Taiwanrocks! Tâi-ôan-chio♿h!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

http://taiwanrox.blogspot.com/2009/05/taiwan-and-india-unlikely-friends.html

There's Taiwan, in the far east, and then there's India, a subcontinent that crashed into Asia some time ago. You might not think that Taiwan has anything to do with India, but surprisingly, the Indians have been supportive of Taiwan, even going to support Taiwan UN membership bid. Even though Taiwan (At the time under Chiang Kai Shek) lost India's formal recognition in 1950, Taiwan and India have de facto relations (as it does with most of the world) through the de facto embassies of the Taipei Economic Centre and India-Taipei Asso. http://www.india.org.tw/, And Ma Ying Jeou went as far to visit India, unofficially of course. Even in Taipei are signs of India cooperation with Taiwan. People are no longer looking at Indians like they are strange or foreign, but rather friends and supporters, especially with the Indians' technological know how which matches the Taiwanese interest. Even in Kaosiung I was able to buy a Taiwanese-Indian fusion "Curry Beef Roll," which tasted pretty good. (Again, this leads me to Ma's unfavorable claim over India's territory, Arunachal Pradesh, which I think is even more ridiculous to his claims to Mainland China. Its enough bothering the Chinese, but the Indians?) Even though Taiwan and India started out with a rocky relation, it is safe to say that Taiwan is...friends with India

Why are the Indians being so nice to Taiwan? Partially because of Taiwan's technology and semiconductors, but also, I think, because of a common political enemy: China. China has not only constantly supported India's enemy Pakistan, but in the past also had border clashes in Aksai Chin, Nathula, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim, and has remained hostile to India ever since the Dalai Lama fled into India. In the past, there was even a Sino-Indian War, and in 2009, India and China had a naval stand off in Somalia. However, currently the biggest problem is border dispute and the PRC's support for Pakistan, which has been India's enemy for years. Similarily, Taiwanese people got pretty mad when Pakistan was first in line to recognize the PRC as the ruler of Taiwan. China has been supplying missiles, planes, and military stuff to Pakistan ever since the 1950's, and helped Pakistan build a couple of nuclear plants. So, to stuff all that the Chinese have done back in the CCP's face, India allowed Taiwan to establish an embassy in India, and started to build political ties with Taiwan through the "Look East" policy.

The Indians are good friends to Taiwan, and I hope that Taiwan -India relations improve in the future. We are not only united in Democracy, but also technology, and unfortunately, common enemies.

1 COMMENTS:

Anonymous said...

I dont know why Indian govt is being so ridiculous about notrecognising Taiwan as different country. I have friends from both PRC and Taiwan and to be frank they have same culture but they think differently from one another asa they have been separated from each other for more tah 60 years. Most chinese still consider taiwan to be their part. But Taiwanese people dont want to be with China.

I think Indian Govt should stop acting stupid and recongnize the dignity of taiwanese people.

an Indian in the USA

JUNE 19, 2009 9:39 AM