THE BACKGROUND
    We divide ourselves as to which China we should have diplomatic relations with. Dominica as a whole has nothing to benefit by such division and should actively discourage it. The matter is seldom as clear cut as what we reduce it to be: If I am pro-government I support it. I denounce it if I am pro-opposition.

    Taiwan has 22.6m people. China's population is 1,275.1m or 56 times as many as Taiwan. China was once out of the United Nations, while Taiwan was in. Good sense prevailed and China was eventually admitted. But it was at the expense of Taiwan, which lost its seat.

    Even Taiwan today admits the injustice and the absurdity of leaving China and over 20% of the world's population out of the UN. But China insists that Taiwan, like Hong Kong, is part of China and consequently cannot be independent and cannot claim separate UN membership.

    For a couple of decades Taiwan has secured the support in the UN of certain relatively tiny and insecure member states. Until 2004, Dominica was perhaps the staunchest ally of Taiwan, making its case before the world-body. It did not matter which party in Dominica was in office.

    By and large, the world settled into believing that membership in the UN of China or Taiwan was mutually exclusive: Both cannot have membership. Dominica, until now, took the impractical position that this was not necessarily so and that it could help do something about it. In consideration of that support, Taiwan gave Dominica financial and other aid packages.

INADEQUATE CONSIDERATION
    I know that there is a principle in the law of contract that "consideration need not be adequate." But this is not contract. It is diplomacy. Too many of us magnify a few million dollars dangled under our nose - because we can see no further.

    I am on public record, years ago, as having pointed out that Taiwanese aid, as consideration for Dominica's support at the UN, was inadequate, and that Taiwan should do more. It seems no one heard or listened.

    I am also on record as having interviewed the Taiwanese Charge d'Affaires in Dominica in 2004. I asked Dr. Daniel LIAO why was it that a relatively ineffective country like Dominica held up the Taiwanese flag at the UN; why not the powerful friends of Taiwan such as the United States, or the European Union or Japan? Dr. Liao gave a sensible and sensitive response: if they did not support, the latter countries did not oppose either. Of course, that did not quite answer the question.

    In the same interview Dr. Liao said something that should have been instructive to us: At one extreme, five percent of Taiwanese want total independence from China. At the other extreme, another five percent actually want to join mainland China. The vast majority of Taiwanese seem indifferent!! They simply went about their business working sixteen (16) hours a day.

CANNIBALISM
    If this is so, why are we cannibalizing ourselves over China or China? In telling the truth, it seems Dr. Liao may have unwittingly been stabbing our dividers in the back.

    "THE ECONOMIST POCKET WORLD IN FIGURES 2003 EDITION" provided me with some statistics, with which to work. China then imported US$25.4 billion from Taiwan. Bolster that with US$31.2 billion which Taiwan exported to Hong Kong. If Hong Kong is part of China, which it is, the conclusion is unassailable: China is the single most important trading partner of Taiwan.

    If we understand that, then we should also understand why we must cease our arrant nonsense of feuding among ourselves over China and Taiwan. I believe that they shall be united some day, without force.

ARGUMENT FOR TAIWAN
    In favor of Taiwan the following points are discernible:

• Our own tortuous, colonial experience inclines toward support for a smaller territory seeking autonomy from a more powerful entity.
• It is farcical to believe that we can be of much assistance to China. Once we have withdrawn our support for Taiwan, China can calculate that we cannot return to Taiwan's favour and China will take us for granted as does other great powers.
• In his address to Dominicans, certain remarks could advantageously have been left unsaid by Hon. Skerrit.
• Ms. Grace Tung as interpreter or otherwise was an insensitive choice given her controversial history here. This is a more popular view than government may wish to admit.
• Unless we are very careful Dominica will not gain as it should from Chinese assistance. For example, if China sends its own nationals to work on the projects, then labour intensity of those projects will be meaningless since Dominican workers will not find employment.
• We might have attempted "what big people" do, i.e., maintain good relations with both Chinas. But this assumes both Chinas will readily permit Dominica to act as big powers.