Fili’s world

As I was walking around Tainan and enjoying the peculiarities of Moon Festival, I got a pre-scheduled call from a popular radio show in Israel’s Reshet Bet called “The International Hour” that discusses recent events from all over the world.

Here’s what went on :

First introduction of the issue - “The day after tomorrow, the 26th UN convention will open and Taiwan tries once again since the UN favored China get the UN to accept Taiwan as a member. Taiwan also tries to get international attention by other means, like getting the torch to stop in Taiwan, but it seems that the Chinese are not very happy about that. We’ll say Hello to Fili from Taiwan…”

But I was already long disconnected, didn’t even hear this introduction.

- Going back to the topic of Taiwan. The Chinese are not very pleased with the torch going through Taiwan. What’s special about this event?

Well, actually, the Chinese will be VERY happy to get the Olympic torch to go through Taiwan, but their intentions are very different than that of the Taiwanese, wanting to show Taiwan as “Chinese Taipei”, while the Taiwanese would like to show themselves as being a separate entity from the Chinese.

- Yes, ofcourse. That goes without saying, and that has always been the case. Why is that different now? Taiwan is not going to declare independence any time soon.

No, Taiwan is probably not going to declare independence, but during the last 7-8 years ever since the current party came into power, small actions have been taken that do not constitute a public declaration but do go to show that Taiwan is separate from China. Current problem is that the current attempt to join the UN as “Taiwan” and not just “The Republic of China” raises some concerns in China on an international level.

- Now, do you think the Taiwanese are trying to use the current growing international criticism towards the Chinese, like Fa-lu-ng or Ti-Bet, even maybe how they treat labour workers in factories, and all that? Does Taiwan see an opportunity?

To tell you the truth, it seems to be quite the opposite. The Taiwanese are feeling a bit frustrated, because of the uprising of the Chinese super-power and the Americans being very careful not to upset China too much, it feels in Taiwan as though the US - the great friend which is suppose to protect Taiwan in the hour of need - might not be there anymore, and that goes for other countries as well. Therefore, they feel like they have nothing to lose.

- Yeah, yeah, ofcourse, BUT… I’m talking about how people see China internationally and not about international government politics - were it’s obvious what the power balance is and thing are getting worse for Taiwan. Using public opinion and the international criticism over China…

(hmmm… honestly, I didn’t know what to say)

Yeah, I imagine that it’s suppose to help in some way, but the major concern for the Taiwanese is about what’s been going on the international political arena.

- Thank you, Fili in … Taipei.

It was my first time doing this kind of thing - I had no idea what they expect from me and how the discussion was going to happen. Together with the 1 sec delay on the phone, the noise from bypassing cars, and having disconnected in live-radio, it was just… awkward.

I didn’t do a good job, so I could see why this was a very short interview. I did, however, realize that maybe there’s a need to write something about the Taiwanese politics in Hebrew. But, then again, I wouldn’t even know where to begin, and if anyone would genuinely interested in it.

There’s a lot that I have to say about the interview topic, though I’m not as qualified as other Taiwan bloggers, but I will shortly make the mistake of saying the following:

1. China would have wanted to have the torch stop in Taipei, it was the Taiwanese who objected due to the Chinese insistence that the Taiwan flag be taken down from the airport and in the official ceremony.
2. Taiwan might not be declaring independence but they’re doing just about everything that comes close to that. It was astounding for me to come to southern Taiwan (DPP land) and realize that - unlike Taipei - Taiwanese identity, culture and national pride are very strong. Torch or no torch, UN or no UN, the Taiwanese are now redefining - maybe inventing - their own identity and it’s a fascinating process to watch.
3. I don’t think Taiwanese or Chinese care much for international public opinion anymore. Surveys might show that most Americans would like to see Taiwan in the UN, but it’s the government policy about maintaining status quo that’s holding things back. I do believe Taiwanese feel as though time’s running out and that they don’t have much to lose, which is why this bid - either as ROC or Taiwan - is widely supported by most Taiwanese.

I’ll try and post the Hebrew interview later on, as uncomfortable as I may feel about it.