Month: April 2008

Taiwan’s Pearl Harbor Connection

I did not know this:

…Niitakayama, the Japanese name of Jade Mountain which is Taiwan’s highest peak, was a code word for the launching of attacks on Pearl Harbor on December 8, 1941.

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto received on December 7 the coded message: "Niitakayama nobore (Climb Mount Morrison, Jade Mountain’s popular name known in the West)." American intelligence agents monitored the message but didn’t know "Niitakayama" was the code for Pearl Harbor and "climb" meant "to attack."

Jade Mountain in Taiwan, covered in snow against a pure blue sky.

(Taiwan’s Jade Mountain a.k.a. Niitakayama a.k.a. Mount Morrison.  Image from NationsOnline.org)

UPDATE (Apr 16/08):  Shan Ding-lu has photos from a hike in the Jade Mountain vicinity.  (Hat tip to David on Formosa)

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Towards A Chinese Commonwealth: Putting Taiwan’s Head In The Noose

Agreeing to the One-China policy isn’t enough; Taiwan has to agree to eventual "reunification" with the PRC.  That’s Joe Hung from his column, Ma said he would sign peace accord:

Ma Ying-jeou’s "three-no" stance on relations between Taiwan and China cannot meet the fundamental requirement of Beijing "one China" principle as set forth in the consensus of 1992.  Ma wants "no" independence for Taiwan, "no" force of arms used across the Strait and "no" change in the status quo.  He has to add "eventual unification" to the trinity to dispel Beijing’s suspicion.

Just how would the KMT president sell surrender to the Taiwanese?

As a non-Hoklo president, Ma may feel it difficult to make that pronouncement.  He does not want to expose himself to independence activists who will charge him with selling out Taiwan to China.  But he can easily neutralize any venomous attack by telling the Hoklo-Hakka majority that he visualizes relations between Taiwan and China in the future as those between Great Britain and Canada, or Australia or New Zealand.

These former British colonies, in the words of the Pronouncement of the Imperial Conference of 1926, are "autonomous communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by a common allegiance to the Crown and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations."  Internationally, these communities were recognized as separate states, entitled to have separate representation in the League of Nations and other world organizations, to appoint their own ambassadors, and to conclude their own treaties.  [emphasis added]

A similar arrangement can be made for Taiwan to be unified with China in the name of the Chinese nation.  That commits Taiwan to Beijing’s fundamental "one China" principle.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.  Let’s take a look at the part I’ve underlined, and put that into a "Chinese  Commonwealth" context:  These Chinese polities…are autonomous communities within the Chinese nation, equal in status, in no way subordinate to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by a common allegiance to One China and freely associated…

1)  Taiwan and China would be equal in status in this hypothetical Commonwealth?  Really now.

2)  Taiwan would NOT be subordinate in Hung’s wonderful fantasy land?  Uh-huh.

3)  The Chinese Commonwealth would be a FREE association?  Joe, put down that opium pipe!

Because the British Commonwealth is a free association, Australia has the liberty to LEAVE it.  Likewise, Canada can withdraw any damn time it wants to.  And New Zealand?  Why, tiny New Zealand can pack its bags TOMORROW, and not a single missile will be fired upon it in anger by a vengeful Great Britain.

Taiwan free to exit a Chinese Commonwealth?  Ehhh, not so much – and no amount of "visualization" on Ma Ying-jeou’s part will ever change that.  The plain facts are that while the British Commonwealth is a voluntary organization, Joe Hung’s Chinese Commonwealth would be a prison with no escape.  To suggest otherwise is to grossly misrepresent the world in which we live.

(One other hitch:  The British Commonwealth can EXPEL members for human rights violations.  Does Hung imply that mighty Taiwan will have the power to cast China out of his Commonwealth for, I dunno let’s say, another Tiananmen massacre or further barbarism in Tibet?)

New readers might want to take a look at a post about this I wrote a couple of years ago.  A bit wordy perhaps, but it still holds up.  You can read it – or you can skip it.  That’s FREEDOM.  Quite a different thing from being handed a Little Red Book at gunpoint and being ordered to memorize it in a Chinese re-education camp.

Freedom and compulsion.  Voluntary association and involuntary servitude.  Sadly, Joe Hung seems to believe these things are all one and the same.

Checking The Legislature’s Power

From Tuesday’s Taiwan News‘ editorial, New legislature must be watched:

While we respect the voters’ decision, we also believe our society must develop effective mechanisms to monitor the functioning of "complete ruling" government led by the KMT president and to successfully check and balance the KMT’s absolute majority in the Legislative Yuan to prevent it from abusing its powers.

[…]

Since the DPP delegation of 27 lawmakers can no longer delay the passage of ill-advised KMT proposed bills, we can expect the KMT’s absolute majority to propose and approve a series of "pork-barrel" laws catering to local financial or other special interests linked with the KMT or its individual lawmakers.

The era of a "legislative monster" is indeed imminent.

[…]

Ultimately, the only alternative force to monitor or check and balance the future KMT legislative monster can only come from Taiwan’s civil society.

A starting point is the formation of the "Citizens Congress Watch" by several civic reform leaders, which last week published a report on the worst 11 legislators rated for attendance in legislative meetings since the new Legislative Yuan took its seats in February.

[…]

If such monitoring can lead to effective boycotts by voters of poorly performing legislators, both the quality of the Legislature and the interests of our society will be advanced.

One other moderating check on KMT legislators that I don’t believe I’ve seen mentioned is the threat they may be recalled.  The Depose Chen campaign of 2006 was the first time we saw this, when the KMT tried to bully Taiwanese independence party legislators by initiating recall petitions in their districts.  (Naturally, the DPP retaliated by trying to recall KMT legislators as well.)

