I rarely visit Forumosa, but I am so frustrated/livid, I couldn’t think of anything else to do but to post something here. This is a kind of rambling rant punctuated with a suggestion. First, the rant.
During the approach to Nancy Pelosi’s visit, a student said to me that if China were to attack Taiwan, he would throw his hands up in surrender. And, he raised his arms high to emphasize his point. Not the first time I have ever heard that from Taiwanese and not unreasonable, in my opinion. He doesn’t really know me, so I did not take it especially personally, but he said something to the effect that ‘you’re a foreigner, so you can just leave when they come’. This is also a reasonable point of view, and like everybody else in Taiwan, I imagine, I have thought about if, when, and how I would leave Taiwan if an invasion were imminent and what I would do if I chose not to leave or were unable to do so.
This student, I suspect, was mostly venting his frustration about Pelosi’s visit on me. Even after all my years here and my opinions about the Taiwanese right to self-determination, I still do not have the foggiest idea what I would do if I thought an invasion were imminent. And, that is what I told the student.
China’s blockade and harassment of Taiwan over the last week or so has brought some clarity, however. Taiwan and her allies have been caught flat-footed. If the Chinese are going to constantly be running ‘exercises’ in the Taiwan Strait, is the US Navy going to push them out? I am skeptical. If they don’t, however, then China has taken the Strait. When they decide to intensify the blockade ‘exercises’, is the US then going to come to the rescue? China seems to think they can boil this frog and nobody will ever find the temperature too hot to do anything about it. Taiwan is virtually powerless to decisively break a blockade alone. A “porcupine” on an island can be starved out.
This is not quite the point, however. In my debate with myself and those close to me about what we ought to do–stay or leave, hide or fight–I have proposed that first and foremost, we owe Taiwan something. It is just wrong to let a country like China to annihilate a country like Taiwan and do absolutely nothing to prevent it. I do not know that I am obliged to stay in Taiwan, but I am obliged to do something for Taiwan. To speak out, at the very least.
But, what ought I say? It would be wrong for me to encourage Taiwan to fight to death, if I am not willing to pay that price, as well. It would also be wrong for me to encourage my country to fight for Taiwan if I am not going to be the one doing the fighting. Why should some kid in my home town die for my warm feelings about Taiwan if I am not willing to fight for the country? It might be reasonable to argue that my country should defend Taiwan for their own good; this is something I go back and forth on. I tend to think that my country has intervened enough in this world and that it is time to let everybody sort out their own problems. Things at home seem to be deteriorating fairly rapidly anyway. But, if China takes Taiwan, then it will have a strangehold on everything from Japan to Australia. What a horrible world that would be.
Since China has begun its ‘exercises’ around Taiwan, I have seen a lot of Taiwanese public officials in the media and private individuals on social media declare that they are ‘not afraid’ and that they will ‘fight to the death’ if China attacks and even that Taiwan has shown its fearlessness and resolve over the last couple weeks.
I do not see it that way. I did not rush to the store to stock up on goods, not because of my bravery, but because I do not think it was necessary. I am pretty sure most Taiwanese feel the same. I think some of these declarations of bravery and resolve are sincere and, of those, some will really be acted upon when (God forbid) that day comes. But, I think most of it is hot air. It’s like me going to Keelung and shaking my fist in the direction of the PLAN. Feels good and costs absolutely nothing.
Maybe the hot air is better than nothing. Maybe it boosts morale. Maybe it encourages the international community to show some support for Taiwan, and maybe that gives Taiwan just a little bit of breathing space for a moment longer. But, it seems a cold comfort to me.
The breaking point for me came last night when I saw the report in the Guardian (reported earlier in the week by Nikkei, I think) about Taiwan asking suppliers to label Taiwanese products as made in China.
