“Complexities of Taiwan overlooked”
TO AN outsider reading "Panda politics in Taiwan," it may seem that those so-called political games that Taiwan plays are senseless and petty. It is understandable that one would be confused about the country’s recent name change and the decisions to reject pandas from China and to not have the Olympic torch stop in Taipei. Moreover, when Taiwan is mentioned in the media, it’s usually about China's leaders claiming again that Taiwan is part of China, or about the US administration’s castigating Taiwan’s ruling party for making a provocative move to disturb the status quo.
So here are the simple facts: Taiwan is a country with a thriving democracy; it is the world’s 16th-largest economy; it has only 23 allies in the world, and is not part of the UN, World Health Organization, and other major international bodies. The sad reality is that Taiwan must do everything it can to push back any encroachment from China and to ensure its survival and presence in the international community.
To use the former Chiang Kai-shek hall as a metaphor for Taiwan is to undermine what Taiwan has achieved and to overlook its complex situation.