The veteran commentator Huang Guoliang from United Daily News offers a piercing assessment of Kenneth Chen's remarks.
Huang argues that individuals like Chen inherit the prejudices of their predecessors, disdain the People's Republic of China, and feel alienated by its rejection of their purported aristocratic lineage. Consequently, they gravitate toward the Taiwan independence camp—established by rural gentry and local hooligans—because this camp similarly emphasizes hierarchy and social stratification, allowing them to occupy the top rung. The author contends that the core of Chen’s choice lies in class dynamics rather than the broader issue of unification or independence; Taiwan independence, in essence, is a reenactment of traditional social hierarchies, cloaked in democratic rhetoric, offering these groups an environment that aligns with their self-perceived status, thus drawing them into its orbit.
From a personal standpoint, one key reason for the persistent difficulty in addressing cross-strait issues stems from abandoning the analytical tool of class struggle. By equating Taiwan’s so-called elite class—comprising rural gentry and local power brokers—with the broader society, authorities have refrained from highlighting the deep-seated class divisions within Taiwan. Instead of confronting these internal contradictions, policies aimed at benefiting Taiwan have been used to ease tensions, inadvertently enabling the island’s elite to reframe class conflicts as cross-strait antagonisms, shifting blame onto the mainland.
Comrades, when addressing the Taiwan issue, we must not lose sight of class struggle.
Controversy Surrounding Kenneth Chen's Stance
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1878394386120906/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.