Motherland: Mainland or Island?
Motherland: Mainland or Island?
Covering Chinese policy and rhetoric on external events and actors, military and security issues, economy and technology, and bilateral relations with India.
Worldview Weekly: Lai Ching-te’s National Day Addresses
Republic of China (ROC) is marking its 113th National Day (or the ‘Double Ten’ Day) on October 10. And to kickstart the pomp and show, President Lai Ching-te has delivered two interesting addresses, inciting both fervour and foment across various groups. In today’s edition, I’m hoping to pinpoint some interesting thoughts from Lai’s pre-national and national addresses (delivered on October 5 and 10, respectively), and I am relying on English reportage for both (the full text of 10th October speech is made available by FocusTaiwan).
No ‘Motherland’ – PRC-bashing in Lai’s pre-national day address
In his pre-national address on October 5, delivered at the National Day Gala at the Taipei Dome in Xinyi, Taipei, Lai went all out to clarify that the People’s Republic is not, in any way, a “motherland” for the ROC. This is because, in age, it’s only 75, while the ROC is 113. He further encouraged listeners to instead refer to the ROC as the motherland of the Chinese peoples.
As many have pointed out, this clarification may have been a product of anxieties stirred up by a host of Taiwanese artists and celebrities either performing at the National Gala hosted by CCTV on October 1 for the PRC National Day, or reposting an article from the People’s Daily Weibo account referring to the PRC as “my Motherland.”
The celebrities that got the most attention (and chiding) for reposting the article on their Weibo accounts include Wu Kang-ren, who, in December 2023, won ‘Best Actor’ at the 60th Golden Horse Awards in Taipei. In his message, he says, “Blessings to Glorious China” (祝福錦繡中華).
Chinese netizens on Weibo criticised Wu for spinning words and not using the phrase “my Motherland.” One account from Jiangsu said, “This kind of linguistic art can only fool children. The words ‘motherland’ aren't hard to say. You can't have it both ways,” while another even said, “Any Taiwanese actor who doesn’t post on Weibo or Instagram supporting cross-strait unification should be boycotted.” In the context that Wu recently also signed with the Chinese firm ‘Easy Entertainment’, it may indeed be the case that Wu has wished the PRC on their national day to make himself appeasing to the Chinese audience, while also carefully weaving the language to not upset Taiwanese audiences.
Similarly, Taiwanese singer-songwriter Anpu (known previously as ‘Deserts Chang’), apparently posted a handwritten note, where she wished “Blessings for the 75th anniversary of New China, may the people live in harmony and peace across the land.” Anpu also won the prestigious ‘Song of the Year’ award at the 34th Golden Melody Awards in Taipei last year.
Even though it doesn’t seem as if the greeting was posted by her, but only in her name, this too, invited stark criticism from Chinese netizens, who mentioned that China is not a “garbage recycling factory,” and that Anpu’s message was in stark contrast to her previous support for protests in Hong Kong and the Sunflower Movement in Taiwan.
Once the criticisms began rolling in, not just Anpu’s Taiwanese fans, but also her long-time friend, musician Ho Hsin-hui (who goes by the handle Ciacia Her), posted defences on Weibo and Instagram ‘Threads’. Ciacia Her, in particular, posted a long response and has since been in a feud on ‘threads’, where she first said, “But… that’s not even her (Anpu’s) handwriting; it’s way off.” Further, she clarified, “Even if it is real, she’s performing in another country and sends a small birthday greeting on their national day—does it really have to be talked about so harshly? I don’t understand.” She too, was criticised by netizens, with some claiming to be “shocked” by her reasoning, and stating, “The point is, she knows how sensitive this timing and day are, so how could she post such a message?”
It is important to note that Taiwanese celebrities using careful words to balance their appeal to both their Chinese and Taiwanese fans is not a new phenomenon. In fact, just earlier this year, in May 2024, only a few days after Lai took office as President (May 20), Taiwanese musicians touring in China posted comments on Weibo that starkly contrasted the vision Lai’s inaugural address projected. For example, while performing in China on May 24, Taiwanese band Mayday’s lead singer, Ashin, said, “We Chinese definitely have Peking duck when in Beijing.”
