Global perspective: Democracy, welfare are among Taiwan's fortes

The Mainichi

4 days ago

By Ryosei Kokubun, Chairman of the Asian Affairs Research Council
Will there be a "Taiwan contingency?" What will happen to U.S.-China relations? And how about the relationship between China and Taiwan, which Beijing considers as a renegade province? These are questions to which no one has the right answer, but people are making a fuss over them anyway. I decided to leave the global hustle and bustle and went on a five-day solo trip to Taiwan in mid-May.
I have visited Taiwan countless times over the past 30 years or so, but this time I paid respects to the grave of my mentor in Taiwan, Peng Run-tzu, who passed away two years ago. He invested his personal business fortune and his time and energy into the future of Taiwan and Japan-Taiwan relations.
Since my schedule was not too tight, I warmed up old friendships with old friends and former international students. Thanks to the kindness of my friends, I was able to not only greet but also discuss issues with current and past government top leaders.
Stability and women's empowerment
My impression of the trip was that society seemed to be more stable than before. The disparity in societal and economic status between original Taiwan residents and newcomers from mainland China after World War II seemed to be fading due to generational successions. In the past, when people in Taiwan met for the first time, they would immediately began speculating about their origins judging from their accents and atmosphere.
Now Taiwan is one of the world's leading players in terms of women's social participation, and is eager to provide educational and employment incentives to indigenous peoples and to preserve their cultures. Economic policy debates on prices and wages are endless, but Taiwan's GDP per capita has exceeded that of Japan.
Second, the two-party system of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Kuomintang (KMT) has taken hold. There is a big difference in their stances on China, and in terms of policy, the DPP is progressive and the KMT is conservative. Politics is the same now as it was in the past, and there are constant struggles and scandals between and within parties.
The DPP has long had fierce factional strife within the party, and the relationship between President Lai Ching-te and former President Tsai Ing-wen, who are in different factions, is complicated. President Lai's approval rating is declining. The KMT has overcome the crisis of dissolution and the younger generation has emerged, but regional bosses still have a stronger say, and former President Ma Ying-jeou is disrupting the party.
Third, while trust in Japan is overwhelmingly high, trust in the United States is surprisingly low. According to the latest survey by the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, 76 percent said they liked Japan the most, while only 3 percent like the U.S. and China.
The low favorability of the U.S. is a phenomenon that predates the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, and many people doubt whether Washington will really help in cross-strait contingencies. The second-term Trump administration's tariff policy toward Taiwan has been strict, and consideration for Taipei's national security needs has remained lacking.
When it comes to discussions about the future of Taiwan, I am concerned that many people are only looking at international perspectives such as U.S.-China and cross-strait relations. Here, I would like to share my opinion based on my observations inside Taiwan.
I felt during my latest trip that Taiwan will become a welfare society of the highest level in Asia in the future if the well-established democracy remains as it is.
Taiwan recently managed to shut down all nuclear power reactors. Everyone says that this was triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake in Japan. But that's only half the truth. When I spoke with a figure involved in the drafting of the founding party platform of the DPP, which was established in 1986 at the same time as Taiwan's democratization, he said that the party's anti-nuclear policy had its origins in the Chernobyl accident in April of the same year.
According to this figure, the DPP was originally modeled on European politics, focusing primarily on social democracies such as the Nordic countries. As mentioned above, social participation of women in Taiwan is among the best in the world and it is by far the most advanced in Asia. With the introduction of the quota system, more than 40% of the members of the national legislature are women.
Same-sex marriage has also become legal, and the acceptance of foreign workers has been institutionalized as a measure against the declining birthrate. As mentioned above, the protection of indigenous peoples is also generous. During her presidency, Tsai Ing-wen publicly apologized for the mistreatment of indigenous peoples in the past.
Utilities such as electricity, water, and transportation are also relatively cheap. Taiwan's consumption tax is 5 percent. The pensions of civil servants are being reformed, but the amount remains at nearly 70 percent of salaries before retirement.
Fiscal discipline is solid. The fiscal balance is stable due to economic growth, and the outstanding debt is around 25% of GDP, which is one of the lowest in the world. It is a never-ending dream in Japan, which suffers one of the world's highest debt-GDP ratio.
Welfare system supporting national security
Certain historic backgrounds have contributed to the development of Scandinavian countries as welfare societies, but it was also the threat of the neighboring Soviet Union that drove them into that direction after the war. They needed to stabilize their countries, and welfare systems helped them achieve that.
Former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui said, "Taiwan's greatest security is to establish democracy." This is because it is judged that it will be easy to gain the understanding of the United States and other countries that would support Taipei. For Taiwan, which has already established democracy, transforming itself into a welfare state may strengthen internal unity and provide strong security along with strengthening military capabilities for deterrence.
At Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I asked officials there the following question: Isn't it an advantage for Taiwan to be a non-state in the current international system?
In 2010, there were 23 countries that recognized Taiwan, but now the number stands at mere 12. Taiwan is not a member of the World Health Organization, and although there is a pavilion at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, the facility is not allowed to use "Taiwan" in its name. The arrangement was made either because of China's opposition or out of concern for China.
Increased global awareness toward Taiwan
However, Taiwanese people can now travel to around 140 countries and regions around the world without a visa with a "Republic of China" passport. Even under pressure from China, the world's recognition of Taiwan is actually increasing. In addition, in a globalized economy, Taiwanese businesses are very active, as in the case of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
The United States under the Trump administration is single-mindedly engaged in a tariff struggle stemming from unilateralism. China is strengthening its political control while calling for "free competition" in opposition to the United States. Russia is eager to fight a war. Everywhere in the world, there are desperate attempts to build national walls.
In this inward-looking international order, non-state status seems to be working in Taiwan's favor. The staff of Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs listened to my paradox with wide eyes.
Taiwanese people show smiles on their face and feel fed up in their hearts when they hear naive thinking that tends to be common among the Japanese, such as the self-proclaimed "pro-Taiwan" posture for the promotion of "anti-China" arguments, or the belief that Taiwanese people are pro-Japan because of the success of Japan's colonial rule.
Japan has much to learn from Taiwan.