canadians see smartphone bills head down, the cost of watching online content on them may be going up: Peter Menzies in the Financial Post
Columns

Want cheaper cellphone bills? Allow more foreign investment in telecoms: Aaron Wudrick in the National Post

January 27, 2023
Face it, millennials – There is no realistic alternative to capitalism: Philip Cross in the Financial Post
Columns

Face it, millennials – There is no realistic alternative to capitalism: Philip Cross in the Financial Post

January 27, 2023
Next Post
How far will China go? : Christian Leuprecht on the Roy Green Show

How far will China go? : Christian Leuprecht on the Roy Green Show

Macdonald-Laurier Institute

323 Chapel Street, Suite #300
Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 7Z2 Canada

613.482.8327

info@macdonaldlaurier.ca
MLI directory

Follow us on

Newsletter Signup

First Name
Last Name
Email Address

Support Us

Support the Macdonald-Laurier Institute to help ensure that Canada is one of the best governed countries in the world. Click below to learn more or become a sponsor.

Support Us

Inside Policy Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Back Issues
  • Advertising
  • Inside Policy Blog
  • Privacy Policy

© 2021 Macdonald-Laurier Institute. All Rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Who Makes MLI Work
    • Tenth Anniversary
    • Jobs
  • Experts
    • Experts Directory
    • In Memoriam
  • Issues
    • Domestic Policy Program
      • Agriculture and Agri-Food
      • Canada’s Political Tradition
      • Economic policy
      • Energy
      • Health Care
      • Innovation
      • Justice
      • Social issues
      • Telecoms
    • Foreign Policy Program
      • Foreign Affairs
      • National Defence
      • National Security
    • Indigenous Affairs Program
  • Projects
    • COVID and after: A mandate for recovery
    • COVID Misery Index
      • Beyond Lockdown
    • Provincial COVID Misery Index
    • Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests Abroad
      • Dragon at the Door
      • The Eavesdropping Dragon: Huawei
    • An Intellectual Property Strategy for Canada
    • Speak for Ourselves
    • Canada and the Indo-Pacific Initiative
    • DisInfoWatch.org
    • The Transatlantic Program
    • Indigenous Prosperity at a Crossroads
      • Aboriginal Canada and Natural Resources
    • Talkin’ in the Free World with Mariam Memarsadeghi
    • Past Projects
      • Justice Report Card
      • Munk Senior Fellows
      • A Mandate for Canada
      • Confederation Series
      • Fiscal Reform
      • The Canadian Century project
      • Fixing Canadian health care
      • Internal trade
      • From a mandate for change
      • Size of government in Canada
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • MLI Dinners
      • Great Canadian Debates
  • Latest News
  • Libraries
    • Inside Policy Magazine
      • Inside Policy Back Issues
      • Inside Policy Blog
    • Papers
    • Columns
    • Books
    • Commentary
    • Straight Talk
    • Video
    • Multimedia
    • Podcasts
    • Leading Economic Indicator
    • Labour Market Report
    • MLI in the Media

© 2021 Macdonald-Laurier Institute. All Rights reserved.

IDEAS CHANGE THE WORLD!Have the latest Canadian thought leadership delivered straight to your inbox.
First Name
Last Name
Email address

No thanks, I’m not interested.