Posted on 03/20/2008 12:43:18 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
Taipei - Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama suggested Taiwan 'integrate' with China while praising Taiwan's freedom and democracy, the Central News Agency (CNA) said Thursday.
The 72-year-old Buddhist monk made the call in an interview with CNA in the north Indian hill town of Dharamsala, base of the Tibetan government-in-exile since 1959.
In the interview, the Dalai Lama spoke highly of Taiwan's democracy and prosperity and apologized for breaking his promise to visit Taiwan every two years because his visits in 1997 and 2001 so angered China that it strained ties between the Tibetans and Taiwanese.
For the sake of the Tibetans and to calm the situation, he announced he would not visit Taiwan again, but he told CNA he would always keep the Taiwan people and government's kindness in his heart.
The Dalai Lama said he visited Taiwan because at that time he assumed China would never allow him to return to mainland China, and Taiwan was the only place where he could learn from the Chinese.
'Taiwan has freedom and democracy, has preserved Chinese culture and has a sound Bhikkuni (nun) ordination system. All these are worth our learning from,' he said.
The Dalai Lama said he maintains good ties with Taiwan's ruling and opposition parties. 'To Tibetans, Taiwan is a very important place,' he was quoted as saying.
The Dalai Lama said when he visited Taiwan that Tibet could not seek independence because it needed China's economic assistance and assistance in other fields.
'I also suggested Taiwan should integrate with China, especially launching economic cooperation with China,' CNA quoted him as saying.
Although the Dalai Lama has renounced independence and is seeking only autonomy for Tibet, China still regards him as a 'splittist' wearing the cloak of religion.
The Taiwan government has always supported the cause of the Dalai Lama, saying the future of Tibet should be decided by the Tibetan people both inside and outside Tibet.
'Taiwan is not Tibet, Taiwan is not Hong Kong. We are a sovereign country. We are not being ruled by men in China,' Ma said.
Tibet has successfully integrated with China.
“Goonga-La Goonga”
I smell a hypocrite.
“Big hitter...the Lama.”
Wasn’t Taiwan recognised as part of China, atleast on paper, by practically every nation on earth? The Security Council permanent seat which Commie China holds now was once held by Taiwan. Taiwan was de-recognised, and the seat handed to the Commies.
No, there are still a few Tibetans left to kill before they are successfully “integrated” with China.
The Lama’s off his nut.
uhhh, Taiwan lost its UN seat in 1971 .... Jimmy Carter had nothing to do with it.
Better read up on history Mr. Lizard. Nixon began the process of establishing relations with Beijing, but it was Carter who stuck in the knife to the Taiwanese, just as he did to the Shah of Iran. Here’s some historical facts for you to mull over:
“In December of 1978, Jimmy Carter unilaterally (without Congressional consent) terminated the 1954 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) between the U.S. and the Republic of China (Taiwan), and he and the Chairman of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Hua Guofeng announced their countries’ mutual recognition.
This action officially established diplomatic relations between the U.S. and the PRC, while simultaneously derecognizing the sovereignty of Taiwan, and causing a major separation of powers controversy in the U.S. government.
Shortly afterward, Congress ratified the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) which guaranteed the continued sale of arms to Taiwan, even though the official policy of the U.S. was that it would take “no position on the sovereignty of Taiwan”.
Carter’s acceptance of a “one China” policy which favored the Communist regime in Beijing, caused a great deal of resentment among the Taiwanese, in spite of the TRA. They felt that the American president had turned his back on them in favor of the PRC, which, of course, he had.
Carter had single-handedly cut off all ties with Taipei, Taiwan’s capital , embracing Beijing as China’s sole legitimate government. It was Carter’s expectation, as well as the expectation of most of the world at that time, that Taiwan would soon give in to the idea of incorporation into mainland China’s regime.
However, not only did Taiwan refuse to allow itself to be absorbed into the PRC, which remains a Communist dictatorship, it has since blossomed into an impressive Republic with a free press, democratically elected leaders and a dynamic capitalist economy.
