Shieh Jhy-Wey (64) is currently for the second Time, representative at the Taipei representative office in Germany. His primary interest continued to teach until 2016 at the Soochow University in Taipei, and hosted a political talk show on Formosa TV.
Mr Shieh, on Saturday, the world is China’s priority theme at the Munich security conference. The state and party chief Xi Jinping had threatened at the beginning of the year, to the reunification with Taiwan by force, if necessary. How dangerous is the situation for Taiwan?
China is an unpredictable state in which the government does not tolerate opposition and is also still economically, militarily, strategically. Against such a state can not afford to Taiwan to take the threat lightly. We have good reasons to make us seriously Worry. Let’s look at what has happened since 1997 in Hong Kong. We look at what happened after 1959 with Tibet. Let’s look at what deadly fate met the Nobel prize winner for peace…
…you speak of Liu Xiaobo, who died in 2017 in captivity in the hospital…
…this is a peaceful man who was intent on the Welfare of the population. He has not demonstrated. He has written that China is a more social society, by bringing, for example, a proper Constitution. That was enough for the Regime to throw him to 11 years in prison. The Nobel peace prize for him has not impressed all of China. He was tortured by the Regime to death.
China referred to Taiwan as a renegade province, due to the One-China policy, recognizing only 17 countries Taiwan diplomatically. Has increased the threat?
It is the hardliners in China, who say: After a century of oppression, China is finally out of bed again; Hong Kong is back, Macau is back, now only Taiwan missing. The Dangerous is that most Chinese would support you in this point. There is a decisive difference between China and Taiwan.
What is it?
We know the difference between dictatorship and freedom. The Taiwanese have experienced in the past few decades, 38 years of martial law, before that 50 years of Japanese domination. The relatively short experience with democracy are so serious for us that we say: This is a freedom for which many people are on the side of the road, we give. Not even for a reunion, when you know from the outset that the price would be in favour of freedom.
freedom is protected by the allies USA, has shown recently with a military ship in the Taiwan Strait presence. How well Taiwan feels of U.S. President Donald Trump supported?
Trumps critical attitude to China, you will find the best speech of his Vice-President Mike Pence. This was a settlement. Under Barack Obama, the United States had begun a retreat from Asia. Already at that time, began in China in the South China sea, a submerged rock is an island, and then to make a military base. The alarmed neighbouring States have warned. If you are China the little Finger, it will take the whole Hand. If the US would now do nothing, the riparian States before the election, to abandon and to get closer to China or to have to constantly under the threats of life.
Shieh Jhy-Wey (64) is currently for the second Time, representative at the Taipei representative office in Germany.Photo: promo
What are the consequences?
China is a rising, and for a very different value system prevails. China does not care about human rights and democracy. It has been said in recent times blatantly, that would have been the Western democracies are not efficient, and the Chinese democracy is the more efficient. The Chinese are now selling their values, for example, in Africa, in countries that are less developed. They even split the EU by manipulating the individual member States by providing financial services.
What does this mean for Europe?
This is for a long time, a challenge for the United States and Europe. The big question is whether you can afford to break with China. Germany is one of the countries that place more value on human rights, Fairness in business and transparency in Governance, but overall, you need not fear rare of reasons to that, instead of thaw will dominate a Kotauwetter the scene.
How is it come to this?
China has made trade relations an extortion business. That means that it benefits twice. Once at the shops, and for the second Time by political blackmail. The Europeans say, we can’t break us make with China, and make a kowtow. Your gains are getting smaller and smaller, and the risk is always greater. You would even get more, if you would be a bit harder, and his principles would remain. We know the Chinese, we don’t belong but also to the Chinese culture, they see it as the good will, they see it as the kowtow. However, changing something in Germany, because it is always more difficult to do business with China. The national security plays a more important role.
Why is Taiwan’s fate is important?
Taiwan has a symbolic significance for the 1.4 billion people in China. For Hong Kong, for the Tibetans, the Uighurs. For the countries in Asia. That a small country that has had almost 100 years of foreign rule, became, with the support from the outside, but often on their own a fairly well-functioning democracy. Where people may enjoy a system of values, as in the West. If this goes under, just because the opposite, China can be no talk of democratic freedoms, of all things, with violence in this country is connected. That would certainly be very discouraging to the countries of the world that strive for democratization and efforts. It would be a not-to-handle, the end of moral defeat for the values of the West.
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security conference in Munich, The old world order disintegrates, and this is not only a bad
Christoph von Marschall
