Lexington County, SC 09/14/2021 (Elliot Wang) - China has undermined and restricted the representation of Taiwan on the global stage for far too long. For 50 years, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has placed undue pressure on many countries and international organizations to continue to ignore Taiwan.
There is no compelling reason to obstruct Taiwan’s participation in the international arena.
The country has proven that it can offer value as a productive global partner to its allies and like-minded partners. Taiwan has coordinated with the US to tackle the challenges of the pandemic. For example, Taiwan donated 110,000 surgical masks and 20,000 N95 masks to South Carolina. Taiwan also supplies superconductor integral for vehicles, computers and so many other products required in our daily lives.
So why is it that China wants to outlaw cooperative efforts between Taiwan and the world when past efforts have shown that it improves society as a whole?
The reason is simple, propaganda. China falsely claims they own Taiwan. This is simply untrue. The Communist Party cites the 1971 UN Resolution that specifies who represents “China” at the UN as reason to claim Taiwan, but that resolution does not authorize PRC sovereignty or representation over Taiwan. Instead, they have tried to enact by force for the past five decades. This has infringed the representative freedoms of 23 million people.
This aggressive attitude is not limited to the island nation, but extends to its allies as well. Lithuania is being attacked in a trade war by China for having committed the horrible crime of opening an office in Taiwan. Chinese state-owned media have made overt threats to anyone who dares try to push back against their demands.
Taiwan stands ready to offer helping hands and minds to its friends. The World Happiness Report 2021 ranked Taiwan the happiest country in East Asia. The citizenry greatly wants to work with global partners and enrich life for those who believe in freedom and democracy.
I hope others will join me in giving Taiwan a seat at the table.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Although The Lexington Ledger rarely delves into national or international polotics, in this case we were asked to consider running this by a member of the Lexington County Legsilative Delegation. When you consider what is happening on the world stage, this provides yet another example of who or what exactly is a threat to world peace. As this is the OPINION page, we feel it's okay to express our opinion. COVID-19 and global warming may be a threat to the world but we believe that the People's Republic of China, not the Chinese people, are a significant, growing, sinister, and far more dangerous threat to our world peace and the world's economy than either of the aforementioned issues. While we do not advocate for wars or nation building, we do feel that the USA should do everything it can diplomatically to support all our allies, even smaller countries like Taiwan. It is our hope that the PRC will stop oppressing Taiwan and other smaller countries and let their people live in peace and enjoy economic prosperity just as we should discontinue any efforts at nation building and simply support the rights of free people worldwide. As pointed out in this OP-ED, during the worldwide pandemic, the people of Taiwan have been friends to South Carolina and the United States. We fear that anything that China has done for us comes with strings attached that could eventually strangle us. If you have an opposing opinion, please feel free to submit a Letter to the Editor following the guidelines on the OPINION page of The Lexington Ledger.
