A Letter from China
Posted February 1, 2009, 09:02 ET
A friend, now in Taiwan, writes:
It is hysterically funny that former-president Chen [of Nationalist China] is thinking of suing [current] President Ma here for treason [for inviting ChiCom president Hu Jintao to Taiwan]. … Chen is currently in jail himself, awaiting trial on extremely serious charges of corruption. His daughter, his son-in-law and some other member of his family have already pleaded guilty to money-laundering, and HAVE promised restitution. And Chen himself invited bandit president Hu Jintao to Taiwan, which rather weakens his case…
Chen of course is a Taiwanese nationalist who has been trying to declare independence from China for years. This is hard to do, as he was elected as president of the Republic of China, which constitutionally claims jurisdiction over all of China, including the mainland. I am still taken aback when I see posters everywhere proclaiming in English as well as Chinese, “The Chinese Navy needs frogmen!”
In 1969, 20 years after the Kuomintang had fled from the mainland, I remember meeting a general whose position was commander of Chinese troops in what they still called Outer Mongolia, and there was a ministry here for Outer Mongolian affairs, although I cannot imagine that it was very busy.
My grandfather was a fervent supporter of the penultimate Emperor. I remember Sir Steven Runciman telling me how he taught the last Emperor how to play “Chopstiks” on the piano, and I remember Sir Harold Acton talking about his friendship with the brother of the last Emperor.
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