National Post (National Edition)
Taiwanese birding group a casualty in standoff with China
A Taiwanese bird conservation organization has been removed from an international birding group, the latest casualty of what appears to be part of China's campaign to pressure international organizations and delegitimize Taiwan.
Earlier this month, the Chinese Wild Bird Federation, which is based in Taiwan, was cancelled as a partner organization by BirdLife International, a conservation organization with scores of members around the world. The Chinese Wild Bird Federation said in a statement posted to its website that BirdLife had demanded it change its name and commit to several demands involving abstaining from any political activity.
“This has been an issue in a number of international organizations, always at the behest of China,” said Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, senior fellow at the Institute of Science, Society and Policy at the University of Ottawa. “Having Taiwan as an equal-member country in international organizations creates the impression that Taiwan is an independent country and that is not something that China wants to continue with.”
The news from the bird world comes as Taiwan and China are in the midst of an escalating standoff as the democratic island seeks closer ties with the United States; dozens of warplanes and ships were in the Taiwan Strait over the weekend as Keith Krach, the United States under secretary of state for economic, energy and environmental affairs, was in Taipei for talks and for the Saturday memorial for former Taiwan president Lee Teng-hui.
China has long-claimed jurisdiction over Taiwan and has been pushing for a one-country two-systems governance. Taiwan's democratic government is rejecting reunification and recently changed its passport to minimize “Republic of China” in its official name.
While birds, obviously, don't care a whit for borders or geopolitics, conservationists in the region are becoming frayed by the tension.
BirdLife International is a partnership of non-governmental organizations around the world, which “strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity.”
The Chinese Wild Bird Federation has been a BirdLife partner since 1996.
The issue between BirdLife and the Chinese Wild Bird Federation, according to a statement posted on the Taiwan birder group's Facebook page, was that the Taiwan-based group refused to sign documents “formally committing to not promote or advocate the legitimacy of the Republic of China or the independence of Taiwan from China.” The group had also been asked to change its name — which it had already done three times — and that the Chinese Wild Bird Federation was willing to discuss.
“As an apolitical organization which has never taken a stance on any such issue, we felt it was inappropriate to sign such a document and were unable to comply. We are not political actors, we are conservationists,” the Chinese Wild Bird Federation said in a statement.
China has often pressured international groups over Taiwan's relationship, but usually on more prominent platforms, said McCuaig-Johnston. China has opposed Taiwan's membership in, for example, the International Civil Aviation Organization, which co-ordinates air travel. Canada has backed Taiwan's efforts to participate in ICAO, based in Montreal, as an observer.
“It's a significant step, in my view, if China is taking the step to start to take these same measures two or three levels down in organizations in very specific areas to, again, freeze Taiwan out,” said McQuaig-Johnston. “In my view, that's new and something to be rejected by other countries.”
Scott Simon, an east Asia expert at the University of Ottawa, said this shows China's ability to pressure international NGOs and, more broadly, China's insistence that Taiwan is a part of the People's Republic.
“In the long run, it's part of a bigger strategy ... they're trying to cut off Taiwan's relationship with everybody,” said Simon. “They're cutting off these relationships one by one.”
According to the statement from the Chinese Wild Bird Federation, BirdLife International would not allow its logo to be used in any way that suggests affiliation with the Taiwanese government. “It was explained that this was necessary since it would be `odd' for BirdLife to distance itself from the `independence agenda' of the Republic of China but to also benefit financially from the government of that entity,” the statement said. “Such a statement is clearly a political determination and one which should not be made by a global conservation organization such as BirdLife International.”
BirdLife removed the Taiwanese bird watchers before the matter could be debated at a general meeting.
BirdLife, which did not respond to a request for comment, has minimal relationships with China's conservationists, and only one partner organization based in Hong Kong.
“I think it really puts other international organizations on notice that they have to be prepared to stand up against this kind of pressure from China,” said McQuaig-Johnston. “This step this organization has taken didn't come out of nowhere.”