It was my fourth day in the US. During the student orientation at my Midwestern university, my Taiwanese friends and I encountered a girl from China. After identifying ourselves as Taiwanese, she quickly changed her up-to-then friendly attitude and became very aggressive.

“Taiwan is part of China, right? Right!?” she asked.

She pressed the question numerous times with a condescending smile.

It was from that day that I became very aware of my Taiwanese identity and my affirmation grew stronger by the day.

Taiwanese netizens often joke that the strongest advocate for self-determination is China, or more specifically, the Chinese Communist Party.

This is true. The more China suppresses us, the firmer we stand.

After this experience, I wanted to do something more, something that would align my profession with my passion.

When the Taiwan Travel Act was enacted in March, I quickly took notice of the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) — a Taiwanese grassroots organization in the US that promotes freedom, human rights and democracy for the people of Taiwan.

I dug deeper and was stunned by how an organization with no more than a handful of staffers could bring a law into realization.

I was also moved by the determination of the Taiwanese-Americans for their perseverance; how these patriots have kept fighting year after year, even after having left their homeland so long ago. Ultimately, I was impressed by how this legacy was being passed to the next generation.

For more than 30 years, the association has been behind many important pieces of Taiwan-related legislation. In 1991, it pioneered calls for the US Congress to support Taiwan’s participation in the UN.

That year, US Congress Resolution 210 — a joint resolution — was introduced by then-US representative Dennis Hertel, expressing Congress’ support for Taiwan’s membership in the UN and other international organizations.

Several years later, members of the association realized that functional international organizations should be emphasized, as problems like the spread of epidemics do not stop at national borders.

The association launched its “WHO for Taiwan” campaign in 1998, when then-US representative Sherrod Brown introduced Congress Resolution 219, a concurrent resolution backing the nation’s membership in the WHO.

Taiwanese-Americans might not be aware of this, but that they are able to list “Taiwan” as their country of birth on their US passports is due to the association’s work in 1994.

In 2016, a resolution concluding that the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 and former US president Ronald Reagan’s “six assurances” of 1982 are the cornerstone of Taiwan-US relations — not the vilified Three Joint Communiques, which harbor the even more vilified “one China” policy — was passed unanimously by the US House of Representatives and the US Senate.

One of the association’s monumental achievements is the Taiwan Travel Act enacted this year, which is binding legislation that encourages visits on all levels between officials of the two sides.

On June 20, US Representative Dana Rohrabacher submitted a resolution urging the US to resume formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

The association has crafted numerous pieces of groundbreaking legislation and has thus become one of the most important voices on behalf of Taiwan in Washington.

I was lucky enough to spend my summer with the association experiencing the dynamics of the US capital. I met many inspiring people who are active and eminent in their fields. All of us were here for the same reason — to stand in solidarity with the unrelenting people of Taiwan.

Much has been done. Nonetheless, there is more that must be faced. Being a part of that great momentum gives me pride and hope.

Within my lifetime, I aspire to witness the flag of Taiwan flying vigorously in front of every international institution. That day will be a celebration of Taiwanese national identity without any hesitation, bullying or intimidation.

It will mark a day of immense pride, respect for this young democracy and the realization that all of us did this together.

Forever proud to be a Taiwanese. Together, we march forward.

This article is first published in Taipei Times (2018/9/9)

The post FAPA’s Monumental Achievements appeared first on Formosan Association for Public Affairs.

那是我來到美國的第四天，在學校的新生訓練時，我和台灣同學遇到了一個中國的女孩。當我們提到我們來自台灣後，她變得無比挑釁。「但台灣是中國的吧？對吧？」她反覆質問著，臉上掛著一抹高傲的微笑。

從那天起，我開始思考我的自我身分，以及身為台灣人帶來了甚麼意義。有趣的是，我見到的許多遊子也擁有類似經歷—在台灣時不怎麼關心政治，但留學以後內心的台灣意識便被激發出來！或許是從最稀鬆平凡的 “Which country are you from” 開始，當其他國的人不知道台灣在哪裡，甚至認為台灣是中國一部分的時候，這時的你才會意識到能自信地說出自己是台灣人是多麼重要的事。

於是，我想為台灣做多一點事。那時，台灣旅行法的通過吸引了我的目光。大多數媒體把鎂光燈投注在美國國會、川普上，我卻注意到了FAPA這個組織的名字。

FAPA全名是Formosan Association for Public Affairs，台灣人公共事務會，是一個由台裔美國人組成的草根倡議組織。許多台美人或許不知道，今天他們能夠在美國護照上列「台灣」為出生地，是FAPA於1994年倡議國會的成果。在那之前，僅有「中國」這個出生地選項可以選擇。

近十年來，FAPA也成功推行許多令人振奮的成果。2016年參眾兩院無異議通過的六項保證共同決議案便是其中之一。今年三月通過的台灣旅行法，實際上也是FAPA近二十年來第三次倡議的相關法案。而在今年六月眾議員羅拉巴克（Dana Rohrabacher）提出的台美建交決議案，也為台美關係建立一個新的里程碑。

令人驚豔的是，這些成果是由不到五個人的辦公室完成！背後支撐的，其實是全美各地三千多個台美人家庭。許多第二、第三代也薪火傳承，投入倡議台灣的行列中。這些人身在美國，卻始終心繫台灣。

看到眾多台美人對台灣家鄉的關愛與努力，再回想那個中國女孩的挑釁，我終於懂了：台灣是我永遠的家鄉，也是我無比自豪的母土！

原文刊載於自由時報（2018/8/13）

The post 那個挑釁的中國女孩教我的事 appeared first on Formosan Association for Public Affairs.