Taiwan is more than a country - Taipei Times

Belgians, like Taiwanese, often get told that their country does not exist.

My memories of early adult life in Brussels have served me well in Taiwan.

When I first landed in the city of Kaohsiung, I had the strange feeling that I was going back home.

At the time, I was living in Australia, but Kaohsiung felt much closer to Brussels than Sydney ever did.

I know first-hand the feeling of being told that one's country is not a real country. In my case, it came from UK politician Nigel Farage — who told the European parliament in 2018 that "Belgium is not a nation, it's an artificial creation" — rather than Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).

Nationalists tend to sound alike.

History is often distorted by people who need the past to support their political fantasies.

In Belgium, the historical revisionism and mental gymnastics of Flemish nationalists prepared me for listening to the fallacies of those who say that Taiwan is "part of China."

There are other similarities.

Taiwan and Belgium are both dense, urban societies where you can get inexpensive, accessible food outside at almost any time, where you can get around by trains, buses and walking rather than being condemned to the tyranny of the car.

After Sydney, Kaohsiung allowed me to become the pedestrian I had been in Brussels again.

It also works in less flattering ways: both have problems exporting their pop culture and soft power; both lack confidence because bigger countries "own" their languages.

Having been governed by the Dutch? Belgium is basically a brother-in-arms with Tainan.

However, Brussels also prepared me for Taiwan in another, more important way: It put me in the position of Taiwanese. I used to be the local whose city was invaded by hordes of insufferable expats.

I know what it feels like to hear a foreigner complain that your country was not tailor-made for their convenience, outraged that they must fill in a form, show an ID or learn a language.

After living through that, I cannot lower myself to behave the same way in Taiwan. I feel too much kinship with Taiwanese.

So yes, Belgium prepared me for Taiwan.

Not because Belgium and Taiwan are the same, but because both have taught me to distrust the arrogance of big national narratives.

I have an almost visceral affection for small countries that irritate pompous imperial minds.

I love places that, according to nationalists, should not exist. Belgium and Taiwan both offend people who need to belong to a nation-state to give their shallow selves an identity and a backbone.

The very existence of Belgium and Taiwan is a middle finger raised at those who believe only big countries, old countries, somehow glorious countries are worthy of existence.

When people used to tell me Belgium was "not a real country," I liked to answer: "We are better than a country."

Do not misunderstand me: Taiwan is a country.

I have got myself in trouble with China, and probably with half the world's newsrooms, by insisting on doing my job on this basis.

However, sometimes I think Taiwan could use the Belgian answer too.

The next time someone tries to get you angry by saying Taiwan is not a country, you can use the Belgian method to retaliate: Taiwan, like Belgium, is better than a country.

Julien Oeuillet is an independent reporter in Kaohsiung and hosts the weekly program Taiwan vs the World on Radio Taiwan International.