Apple asks suppliers in Taiwan to label products as made in China – report | Apple | The Guardian
I thought to myself, why don’t the Taiwanese boycott Apple? I knew the answer instantly, of course. Taiwan and Taiwanese companies are heavily dependent on Apple’s business. If the Taiwanese responded to every snub by refusing to participate, the economy would be wrecked. Taiwan needs Apple more than China does, and Apple needs China more than Taiwan does, and Apple can ask the Taiwanese to do this and they will do it, because they don’t have a choice. Everybody is complicit, and it is not unreasonable to comply, to surrender in this little way. There is a time to be a martyr, but you cannot martyr yourself over every slight.
But, I think it is unreasonable to be passive. And despite all the bluster about ‘bravery’ and ‘fighting to the last day’, I sense mostly passivity. This morning, for whatever reason, this quote popped into my head:
Le tocsin qu’on va sonner n’est point un signal d’alarme, c’est la charge sur les ennemis de la patrie. Pour les vaincre, messieurs, il nous faut de l’audace, encore de l’audace, toujours de l’audace, et la France est sauvée.
Not promises to be daring “when that day comes”. Nor a reckless bravery that does more harm to one’s country than to the enemy. A disciplined but spontaneous will to victory that is constantly practiced and strengthened.
I think about the bravery and (occasional) stupidity of the protests in Hong Kong. They faced near-impossible odds and failed. The best ended up in prison or escaped; everybody else went back to work. In Taiwan, for those who actually were to follow through on their promises of future bravery, I am afraid it would be similarly squandered. In my opinion, every reasonable effort should be expended to prevent China from landing on Taiwan instead of preparing (or posturing) to fight some futile resistance from the mountains. The resistance has to begin from the moment they start putting their hands around Taiwan’s throat looking for the best grip.
I also think about the Raid on the Dharasana Saltworks, dramatized here in Gandhi:
Gandhi salt works - YouTube
“They expect us to lose heart or fight back. We will do neither.” A strike at the will of the enemy (and their enablers) that builds one’s own morale and cohesion but that does not threaten to cause a war or blow up one’s own cause out of a sense of righteous indignation.
So, to make a long story short, I have decided, as a foreigner who is sympathetic to Taiwan, to boycott all Apple products for a week culminating in a “day of dignity”, October 10 (thus, October 4-10). It makes little difference, of course. I am one person. But, if everybody in Taiwan did this, I think it would achieve something. If Taiwan’s Apple stores were left empty for one week, I think it would send a message to Apple, to China, to the world but most importantly to the Taiwanese themselves.
No protests are necessary, no calls to ban Apple from Taiwan, no disruption to Apple’s operations, no export/import bans. People could buy all the Apple products they wanted on October 3 or October 11. Apple’s business won’t be harmed at all, and there will be no shame in buying or using Apple products. But, the Taiwanese people lodge a protest against these demands.
Perhaps people will think this is a pointless gesture. If it does not inflict damage, then it serves no purpose, I imagine the complaint would be. But, the alternative, as far as I can tell, is doing absolutely nothing. It is my opinion is that now is the time to begin mass consumer strikes (or “exercises”, as people have started to say).
If the objection is that you can’t get Taiwanese people to engage in these kinds of actions (whatever the value of my particular idea), then I think that is the point. If the Taiwanese cannot conduct these kinds of peaceful mass campaigns in the face of an existential threat, then they would probably doing themselves and the world a favor to negotiate the best possible surrender.
If the objection is “it’s too soon; wait for things to get worse”, I think that would prove that the nobody has any real intention of doing anything. As a foreigner, I would certainly feel less obliged to make anything but the most modest efforts to support Taiwan’s right to self-determination.
I am sure I have stepped on somebody’s toes in this post, since this is the internet. But, this is mostly the product of my own internal conflict about how to respond in the future to developments that are occurring right now. If everybody hates it, that’s fine, I guess. I can boycott Apple by myself, and it will hurt absolutely nobody.
Mostly, I am curious if someone can produce a case against this idea based on the notion that it is reasonable to expect that such an action would ultimately hurt Taiwan. Thanks for taking the time to read this carefully.
