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3 Hong Kong, Taiwan wilt in the
Dragon's glare By Chietigj
Bajpaee
Asia given its slow
response to the disaster and limited aid
contribution.
Not only is an expanded
humanitarian role for Hong Kong not beyond its
means, it also forms a crucial part of its
identity given that the majority of Hong Kong's
population are offspring of immigrants who fled
China during internal rebellions, Japanese
invasion, civil war, and communist persecution.
Hong Kong also
has
extensive experience in dealing with the
Vietnamese "boat people" refugees in 1980s and
1990s. The poor treatment of asylum seekers in the
SAR and the outdated laws on racial discrimination
in the territory highlight deficiencies in its
humanitarian policy.
In the case of
Taiwan, it should learn to see beyond a
Westphalian conception of identity. In an era of
globalization, Taiwan's impact on the
international system is not a function of its
borders, national flag and anthem, the number of
its official diplomatic allies and its membership
in international organizations.
Rather, it
is a function of the positive contribution that it
makes to the international system. Taiwan has
already done so through its status as a beacon of
democracy in Asia, vibrant culture, and hub for
the IT industry. However, it may lose this by
focusing more on acquiring traditional notions of
status and recognition such as membership to
international treaties and diplomatic allies.
Taiwan should focus its resources on
strengthening relations with states with which it
has unofficial relations that are pivotal to the
international system, such as the US, the EU and
Japan, rather than conducting money diplomacy with
the handful of countries with which it has
official diplomatic relations but which are only
marginally important in international affairs.
Rather than wasting resources on symbolic
gestures that prove Taiwan's sovereignty, such as
its futile bids for membership in the UN under the
name "Taiwan" that will be vetoed by China, Taiwan
should focus on establishing itself as a beacon of
democracy in Asia. As a thriving democracy that is
economically integrated with the region, Taiwan
can play a prominent role on the world stage
irrespective of how many official diplomatic
allies it has or how many international
organizations it belongs to.
Finally,
Taiwan should pursue economic integration with the
mainland. Ironically, Taiwan is marginalizing
itself more in the region and on the world stage
by its own reluctance to integrate with the
mainland than Beijing has achieved through
stealing Taiwan's diplomatic allies and excluding
it from international organizations.
As
Taiwan gears up for presidential elections next
year and Hong Kong engages in consultations on a
timetable on its move toward universal suffrage,
debates on both entities' identities, relationship
with the mainland and role on the world stage are
likely to increase. In the case of Hong Kong, it
is limited in its external-affairs role by the
constraints of the "one country, two systems"
framework as enshrined in the Basic Law, which
serves as its constitution.
Nonetheless,
Hong Kong has the potential to play a significant
role beyond its current purpose as a financial
center and trade, transshipment and tourism hub
given its economic strength, educated populace,
strong transport and communication infrastructure,
geopolitical status as a gateway for China, and
legacy of British colonialism.
Hong Kong
has so far remained a politically neutral,
economically active entity on the world stage.
However, this role is unsustainable. Enhancing
Hong Kong's humanitarian role or developing the
city into a platform for discussion on
inter-state, regional and international issues in
the political, economic and security spheres may
have more success in retaining its unique identity
and ensuring itself a prominent place on the world
stage as a part of China in the 21st century.
In the case of Taiwan, rather than scoring
political points through quick-fix or symbolic
gestures, there is a need for Taipei to pursue a
pragmatic policy of integrating economically with
the mainland while using its unique heritage as a
thriving democracy and seeing beyond conventional
conceptions of status and identity to make its
mark on the world stage.
Notes 1. Taiwan has
secured FTAs with El Salvador, Honduras, Panama,
Nicaragua and Guatemala and is engaged in
negotiations with Paraguay and Costa Rica. 2.
Chiang Kai-shek (CKS) Memorial Hall was changed to
National Taiwan Democracy Hall, Chiang Kai-shek
International Airport to Taoyuan International
Airport, Chinese Petroleum Corp to Taiwan Chinese
Petroleum Corp, China Shipbuilding Corp to Taiwan
International Shipbuilding Corp, Chunghwa - China
Post Co Ltd to Taiwan Post, and the Central Bank
of the Republic of China to the Central Bank of
the Republic of China (Taiwan).
Chietigj Bajpaee is a research
associate at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies in Washington, DC, where he
works on numerous projects analyzing
macroeconomic, geopolitical and security
developments in Asia. He has been a research
assistant for the International Institute for
Strategic Studies in London and a risk analyst for
a New York-based risk-management company. He has
lived in Hong Kong, India, the United Kingdom and
the United States. He can be contacted at
cbajpaee@hotmail.com.
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