Tim MakSep 22, 2025

OUR MONTHLY TAIWAN ISSUE:

400 years ago, Koxinga, a Chinese general, came to Taiwan and defeated it's Dutch rulers. For some, he is the island's defender but for others, a violent conquerer.

Kaisanan, from the Taokas tribe, fights for a true account of Taiwan's indigenous past.

https://www.counteroffensive.news/p/how-a-chinese-pirates-son-muddled

How a Chinese pirate’s son muddled Taiwanese identity

In 1661, the first Chinese general seized Taiwan, replacing its inhabitants with his army’s descendants. Now, his legacy is used to support the Chinese unification narrative.

The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak
Show threadTim MakSep 22, 2025
Almost 400 years ago, the first Chinese general landed in Taiwan.
Show threadTim MakSep 22, 2025
His name was Cheng Cheng-Gong, although he was also known as Koxinga.
Show threadTim MakSep 22, 2025
Armed with the most powerful naval fleet in South Asia — bequeathed to him by his father, a formidable pirate — he defeated the Dutch army that had ruled the land for 38 years.
Show threadTim MakSep 22, 2025
Expelling the foreign power that had ruled over the island for decades, Koxinga was portrayed as the naval guardian of Taiwan and a national hero. In his honor, people built temples, named roads after him, and created an entire religion around his legacy.
Show threadTim MakSep 22, 2025
Politics often revolves around our national myths, and contested history around the stories we tell ourselves. While Taiwanese people worship him as a defender of the island, the Chinese consider him key to the ‘recovery’ of Taiwan. In fact, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has even used Koxinga’s image as part of its propaganda to unify mainland China and Taiwan.
Show threadTim MakSep 22, 2025
On the other hand, people of Taiwanese ancestry have been emphasizing Koxinga’s history of persecution of the original inhabitants of Taiwan, which has triggered an identity crisis of a new kind.
Show threadTim MakSep 22, 2025
To read more about how a Chinese pirate’s son muddled Taiwanese identity, click the link: https://www.counteroffensive.news/p/how-a-chinese-pirates-son-muddled
How a Chinese pirate’s son muddled Taiwanese identity

In 1661, the first Chinese general seized Taiwan, replacing its inhabitants with his army’s descendants. Now, his legacy is used to support the Chinese unification narrative.

The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak
Show threadTim MakSep 22, 2025

NEWS OF THE DAY:

MOLDOVA’S EU FUTURE FACES KREMLIN PRESSURE: #Moldova will hold a referendum on October 20 to enshrine its #EU membership attempt into the constitution, a move championed by President Maia Sandu, Bloomberg reports.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-10-19/moldova-votes-russia-s-shadow-looms-over-eu-referendum

Moldova Votes: Russia's Shadow Looms Over EU Referendum

Pro-European forces in the former Soviet Republic are trying to counter a campaign by Russia to keep the tiny nation in its orbit.

Bloomberg
Show threadTim MakSep 22, 2025
MACRON: RUSSIA’S DRONE ATTACKS ON #NATO WERE NO MISTAKE: French President Emmanuel #Macron said Russia’s recent drone incursions into NATO airspace were deliberate, not accidental, and called for new sanctions to pressure Moscow, Kyiv Post reports.
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/60574
‘No Mistake’ – Macron Accuses Russia of Deliberately Testing NATO, Urges ‘Collective’ Action

The French leader is challenging Trump’s approach to Moscow, arguing that Europe has already reduced its reliance on Russian energy and must now increase pressure on Putin and the Kremlin.

Kyiv Post
Show threadTim MakSep 22, 2025

RUSSIA’S HIDDEN TANKERS KEEP OIL FLOWING DESPITE SANCTIONS: #Russia has built up a “shadow fleet” of almost 1,000 old oil tankers, The New York Times reports.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/20/world/europe/russia-shadow-fleet-oil-sanctions-ukraine-war.html

How Russia’s Sanctions Evasion Could Create Lasting Costs

Restrictions have made it expensive for Moscow to ship oil by sea. They have also expanded the illicit shipping economy.

The New York Times
Show threadTim MakSep 22, 2025

DOG OF PEACE:

While Elaine was researching Taiwanese folk religions, she passed by the Taipei Xia Hai City God Temple and found a little puppy waiting outside. According to neighbors, he lives around the temple.

Show threadTim Mak

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A war correspondent's open notebook, reporting live from Kyiv. Human stories that illustrate what’s happening during the war in Ukraine, and elsewhere on the frontlines for democracy. Issues 3x a week! Click to read The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak, a Substack publication with hundreds of thousands of subscribers.

Sep 22, 2025 at 1:21pmWeb