Counterbalance Podcast | Taiwan 101 (feat. Peter Rough)

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3 ай бұрын

This week, host Michael Doran is joined by co-host Peter Rough, senior fellow and director of the Center for Europe and Eurasia at Hudson Institute. Peter offers an overview of his recent visit to Taiwan and discusses with Mike his thoughts on Beijing's increasing economic and military pressure on Taipei. The duo also talks about the current state of Taiwanese domestic politics and how it affects U.S. foreign policy.

Пікірлер: 33

@rwang5688 12 күн бұрын

As someone who was born in Taiwan and grew up in the US, I thank you both for doing a Taiwan 101 episode. We need to raise the awareness of the American public about the realities and importance of defending Taiwan’s independence against a totalitarian Chinese regime.

@alexd5128 2 ай бұрын

Yes, many older Taiwanese buildings look dilapidated for a visitor who only sees them from OUTSIDE! It's actually quite common that the INSIDE is well-maintained and updated regularly. I don't believe that the KMT is the sole culprit. Chiang, Kai-shek died in 1975 and his son in 1988. If the locals would even bother to repaint the exteriors of their dwellings ONCE in the past 36 years, Taiwan would look greatly refreshed! Unfortunately, they simply won't even bother! Their attitude is why bother to spend a penny on the exteriors when they don't live outside unless one is into impressing his neighbors. This is one big difference between the Taiwanese and the mainland Chinese. While the former is inclined to hide his wealth, the latter can't wait to broadcast to the world how rich he is! However, I do think a subject of this nature is never black and white. If the KMT followers saw their lives in Taiwan as temporary and thus didn't bother to improve the outside appearance of their dwellings, they could influence the cultures since they did account for one million people. If one sees these rundown buildings day in and day out since childhood, he wouldn't even think of them as ugly. Why would he do anything about it when he thinks it's normal?

@tstecksuan 3 ай бұрын

Sun Yat-Sen is considered the father of modern China establishing a republic after overthrowing the Qing dynasty through an armed revolution, thus ending the thousand years of imperial system of China.

@tstecksuan 3 ай бұрын

Sun Yat-Sen is revered as the father of modern China establishing a republic after overthrowing the Qing dynasty through an armed revolution, thus ending the thousand years of imperial system of China. Chiang Kai-shek on the other hand was leader of the KMT (Nationalist party) and ruled China until he was defeated in a civil war by the CCP in 1949 with the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. Chiang fled to Taiwan and maintained his rule as the Republic of China. The KMT while can be accredited for the building of Taiwan into a thriving economy from 1950-1996, is also hated by the Taiwanese for its autocratic rule. In 1996, a major reform was introduced opening up political freedom, leading to its first direct Presidential election and subsequently periodic parliamentary election every 4 years. The DDP was instrumental in forging this political reform and hence considered the only true indigenous political force as opposed to the KMT which is regarded by local Taiwanese as a migrant political force from the mainland. Even today the KMT is still bearing its Chinese name as “Chinese Nationalist Party.”

@willywonka4340 3 ай бұрын

9:54 Sun Yat-Sen is one of the founders of KMT and its constitution based on the 3 principles of the people (look it up 😂). Sun was revered by both KMT and CCP as the founding father of Modern China, post-Qing Dynasty. Ironically, there are elements of socialistic ideals in that original founding of the KMT constitution which Mao exploited and thus branched off from the early KMT days. Chiang Kai-shek wasn't KMT'S founder but he amassed power to the rank of generallisimo and lead the anti-communist faction within the KMT that fought the communist tooth for nails to eradicate it. FWIW.

@2KSnSLifestyle 3 ай бұрын

You are correct. In fact the PRC is gradually implementing the 3 principles of the people unlike the Taiwan government.

@willywonka4340 3 ай бұрын

@@2KSnSLifestyle quick search on the FREE INTERNET resulted the following: ROC : three principles of the people, based on: 1. Nationalism. 2. Democracy. 3. Welfarism ( livelihood of the people). A good description of a social democracy. Pretty much what Taiwan is, at least at the moment, adhering to its core principles. however.. This is what I found on the CCP instead: The four cardinal principles ( not to be confused with the three principles of the people of the ROC): 1. To keep the path of socialism. 2. To uphold the people's "Democratic"? "dictatorship"?? (oxymoron 😂) 3. The uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China 4. To uphold Marxist leninism and Mao Zedong thought. Wow, no mentions of the people at all! Let alone the three principles😂 edit: my bad, line 2 did mention the people, but the "dictatorship" part of that line contradict the rest, so "democracy " and "people" mentioned here is moot. c'mon, just stop. Don't twist the facts on everything you're trying to disprove. You're embarrassing yourself. 😹

@2KSnSLifestyle 3 ай бұрын

@@willywonka4340Wow, clearly you couldn't see the implementation of the three people principles in China. Why do you think the DPP lost their majority in the parliament? Social democracy in Taiwan? You must be kidding. China on the other hand is implementing the common prosperity, making sure big corporations pay their share to the common people. China builds infrastructure to remote places even though there won't be profit in maintaining those infrastructure. Villagers have access to the internet and can take advantage of e-commerce. Try that in Taiwan. Most Taiwanese still ride motorcycles despite the fact that Taipei is a small city smaller than Hong Kong and yet one can travel all over Hong Kong on public transportation. You go to Taipei, outside its central business district, the area is 20 years behind China. Social democracy you said? How many young Taiwanese can afford housing? Go to Shenzhen and experience yourself.

