Missiles, Money and the Mainland: The Taiwan Dilemma

By John | Thursday, May 8, 2008 | No Comments

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I was listening to KQED last night and came across the very interesting program discussing Taiwan, “Missiles, Money and the Mainland: The Taiwan Dilemma.” With all the talk about China these days with the Beijing Olympics coming up, it was nice to hear about Taiwan being discussed and its tenuous relationship with the People’s Republic of China:

“For six decades, Taiwan’s political status has been unresolved. In that time, the small island’s economic dynamism has made it a major player in the global market. But its economic success hasn’t translated into political clout on the international stage. As China’s sphere of influence expands, the island it considers a rogue province is losing friends. Taipei’s occasional gestures towards independence have stroked the ire of China, and the US has backed its democratic ally. But with the potential for serious conflict in the Taiwan Strait between nuclear powers, each side is treading carefully.”

You can listen/download the 50+ minute program here (.mp3)

What really caught my ear was when the program discussed when then Taiwan president Lee Teng-hui (Cornell Ph.d.’68) visited Cornell in June 1995 to give a speech during reunion weekend. As a Taiwanese-American and Cornell alum, I was filled with pride that Lee Teng-hui was able to give his speech, “Always in My Heart.” I would have attended reunion weekend had it not been for my brother’s college graduation that same weekend.

The program reminded me that after Lee Teng-hui gave the speech and returned to Taiwan, mainland China started conducting military exercises and firing missiles in the direction of Taiwan. This lead the United States to send in a second aircraft carrier group to pass through the Taiwan Straits to not only reassure the U.S.’s defense of Taiwan but also warn China to tone things done, which it did.

If you’re at all interested in Taiwan, the program is worth listening to.

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