TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s voice deserves to be heard, Yu-Jie Chen (陳玉潔), an associate research professor at Academia Sinica’s Institute of Jurisprudence, said Tuesday.
In a Diplomat opinion article, Chen said the world is only listening to China’s narrative about Taiwan, which makes it easier to treat the country “as a provocation” and Taiwanese people’s desire to protect their democracy “as a threat to peace.” “When world leaders repeat Beijing’s language, they narrow the space in which Taiwan can safely exist,” Chen said.
Chen cited President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) postponed trip to Eswatini and China’s forced cancellation of RightsCon 2026 in Zambia due to Taiwanese organizations participating as examples of China's attempts to stifle Taiwan’s voice and dominate the country’s narrative.
She said Taiwan has a message that is “grounded in reality.” She noted that if given the chance, Lai said he would tell US President Donald Trump that Taiwan is committed to upholding the status quo and preserving peace in the Taiwan Strait.
For Taiwanese, the “status quo” refers to the reality of self-determination free from Chinese influence, Chen said. This includes electing leaders, criticizing the government, deciding their future, and living a democratic life. “Accepting Beijing’s narrative would help China deny this reality and encourage aggression,” Chen said.
Therefore, the global community should listen to Taiwan’s story directly from its president and people, the academic said. “Beijing makes that difficult. But difficulty is not a reason to let China speak for Taiwan,” she said.
