Taiwan’s Competitive Edge: National Identity

From the recent anti-Korea sentiments, we see a specific kind of worldview coming from Taiwan. On the internet, calls to rise up against “Korean dogs” and “Chinese pigs” reflect how frustration towards unfair treatment becomes anger directed at entire ethnic groups. In all honesty, has there been a recent major news item that wasn’t tainted by prejudice and stereotype? On Chinese foreign students, we feared that they will take advantage of our resources; on helping victims of Typhoon Megi, we fought over the treatment of Chinese tourists who lost their lives; on the construction accident on Freeway 6 in Nantou, we pressed to punish undocumented foreign workers instead of inquiring about their working conditions; and there has always been incidents of Thai, Filipino or Vietnamese laborers or caretakers being exploited and abused. Taiwan’s political rift is similarly built on inflated ethnic conceit and wholesale distrust of outsiders. These are the norms in Taiwan’s society.

Feelings of prejudice always comes from uncertainty of self. Over the course of history, world powers viewed Taiwan as a colony whose people were beneath the colonizers. After World War II, two ethnic societies clashed on Taiwan but were stuck together on the same island. As each ethnic group tried to defend its own identity and survival, a culture of distrust and stereotyping came naturally. A society based on putting others down instead of looking at positive self-accomplishments can only continue to suppress others, when faced with new challenges.

Therefore, building a different kind of national identity is a critical project for Taiwan. Although there has been many pleas for non-ethnic identity building over the last two decades, ethnic standoff became entrenched in the political process, making it difficult to have rational discussions on public issues. Fortunately, on a everydya level people are slowly coming to identify with shared experiences instead of far-fetched ethnic myths. In a series of recent essays, commentator Jou Yi-cheng points out that our generation of Taiwanese are beginning to move beyond ethnic-based national identities. In doing so, we have redefined the political reality known as The Republic of China, and blended our concrete attachment to Taiwan with an abstract heritage of Chineseness. In other words, to be a citizen of the Republic of China you don’t have to prove your lineage to China but merely take part in the shared experience of living in Taiwan, and to be Taiwanese you don’t have to reject Chinese culture but merely show your ROC identification and embrace a liberal democratic way of life.

Southeast Asian handicrafts at a elementary school fair in Taiwan, provided by members of the TransAsia Sisters Association (Chris Stowers for the Wall Street Journal, April 8, 2010)

This could be the start of something new. However, this also means that any evolution of Taiwan’s national identity must include the “Taiwanese of the future”: immigrants. They not only include migrant workers and families in Taiwan today, but also anyone who comes to Taiwan in the future. Globalization has made the movement of people easier than ever before. As multinational corporations expand, it will be even more common for employees to shuffle between countries. Add to that the problem of low birthrates and an aging society in Taiwan, Taiwan will dramatically lose its competitiveness unless Taiwan is able to replenish its diminishing talent pool and workforce with immigrants from elsewhere. Due to decreasing birthrates in the developed world, countries like Japan, Korea and the US will all eventually be fighting to retain immigrants. Taiwan cannot afford to keep immigrants away.

Therefore, Taiwan’s xenophobia will be a disaster if not properly dealt with. Ironically, the history of ethnic conflict may just be Taiwan’s best chance in the future. Because Taiwan had long been a society of immigrating ethnic groups, Taiwan not only experienced the evils of ethnic conflict but is also fertile for a more inclusive identity beyond ethnic affiliation. If we can succeed in evolving a national identity based on shared experiences and liberal democracy, then any newcomer to Taiwan can, by contributing to that same shared experience and liberal democratic system, become 100% Taiwanese. Compared to single ethnic states, Taiwan can potentially be more welcoming of outside talent.

Of course, Taiwan is still very far from this ideal. Even now, the new national identity is in infancy. Taiwan’s political machines have gotten used to mobilizing ethnic suspicion for its own purposes. Media exploits distrust and disdain for entertainment and profit. A simple confrontation with another country very often elicit overly emotional responses like “they are all cheaters” or “all of them hate Taiwan,” and inconceivably, these responses appear normal and innocuous to many. Cultural prejudice towards our neighbors in South and Southeast Asia seems to be a matter of course. Furthermore, Taiwan’s society and legal framework still ignore immigrants, or simple pretend that they don’t exist, instead of treating them like a the necessary piece of our society that they are. If Taiwan wants to encourage and retain foreign talent to come to Taiwan, much work is to be done.

Population decline and immigration will certainly become explosive issues for the next Taiwanese generation. An open and welcoming society, then, is one critical asset for Taiwan in the near future. If Taiwan still wants to compete with Korea, then Taiwan must embrace Korean immigrants to settle and work in Taiwan; if Taiwan still wants to challenge China, then Taiwan must welcome Chinese talent to relocate and contribute to Taiwan; if Taiwan still wants to find its place in the world, then the people of the world must be able to find themselves a place in Taiwan. The painful experiences of past ethnic battles may just be the key to the future, and there is no reason for us to let it go to waste.

Further reading:
Original version of this essay on The Notebook
Taiwan Needs a New Theory of Chineseness
The New Taiwanese

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