That's a good way of looking at things:
Amidst Beijing’s increasingly aggressive actions, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen called on like-minded countries around the world to start pushing back against China and other “anti-democratic forces” across economic, political, and military fronts.
“Historical trends do not always favor the forward march of democracy. But in Taiwan, moving backward is not an option,” Tsai said on June 25.
“In the 21st century, democracy is in retreat,” she said, citing a report by Freedom House that found global freedom has been in decline for 12 consecutive years.
Tsai should encourage the establishment of a League of Democracies on Taiwan designed to promote democracy and rule of law at the national, state/provincial, and local levels. It would be made up of representatives from democracies around the world and NGOs. Which I've noted before:
Long ago I concluded that a League of Democracies as an alternative to the autocrat-ridden United Nations is not the solution to our problems in that body.
But why couldn't Taiwan host a League of Democracies on Taiwan to discuss the mechanics of democracy promotion and democracy practice?
It could be composed of nations, provinces/states, and cities that want to discuss these issues.
As a body discussing the concept of democracy in both state and sub-state actors, it would not run afoul of Chinese red lines about independence. China has offered one state with two systems to Hong Kong--although it really doesn't--and to Taiwan to ease resistance to Peking absorbing Taiwan. How could China oppose democracy as a concept apart from independence when it formally agrees?
Yet it would be a powerful symbol of resistance to Chinese efforts to deny Taiwan democracy.
Taiwan would invite specific qualifying countries, states or provinces, and cities--including Hong Kong--to join the body. Taiwan could invite non-governmental bodies that address democracy and rule of law, including the Carter Center. Perhaps those NGOs could help define a rule of law democracy for membership qualification. Neither China, Iran, nor Chicago, for example, would qualify if the definitions are real.
How would the Chinese people react over time to such a body in their backyard discussing how to create and improve democracy--something China does not have and which Xi Jinping will never grant the people voluntarily?
At some point Taiwan needs to go on offense to get off the treadmill of a losing arms race with the far larger China. Hitting China at their weak point of legitimacy of Chinese Communist Party rule by highlighting democracy and rule of law is the way to go. Perhaps after decades of being a KMT authoritarian state that could only compete militarily with the communist autocrats on the mainland, thinking of an ideological struggle is too new for the rule-of-law democracy that Taiwan has become.
But it is a new and valid arena to compete with China.
Or Taiwan could go the Israel route and build a bigger and more effective military with a really good reserve system, backing it with nuclear weapons.
