Just curious, does Taiwan have a communist party? If so, is this party affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party? Would that even be legal?
I’m also curious if communism is an attractive ideology for young radicals in Taiwan the way it is in the West? My understanding of student activism in Taiwan is that (like Taiwanese politics in general), it’s more concerned with the relationship between Taiwan and China than it is with traditional communist concerns, like workers rights and class awareness. Is this starting to change?
Finally, is this weird symbiosis between, on the one hand, a communism devoid of class awareness and, on the other hand, “identity” issues that have nothing to do with traditional communism (what some people apply the daft name “Cultural Marxism” to) seeping into Taiwan due to American influence?
Many young Taiwanese are more leftist than their elders, but it tends to manifest itself as support for a more comprehensive social net and things like gay marriage.
Homosexuality was illegal in most USSR states. All of them after Stalin took power. Hard labour was the punishment. Historically, there are few links between LGBTQ+ rights and communism. Punishment of male homosexuals continues in communist states such as North Korea and China.
Agree with @MikeN1. Taiwan has quite a fair share of leftist groups with a similar ideology to that of their equivalents in the West, i.e. advocating for environmental causes, LGBT rights, liberalisation of drugs, abolition of death penalty, etc. These groups are usually the staunchest supporters of Taiwan independence and fiercest enemies of the KMT as the heir of the past China-centric regime.
The types of “leftist” causes that you guys are referring to don’t really have anything to do with communism. In the US, some of the more extreme proponents of these causes wave communist flags and outright identify as communists (even though class analysis doesn’t typically feature in anywhere in their language). Would this kind of practice get anywhere in Taiwan or are young people more likely to have an aversion to communism due to the CCP?
A weird version of communism that isn’t ideologically driven by class analysis but is instead mostly focused on identity issues, while still seeking to take down capitalism, seems to be on the rise among young radicals. This is based purely on my own experiences in UK academia and keeping on top of the situation in America. I could be wrong, but it’s definitely evident where I study.
Maybe this could be described as communism without Marxism. I.e. they call themselves communists and seek to replace capitalism with a communal society, but they don’t use the Marxist framework of class analysis, which has for a long time been at the centre of communism. This is why I say “Cultural Marxism” is such a dumb term. It’s a contradiction in terms to talk about a form of “Marxism” that uses “culture” as its driving ideological framework rather than class. Most of the hip young communists I refer to are actually outright hostile to the working class.
Taiwan’s population is much more pro-business than anywhere I know.
I was there when Tsai went to Washington for a fundraising dinner in 2015. She said we’re going to create a “new Asian values” where the traditional family social safety net is supplemented by a public social safety net. Notice how in the debates, taking care of people has dropped down the bottom in priority.
Consider this:
Qualcomm was hit with a hefty fine for monopolistic practices. The courts exempted Qualcomm from 95% of the fine if they agreed to build an R&D center in Taiwan within five years. Qualcomm kept their promise.
The RCEP, about to be signed by some Pacific Rim countries, excludes Taiwan, putting Taiwanese exporters at a disadvantage. In response, the government is helping businesses move to Mexico.
The relaxation of ractopamine restrictions on American pork creates the threat of the market being flooded with cheap, subsidized American pork. In response, the government lifts the limit on the number of foreign laborers, mostly from Southeast Asia, to make businesses more competitive.
So what, if anything, is there to counter-balance or reign in this extreme pro-business shift? Do the young people try to do anything about it or are they completely fixated on the “China” issue, as well as gay rights, the environment, etc.?
