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Taiwan★
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a Prostitute ? |
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OPinion
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Is Taiwan a Prostitute State ?
Stanford Review (2025-3-4): "Russia is a Prostitute State. Its Biggest Customer is China". The article says Russia continually sells itself out to the real winner of the war in Ukraine ── China. China buys Russian natural gas at highly discounted prices, Chinese consumers became natural recipients for exports of Russian vodka and sausages while Chinese technology companies could sell Russia critically needed chips and electronics, which helped fuel Russia's war effort. A prostitute complains about their profession, but time and time again still has no choice but to sell themself out.
Although the metaphor is vivid and interesting, it seems not very accurate.
Russia is a Prostitute State ?
The definition of "prostitute" is not just voluntarily exchanging one's body for money, it might also include "being used (as a plaything or ...)", or/and "being looked down upon" ; otherwise all physical labor jobs are prostitution.
Russia and China still seem buddy buddy. The Hill (2023-2-21): China has subverted Western economic sanctions by massively increasing its purchases of Russian oil. Having paid no unacceptable price for working against the world's interests in stopping Russia's aggression, Beijing may up the ante and provide its “no-limits strategic partner” with lethal systems. Australia's The Conversation (2024-6-12): China are actively supplying weapons to sustain its war in Ukraine ps. Washington Examiner (2024-12-13): Beijing has played a key role in fueling Russian's war in Ukraine. Beijing's assistance is helping Moscow circumvent sanctions and they are “basically being applied directly to the Russian war machine.” In exchange for this crucial support, Russia is providing China with the latest in military tech., to include submarine, missile, and stealth technology.
Russia has never sold its priceless state assets or national treasure, unlike Greece floated the idea of selling some of its islands as part of its debt reduction strategy.
Ukraine is more like a Prostitute
Ukraine appeared much more like a prostitute. John Mearsheimer, a top International Relations scholar, said : What we [the West] are doing is encouraging the Ukrainians to play tough with the Russians. We're encouraging the Ukrainians to think that they will ultimately become part of the West,“The Ukrainians are playing along with this, and are almost completely unwilling to compromise with the Russians and, instead, ... the end result is that their country is going to be wrecked. And what we're doing is, in fact, encouraging that outcome". WSWS.org (USA 2025-3-1): the Bush administration in 2008 declared that Ukraine “will become” a NATO member; Although, "My (Nato's) heart says yes. but my head says no." (Washington Post, 2023-7-9).
According to Washington Post and Bloomberg (May 10, 2022): During the Cold War, the Soviet Union bled the U.S. by supporting communist proxies in Korea and Vietnam. The U.S. would“do to the Soviets what they have been doing to us” ── getting revenge by waging one of the most ruthlessly effectively proxy wars in modern history in Ukraine "at a very low cost ..." ── The Ukrainians have been willing, in many cases, to fight to the last man; despite the fact that the US being hesitant and cautious about the quality and quantity of arms they send to Ukraine, which kept both Ukraine and Russia in the fight long enough to impose sufficient casualties and pain... New York Times (2025-6-4): Troop casualties in Ukraine near 1.4 million, a study found.
After taking the office, Trump scorns Ukraine as a small country that foolishly imagines it can defy a larger neighbour (Economist, 2025-6-10), and Trump said : "We're going to get our money back because it's just not fair" (Fortune, 2025-2-23).
Is Taiwan another Prostitute ??
♣TIME
(2024-6-13):
“Enough
politicians want to play around with Taiwan"
. "One of William Lai's biggest problems is going to be America”
.
♣Business Insider
(2024-11-9):
Taiwan will have to contend with uncertainty on whether the US will
protect it, or play it.
A researcher at the Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific
Studies: it's highly unlikely
the US would send troops to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.
♣Global Times (2025-6-25): Beijing slams Taiwan's authority have shown servility and submission to "sell out" Taiwan amid US tariff. In March, Taiwan's TSMC gave the US its most advanced process and a new R&D center — a critical part of the technology supply chain that the company has never moved outside of Taiwan (ref. ABC breaking news youtube.com/watch?v=fYsGXj_ZSAQ), but the US still imposed 32 percent "reciprocal" tariffs on most imports from the Taiwan. TSMC has been dubbed Taiwan's "Sacred Mountain" (or "Silicon shield") due to its critical role in global semiconductor industry, so as to protect Taiwan from China's invasion. TSMC is Taiwan's priceless state asset.
