The Interesting Relationships between China, Taiwan and Dalai Lama

For as long as I can remember, China has always strike hard on countries or unclassified entities that appear to show support to those it labeled as enemies of the state. Actions taken by the Chinese Government range from those categorized as the norms in the diplomatic world to those branded as young kids throwing tantrums. Regardless of the actions chosen by the Chinese, we must say that they do strike sufficient fear on the would-be recipients that they usually back down from their initial stance. And such reactions are expected to become more pronounced considering China’s rising political and economic clout.

Occasionally though, there will be those who try to show that they are not under the Chinese thumbs. President Nikolas Sarkozy of France is one such man. He decided to proceed with his arranged dialogue session with Dalai Lama despite knowing full well the potential repercussions by the Chinese in response to his actions.

If you think of Sarkozy as a brave man, you will definitely agree with me that President Ma Yingjeou of Republic of China (the official name of Taiwan) is an even braver man. Unlike France, which is obviously not considered as a breakaway province by Communist China, Taiwan is and the successful visit by Dalai Lama to Taiwan could be clearly regarded as an embarrassment to the Chinese Government because it would send a signal that if the Chinese can’t even control what it regards as domestic affairs, how can it request to be given more say in international affairs.

One would expect a very strong response from the Chinese but so far, response has been surprisingly mild. Besides making some statements to show its displeasure to the visit, there have not been massive military exercises. There have not been clawback or annulment of agreements made by the 2 sides. The main reason, I am guessing, is China’s hesitance to take away the punch bowl in the midst of the party. Since his election, President Ma has made good his promise to build better relationships with Mainland China. A handful of agreements have been signed. Numerous more are in progress. Throwing tantrums will only mean falling into the trap set up by the opposition DPP, giving them the opportunity to badmouth the KMT and hence, prolonging the timeline for eventual reunification, a case of shooting its own legs.

In addition, the relevant parties have also been mature enough not to politicize the visit. President Ma and senior government officials have mentioned that they will not be meeting the Dalai Lama during his visit. The Dalai Lama himself has said clearly that his purpose for coming to Taiwan is to pray and give support to victims of Typhoon Morakot. He has also cancelled the press conference that he is supposed to participate in. It seems that the China-Taiwan relationship has indeed reached a higher level, thought impossible in not too distant past.