To this day Taiwan’s status under international law remains undetermined, and The U.S. continues down a quarter century-long road of ambiguity concerning its sovereignty, even though every administration since Carter’s has agreed to defend it in the event it is threatened militarily.
[w/thanks to Ed Daley of ‘The American Daily’]
Back to you, RPR.
"CarrotAndStick" said (and you quoted in your reply)
The Security Council permanent seat which Commie China holds now was once held by Taiwan. Taiwan was de-recognised, and the seat handed to the Commies.
To which you replied ...
Another shameful betrayal of a U.S. ally by Jimmy Carter.
So in follow-up I said ...
"uhhh, Taiwan lost its UN seat in 1971 .... Jimmy Carter had nothing to do with it."
Go back to school, learn some history, find your local library, or look it up online.
hint, learn to tell the difference between Taiwan getting tossed from the UN and its Security Council seat (with help from Nixon's Ambassador to the UN, George H.W. Bush) in 1971 and Taiwan losing "official" diplomatic recgonition from the U.S. in 1979.
Next time, do try to learn something about what you cut and paste before mouthing off ....
On the contrary, what is notable here is your inability to refute the contents of post #10. You start your sneering about ‘copy and paste’ which is irrelevant. So what if it was ‘copy and paste’ from an accurate source? I didn’t attempt to hide that in any way, and I gave full credit to Ed Daley and his website. You got a problem with that or something?
Now you can cite anything you like, but the historical record demonstrates that while Nixon began the overtures to Beijing, Jimmy Carter was the one who made sure that Taiwan got screwed over just like he did to Iran, and that is the bottom line.
Try refuting that, eh? Or at least get some fibre in your diet, ok?
What?
No one, not the original poster, not me, ... except you, was talking about what Jimmy Carter did. The fact you couldn't comprehend the original poster's comment about Taiwan and its UN seat and instead mixed and matched different historical events and wandered off to another topic about what Jimmy Carter did doesn't mean others had to follow.
Again, Taiwan's UN membership, Taiwan's injection from UN, Taiwan losing its UN Security Council slot to China .... none has anything to do with Carter.
I'm not gonna fute or refute your post #10 as it was totally irrelevant to what the original poster said "The Security Council permanent seat which Commie China holds now was once held by Taiwan. Taiwan was de-recognised, and the seat handed to the Commies.".
Where did you learn to count? What is the difference between 1971 and 1979? hint 8 years. And the events of 1971 had nothing to do with Carter.
The topic is Taiwan.
It is impossible to discuss the issue of Taiwan’s interactions with Communist China without addressing the critical role that the U.S. had, beginning with Nixon’s opening to Beijing, and the betrayal of Taiwan by Jimmy Carter.
Now you or anyone else can confine your discussion to Taiwan’s former U.N. security council seat, or it’s seat in the General Assembly, or to trade policies, military assistance, etc., but that is the same as covering over the Mona Lisa except for her eyes and saying “interesting eyes”, i.e., you neglect and refuse to look at the entire picture.
The entire picture in this case goes far beyond the stripping of Taiwan’s representation in the United Nations, that picture includes (in fact it must include) what is to be the ultimate fate of Taiwan, and the free citizens of that nation who have no desire to live under Communism, let alone be ruled by the thugs in charge in Beijing.
As I stated, Nixon began the process of recognition of the ChiComs in Beijing, but it was Jimmy Carter who advanced and accelerated that process, to the detriment of Taiwan and it’s citizens. Carter likewise demonstrated that same pattern of behavior in the way he betrayed other U.S. allies such as the Shah of Iran, and Somoza in Nicaragua.
Attempting to discuss such events while overlooking or refusing to acknowledge the perfidy that was Carter in how those events played out is like discussing a ‘big funnel cloud that went round n’ round at high speed’ that hit a trailer park, uprooted homes and scattered debris everywhere, while assiduously avoiding the use of the word ‘tornado’.