@2KSnSLifestyle 3 ай бұрын

@@willywonka4340 Dictatorship? How many Hong Kong freedom fighters that Taiwan promised to accept ended up in Taiwan? Go ahead, give me a number. Some democracy Taiwan is.

@2KSnSLifestyle 3 ай бұрын

@@willywonka4340Welfarism you said? The GDP of Taiwan is even lower than the GDP of Shenzhen + Hong Kong + Macau, which together have about the same population as Taiwan. How's that for looking after the livelihood of the people? More freedom in Taiwan? How many casinos are there in Taiwan? How many casinos are in Macau. Who is twisting the facts here?

@kendzhi 3 ай бұрын

The interviewer should let the guest talk🙄

@christopherchen7193 3 ай бұрын

Why does the host keep insisting asking about the damn KMT????? The KMT is just a small part of the island, due to aging demographics. The current new generation of Taiwanese has nothing to wish to belong to the KMT. That's the same asking for the young Italians to go back to the Fascist Party. The only reason why the new generation has a beef with the ruling DPP is mainly because of the insane housing prices and lack of good paying jobs, however, a great majority of the population has almost ZERO interest of re-unification with a China still run and mismanaged by the Communist Party.

@willywonka4340 3 ай бұрын

Do you think the rising housing prices and low wages were the results of DPP's policies, or a problem that's deeper than it seems (i.e. outside factors that has nothing to do with which party's in charge). I'm genuinely curious, I have no dog in this fight, so to speak. Because these problems the young Taiwanese are facing aren't exclusive to Taiwan. All developed industrialized nations are going through this very problem right now. Voting for the TPP doesn't necessarily means that they'll solve the housing and wage issues. I hope Taiwan finds a way to mitigate them, and would like to see all 3 parties cooperate.

@2KSnSLifestyle 3 ай бұрын

Complete bullshit. If the Taiwanese don't want to reunite with China. Taiwan would be independent by now. The latest election showed that the independence movement is dead. Let that sink in.

@willywonka4340 3 ай бұрын

@@2KSnSLifestyle may I suggest you look up Pew research centers poll on this subject matter. It is the incessant current military threat of the CCP that the majority of Taiwanese preferring status quo. If you remove that military threat, 90% of Taiwanese in that poll would declare independence.

@2KSnSLifestyle 3 ай бұрын

@@willywonka4340Don't be so naive and get brainwashed by the Western media. Taiwan stole millions of treasures from the Forbidden Palace, stole all the gold that belonged to China, kidnapped millions of Chinese to Taiwan and now you want to claim independence? It's like I went to your home, stole all your precious belongings and later claimed ownership. How would you feel? Finally the Pew research only asked the people in Taiwan. It didn't ask the millions of Taiwanese who live and work in China, Hong Kong and overseas, not to mention the 1.4 billion Chinese. Let that sink in.

@willywonka4340 3 ай бұрын

"...let that sink in." "... take it or leave it." ok genius, you got me rolling 🤣 I'm reading your comments and getting a belly full of chuckles with your constant use of logical fallacies for your arguments😂 I see a straw man fallacy there with one of them. Mostly red herring... 😊 Maybe you're intelligent enough to spot the rest? Have fun figuring them out! 😆

@robertos4876 3 ай бұрын

All of Taiwan used to consider themselves Japanese citizens which was what the Japanese Empire mandated prior to 1945. The Chinese identity was brought on and imposed on the Taiwanese by KMT.

@willywonka4340 3 ай бұрын

Not to mention at the time if anyone insisting on using Japanese they are immediately incarcerated and "re-educated" edit: post-1945 KMT takeover of Taiwan

@2KSnSLifestyle 3 ай бұрын

@@willywonka4340And what do you think the Taiwanese identify themselves before the Japanese occupation? martians? Taiwan was already under the Ming and Qing rules for centuries.

@willywonka4340 3 ай бұрын

@@2KSnSLifestyle they identify themselves as culturally Chinese but live on an island that they shared with indigenous locals. The island was partially Qing Dynasty territory along the western coast but the majority of the Island still belong to the aborigines. The Qing government considered Taiwan as a Backwater territory that they don't care much for when they annexed it after the Dutch left and was more than relieved when the Japanese wanted it as war reparations in 1895.

@willywonka4340 3 ай бұрын

@@2KSnSLifestylethe Ming Dynasty didn't rule Taiwan, but the half Japanese Chinese pirate Koxinga did drive out the Dutch and claimed it for Ming, though by that time Ming Dynasty collapsed. Around this time the Central and the Eastern mountainous regions of Taiwan was still considered Terra Incognita, inhabited by indigenous tribes who would chop off heads of foreign Intruders lol. I find that understandable because who wouldn't want to defend their own homeland?😂 the island of Formosa / Taiwan is a prized possession of invading colonists because of its geostrategic importance in this region.

@2KSnSLifestyle 3 ай бұрын

@@willywonka4340Wrong. Taiwan was occupied by the Ming government just like how the KMT fled to Taiwan. You could also argue that Hainan island was inhabited by the indigenous locals. The Qing government might be relieved but not the present Chinese government who wants it back just like how China took Hong Kong and Macau back. Frankly those Taiwanese are free to leave Taiwan and migrate to America. Just return Taiwan to China.