MOFA Defends Revolting Diaoyutai Video

The Central News Agency (CNA), the government news organ, has a piece on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MOFA) defense of its revolting, condescending video on why the Republic of China owns the Senkakus. Hosted by a comedian and entirely in Taiwanese, it was supposed to be light-hearted. To wit:

Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) on Saturday said that a short film the ministry released a day earlier was meant to help Taiwanese understand the nation’s sovereignty over the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) in a “lively way.”

DPP Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim had our backs:

That same day, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) criticized the film as disrespectful and said it brought disgrace to the country.

She questioned the use of the phrase “yin mou” in the film to allude to Japan’s claim to the islands, saying that it means “conspiracy.”

Hsiao said she had telephoned Lin and asked that the film be withdrawn, but was told that “foreigners will not see this.”

Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Vanessa Shih (史亞平) met with Hsiao and told her that the intention of the film was not to insult anyone, but only to explain serious issues in a lighthearted manner.

I pointed out the other day when I mentioned this video that it is part of a pattern of presenting things to the Taiwanese in condescending ways, ways that seem to make Taiwanese speakers look like hicks.

It is also part of a deliberate program, now in operation for the last couple of years, to try and link the Senkaku issue to the Taiwanese identity: "Defend the Diaoyutai, Love Taiwan!" the host of the video cries.

Hoisted by one's own petard... for years the KMT has decried the way the DPP has tried play standard-bearer for the Taiwanese identity. In previous elections some voters have complained that the DPP's "Vote DPP if you Love Taiwan" was insulting. Now here is the KMT playing exactly the same game! Ain't gonna work.

Hoisted by one's own petard... Taiwanese, especially students, generally detest history, because it has always been the policy of the KMT-run educational system to de-emphasize the history of Taiwan and teach instead the history of far-off China. Now the KMT is trying to teach history. LOL. The public just doesn't care.

I can't imagine how anyone who works for MOFA could imagine that foreigners aren't tracking what it does. MOFA's disconnect from target audiences at home and abroad is scary....

The last paragraph is frightening as well:

Located about 120 nautical miles (220km) northeast of Taipei, the Diaoyutai Islands have been under Japan’s administrative control since 1972, but are also claimed by Taiwan and China.

"...under Japan's administrative control since 1972."  What? They've been Japanese since 1895. The Central News Agency's presentation is simply propaganda.

Sad.

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