To be “furious” is to be more than annoyed, more than shaking your head and saying “there they go again,” more than feeling obliged to issue a formal statement of protest. But the Fox headline says: “Taiwan furious after China hijacks global sympathy for devasting earthquake.”
Taiwanese officials don’t seem furious. But they aren’t the only people in Taiwan. So maybe some people in Taiwan got apoplectic when a Chinese diplomat thanked the international community for its sympathy for Taiwan in such a way as to imply that Taiwan, an independent country, is part of China: “We thank the international community for its expressions of sympathy and concern.”
You kind of have to be there to understand why anybody is reacting at all to this seemingly mild statement. But Taiwanese officials are not reading anything into it. It implies what they think it implies.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized the statement as a “shameless use of the Taiwan earthquake” to push its international “cognitive operations,” according to Reuters.
The statement by China—which implied sovereignty and ownership of the island—follows weeks of escalating tension in East Asia.
Dozens of Chinese warplanes and multiple naval ships were reported around Taiwan this week, the largest coordinated display since last year. At least 30 planes and nine ships were detected in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) by the country’s Ministry of National Defense (MND).
The word “shameless” is harsh, but it doesn’t sound like an eruption of fury. Merely an accurate description, one that always fits, since China’s spokesmen are always shameless. Taiwan has been coping with the mainland government’s brazenness and shamelessness for decades. China’s latest assertions and threats plus military displays in the Taiwan Strait are a little like background static that surges and fades but never goes away.
Last week the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said: “China’s ongoing military expansion and gray-zone provocations have been posing formidable challenges to the region. MOFA welcomes the international community’s continued focus on peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. As a responsible member of the global village, Taiwan will do its utmost to enhance its self-defense capabilities.”
The word that seems to fit is “restrained.”
Also see:
StopTheChinazis.org: “China Kicks Taiwan When It’s Down”
“One sign that the Xi-led Chinese state still couldn’t care less about improving its conduct in order to improve its relations with the U.S. or anybody else is the way it continues to harass Taiwan.”
