Visa Free Status from 100 Countries: Shattering One Myth and Two Complexes

Visa Free Status from 100 Countries:
Shattering One Myth and Two Complexes
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
October 5, 2012

Summary: We have crossed the threshold. One hundred countries, including the United States, have granted us visa-free treatment. The public on Taiwan can affirm its own efforts. The public has reached a watershed moment in its vision of the future. We have many important and urgent problems to solve. We do not have time to wait-and-see. Above all, we must learn the lessons of those wasted years and false agendas. We must let go of our emotional baggage. We must let go of our doubts and anxieties. Only then can we envision how much better Taiwan could be.

Full Text below:

Washington has announced that the ROC will be included among the nations receiving visa-free treatment from the US. ROC passport holders can now travel freely to nearly 130 nations. ROC citizens on Taiwan can now "stand up and go forth." This is proof positive. 

President Ma said this proves that his policy of flexible diplomacy is correct. This proves that Taipei/Washington relations remain solid. Premier Sean Chen said this was an affirmation of our citizenry, of their level of cultivation and sophistication. The DPP is attempting to steal credit. It is asserting that visa-free treatment was a "bipartisan effort." It did not pass up the opportunity to smear the KMT. It accused the KMT of making an under the table deal that "traded US beef for US visas." But consider the issue from the viewpoint of civil society. Visa-free treatment for 100 countries has enormous significance. For Taiwan, it shatters one myth and two complexes. 

The one myth is the myth of "Taiwan Independence." The slogan "stand up and go forth" was coined in 2000, when Chen Shui-bian shouted it out immediately following the first change in ruling parties, at his inauguration. During the last part of his term he relentlessly trumpeted "de-Sinicization," "the elimination of all vestiges of the Republic of China," and the "rectification of names and the authoring of a new constitution." Everywhere he could, he took advantage of frustrations over the ROC's diplomatic plight. He cited them as justifications for Taiwan independence. His rhetoric was no exception. He demanded to know "What the hell is the Republic of China?" He claimed the "wagon wheel brand" passport made it impossible for the public on Taiwan to "stand up and go forth." Now, using only this passport, Republic of China citizens can proudly travel the world over without visas. The myth was that in order to "stand up and go forth," the Republic of China would have to undergo the "rectification of names." It would have to change the name of the country and its constitution. That myth has now been shattered.

We no longer need visas for Japan. That is probably the sole contribution the DPP made to visa-free treatment. During Chen Shui-bian's term of office, the DPP invited its own humiliation. It indulged in "head butting diplomacy" or malicious "scorched earth diplomacy." By contrast, the Ma administration's "flexible diplomacy" adopted rational and pragmatic means to secure the support of the international community. It has clearly proven superior. Visa-free treatment from 100 countries is a reward conferred upon ROC citizens. They paid the price of admission to the world through years of civilized conduct. Many people were once moved by the DPP's calls to "stand up and go forth." But looking back, that enthusiasm burned out long ago. That was not the motive power that gave birth to today's 100 nations visa-free treatment.

The 100 nations visa-free treatment has shattered two complexes. These are the "Taiwan is Unsafe Complex" and the "Pity Poor Taiwan Complex." Take the "Taiwan is Unsafe Complex." The United States granted the ROC visa-free treatment. This attracted even more attention than visa-free treatment from the European Union and other countries. Taipei and Washington have a long history. Over the past six decades, the United States has been Taiwan's most important ally and trading partner. Any changes, internal or external, provoked wave after wave of emigration from Taiwan. Most of this emigration was to the United States. Psychological factors were behind this. Specifically, it was the belief that Taiwan's situation is "unsafe," and that the United States is a paradise in which one can live in peace for the long term. The United States has now opened its doors to Taiwan. This proves that Taiwan itself is safe and one can trust its highly civilized society. The self-esteem and self-confidence of people on Taiwan have been enhanced. They should let go of their sense that Taiwan is unsafe.

Now take the "Pity Poor Taiwan Complex." The ROC is the 37th country to receive visa-free treatment from the US. It is the only one that lacks diplomatic relations with the US. Inclusion in the Visa Waiver program requires strict vetting. This includes risk assessment for illegal residence, illegal labor. and illegal activities. Visitors from the Chinese mainland arriving in the United States are rejected at a rate as high 20%. Visitors from Taiwan are rejected at a rate of only 2.2%. For two consecutive years, it has remained below the 3% threshold required for the ROC to obtain visa-free treatment. As we can see, whether a nation's citizens are respected does not depend upon the number of diplomatic allies it has. It depends on whether its citizens meet universally recognized standards of conduct. For many years, the Republic of China's diplomatic plight has been explained by means of Taiwan's colonial history and political unrest. This led to the creation of a uniquely Taiwanese mentality of self-pity. This led to the belief that the public on Taiwan cannot escape some sort of tragic destiny. But the ROC has now received visa-free treatment from 100 countries. Our national strength has expressed itself through the vitality of our civil society. This has conferred upon us an international status outside the framework of traditional diplomacy. The public on Taiwan can stop feeling sorry for itself. It can stop defining itself as an "international orphan." It can gaze out upon the world with a carefree attitude.

