Taiwan less isolated in new global perspective

Lung-chu Chen

"We would prefer to be a small family with self autonomy rather than an abused spouse within a larger family. We want to be the masters of Taiwan, and not of some accessory of Greater China. For the benefit of this generation, and for the next, we have to strive together to establish our own country and our own government."

I wrote this 33 years ago in my book Taiwanese Independence and Establishing a Nation without fear of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), whose tyrannical government sought to pressure Taiwan toward unification.

We can look at this from another angle now that we are a modern, multicultural society. Reinterpreting Taiwan's situation will enable us to expand our outlook and find a new foothold from which Taiwan can launch itself into the future.

For the people of Taiwan it is of the utmost importance to cultivate a more international outlook if we are to find a place in the world.

Taiwan is an island state joined to the Asian continent. To the east is the Pacific, the world's largest ocean; to the west and north is the Taiwan Strait that connects with the East China Sea and South China Sea, and to the south we have the Bashi Channel.

Whether you see Taiwan as an island just off China, or see Taiwan more centrally, surrounded by water and other countries, nothing has really changed to any degree. The only thing that has changed is the way we perceive Taiwan.

For a very long time, over half a century of politicized education under the KMT, the majority of Taiwanese have had their thinking manipulated so that they see Taiwan in relation to China.

They believe that for a nation to be strong, for it to be able to deal with other powers on the international stage, it should have a long history, extensive lands, a rich heritage, beautiful scenery and abundant resources. And they view Taiwan as a small country with no alternative but to listen to the dictates of larger ones.

This thinking is flawed, and the current trends of internationalization are moving in the direction of maintaining peace and economic cooperation. A nation's military might and the size of the nation's territory are not the sole indicators of how strong it is.

The strength of a modern nation should be measured on the political, social, economic, technological, educational, cultural and military levels. Nowadays we emphasize the comprehensive and well-rounded development of a nation, particularly in terms of what it means for democratic freedoms and human rights.

Taiwan cannot pretend that it is a large country, but neither does it need to sell itself short as a part of China in order to enjoy the benefits of a stronger nation.

Taiwan is neither big nor small, and we should compare our strengths and weaknesses, not our size, with other countries. We need to compare our democracy and human rights with those of others, not compete with dictators and warmongers.

The boundless ocean stretches out before us, and this should enable us to have an equally boundless vision.

If Taiwan wants to develop into a player on the international stage, we need to affirm our inherent value and spirit and cultivate the ability to see further to replace the traditional mentality of falling into line.

We should see the island of Taiwan as our base and the ocean as a territory over which no one can hold exclusive rights. This is what I mean by looking at Taiwan from a new angle.

Chen Lung-chu is the chairman of the Taiwan New Century Foundation.