While none of the attempts were followed through to the end, it certainly set a precedent for this in the future. 

Probably won’t see the ball roll on this on a large scale unless there’s some major KMT corruption scandal or the party screws up royally.  Might be a possibility for egregious individual cases, though.

Chinese Dyslexia

For the past few months I’ve been re-watching episodes of Heroes, and the dyslexic, mind-reading policeman character got me to wondering:  Do Chinese people suffer from dyslexia while reading Chinese ideograms?  Tuesday’s Taiwan News featured a story which reminded me of my question, and answered it for me.  Yes, it appears that they do.

Chinese- and English-speaking dyslexics have different neurological deficits, according to a study released yesterday which suggests that dyslexia may be different brain disorders in the two cultures.

English speakers with the reading disability typically have functional abnormalities in posterior parts of the brain associated with reading and possibly less gray matter in these areas also.

In Chinese dyslexics, on the other hand, the functional and structural brain abnormalities related to reading correspond with the left middle frontal region of the brain, according to new research.

(Embarrassed to say I didn’t Google the question – if I had, I would have come across this interesting 2005 column on the subject.)

Used Sesame Seed Salesmen

From Monday’s China Post:

Someone, apparently a fanatic fan of Jolin Tsai, has paid NT$40,200 [roughly $1,200 US] to get 23 sesame seeds she was alleged to have dropped off on a paper napkin while she was munching her Kentucky Fried Chicken burger, the United Daily News reported yesterday.

[…]

But [the pop singer] denied through her agent she never ate at the chicken-burger outlet as was claimed. "It’s a fake," Jolin was quoted by her agent as saying. "They (the sesame seeds) are not mine. I never visited that Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet."

Nice work if you can get it, I guess.  Now she knows how Koo Chen-fu feels.  Koo can insist the 1992 Consensus is a fake all he likes, but the KMT STILL sells it over his objections.

I never visited that Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet indeed.

He’d Like To Buy The World A Coke

From Monday’s Taipei Times:

Recognizing Chinese degrees will lead to a greater number of Chinese students studying in Taiwan, [President-elect Ma Ying-jeou] said.

"When these young people who receive their education in Taiwan return home, they will become some of Taiwan’s closest friends," he said.

Funny how that sometimes works out, Doctor Pangloss.

Zimbabwean Dictator Emulates Taiwan’s KMT

Robert Mugabe sends goons to burgle opposition political headquarters:

After four days of silence from the government, shadowy intruders ransacked MDC offices…

Interesting that Mugabe had the sense of shame to send UNIDENTIFIED men to do his dirty work.  Unlike the KMT, which of course made ITS attempt at office-breaking last month with four elected LEGISLATORS in broad daylight.

No Phallic Imagery There

Taiwanese President-elect with Chiang Kai-shek statue in background.  Image from the Taipei Times.

KMT chairman Ma Ying-jeou giving speech while standing at crotch-level in front of giant statue of dictator Chiang Kai-shek.

Will Ma Ying-jeou remember his own words next time he criticizes a Japanese official for visiting the Yasukuni Shrine?

Ma said he was not very concerned about any controversy over his visit to the tombs [of Taiwan’s former dictators], adding that “everyone can hold different views on history.”

[…]

“Your views may be different from mine, but you cannot coerce me into adhering to your opinions,” said Ma, adding that the public should welcome differences of opinion.

UPDATE (Apr 8/08):  Yesterday’s Taiwan News has more on the Yasukuni angle.

UPDATE (Apr 9/08):  My favorite caption:  "Doctor Evil and Mini-Ma."

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Compelling Evidence That Tibet Is An Inalienable Part Of China

From yesterday’s editorial in Taiwan’s One-China Post: 

Tibet has been a part of China since ancient times.  In the seventh century, princess Wen Cheng, daughter of Emperor Tang Taizong was sent to Tibet, then called Tufan, to marry a Tibetan king in a political marriage aimed at cementing ties between suzerain China and the faraway dependent state.

I was going to write a snarky comment to the effect that Gordon Brown should start insisting France is British territory, because back in 1420 Henry V happened to marry Catherine of Valois, the daugher of the French king of the time.

But then a bit of fact-checking revealed:

Princess Wencheng … was a NIECE of the powerful Emperor Taizong of Tang of Tang China …  [emphasis added]

So, was she the emperor’s daughter as the China Post claims, or his niece?  The sources I checked on Google seem to disagree, so I’m from Missouri on this one.

However, the Post‘s claims that the marriage was "aimed at cementing ties" seems a half-truth at best.  Again, from Wiki:

In 635 – 636 the Tibetan king’s forces attacked and defeated the ‘A zha people, who lived around Lake Koko Nor in the northeast corner of Tibet, along an important trade route into China. After a campaign against China in 635-6 (OTA l. 607) the Chinese emperor agreed to marry a Chinese princess to [Tibetan] king Songtsän Gampo as part of the diplomatic settlement.

Wikipedia also states that a large quantity of gold "accompanied" the princess to the Tibetan court. 

And the China Post says THIS was a "political marriage aimed at cementing ties between suzerain China and the faraway dependent state"?  Balderdash!  The Chinese were defeated in a series of military campaigns — and chose to sue for peace by sending WOMEN and GOLD to the throne room of the victor.

Obviously, my initial sarcastic reaction was completely misplaced.  Perhaps instead, Nicholas Sarkozy should start asserting FRENCH sovereignty over Britain.  In this, he could follow the China Post‘s lead, arguing that 600 years ago, the English were forced by their SOUND DEFEAT at Agincourt … forced, into giving Henry V’s hand to the daughter of France’s triumphant Charles VI!