We have crossed the threshold. One hundred countries, including the United States, have granted us visa-free treatment. The public on Taiwan can affirm its own efforts. The public has reached a watershed moment in its vision of the future. We have many important and urgent problems to solve. We do not have time to wait-and-see. Above all, we must learn the lessons of those wasted years and false agendas. We must let go of our emotional baggage. We must let go of our doubts and anxieties. Only then can we envision how much better Taiwan could be.

百國免簽：打破一神話兩情結
【聯合報╱社論】
2012.10.05 01:34 am

美國宣布台灣列入免簽待遇國，台灣民眾持中華民國護照可自由前往近一百卅個國家，台灣人「站起來，走出去」，這是最佳寫照。

馬總統說，這是活路外交政策正確，證明台美關係深厚；閣揆陳?稱，這是整體國民素質受到肯定而獲致的成就。民進黨亦往自己身上攬功，宣稱免簽是「跨黨派努力」的結果；卻又不忘抹黑國民黨，指這是「美牛換美簽」的黑箱作業。若從民間社會的角度看待此事，百國免簽對台灣最大的意義，則在打破了「一個神話」及「兩個情結」。

一個神話，指的是「台灣建國」的神話。「站起來，走出去」的口號，是兩千年政黨輪替時陳水扁在就職典禮中喊出來的。他任內後期，不斷鼓吹「去中國化」、「去中華民國化」及「正名制憲」，處處利用台灣外交處境的困頓來支撐其台獨論調。其邏輯不外：中華民國是什麼碗糕，正因這本「車輪牌」護照，才讓台灣人走不出去。而現在，就憑這本中華民國護照，國民可以免簽昂然走遍大半個世界；那麼，要中華民國「正名制憲」更改國名及憲法才走得出去的神話，已轟然瓦解。

除了日本的免簽，我們看不出民進黨對推動免簽作出什麼貢獻。相較於陳水扁任內自取其辱式的「撞牆外交」或惡意放火的「烽火外交」，馬政府的「活路外交」以理性務實手段爭取到國際社會支持，顯然更勝一籌。更準確地說，百國免簽是台灣民眾長年以有節、有度的國際公民表現，為自己贏得通往世界的門票。許多人曾經為民進黨「站起來，走出去」的訴求感動，但如今回顧，人們當年燃燒掉的熱情，卻非催生今天百國免簽的動力。

百國免簽打破的兩個情結，則是台灣的「不安全情結」及「台灣悲情」。先談不安全情結。美國把台灣納入免簽待遇，比起歐盟或其他國家的免簽都更受矚目，與台美間長久的歷史淵源有關。過去一甲子，美國是台灣最重要的友邦及貿易夥伴，而每逢台灣內外情勢變化，便激盪出一波波移民潮，均以移往美國為大宗。其背後的心理因素，正是認為台灣處境「不安全」，而美國才是可以長久安居的樂土。而如今，美國將其門戶向台灣開放，證明了台灣本身即是安全與可以信任的高品質社群；台灣人的自尊自信堪可提升，所謂的「不安全感」也應該放下了。

再談「台灣悲情」。作為美國第卅七個免簽待遇國，我國是唯一一個美國的「非邦交國」。列入免簽，要經過嚴格的審核，包括對非法居留、非法打工、從事不法活動等風險的評估。中國大陸人民申請赴美，被拒簽率高達百分之廿；而台灣民眾赴美則僅有百分之二點二的拒簽率，連續兩年低於百分之三的門檻，這是台灣獲得免簽的條件。可見，一個國家的國民是否受到尊重，不在於其邦交國的多寡，而在國民的整體素質是否符合普世認可的標準。許多年來，我國的外交處境，往往被放在台灣的殖民歷史及政治動盪架構中解釋，從而塑造出一種台灣特有的「悲情意識」，認為台灣人的宿命脫不了悲情的綑縛。但從台灣獲得的百國免簽待遇看，我國國力透過民間蓬勃社會力的發揚，已在國際建立了一番超越傳統外交框架的地位及評價。至此，台灣民眾大可拋棄不必要的國際孤兒悲情，自在迎向世界。

跨過了包括美國的百國免簽這個門檻，台灣回顧自己有過的努力及獲致的肯定，其實也來到了一個思考前途的分水嶺。台灣目前顯然有許多重要且迫切的問題需要解決，我們並沒有太多猶疑觀望的時間；重要的是，要從那些年虛耗的時光、虛假的議題中學到教訓，拋卻心裡的徬徨和不安，大家才能想像下一個更好的台灣會是什麼景象。