China and Taiwan by Goldstein Steven M.;

Author:Goldstein, Steven M.; [Goldstein, M., Steven]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2015-10-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chen Plays the Identity Card, 2002–2008

After 2002, Chen Shui-bian was a man with a mission, seeking to give substance to the claim that the administration he led was a sovereign international entity governing a nation with a distinctive political identity, uniting the population and defining its place in the world as separate from China. He pursued these goals not only because they were consistent with his own vision, but also because he believed that it was a politically expedient platform that would win the support of the majority of the people of the island for himself and the DPP. It was domestic politics that would drive an agenda that angered China, embroiled his government in one controversy after another with Washington, and ultimately failed to win the support of the Taiwan people (Yang 2008: 203–27).

As we have seen, by the end of Lee Teng-hui's administration, the study of the history and culture of Taiwan had become a legitimate academic subject and part of the secondary school curriculum. During the administration of Chen Shui-bian, this effort intensified. Its goal became not simply to promote a sense of Taiwan identity but also to diminish the Chinese identity that had been a part of KMT rule through what became known as a campaign of “de-Sinicization.”

This campaign had many dimensions. There were efforts to place Taiwan history at the center of a secondary school curriculum, with most Chinese history included in the broader topic of world history. Historical exhibits were staged which highlighted not only the indigenous cultures of Taiwan but also the influences of early settlers such as the Dutch and the Spanish. Perhaps the most visible examples of this effort were the renaming of public facilities, publications, and institutions to diminish the association with China. Thus, the airport, which had been known as Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, was renamed after its location, as the Taoyuan International Airport. In addition, “China” was removed from the names of some state-run corporations, postage stamps were issued without the designation “Republic of China,” and currency included images of Taiwan.

Chen's efforts to dissociate Taiwan from China were manifest in a number of more concrete ways. For example, in the fall of 2003, he pledged that, if he were re-elected in the following year, he would work to create a new constitution by 2006. He emphasized that the new document would deal strictly with issues of procedure (legislative size, relationship with the executive, etc.) and would not violate his inaugural pledges. However, it was clearly also a way of affirming the island's nationhood. As he told one audience, “Although Taiwan is an independent, sovereign country, it has been neglected by the international community…Promoting a new constitution and letting the people ratify it through referendum is a necessary act to transform Taiwan into a normal, great country” (Chang 2003).

For the next three years, the constitutional issue remained on the table. By 2007, with the constitutional pledge as yet unfulfilled, Chen bandied about the idea of “freezing” the present constitution and creating a constitution of the “second republic.

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