At the same time, other Taiwanese singers, the most prominent ones including Nana Ou-Yang and Patty Hou, also reposted a Sina article on Weibo, claiming that reunification will be realised. But to be fair, Nana and Patty have often expressed pro-reunification inclinations, and have also made it to this interesting yet ‘Uncomprehensive List of Kowtowing Taiwanese Celebrities’, posted on a Medium blog, ‘Words from Taiwan’. The author of this blog, Min Chao, is an “independent writer” and Taiwan affairs activist who regularly comments on Taiwan-related issues.
In Nana’s case, it may also be so because her father, Long Ouyang, is an actor-turned-Kuomintang (KMT) lawmaker. In 2019, when Nana was being criticised for commenting in a press release that she identifies herself as ‘Chinese’, her father took to the papers to state that he is, “by no means a pro-independence politician.”
In the past, the list of Taiwanese celebrities performing at CCTV’s PRC National Day gala has also included Nana and Angela Chang (another A-lister in Min Chao’s blog), both of whom performed at the gala in 2020. At the time, the Taiwanese Ministry of Culture had threatened to fine both performers for not taking the island’s interests into account, and the amount could be up to US$ 17,000 (NT$ 500,000). At the time, the two chose to perform the songs ‘My Homeland’ (我的祖國) and ‘Guardian’ (监护人) respectively despite the fine deterrent, but I am unsure at this moment if they were indeed fined or not. Even then, KMT politicians such as Jaw Shaw-Kong had defended Nana for representing Taiwan abroad.
Further, in his pre-national day address, Lai also laid great emphasis on the sovereignty and democracy of Taiwan, urging those tuning in to protect both pillars of Taiwan’s identity. “We are a sovereign country and we should love our country at all times,” he said. His pre-national address, in this regard, was incendiary, since he doubled down on narratives surrounding the ROC’s supremacy, its already existent status as an independent and sovereign country, and the need for people to unwaveringly uphold Taiwan’s status internationally.
In this regard, for those who believed after Lai’s inaugural address that he may not act as “deep green” in his presidential tenure as he perhaps did in his vice presidential one, his national addresses could signal his return to normalcy. It does not have to be so black-and-white, however, for Lai has also often stated that he wishes a peer status for Taiwan, as opposed to a scenario where the ROC is considered subordinate to the PRC – this explains the remarks surrounding the “age” of both entities. However, while this does not necessarily mean Lai is pro-independence, it does mean that he is cracking down on narratives peddled by the pro-China KMT.
Lai’s First National Day Address as President
Just a few days later, Lai gave a more elaborate National Day address on October 10, and it did seem tempered down as some speculated it could be, after the pre-national Day address. He affirmed to oppose any “annexation or encroachment upon our [Taiwan’s] sovereignty,” and reiterated his ‘Four Pillars of Peace’ action plan, which includes strengthening national defense, standing side-by-side with democratic countries, jointly demonstrating the strength of deterrence, and ensuring peace through strength. These, he first laid out in an op-ed for Wall Street Journal in July 2023, and has subsequently reiterated in his inaugural address as well as Ketagalan forum remarks.
Another interesting remark he made vis-à-vis China was about conveying the “expectations” the international community has with the country to “apply its influence and work with other countries toward ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East.” It is most fascinating to me, in this regard, that Lai went ahead and proposed that Taiwan and China work together to fulfill these “expectations” and bring peace to the region and the world. Lai also iterated his willingness to work with China on addressing climate change, combatting infectious diseases, and maintaining regional security. All of this quite clearly means that the DPP, long accused by China of not talking to them, has now, under Lai’s presidency, thrown the ball in Beijing’s court.
Further, without expressing any willingness for Taiwan to be included in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), or making mention of China’s WTO-norm-distorting economic practices, Lai stated that for a long time, countries around the world have “supported China, invested in China, and assisted China in joining the WTO,” and have hence bolstered its economic strength and national security. Almost lamenting the lack thereof, he added:
“This was done out of the hope that China would join the rest of the world in making global contributions, that internally it would place importance on the livelihoods of the people, and that externally it would maintain peace.”
