2023-06-29
The Wilson Center Delegation Visits DPP, Discusses Cross-Strait and National-Security Issues
Mark Green, former U.S. ambassador to Tanzania and president and CEO of the Wilson Center, led a delegation to visit the Democratic Progressive Party on Thursday June 29, 2023, with the two sides exchanging views on cross-strait, national-security and other issues. They were received by the DPP’s Deputy Secretary-General Andrea Yang; Lo Chih-cheng, legislator and executive director of the Committee on Policy Research and Coordination; Party Spokesperson Peifen Hsieh; Wu Jun-zhi, director of the Department of China Affairs; and Alysa Chiu Wen-Li, deputy director of the Department of International Affairs.
Joining Ambassador Green were former U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who was awarded the Order of Propitious Clouds by President Tsai Ing-wen; Shihoko Goto, director for Geoeconomics and Indo-Pacific Enterprise and deputy director for the Asia Program at the Wilson Center; Eddy Acevedo, chief of staff and senior advisor to Ambassador Green; and Dr. Andrew Erickson, a professor at the Naval War College.
During the meeting, Deputy Secretary-General Andrea Yang said there has consistently been a good, stable relationship between the U.S. and Taiwan, and that the U.S. is actively trying to rebuild the safety net in the Indo-Pacific region, which sends a powerful message to countries in the region, especially Taiwan. It is an indisputable reality that Taiwan faces constant threats from China, but Taiwan does not fear war. Therefore, in the past few years, Taiwan’s defense budget has increased significantly. In addition to increased defense outlays, it also seeks to fortify its national defense, and thereby deter China from unilaterally escalating tensions, through reforms of military service and independent research and development of weapons.
Legislator Lo Chih-cheng said that China’s strategy is evolving and becoming increasingly sophisticated. In addition to constant military intimidation and pressure directed at Taiwan, China also takes advantage of Taiwan’s democratic transparency and freedom of speech to influence Taiwanese elections and public opinion. Taiwan faces large amounts of fake news daily. The question of how to deal with China’s information warfare is one that Taiwan must take very seriously.
Spokesperson Peifen Hsieh further pointed out that the Chinese Communist Party tried to exploit Taiwan’s democratic system and freedom of speech, and with the cooperation of local collaborators, seed U.S. skepticism among the Taiwanese population that the U.S. will jettison Taiwan in the event of war. This operation is designed to achieve two objectives: First, reduce the people’s trust in the DPP administration; second, discredit the U.S. as unreliable and untrustworthy. Because China and Taiwan use the same language, it is easier for China to execute these schemes in Taiwan, which has become a grave national-security concern.
At the meeting, Ambassador Green also shared his views on U.S. policy toward Taiwan and his thoughts on the international situation. He believes the development of the war in Ukraine is enlightening with regard to the situation on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. As a result of this visit to Taiwan, he and the other members of the delegation have developed a deeper understanding of the situation in Taiwan and in the Taiwan Strait.
Hsieh explained the Wilson International Center for Scholars was established in 1968 by the U.S. Congress. The center’s venue and one-third of annual funding are provided by the U.S. government. It is one of the few think tanks whose funds are appropriated by the U.S. Congress. The president of the Wilson Center is a post customarily assumed by former U.S. senators and House members. In 2021, it was rated as one of the top five most influential think tanks in the U.S. During this visit to the DPP the hosts and guests had a pleasant conversation, and the DPP looks forward to further exchanges with the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars in the future.
