NR | 1h 25m | Documentary | 2023
Taiwan is the freest, most democratic, and progressive state southeast of Japan, but hotel chains, airlines, tech companies, and even the International Olympic Committee bow to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s wishes, pretending Taiwan is indeed their “province.” Taiwan should be celebrated, but instead, it is treated as a pariah. Filmmaker Vanessa Hope follows President Tsai Ing-wen as she valiantly defends her country on the world-stage in “Invisible Nation,” which screens at the prestigious IDFA (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam).
Ms. Tsai would be an unlikely presidential candidate in many countries, since she is a childless, unmarried woman. Her first presidential campaign was unsuccessful, but Ms. Tsai’s rematch with the Kuomintang Party (KMT) incumbent resulted in her landslide victory. In four short years, the Taiwanese people overwhelmingly turned against the KMT’s meek deference to Beijing, in exchange for trade and investment (the KMT was once known as Chiang Kai-shek’s “Nationalists,” but that label no longer fits). Average Taiwanese, particularly younger generations, organized the Sunflower Movement that opposed a trade deal that would have too tightly (in their judgment) bound Taiwan to the mainland. They found a voice in Ms. Tsai.
Unfortunately, large segments of the world refuse to listen to her, perversely starting with the United Nations. Ms. Hope and her on-camera experts do a quick but thorough job chronicling Taiwan’s expulsion not just from the Security Council, but the entire UN, in favor of the totalitarian People’s Republic of China (PRC). Arguably, when you look at the UN’s policies over the last 60 years, they have consistently made the world a less safe, more violent place to live. Their conduct towards Taiwan is a perfect case in point.
Ms. Hope shows how the UN’s hostile isolation of Taiwan flows “downhill” through its constituent agencies and organizations, in ways that have dangerous global implications. For instance, Taiwan was excluded from all World Health Organization (WHO) conferences and briefings during the COVID epidemic, even though the virus clearly did not respect borders. To illustrate the point, Ms. Hope shows WHO’s Dr. Bruce Aylward feigning technical difficulties and then abruptly ending an online interview when asked about their refusal to allow Taiwanese participation. His clumsy evasion would be comical, if viewers ignore the risks it poses to global public health.
Overlooked Historical Context
With the help of three credited film editors, Ms. Hope constructed a very smart and persuasive film around her footage of Ms. Tsai. We get frequently overlooked (or deliberately forgotten) historical context, chronicling Taiwan’s history as a Dutch, Spanish, and Japanese colony; yet the UN obviously does not afford it the recognition and privileges of other former colonies. Instead of ignoring the long period of martial law (under the KMT) and the so-called “White Terror,” Ms. Hope and company point to Taiwan as a rare example of a nation voluntarily decided to democratize and face up to its past failings.
