Yuan Hongbing's Toronto Talk

Yuan Hongbing, the author of Taiwan Disaster, a new book arguing that China wants to annex Taiwan by 2012, now making a big splash on this side of the Strait, spoke in Toronto the author day and Canadian Taiwan expert Michael Stainton took a few notes, which he graciously allowed me to post here. These are just notes in English of a Chinese talk, so the portrayal is rough and caution should be used in interpreting.

First, some background. Epoch Times had an article on Yuan today. It describes the book's contents, and opens:

The Chinese communist regime is determined to “unify” with Taiwan by 2012, according to exiled Chinese law professor Yuan Hongbing. He discloses confidential findings in his new book, Taiwan Disaster, which was released on Nov. 17 in Taipei.

In his presentation at National Taiwan University on November 17, Yuan said that a lot of documents quoted in the book were provided by regime insiders—insiders who risked their own lives to reveal the truth.

The article is long and detailed. A sample:

The book also maintains that the regime is fomenting social conflict and inspiring hatred toward the DPP. Yuan explains how economic means are to be used to control the sponsors of the DPP and disintegrate its standing in society.

For example, the CCP perceives that the "New Tide" faction of the DPP has more advanced organizing power, therefore, it is listed as one of the most important reunification targets.

The CCP’s plan would be to invite the sponsors of the "New Tide" faction to invest in the mainland, rewarding them with all kinds of incentives with the goal of attracting more and even larger investments, gradually persuading them to end their sponsorship of the DPP, and eventually bringing about a change in their political stance.

The tactics used to disintegrate the DPP's social status also include buying fruit in large increments from Southern Taiwan to make Taiwan heavily dependent on mainland purchases, while at the same time serving to imply that Taiwan’s political stance toward the regime had changed. According to the book, this strategy was contrived by Hu Jintao, the General Secretary of the CCP.

On to Dr. Stainton's presentation.....

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Notes on Talk by Chinese writer Yuan Hongbing (袁紅冰)
Toronto February 6, 2010
Michael Stainton

Yuan referred to a 2008 internal CPC (Communist Party of China) document stating plans to control Taiwan by 2012. Independence vs. Unification is not the issue for them. They are concerned with power and control, not the unity of China. For this reason it is necessary to get rid of the treat posed by Taiwan’s freedom and democracy.

The CPC is a foreign ruler (外來政權 ) forbidding authentic Chinese culture. In 1949 it was not the Chinese people who stood up but the CPC – denying the Chinese people the right to ne masters of their own destiny.

We reject the myth that economic change will lead to CPC liberalization or democratization. This is a false theory. In fact economic growth has strengthened the privileges (特權) of the CPC elite China lacks the basic conditions of a true free market – which is a system of law that treats all equally. In China there is a system of law protecting privilege. There continues to be a growing disparity of power between the elite and the majority of the country, especially increased exploitation of China’s 300 million peasants. There is destructive, non sustainable development.

The CPC intends to use this wealth-power to extend the hegemony of their system to the rest of the world, and Taiwan is the first stop. To achieve this, the CCP is not afraid to kill millions of people in a major war if it ends up expanding its power. But they are afraid of the threat of a political and spiritual awakening of the Chinese people. Chinese people look at Taiwan and ask “why can’t we be like Taiwan?”. In Taiwan they see that the officials are afraid of the people (and media), but in china the CCP needs to keep the people afraid of the officials. Therefore it is imperative to them to et rid of Taiwan’s freedom and democracy in order to show the Chinese people that you have no choice, that you will always be our slaves.

In Taiwan now the old KMT elite, represented by Lien Zhan and Song Chu-yu, are hoping for support from the CCP to restore their political fortunes. They are not pro- unification (統 派) but a CCP dependent (投共派) .

The CCP plan is for a gradual incorporation (一體化) moving from economic incorporation to cultural incorporation to political incorporation. This is not “one Country Two Systems”. The CCP will not allow a different system to exist alongside them. The example of Tibet shows this. After the agreement on peaceful incorporation of Tibet in 1950 the CP extended its control on the ground. Once they were ready they threw away the agreement and began a “social transformation” (改造社會) movement to destroy the spiritual, cultural and political heart of the Tibetan people – the temples. tThis provoked the 1959 uprising and the situation that exists today. So for the CPC there is no such thing as “one Country two Systems.”

Taiwan is already seriously incorporated in the media and education system. Faculty are already treated to Chinese hospitality and taking “research money” from the CCP. In reality there is no “mutual influence” (互相影響) happening. The CCP denies the legality of the ROC but ROC President Ma does not dare to deny the legality of the PRC. This is the real essence of “one China two interpretations” (一國二表)

ECFA (the China Taiwan free trade agreement) will make China the min source of raw materials for Taiwan, and cut off Taiwan’s development of market diversity for its products. It is really unthinkable that a small democracy could imagine having a free trade agreement with a giant dictatorship. And the CPC won’t allow Taiwan to sign free trade agreements with other countries, because the purpose of ECFA is to put Taiwan inside an economic Berlin Wall. Once Taiwan’s economy is controlled by China how will Taiwan preserve its political freedom?

In conclusion, I hope everyone will care about safeguarding Taiwan’s freedom – and this includes all the Chinese people here. On a personal note, all my books are banned in China but published in Taiwan. If Taiwan loses its freedom how will I get published?

To the Taiwanese here I want to say – “Cast off your illusions and prepare to make the necessary sacrifices to preserve your freedom and democracy”.

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