History of the “White Terror”

February 28th, 2022 marked the 75th anniversary of the “White Terror” period in Taiwan. From 1947 to 1987, this was a four decade long crackdown on political dissent. February 28th, 1947 is considered to be the day where the crackdown began as it was on this day where the government violently suppressed an uprising in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. This occurrence is also known as the “228 Incident”. This uprising was sparked on February 27th where a police officer hit a contraband cigarette seller in the head while confiscating her supply, causing bystanders to come to her defense only for police to fire and kill one of them. Protests followed by violent riots then erupted, with complaints on topics such as inflation, corruption, and other conflicts between locals and mainland Chinese officials. On this day, it is estimated that between 18,000 and 28,000 people were killed, followed by another 10,000 people in the four decade period that followed. This crackdown was imposed by the authoritarian regime at the time, and up to 200,000 people were imprisoned. Both political activists and apolitical people were accused and imprisoned.

Following the Chinese Civil War, the Kuomintang (KMT), China’s defeated nationalist party, was exiled to Taiwan. In order to address internal and external crises and consolidate its authoritarian regime, the government put into effect two different laws. The first was the “Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of the Communists Rebellion in 1948”, which was then followed by the “Marital Law” in 1949. Other laws and policies put into effect were the “Statutes for the Detection and Eradication of Spies during the Period of Communist Rebellion”, which was passed May 23rd of 1950 and effective as of June 13th that same year, and was subsequently followed by “Statutes for the Punishment of Rebellion”. Those who seemingly violated these acts were not only arrested and imprisoned but also tortured, resulting in false confessions and unjust convictions.

Annette Lu, Taiwan’s first female vice president, in 2007. In 1979, Lu, a pro-democracy activist, was arrested after giving a speech at a human rights parade, criticizing the KMT government in her speech for denying Taiwanese people their freedom. Sentenced to 12 years, she wrote a novel using the prison toilet paper. In the end she was released after 5 and half years.

Taiwan’s Healing

As of now, Taiwan is healing from and addressing this period.

“Among the younger generation, there has been heightened awareness about white terror and our history of democratization in recent years…New creations of literature and artwork on this topic are evidence that more people are paying attention.”- Sociology Professor Wu

In 2018, President Tsai Ing-wen, only the second president within Taiwan’s history to not be affiliated with the KMT, set up a transitional justice committee in order to review injustices that took place during the authoritarian era. The committee officially exonerated former prisoners as well as offered compensations. Remembering this period has also brought about a stronger sense and support of democracy within Taiwan and Taiwanese people.

“Taiwan now has a shared history and identity. For many, human rights and democracy are very important,”- Professor Wu

Sources: 

https://www.nhrm.gov.tw/w/nhrmEN/White_Terror_Period

https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/28/asia/taiwan-228-democracy-intl-hnk-dst/index.html

Similar to circumstances in the United States, Taiwan is facing an endangerment of Indigenous language loss. Although approximately 35% of 400,000 Indigenous people in Taiwan fluently speak their native language, in certain communities it’s far less. The Taiwanese government recognizes 16 tribes who lived on the island for thousands of years prior to the arrival of the Han people. Among these tribes is the Thao, the smallest tribe with less than 800 people. Thao (the language) is within the Austronesian language family, a family of languages spoken throughout Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and most of the Pacific. However in Taiwan, Thao is among the four out of sixteen languages considered to be critically endangered by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). During the authoritarian and assimilationist Japanese rule, followed by the Kuomintang’s nationalist regime, speaking native languages was criminalized, and this span of time resulted in not just a loss of language for the Thao but also lives, land, and culture. The loss in language is reflected more so among urban communities, where people were moved by natural disasters, by force, or economics. 

However there is still an inkling of hope. Panu Kapamumu, chairman of the Thao cultural development association, approximates their efforts have recorded 90% of the Thao language. There are also five dedicated teachers of Thao in Taiwan, however there are minimal resources and this is more so an informal community effort. In 2017, Taiwan’s Parliament passed a law that sought to preserve and promote Indigenous languages, designating the l6 languages of the different tribes as national languages of Taiwan and increasing the Council of Indigenous People’s (CIP) language budget by five-fold. More Indigenous consultation of policy development, along with the establishment of a language research and development foundation and the offering of language courses in schools and universities was also advised. However, while these good intentions are appreciated, assistant professor of linguistics at National Tsing Hua University, Ting-chung Chen, pointed out how the foundation responsible for language preservation and educational measures is understaffed, and it would be impractical in a sense to properly meet the needs of the 42 dialects within those 16 Indigenous languages.

