Elegy to a Bronze Statue: Cross-Strait Points of Connection and Contention

Elegy to a Bronze Statue:
Cross-Strait Points of Connection and Contention
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China)
A Translation
March 4, 2014

Summary: Taiwan independence is on a dead end path. This has nothing to do with whether Tang Tak Cheung Park has a bronze statue of Sun Yat-sen. It was the result of global, cross-strait, and internal trends. The only way Taiwan can survive is to confront the existence of the Mainland, and to rehabilitate the ROC and Sun Yat-sen as points of connection and contention. This will enable us to seek prosperity, a win/win relationship, and equal justice under the big roof concept of China.

Full text below:

Consider the global and national situation. Taiwan must adopt a different cross-strait strategy. It must forsake "de-Sinicization" and acknowledge the reality of Mainland China. This is the only chance it has to survive.

A statue of Sun Yat-sen was recently pulled down at a traffic circle in Tainan. Taiwan independence elements may regard this as a kind of victory. In fact, it represents the end of the Taiwan independence path. On today's Taiwan, Taiwan independence can be made part of a political party's party charter. Taiwan independence elements may demonstrate in the streets. They may even stand for public office, including the presidency. People may vote for Taiwan independence political parties and candidates. A Taiwan independence president may demagogue Taiwan independence issues, such as the "rectification of names." But under our democracy, Taiwan independence is becoming weaker and weaker. The act of pulling down the statue may have offered a savage catharsis. But it also showed that Taiwan independence had arrived at a dead end.

The Taiwan independence movement rose to power on a wave of democratization. But during democratization, Taiwan independence became more and more flagrantly anti-democratic. As mentioned earlier, the Republic of China's democratic framework gave Taiwan independence elements a stage on which they could do as they pleased. They could even engage in a democratic contest with the Republic of China. But Taiwan independence elements are unwilling to tolerate even a statue of Sun Yat-sen. The Tainan traffic circle was a political symbol, one supported by most of the public on Taiwan. Today, Taiwan independence elements refuse to tolerate Sun Yat-sen. But Sun Yat-sen is a political icon whom most people on Taiwan support. Can Taiwan independence elements picture opponents of Taiwan independence pulling down a statue of Tang Tak Cheung? For the record, Tang Tak Cheung was not a Taiwan independence advocate. This "elegy to a bronze statue" merely underscores the Taiwan independence elements' anti-democratic mentality.

The Taiwan independence movement has reached the end of its road. The main reason was that Taiwan independence elements misjudged the global and cross-strait strategic situation. Taiwan independence elements see Sun Yat-sen and the Republic of China as points of connection between the two sides, within the "one China framework." In order to "de-Sinicize" Taiwan, they want to sever these points of connection. But these points of connection are also the chief guarantors of cross-strait peaceful development. They are also Taiwan's chief defenses within the "one China framework."

Today, few if any Green Camp politicians publicly advocate a "Republic of Taiwan" to resist the People's Republic of China. The Taiwan independence movement has already switched strategies. It now stoops to "backdoor listing." It asserts that "The ROC is one nation on one side, while the PRC is a separate nation on the other side." It attempts to sever the points of connection between the two sides. This is the psychology behind the Taiwan independence elements who pulled down the bronze statue. Lai Ching-teh was among them. On the one hand, Lai called for the removal of the statue of Sun Yat-sen. On the other hand, he presided over the ROC flag-raising ceremony, and visited Hong Kong in order to promote Mainland trade with Tainan. His mask slipped and his contradictions became apparent.

Exploiting the Republic of China to defend against Beijing depends primarily on Sun Yat-sen, the Three People's Principles, and the Constitution of the Republic of China. Taiwan independence elements have trampled Sun Yat-sen underfoot. Yet Sun is precisely the point of connection and point of contention that Taiwan can best use to hold off Beijing. In other words, one must transform the points of connection into leverage by which one can maintain Taiwan's security.

Taiwan's cross-strait policy cannot revert to Taiwan independence. Su Tseng-chang himself acknowledged this. In other words, it is impossible to continue down the Taiwan independence path, with its "one nation on each side" rhetoric and "backdoor listing" tactics. Instead, we must strive to strengthen the hand of the Republic of China within the "one China framework." The "one China framework" is in fact the "ROC vs. PRC framework." We must seek a solution within the points of connection and points of contention. Taiwan's most valuable asset in seeking a solution is Sun Yat-sen's ideology, including the ROC Constitution. If the Republic of China disowns Sun Yat-sen's ideology, then within the "one China framework" it will not be a match for the People's Republic of China.

Taiwan independence elements insist that "One China is the People's Republic of China." But such assertions cannot sever the points of connection. They merely forfeit our own leverage. In fact, the more they advocate Taiwan independence, and the more they poormouth the Republic of China and Sun Yat-sen, the more they affirm that "One China is the People's Republic of China." The more they make it difficult for the ROC to compete with the PRC within the "one China framework." This sort of Taiwan independence has gone from a "Save Taiwan Movement" to an "End Taiwan Movement."

Chen Chu has dismembered the bronze statue of Chiang Kai- Chen. It has been broken into eight pieces. That statue cannot be put back together again. It now resides at "Back Chihu." Mainland scholars studying Chiang's diaries have began a movement to vindicate Chiang. Now, under Lai Ching-teh, Sun Yat-sen's statue has been pulled down. Beijing is considering conceding the reality of the Republic of China. Vandalizing bronze statues will hardly sever the points of connection between the two sides. The points of connection are not really the statues. They are the intricate history and reality. If anything, vandalizing the bronze statue forfeits the leverage Taiwan needs during cross-strait wrangling. It is tantamount to political suicide. It amounts to internal subversion, and merely reveals a lack of understanding.