While he phrased his remarks carefully, he pointed the attention of those tuning in, to the repressive internal and hostile external actions Beijing has undertaken under Xi Jinping. His remarks on China, in this regard, were both measured and pointed.
Other than that, the themes of social equity and care, and economic growth were quite dominant in Lai’s speech, and his emphases on being able to adapt to extreme weather events, excelling in sustainable initiatives, and transforming global technological innovation, were vital. Only recently, Typhoon Krathon hit Taiwan on October 3, and that also prompted Lai to both, in his pre- and national-day addresses, appreciate the work done by the central government, the local disaster prevention teams, and the people, to secure lives and livelihoods.
China’s Belligerent Response
Regardless of Lai’s careful words, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the PRC State Council has termed his words “hostile” and “secessionist.” Just this morning, on October 14, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command (PLA-ETC) launched Exercise Joint Sword 2024-B, a follow-up to the ‘A’ edition that took place in the aftermath of Lai’s inaugural remarks in May 2024. As per a statement from the PLA-ETC spokesperson Senior Colonel Li Xi:
“On October 14, the PLA Eastern Theater Command is dispatching its troops of army, navy, air force and rocket force to conduct joint military drills code-named ‘Joint Sword-2024B’ in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, south and east of Taiwan Island. With vessels and aircraft approaching Taiwan Island in close proximity from different directions, troops of multiple services engage in joint drills, focusing on subjects of sea-air combat-readiness patrol, blockade on key ports and areas, assault on maritime and ground targets, as well as joint seizure of comprehensive superiority, so as to test the joint operations capabilities of the theater command’s troops. The drill also serves as a stern warning to the separatist acts of ‘Taiwan Independence’ forces. It is a legitimate and necessary operation for safeguarding state sovereignty and national unity.”
The accompanying geo-graphics (for both 2024A and 2024B) are side-by-side below (sourced from 81.cn):
It seems as if the zones left out during the former exercise are now included in the latter. However, one can make the case that the latter exercise depicts a more packed encirclement of Taiwan, with the only major region where troops aren’t exercising closely is around Penghu county (one of three outlying islands, in addition to Kinmen and Matsu, under Taiwanese control).
These simulation exercises have now officially become a part of China’s arsenal to respond to events in Taiwan that are offensive and upsetting to Beijing, and this is the fourth big exercise the PLA-ETC has conducted around the island since August 2022. There is no declared live-fire or missile element yet in the exercises launched today – but more updates in subsequent editions!
Latest from the Indo-Pacific Studies Team:
To begin with, Manoj Kewalramani contributed a chapter to a detailed report, titled ‘Defining Success: Does the United States Need an “End State” for Its China Policy?’, published by the Washington DC-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Manoj’s chapter discusses ‘An Indian View on U.S.-China Strategic Competition’, wherein he makes the case, that “If India’s earlier non-alignment was the product of a desire to not choose between competing blocs, multi-alignment, as the current strategy has been termed, is premised on a desire to expand options and choices.”
Further, in his latest commentary for The Diplomat, Rakshith Shetty discusses the retaliatory measures China will undertake to respond to the European Union’s October 4 vote against subsidy-fuelled Chinese EV imports. He argues that the large number of abstentions during the vote speaks to the uncertainties and irreconcilable differences within individual EU countries’ approach to China.
Finally, in this latest podcast episode on ‘All Things Policy’, Vanshika Saraf quizzes Prof. Pradeep Taneja of the University of Melbourne. The episode makes for an engaging interaction on the outcomes of the recent Quad Leaders’ Summit in Wilmington, and the role of the Quad in countering China in the Indo-Pacific. Tune in:
Eye on China is a weekly newsletter curated by the Indo-Pacific Studies Programme at The Takshashila Institution, a public policy think-tank based out of Bengaluru, India.
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