“A lot of communities are trying to come up with their own textbooks … but they don’t really know how to do that. Teachers aren’t trained as teachers,”- Assistant Professor of Linguistics, Ting-chung Chen

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/09/healing-words-taiwans-tribes-fight-to-save-their-disappearing-languages

LGBTQ Rights

Within East Asia, Taiwan is considered to be a pioneer in the field of Human Rights. This is particularly evident in Taiwan’s progress on marriage equality. On May 24th, 2017, the Taiwanese government declared then current marriage law as unconstitutional on the basis of discrimination against LGBTQ people. Parliament was given two years, and if the government did not act and failed to include same sex couples, the existing marriage provision would be extended to LGBTQ couples as of May 24th, 2019. However, this two year period was not a smooth transition into equal rights. In 2018, public opposition resulted in a referendum to gauge Taiwan’s public opinion of same-sex marriage and marriage equality. This in turn resulted in the introduction of two new bills that essentially offered recognition of partnership, rather than marriage. However, Taiwan lawmakers objected to both bills, voting in favor of the initial bill that established a path for marriage equality as of May 24th, 2019. While this is a definite step in marriage equality, there are still inequalities considering LGBTQ couples cannot adopt children, outside of step-child adoption where one spouse already has a child, as well as transnational gay marriage being legal however only if the foreign spouse is from a country where gay marriage has already been legalized. 

Migrant and Indigenous Rights

However there are still improvements to be made in terms of migrant and Indigenous rights. Following an outbreak of Covid-19 within the migrant worker community in Miaoli country, the county government issued an order that confined all migrant workers to their living spaces with an exception during working hours. An order that impacted over 22,000 people, this act limited the migrants’ freedom of movement. As for Indigenous rights,  although the Supreme Administrative Court revoked the extension of the Asia Cement Corporation’s mining permit, which was on the Taroko people’s traditional land, there was still concern surrounding existing legislation still not providing adequate protection for Indigenous people’s rights against mining and other commercial activities. 

Sources:

https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/asia-and-the-pacific/east-asia/taiwan/report-taiwan/ 

https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/05/17/lovewins-taiwan 

https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/03/24/inclusive-marriage-taiwan-issue-dignity-and-equality 

https://borgenproject.org/top-facts-about-human-rights-in-taiwan/ 

https://www.justsecurity.org/81618/human-rights-challenges-highlight-taiwans-ongoing-democratic-transition/ 

With the crime rate in Taiwan dropping from 1,140 crimes per 100,000 inhabitants in 2019 to 1,101 crimes per 100,000 inhabitants in 2020, a narrowing gender wage gap, as well as women participating in politics higher than the world average, Taiwan is increasingly progressing towards a more equitable society however, as there is with many countries when it comes to equity and equality, there is still room for improvement. This is where the issue of wealth inequality comes to take the stage, an issue that Taiwanese youth have brought attention to as there is the sentiment that wealth has been concentrated in the hands of the older generation. 

“Real estate is the driver behind Taiwan’s wealth growth. Senior citizens amass wealth because they own real estate, whereas young people do not have a lot of assets…the problem is generational disparity.” (Academia Sinica researcher Yang Tzu-ting)

With Taiwan’s Gini index in 2021 at 34.1 points, economic inequality is average when speaking of countries with relative equality, clarifying any confusion there may be between the similar but separate issues of economic inequality and wealth gaps. In Taiwan wealth is also unequally distributed between the “old” and “young” but also between the different age groups as well, indicating that while yes the general wealth gap has not increased, the generational wealth gap has been worsening, hence the younger generation’s dissatisfaction.

Between 2004 to 2014, the average per capita wealth growth was 29% for those who fell in the 20-29 year old age group, with part of their assets having come from their parent generation. As for the 30-39 age bracket, average per capita wealth growth was only 6% while 40-49 year old age group had a 17% growth rate, 50-59 year old age group had a 26% growth rate, 60-69 age group had 37%, all the while those 70 years old or more had a soaring growth rate of 60%.

In applying this data Economics Professor Lien Hsien-ming says: “When people live longer, they amass more and do not divide their wealth…As a result, the widespread disenchantment among the younger generations stems from stagnating salaries that make it difficult to build wealth, so that many rely on financial support from their parents or an inheritance for a stable future.

Sources:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/922574/taiwan-gini-index/#:~:text=In%202021%2C%20the%20Gini%20index,scores%20of%2020%20and%2035. 

https://www.statista.com/statistics/319861/taiwan-crime-rate/  

https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=2637  

With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the parallel between Taiwan and China is becoming increasingly apparent. While Russia has far surpassed the stage of threats against the independent nation of Ukraine, in pressing for unification with Taiwan, China has yet to invade the country; however passive aggressive threats are indeed present. With China sending nearly 150 military jets into Taiwan’s air defense  zone, as well as remarks from President Xi JinPing such as “No one should underestimate the Chinese people’s staunch determination, firm will, and strong ability to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity” and saying that China has a “glorious tradition” of opposing separatism, at this point the potential of Beijing invading China can not not be overlooked.  

