Robert Tsao and the Making of a Nation
Taiwan shows resilience amidst threats, Tsao leads the charge
I almost asked the border official, “aren’t you going to ask me any question?” when I went through immigration upon landing in Taipei. In over 200 such arrivals, that was the first time I entered a country, and no question was asked by the immigration official. I was left wondering if that was the norm or mine was a design. It looked to me like a good sign. My first visit to Taiwan could not have started on a more promising note.
One other thing that made me happy about visiting Taiwan was the fact, being the Republic of China, ROC, is also Jay-Z’s business organization. I have followed Mr Shawn Carter’s music since my days as a junior boy at King’s College, Lagos. It made sense that I quickly noticed, “HOV Lane” as the vehicle that picked me up from the airport got on the highway. Even though I had seen “HOV Lane” elsewhere in the United States, my brain insisted on linking ROC with HOV Lane. I knew this was not Jay-Z’s Lane of course, but it felt good forcing the match-up.
I needed to clear my doubt though, so I asked, “what is HOV Lane?” High Occupancy Vehicle, a lane dedicated to a vehicle with two or more occupants. With my forced ignorance cured, I was ready to face the more important business of the very first HFX Taipei. I had about 4 hours between landing and the event’s opening, so I took the chance to see the city. In the 2-hour ride, I could see the legacies of its colonial past and other such influences, including Japan and the usual American influence that appears to defy national histories and cultures.
Though a physically small country, Taiwan matters in the global scheme of things. It is an essential factor in the modern global economy. A sizeable number of some of the world’s most advanced chips are manufactured in Taiwan. These chips are crucial elements in electronics whether in cars, computers, trains, the internet, cell phones, medical equipment and other such “precision devices, including AI products”. Taiwan is the largest producer of semiconductors in the world.
In that sense, you would not want Taiwan in the hands of your rival, if you were, say the United States. You would want Taiwan for yourself, if you were China with ambitions to supplant the U.S. as the world’s foremost economy. Taiwan though, as it should, insists on its right to exist as an independent country.
Its quest for self-determination has been met with threats and intimidation from China, the most obvious being the military drills which have occurred in the Taiwan strait, and around Matsu, Wuqiu, Kinmen and Dongyin Islands . History favours Taiwan — home to various tribes across centuries, it came under the control of a Chinese empire (the Qing dynasty) in 1683 before it was ceded to the Empire of Japan in 1895. Taiwan can tell its story, predating Chinese claims. China’s might and imperialist ambitions aren’t in favour of the island though as the Chinese regime appears determined to take control.
78 last Monday, the billionaire founder of United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), Robert Tsao Hsing-cheng, has made Taiwan’s quest his. Most people in his position would rather play coy on the issue, to protect their interests. The brave ones could do better, by taking a position and speaking up. Robert Tsao has done a lot more than that. He has put his mouth in it, committed his skin to the game, defended Taiwan from the heart, kept his head focused on its quest for self-determination and has had to pay for it; in targeted attempts on his business interests, his reputation and even his right to travel to some places. If anything, Tsao has doubled up his fight for the self-actualization of Taiwan.
At HFX Taipei, Mr Tsao emphasized the cost of a possible war in the Taiwan strait. He delved into what it’d mean for the global supply of semiconductors, noting their use in the manufacture of precision products. Even more so, he enunciated the role of the Taiwan Strait in the global supply chain. “50 percent of the world’s container traffic and 90 percent of the largest containers by tonnage pass through the Taiwan Strait”. You bet the Americans and other major stakeholders in the global trade know the implications of disrupting the flow of trade here, in case of a war or were the Strait to lose its neutrality.
Tsao has worked hard to unite the country whilst also committing resources to Taiwan’s resilience and ability to defend itself. President Lai mentioned at the forum that, “as authoritarian regimes consolidate, democratic nations must also come closer in solidarity”, and that also appears to inspire Tsao’s role as a sort of roving ambassador of his country to democratic countries and prospective allies. Whilst I personally do not consider Nigeria as a big factor in these issues, Tsao does not appear to differentiate or discriminate as to who matters or who doesn’t. When we met and I mentioned that I was from Nigeria, he was happy to tell others in our huddle about Nigeria, its population and relevance in Africa. He then specifically asked that I take his Whatsapp number, instructing me to call him, so he could save mine. At times, you’d be left confused between the amiability of the man before you and the warrior that China now sees as a public enemy.
The coming months and years suggest that “we cannot be complacent and we cannot take peace for granted”, as said by Vice President Hsiao, whom I introduced at the forum. I left Taiwan with my bubble tea pin, something the Vice President described as “an emblem of Taiwanese hospitality”. That hospitality was without blemish during my stay. I hope to one day return to the country of Taiwan, that patriots like Robert Tsao, Fan Yu, President Lai, VP Hsiao and other such Taiwanese patriots deserve.
This piece appears in the THISDAY Newspaper on 28 February, 2025
