Opinion: Lee Kuan Yew vs. Chiang Wan-an – A lesson in governance and cross-strait politics

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an recently accepted the "Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize" on behalf of the city, an honor the article suggests holds significance only if Chiang truly internalizes the lessons of the late Singaporean leader.

“

China must stop its 'communist internationalism support' and export of revolution to Nanyang.

The author contrasts Lee Kuan Yew's unwavering stance against communism and his pragmatic, geopolitically balanced approach with Chiang's political rhetoric. Lee Kuan Yew, who governed Singapore from 1959, actively suppressed communist movements, viewing stability as essential for economic development. He famously told Margaret Thatcher in 1989 that the Chinese Communist Party would never relinquish centralized power and later wrote that China's history of centralized rule made Western-style democracy unlikely.

“

The Chinese Communist Party will absolutely not give up centralized power.

Singapore's current Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, has largely followed his father's pragmatic approach, separating communist ideology from the Chinese Communist Party's governance capabilities. He remains wary of Beijing's nationalist rhetoric and expansionist ambitions, firmly rejecting the narrative of shared ancestry. Lee Hsien Loong has publicly stated that Singapore's cooperation with China is based on "common interests," not shared origins, and that Singapore is a multicultural nation, not a Chinese one, making its decisions based solely on national interests.

“

Singapore's cooperation with China is based on 'common interests,' not because of 'shared roots.'

The article sharply criticizes Chiang Wan-an's political statements, particularly his "opposition to Taiwan independence" and his interpretation of the "1992 Consensus" as being "based on the Constitution." The author argues that Chiang's stance is contradictory, as Taiwan is already a sovereign nation, and his rhetoric serves to appease Beijing. The article questions whether Chiang, after receiving the prize, will still adhere to Beijing's definition of the "1992 Consensus" and the "One China" principle when attending the upcoming "Cross-Strait City Forum" in Shanghai.

“

Taiwan (Republic of China) has long had no issue of independence or not.