♣Brookings (2024-11-8): The DPP (Taiwan's ruling party) believes deterrence—including reliance on the American shield—is Taiwan's only guarantee of survival. But Financial(2024-6-16) : Xi Jinping claimed US wants (tricks, lures) China to attack Taiwan ft.com/content/7d6ca06c-d098-4a48-818e-112b97a9497a
♣Eurasian Times (7-9-2020): Taiwan's authority ... turns to Washington and is willing to be used. Taiwan Now Under ‘Deep Control’ Of The US.
♣ New
York Times (9-18-2020):
Taiwan has become completely dependent on the United States,...
Taiwan has become "the meat on others’ chopping blocks”.
♣ SCMP, 10-7-2020: "If
you are not at the table, you are on the menu", When the great powers sit at the geopolitical table,
"Taiwan has
long been on the menu."
♣Global Times (2023-8-10) : According to a VOA Chinese-language article (June 28, 2023) and The Defense Post (Dec. 2022), an expert said "To the US, Taiwan authorities are born suckers being taken for a ride."
♣The
Interpreter , The
LOWY Institute (6-16-2020)
: treating
Taiwan as a conduit(tool) to frustrate Beijing imperils Taiwan’s security... and
then the United States abandons Taiwan to deal with the consequences.
Economist (2025-6-10): Mr
Trump has long scoffed at Taiwan's prospects in a fight with China.
♣The
Taiwan Research Institute, Xiamen University,
prof.
Zheng
Jian said: "Lai
is compelled to pledge loyalty to the US during his brief 'stopover' " .
( Global
Times , 2024-12-6 )
A Prostitute being raped ??
Taiwan's presidential candidate
Frank
Hsieh
(謝長廷)
said in his Washington DC campaign in 2007 : "Taiwan
in the past was like a taxi dancer in dancing hall, swaying back and forth
voluptuously
with any
patron/client
who pay for each dance" ( 過去的台灣就像舞女一樣，「誰來就跟誰搖來搖去」)。 "Taiwan
will no long be a taxi dancer" !! (台灣以後不必再像舞女一樣，陪不同的外來政權搖來搖去)
(The Liberty Times, 2007-7-24)
Today's Taiwan has "upgraded" from a taxi dancer
to a prostitute ?? or a prostitute being raped ?
2025-6-29
ps: TASS (2025-7-4): China does not supply lethal weapons to
either side of the conflict.
ps: CNN (2025-7-4): China tells EU it can't accept Russia losing its war against Ukraine,
official says.
ps: BBC (2016-5-2), CNN (2016-5-2): Trump: China is "raping our
country".
ps:
NIH.gov:
As
adults in prostitution, 82% had been physically assaulted; 83% had been
threatened with a weapon; 68% had been raped while working as prostitutes;
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9698636/
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Key Points ── Taiwan is ... ? |
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♦
Reporters
Without Borders (RSF) Director General
(2024-10-20,
by CNA):
"credibility deficit" is "a real Achilles heel of Taiwanese
democracy";
Reuters Institute for the Study of
Journalism ♦ WSWS.org (USA), 2025-4-11: It is a norm that both KMT and DPP candidates for president must gain approval from the US imperialist bourgeoisie. There are no exceptions. The representatives of the KMT and the DPP are comrades in all but name. wsws.org/en/articles/2025/04/11/wvpw-a11.html |
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♦
The Diplomat
(2024-9-11):
Corruption and patronage are “in the DNA” of local
politics.
“Almost
all [high-level] politicians come from local politics", "A bottom-up
spoils system is thus cultivated"...
♦ Transparency International 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (released Feb. 2025) : 90% Taiwanese think government corruption is a big problem... |
| independent judiciary? |
♦
War On The Rocks (2024-9-20): Washington
observers might worry that Taiwan's president Lai Ching-te is undermining the
independence of the judicial system. ♦ Country Reports on Human Rights Practices , 2024-4-22 : Some political commentators and academics, publicly questioned the impartiality of judges and prosecutors involved in high profile, politically sensitive cases. ♦ TaiwanPlus (2023-3-6): |