And just like that hypothetical tornado, we are still trying to assess the damage that Carter did not only to the national security interests of the United States, but to the safety and security of the world at large.
Do you get it now?
I’m going to venture I know a little more about Taiwan then you - having lived there for 13 years total off and on the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s as well as able to speak and read the language (Mandarin and Taiwanese dialect). Unlike you, I generally don’t have to look up my facts about events relating to Taiwan, I probably lived through it.
You want to start a topic on “the ultimate fate of Taiwan”, or about the effects of the Cater Presidency, go right ahead. But don’t reply to a post about Taiwan’s losing its UN seat in 1971 by dragging Carter into THAT specific historical event which he had nothing to do with ...
So in other words, you will assume that your living in Taiwan for 13 years gives you the insight to determine what is, and what is not relevant regarding the history of that nation?
As for ‘living through it’, I lived through 4 years of the Carter Administration and personally witnessed the many and assorted ways that Carter screwed the pooch both domestically and internationally, i.e., I didn’t have to live in Taiwan, Iran, or anywhere else except right here in the U.S. of A. to understand how our 39th President was turning anything and everything into sh*t.
If you’re going to suggest that any discussion of Taiwan is complete by evading or avoiding how Carter stabbed those people in the back, all you’re really doing is demonstrating your own intellectual arrogance.
Living in Taiwan no more makes you an expert on the subject than sitting in a garage somewhere will turn you into an automobile.
what part of “uhhh, Taiwan lost its UN seat in 1971 .... Jimmy Carter had nothing to do with it.” do you not understand?
So you are saying any discussion of Taiwan must somehow include Jimmy Carter? So you can’t discuss any event in Taiwan’s past or present without getting Carter into the picture?
So aboriginal settlement, Portuguese discovery, Chinese immigration, Dutch rule, Spanish rule, Qing and Ming dynasty Chinese rule, Japanese and Chinese pirates, Sino-Japanese war, Shimoski treaty, Japnese colonial rule, Hokolo vs Hakka, WWII, Chinese civil war, KMT rule of Taiwan post Chinese civil war, the battles between Taiwan and PRC forces in the 1950’s, Taiwan Strait crisis, Quemoy & Matsu, white terror, martial law, lifting of martial law, LTH’s election, CSB’s election, DDP vs KMT, green and blue, north and south, economic development of the 70’s and 80’s, .... each and everyone of these topics cannot be properly discussed without evoking Jimmy Carter?
If Carter is so central to ANY discussion of Taiwan, why aren’t the two candidates for Taiwan’s President (you do know Taiwan is holding a hotly contested Presidential election TODAY, March 22, don’t you?) talking about Carter? BTW, the candidates are talking about getting back into the UN (there is a referendum on re-joining the UN on the ballot) that ousted Taiwan in 1971 (which Carter had nothing to do with).
BTW, if what happens to Taiwan is all controlled by the action of a single sitting U.S. President, ever wonder why President Reagan, elected just couple of years after Carter broke off diplomatic relationship with Taiwan, didn’t restore the same? If one President can unilaterally take away, another President should be able to unilaterally give back, right?
The bottom line RPR, is that prior to Carter arriving at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the U.S. defending Taiwan was a given.
After Carter was in the White House, Taiwan got screwed, as detailed via Ed Daley way back at post #10.
Historical events in Taiwan’s past aren’t going to mean much if they end up being devoured by the ChiComs in Beijing. If that happens, the historical record will show that Carter did a great deal to assist Beijing in that regard while he was President.
If Taiwan is reduced to a renegade province brought back into the Communist fold, all of this will become a moot point. As to what one President does or doesn’t do regarding the actions of their predecessor, you would have to be a presidential scholar to speak authoritatively on that topic, and I doubt either one of us qualifies in that department.
I hope Taiwan remains a free and independent nation, and that we all live long enough to see Communism collapse on the mainland, just as we witnessed the fall of the Soviet Union.
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