Does anyone remember Chen Shui-bian's change of airport names? He changed "CKS Airport" to "Taoyuan Airport." He was attempting to undermine the Republic of China, and to implement de-Sinicization. But what has been the result? Millions of visitors from the Mainland were unable to land at "CKS Airport." How foolish was this self-inflicted injury?

Taiwan independence is on a dead end path. This has nothing to do with whether Tang Tak Cheung Park has a bronze statue of Sun Yat-sen. It was the result of global, cross-strait, and internal trends. The only way Taiwan can survive is to confront the existence of the Mainland, and to rehabilitate the ROC and Sun Yat-sen as points of connection and contention. This will enable us to seek prosperity, a win/win relationship, and equal justice under the big roof concept of China.

銅像悲歌：兩岸的連結點與抗衡點
【聯合報╱社論】
2014.03.04 03:10 am

縱目世局國情，台灣的兩岸戰略主軸，必將漸由「去中國化」，轉為「面對中國」，捨此無活路。

台南圓環拖倒孫中山銅像的一幕，台獨分子可能視為勝利，其實卻反映了台獨的末路。今日台灣，台獨可成政黨黨綱，台獨人士可以示威遊行，可以參選所有公職甚至總統，人民也可投票支持台獨政黨及候選人，台獨總統也可操弄正名制憲……。但是，如今台獨在民主體制中卻愈來愈耗弱萎縮，拖倒銅像之舉，正是末路台獨的一種野蠻宣洩。

台獨在台灣「民主化」的大潮中興起，但在台灣民主化的歷程中，台獨卻愈來愈走向「反民主」的歧路。如前所述，中華民國的民主體制，可謂已為台獨提供了一個「為所欲為」的舞台，足可與「中華民國」進行民主競賽；但台獨卻連一尊象徵中華民國的孫中山銅像也不容。台南圓環原是一個孫中山與湯德章共容的天地，如今台獨卻不容孫中山，但孫中山畢竟也是大多台灣人支持的政治符號，台獨能想像反台獨者去拖倒湯德章的銅像嗎（其實湯德章根本不是台獨）？這齣「銅像悲歌」，恐怕只是凸顯了台獨的反民主心態吧！

台獨之所以在內外走上末路，主要是誤判了世界及兩岸大局。台獨將「孫中山／中華民國」視為「一中架構」的「連結點」，為了「去中國化」，所以欲將這些「連結點」切斷；但是，這些「連結點」卻也正是兩岸得以和平發展的主要憑藉，更是台灣在「一中架構」中得以立足的主要「抗衡點」。

如今，已罕聞檯面上的綠營政治人物主張以「台灣國」來對抗「中華人民共和國」；台獨主流已轉入「借殼上市」，主張「中華民國／中華人民共和國」是「一邊一國」，因而試圖要切斷二者的「連結點」，這也正是台獨拖倒銅像的心理背景。賴清德正是此中代表人物，他一面主張撤除國父銅像，一面主持升旗典禮，一面到香港「行銷台南」；不免捉襟見肘，矛盾百出。

然而，若欲以中華民國因應北京，主要的力量即在「孫中山／三民主義」與「中華民國憲法」等政治資產；被台獨踐踏的孫中山，其實正是台灣在「面對中國」時的主要「連結點／抗衡點」。亦即：「化連結為抗衡的槓桿，以抗衡維持連結的安全。」

台灣未來兩岸政策的走向，不可能「再走台獨的回頭路」（蘇貞昌語），亦即不可能再走台獨、一邊一國、借殼上市的路，而是必須在「一中架構」之中力爭中華民國的地位；亦即在「中華民國vs.中華人民共和國」的架構下，力求在「連結的抗衡／抗衡的連結」中尋求出路。台灣在這條出路的主要憑藉就是「孫中山論述體系」（包括中華民國憲法），中華民國若自絕於「孫中山論述體系」，即無可能在「一中架構」中與中華人民共和國分庭抗禮。

台獨主張「一個中國就是中華人民共和國」，然而此等主張不但絕對切不斷「連結點」，且也因而失去了「抗衡點」。尤其，愈主張台獨，愈否定中華民國，愈否定孫中山，就愈鞏固了「一個中國就是中華人民共和國」，也愈使「中華民國」不能力爭「一中架構」的共容性與正義性。這樣的台獨，已經從過去的「救台運動」，轉變為「亡台思想」。

陳菊曾將蔣介石銅像大卸八塊，現在那座已經拼不回去的銅像置於後慈湖，大陸學者則正因蔣氏日記公布而掀起「平反」風潮；如今，在賴清德治下，孫中山銅像又被拖倒，而北京卻正在思酌「必須正視中華民國」的課題。惡整銅像，絕對無法斬斷兩岸的「連結點」，因為「連結點」其實不在銅像，而在千絲萬縷的歷史與現實；反之，惡整銅像卻是自毀台灣在兩岸間的「抗衡點」，與政治自殺無異，這是潢池弄兵，徒見其淺薄。

還記得陳水扁將「中正機場」改為「桃園機場」嗎？那也是要「淘空中華民國」、「去中國化」；但因此卻使今日數百萬大陸來客不能降落「中正機場」，這是多麼愚妄的自殘行為？

台獨走上末路，絕不是因湯德章公園曾有一座孫中山銅像，而是世界、兩岸及台灣內部之大勢所趨。面對中國，重建「中華民國／孫中山」的「連結的抗衡」，以力爭大屋頂一中架構的共榮、雙贏與正義，這是台灣的唯一生路。