Editor’s Note: In almost 100% of the cases, The Lexington Ledger features nothing but Lexington County, SC news. The exception is on our OPINION or editorial page. Here, we do allow other guest authors to express their own opinion on occasion. Since 2020, The Ledger has run several OPINION pieces authored by a representative of the Taiwanese government. We began at the behest of SC Representative Micah Caskey of West Columbia. These pieces have been about their country’s struggles with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and that controlling side of the government of the country of China. We have many Chinese friends and find them to be exceptional people that are family oriented, extremely hardworking, and most importantly, people that flourish and excel when provided the freedom to act and make decisions for themselves in a FREE country like America. Currently, the CCP is trying very hard to control the people of Taiwan that is a territory of mainland China and is currently subject to the Chinese government’s One China policy. It may be that the Chinese government is embarrassed by the success of the currently FREE Taiwan. One might also consider that the current governmental leadership of China thinks that its citizens are not qualified to make decisions for themselves, and it is best to let the ruling party do that in all aspects of their people’s daily lives. No matter what the cause, even here in Lexington County, we (The owner of The Lexington Ledger) feel it is our obligation to morally support the people of Taiwan and every other FREE country or people in the world. In this case, the least we can do is offer the Taiwanese government this little spot to express their ideas and concerns. If you disagree, you may express your opinion by following the rules for guest editorials on this page. All items will be considered for publication.
Atlanta, GA 04/04/2023 (Director-General Elliot Wang) - President Tsai has every right to transit in the US to visit Central America. This is not the first time for President Tsai has had layovers in the US. In fact, this is her seventh time. As John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications in the National Security Council, stated, this is not an uncommon practice. “Every single Taiwan president in recent memory has done this.”
Transit in the US is also needed because there are no direct flights to Central America from Taiwan. In the words of State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel, transits are taken out of “safety and comfort and convenience and dignity”. He also pointed out that high-level officials have typically met with members of Congress during transits.
China has been attempting to whittle away Taiwan’s diplomatic allies to isolate Taiwan. Countries like Honduras switching their recognitions to China just days ago has led a greater Chinese impact in the U.S. backyard. This shows why President Tsai’s trip to Guatemala and Belize is even more consequential. Her trip not only assures continued relations between our countries. It also holds the intention of strengthening democracy and fostering mutual prosperity and development.
China, on the other hand, has been growing tie with the country that started the invasion of Ukraine, and it has never renounced the right to use force over Taiwan and has repeatedly asserted unlawful Maritimes claims in most of the South China Sea.
Regardless of Beijing’s rhetoric, the US, Taiwan and all the like-minded countries should never bow down to groundless threats. We must stand together for democracy and freedom.
PHOTO CAPTION: George Change, Consul of the government of Taiwan
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