TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan cannot wait until China attacks to get its act together, United Microelectronics Corporation Founder Robert Tsao (曹興誠) told Taiwan News in an interview on Wednesday (Oct. 13).
Tsao stressed that the nation must take action now to make sure it can fight back against Chinese forces. “You have to be prepared. You can’t ignore that possibility. If you’re caught without preparation, (the) damage will be huge,” he said.
The billionaire semiconductor magnate said he believed China’s aggressive, authoritarian tactics will “for sure” extend beyond Taiwan.
If the Chinese Communist Party seizes Taiwan, it will share dominance of the Pacific with the U.S. and can put Japan, Korea, Philippines, and Indonesia “under all kinds of threats” in one fell swoop, he said. “This is very dangerous.”
Scourge of CCP fake news
Tsao said that it was the large-scale Chinese military exercises following U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit that prompted him to donate NT$3 billion (US$ 93.8 million) to bolster Taiwan’s defense. “At that moment, I thought I should step forward and say something,” he said
The businessman said Taiwan is “in a very weak situation on the psychological warfare front” and pointed out that the CCP has infiltrated Taiwan with its propaganda for a long time. A lot of Taiwanese media and political talk show pundits have been promulgating messages that shake the foundation of faith Taiwanese have in their government, he said.
Tsao cited Su Chi (蘇起), the former Mainland Affairs Council minister, as saying that attacking Taiwan would be as easy as eating tofu and it would only take less than three days. Messages like these are “very dangerous” because they make Taiwanese believe they cannot win in a conflict with China and diminish their will to fight, he said.
In addition, these messages will encourage Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) to attack Taiwan even if he does not have the intention of doing so, Tsao said.
Thus, “It’s quite urgent for me to come in and strengthen up the local defense. Especially in mind and heart,” he said, adding that he is figuring out which acts of treason Su has committed in order to put him behind bars.
Tsao said that progress at the Kuma Academy has been “coming along quite well” and that the money he donated was going toward staffing, training materials, and new facilities. “I think they will do their job well,” he said of the academy personnel.
He mentioned that his plans to build 1 million combat drones have been postponed due to the Taiwan government’s own initiative on drone development. Tsao was unphased by this, saying he would rather spend money on exposing fake news.
He said in the past, Taiwan relied heavily on physical methods to stop fake news. However, now the government should use AI to identify false reports and pin down the source and let the public know immediately, he urged.
“This is the area I would like to see reinforced.”
Fending off a Chinese invasion
Taiwan would rather become another Ukraine, in terms of fighting an enemy, instead of another Afghanistan, he said. However, he said that the difference between Taiwan and Ukraine is that the Taiwanese are not yet united in having a common adversary.
“Psychologically, you have to know who you’re going to fight against or what you’re going to fight for,” he said.
When asked if he thought the Taiwanese have the will and desire to defend themselves against China, Tsao said he hoped things would change in a few years. He pointed out that in the two months since his donation and campaign for Taiwan’s defense began, he has already seen some changes in the attitude of Taiwanese toward war with China.
The best way to counter an invasion is with determination, preparation, and a solid defense force, the businessman reiterated.
Commenting on whether the U.S. would come to Taiwan’s aid in a cross-strait conflict, Tsao said, “The US has been helping Taiwan for the last seven decades.” It was the Korean War that led then-President Harry Truman to shift his Asia-Pacific strategy and send the 7th Fleet to protect Taiwan from Chinese aggression, he said.
This position has never changed, he said, noting that the U.S. Navy often dispatches ships into the Taiwan Strait. “Even in 1979, when they established relations with China, (Washington) immediately passed the Taiwan Relations Act.”
The U.S. also constantly reminds China that it cannot resolve the so-called ‘Taiwan issue’ by force, he said.
America’s stance, albeit unofficial, has always been “one China, one Taiwan,” Tsao said. Given this context, “why should we doubt the support from the U.S.?” he questioned.
Taiwan’s political status
Tsao praised President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) efforts to boost Taiwan’s global image as a “diplomatic achievement.” The nation is receiving “much more visibility worldwide” since she took office in 2016, he said.
In comparison, former Kuomintang (KMT) President Ma Ying-jeou only promoted his party’s interpretation of the “one China policy,” which “is actually very deceptive,” Tsao said. “It’s very damaging to the sovereignty of Taiwan,” he added.
The businessman likened China to a street hustler who cheats and steals from people. Just as a street hustler uses sleight of hand to hide money and make it disappear, so too, is Beijing “covering” Taiwan up and making its sovereignty disappear.
Tsao warned that Taiwan cannot stick to, “No independence, no unification, and no use of force.” This is very dangerous because if Taiwan does not advocate its independence, that means it has no sovereignty and it belongs to China, he said.
A happier future
Tsao said he was confident Taiwan will eventually be recognized as a country by the U.N. as long as it “consistently and loudly” tells the world that it does not belong to China and that it is a separate country.
He also suggested that the government change the official name of the nation. Though some may feel it would be too extreme, the businessman said Taiwanese “have a full right to do that.”
“Why do we keep mixing ourselves up with China? With almost identical names, it doesn’t make sense,” he said.
In the future, Tsao said he would like to see Taiwan as a much more jovial nation. He said since the current top five happiest nations are also small, he is optimistic that Taiwan can “absolutely become a lovely, happy country.”
One way of doing so would be for the Taiwanese to unite under a two-country framework, which Tsao said would happen soon. This movement should be a completely grassroots one, he said, adding that “civilian efforts are very important.”
When asked to give a message to the world, Tsao said, “We were never, and will never be, a part of communist China.”
