My Letter in the Taipei Times

This got printed today: (your comments very welcome)

Wednesday, May 26, 2010, Page 8 ‘Ashen decade’ awaits

According to a recent report, Chinese customs in Shenzhen are to forbid terms such as “Taiwan,” “Taiwan, ROC,” or “Taipei, Taiwan” appearing on any documents for Taiwanese exports. Instead, these goods can only enter into clearance procedure with place of origin recorded as “Taiwan, China.”

Apparently, this practice has been in place since 2005, which should also come as an embarrassment to the former Democratic Progressive Party government, considering its justified but rather late concern with Taiwan’s rapidly eroding economic and political sovereignty.

Despite “protests” from Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Sheng-Chung (林聖忠), can we really expect the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government to make a principled stand on this issue, given that it watches idly as illegal Chinese products continue to flood the country — including, recently, illegal Chinese laborers, some of whom are apparently being employed in Taichung helping to build the new offices of the Taichung City Council?

Both in principle and practice, it would appear that what’s good for business comes first and all other considerations are an afterthought. The construction­-boom theory of development (if in doubt, pour more concrete and the economy will recover) stands as a great example of putting the needs of developers first and the environment and citizens last.

Greenlighting more large-scale polluting factories and science parks in Yunlin, Changhua and Taichung counties and undermining rigorous environmental impact assessments speak volumes about the government’s so-called “green” policies, as does the Taipei City Council’s alleged involvement in the effective silencing of Green Party Taiwan’s recent bus ad campaign drawing attention to Formosa Plastic’s appalling record on carbon emissions and pollution.

It is clear that this government of slogans, intent on reaching the world through China, has no stomach to fight for Taiwan or Taiwanese interests. It would rather talk big and act small, lest it draw the ire of companies that have a disproportionate influence on government policy.

The forthcoming Taiwan-China trade pact will not cure the economy nor bring about a “golden decade.” It will instead make it almost impossible for future governments to implement any kind of protections for local businesses, its citizens or the environment. Instead, an “ashen decade” of tears and impotence will have begun.