U.S.-Taiwan liaison discusses current events

China ended live-fire military drills in the Taiwan Straits just long enough for University alumnus Lyushun Shen to visit his alma mater yesterday in order to discuss his personal views on China-Taiwan relations. Shen, who is director of public affairs at the Washington, D.C.-based Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, or TECRO, reflected on his experiences at the University. "I'm so happy to come back," Shen said. "Not everyone from Taiwan can come back to their alma mater without causing some kind of major conflict." Shen was referring to Taiwanese President Lee Teng-Hui, who recently attempted to speak at his alma mater, Cornell University. Congress had to pass two resolutions to allow the trip. And some said the visit itself provoked China's recent missile testing off the coast of Taiwan, according to Shen. Shen spent six-and-a-half years at the University, earning both his graduate and doctoral degrees in International Relations in 1979 and 1981. "I always feel very proud of my Penn alumni status," said Shen, who added that he found his time at the University extremely challenging. "The first year here was very frustrating, but that is what also made it very valuable," he added. "If I had stayed in Taiwan I would have never gotten that perspective." Shen recalled going to the library early in his graduate studies and finding dissertations by former Taiwanese students. "I've been through times when I thought it was hopeless," Shen said. "I figured if they could write a dissertation coming from the same cultural background [as I do] then I could too." TECRO is Taiwan's quasi-official mission to the U.S. Because the U.S. diplomatically recognizes only mainland China, Taiwan cannot open an embassy in Washington. Shen now works as a congressional correspondent through the office. He said his position has given him a great deal of insight into the current situation between Taiwan and China. Two weeks ago, China began conducting missile tests in the Taiwan Straits in anticipation of Taiwan's upcoming presidential election, to be held tomorrow. The live-fire drills ended yesterday. Shen attributed China's recent violence towards Taiwan to Chinese "anxiety and fear of Taiwanese independence [and] their misunderstanding of the developments in Taiwan." According to Shen, Taiwan has mounted rapid democratization, economic development and pluralization since the 1980s. With these developments have come a desire to travel, a hope for international diplomatic recognition and numerous outspoken political parties. Shen said he feels all of these changes are being mistaken for moves toward independence. But the issues facing Taiwan-China relations are not isolated to the Far East. The United States has economic and political ties to both countries. "When people ask me how I feel about American involvement, we hope America can help us see what the real problems are, but we want to fight our own wars," Shen said. Shen said he feels that students must understand that "the United States is the leader of the world."