In light of the war in Ukraine and the parallels between the two countries as they are both currently under threat of an Eurasian great power, Taiwan is taking steps of their own. In April of 2022, Taiwan’s All-out Defense Mobilization Agency distributed “war survival guides” that explained the responses to various crises should they occur. Examples of such include how to prepare first aid kits, and how to find bomb shelters, as well as other resources such as food and water, via smartphone. 

However while these two countries are both fighting for independence and are indeed either currently at war or potentially on the verge of war with a global power, an important distinction between their fight is a little closer to home; while the United States supports an independent Ukraine, the waters become murky when considering America’s support of Taiwan. With America’s “One China” policy, a policy that is contradictory to Taiwan’s independence, it remains to be seen whether Washington would in fact defend Taiwan should Beijing attack.

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58794094 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-58854081 

https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/586949-eerie-similarities-link-the-ukraine-and-taiwan-situations/  

https://www.rand.org/blog/2022/05/ukraine-war-is-motivating-taiwan-to-better-secure-its.html 

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/03/world/europe/china-russia-taiwan-ukraine-analysis.html  

https://www.google.com/search?q=taiwan+supporting+ukraine&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS1024&sxsrf=ALiCzsbb0T4eUETikpqUiIpZDuuXxWF_pg:1665390436149&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjfn-_qntX6AhUKAzQIHb1NAUoQ_AUoAnoECAMQBA&biw=1356&bih=723&dpr=2#imgrc=FngjnzGpDBMJXM

Hi, I’m Kamalei!

I am from Portland, OR, and this is my first year at the UO! I have been learning Mandarin for almost 15 years and am majoring in both Chinese and Journalism! In my free time I love to draw, read (“The Mirror Visitor” is my favorite series at the moment, 10/10 would recommend), work on a short story, or watch Korean dramas! Although I have a bit of commitment issues with tv shows, I do prefer shows over movies so if you need a show to watch, feel free to ask!

Taiwan and the Issue with Cosmopolitanism

When speaking on the topic of cosmopolitanism, an issue that can not be disregarded is the obligatory aspect of it. At first glance the idea that the world is inhabited by individuals with fundamentally equal rights and obligations towards each other is charming. “We’re all in this together”, as the ensemble cast of High School Musical 3 would say. Or rather, sing. Let’s use climate change as an example. When considering the gravity and importance of this issue, a collective effort to work towards solving it is a comfort. “You’re not alone in this”, “We’re all on the same team”, “We make each other strong” “Together, we’re there for each other every time”, “Together together come on let’s do this right”, is an undertone when working on these global issues. These are positive echoes as a result of cosmopolitanism; there is a moral obligation to solve an issue that impacts each and every person on this earth. However this obligation we owe to each other is questionable when applied on a smaller scale. This is where Taiwan takes the stage. 

An island with a total area of 13,892 square miles, Taiwan is the home of over 23.6 million people and has been circulating throughout the news as China pushes for reunification and tensions rise between the two countries. Similar to Hong Kong, China wants to incorporate Taiwan into the mainland under their “one country, two systems” formula where they would be guaranteed the right to preserve their economic and political systems, as well as be granted a “high degree of autonomy”. In light of Beijing’s recent crackdowns on Hong Kong’s freedoms and the national security law in 2020 that gave Beijing power to punish and silence dissenters, this formula is very unpopular in Taiwan. A survey also found that 63% of people in Taiwan had a negative view of the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), 66% rated the PRC’s impact on Taiwan as either somewhat or very negative, and when asked to rate the PRC government’s friendliness, 24% chose most unfriendly and 72% rated the government as somewhat friendly. When considering this matter from the perspective of cosmopolitanism, and the potentially negative impact on Taiwan, should they unify with China given the precedent Hong Kong has set, “what is Taiwan obligated to do for China?” must be raised. Yes, on a larger scale and working in an effort to solve a global issue, cosmopolitanism can be seen as positive, as the right ideology to apply. However on a much smaller scale, and in regard to a more subjective issue considering China obviously supports reunification while Taiwan does not, and with the potential negative impact being known, cosmopolitanism  is not the fair ideology to apply. On smaller scales, it is a rather audacious ideology to take, and the potential that more harm than good could be coming out of this obligation must be considered. 

Sources

https://www.countryreports.org/country/Taiwan.htm

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/hong-kong-freedoms-democracy-protests-china-crackdown

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/china-taiwan-relations-tension-us-policy-biden

https://genius.com/High-school-musical-cast-were-all-in-this-together-graduation-mix-lyrics

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2022/02/07/why-is-unification-so-unpopular-in-taiwan-its-the-prc-political-system-not-just-culture/