Korea and Taiwan

By Deauwand Myers

Korea and Taiwan share a lot of similarities. Both countries experienced dictatorial regimes for decades. Both countries were brutally occupied by foreign powers, specifically but not exclusively, Imperial Japan. Both countries are beset by dangerous and intractable enemies. Korea has to contend with North Korea, and Taiwan has to combat an increasingly aggressive China. They both experienced hardships, yet turned their countries into advanced, democratic, economic powerhouses, with advanced technology ― especially electronics and computer chips. Taiwan is the leader in advanced computer chip technology worldwide, while Korea is not far behind, with Samsung and LG.

The similarities don't end there. The national cuisines aren't all that dissimilar between the two nations, and both countries have thriving music and film industries, although in popularity, Korea wins that race.

But there are vast differences between the two nations' geopolitical situations. North Korea is an existential threat to Korea, but no one believes that in a hot war, the malnourished and poorly equipped North would win in such a conflict, especially with the guarantee of an American military intervention.

Taiwan has no such assurances. Now I do believe that America would intervene if China's President Xi (unprecedentedly soon to take a third term in office) would make good on his threats to take Taiwan by military force. Australia, Japan and possibly other countries would also intervene. But unlike in Korea, these are implied interventions. Besides giving arms aid to Taiwan, the United States has no statutory obligation to engage physically in an actual war with China to protect Taiwan in a hypothetical conflict, and this ambiguity is by diplomatic design.

Most countries placate China's unfounded claims of sovereignty over Taiwan by allowing Taiwan to only have economic and cultural offices in their territories. They are actually de facto diplomatic embassies. It's a farce that's probably gone on too long, but Europe and most nations fear angering China if they officially recognize Taiwan as a sovereign country, when that's what it has been for decades. The Chinese Communist Party has never ruled Taiwan.

There are ways to help this situation, but none of them are foolproof. President Biden, and other leaders of advanced democracies, could amp up military sales and technical assistance to Taiwan. They could also officially recognize Taiwan as an independent country. Finally, the United States could have a permanent military presence on the island.

However, particularly on that last point, it is likely that if America installed a naval base in Taiwan, China, for nationalistic and political reasons, would declare war on Taiwan and the United States.

China's President Xi is ruthless, highly intelligent and ambitious. In just a few years he has consolidated all political power unto himself. He is the head of all important government agencies, the Chinese Communist Party and the military. He has built a cult of personality around himself, and he has brutally crushed all those who oppose him through imprisonment or worse. But scarier, his belief that the dominant Han Chinese are superior, and that all minority languages, cultures and religions should be erased or comport with Han sensibilities is beyond simple authoritarianism. It borders dangerously close on true fascism.
But would President Xi risk a humiliating defeat in a conflict over Taiwan and the possible loss of millions of lives over a country of 23 million people who pose no threat to his regime over his outsized ego? I hope not, but history tells me, yes. We, as an international community, cannot allow despots like Russia's Putin and President Xi to think they can bully and brutalize other nations with impunity.

Surely, China would raise serious objections if Korea increased its diplomatic and economic ties with Taiwan, but such a gesture of solidarity between democratic countries facing dangerous enemies would be a positive sign of mutual understanding.

President Xi believes that with his lightning-speed modernization of China's military, his brutal consolidation of power and the vast sizes of China's economy and population, advanced democracies will simply acquiesce to his whims and wishes.

So far, he has been mostly right. China has illegally built man-made islands far beyond is shores. It is committing cultural genocide, trying to wipe out all of the Islamic faith in vast concentration camps where torture and sexual assault are the norm. Besides words, the international community has done little ― even with proper economic sanctions ― to condemn China's human rights abuses.

If we don't confront China on Taiwan, not only do we risk a brutal crackdown on democracy in Taiwan as we saw in Hong Kong, but we risk setting a precedent that China can commit any immoral act, as long as the economy benefits. That's a weak, and morally bereft, position. Taiwan's President herself in a recent CNN interview acknowledged that China is becoming more aggressive in its military flight incursions near Taiwan. Words are not enough in this situation.

Deauwand Myers (deauwand@hotmail.com) holds a master's degree in English literature and literary theory, and is an English professor outside of Seoul.