In 2016, I had an opportunity to work in mainland China. Out of all the places that my adventure could have taken me to, I ended up in Chengdu.
That’s where I have learned about Chiang Kai-shek’s retreat to Taiwan. The story of Chinese Nationalists fleeing to Taiwan has sparked my interest in Formosa. 

As a Pole, I am acutely aware of Taiwan’s precarious geopolitical position. I am aware of it not just theoretically, academically. 
The ever-present threat of foreign invasion has shaped the Polish mentality. Communist China denies Taiwan statehood, just as Russia sometimes denies Poland statehood. 

Taiwan is a shining example of a free society, while mainland China is an egregious example of a surveillance state. Ironically, though not surprisingly, many communists live in the West. They have no idea what the people living in communist regimes, imprisoned behind barbed wire, are going through.

Russia and Communist China have a similar mentality. Both countries want to impose their will on other nations, only their methods differ. They laugh at human rights. They are collectivist and hierarchical.

Russia is unapologetically aggressive, while the Chinese Communist Party wants to project an image of restraint and neutrality. Luckily, the world sees through the façade.

Seeing through the facade does not change the fact that over three million people have entered Poland from Ukraine since February 24.

(Source: Taiwan Red Cross)

Poland needs international help to tackle the crisis. Taiwan Red Cross (TRC) has been donating to aid rescue and shelter work. Taiwan has donated 3.5 million dollars to Ukraine refugees in Poland.

What is the current situation of the Ukrainian refugees in Poland?

Ukrainian refugees - mostly women and children - have integrated into Polish society with ease. It’s hardly surprising, as Ukrainians are culturally close to us. As a matter of fact, many Ukrainians speak Polish without a foreign accent.We sometimes call Ukrainians our cousins.

Sure, we weren’t always on good terms. In fact, there were brutal chapters in Polish-Ukrainian history. We remember the past and look forward to the future. 

Poland has been accused of Russophobia countless times by the West. Now, the world is finally listening. Russia has dropped the mask of civility.

There is a reason why Poland is helping the Ukrainian refugees so much.
As Poles, we understand what it means to be targeted by merciless regimes hellbent on genocide. 

Deportations to Siberia; enforced Russification; killing of the Polish elites by shooting them in the heads; rape and torture; and how could we forget about stealing whatever was worth stealing. That was the picture of the Soviet ‘’liberation’’ in September 1939. Sounds familiar? It should. The same is happening in Ukraine today. Totalitarianism always brings death and destruction. Communism is the worst kind of totalitarianism, as the Taiwanese people know all too well. 

Russia, even more so than Germany, has always been a problem for Poland.

Poland was wiped off the map for 123 years by the Habsburg monarchy, the Kingdom of Prussia and the Russian Empire. As you can see, Russia is always there, plotting to destroy Poland. The disappearance of Poland reverberated around the world, serving as a warning to others. In a twist of fate, Poland and Japan have allied against Russia.

Polish orphans were saved from Siberia by Japan in 1920. The tragic fate of Poland has made an impact on Japan. Take ‘’Porando Kaiko’’ as an example. It was a Japanese soldier’s song popular until 1945. The song warned Japan against complacency and ending up partitioned and humiliated like Poland. The Polish nation briefly regained independence in 1918, only to be destroyed by the Nazi-Soviet invasion in September 1939.

It is no surprise that genocide and enslavement feature prominently in the Polish art. One of the most famous Polish paintings is titled ‘’Polonia’’ by Jan Matejko. Polonia shows Russian soldiers who are watching a blacksmith placing shackles on a woman.  The worried woman in the painting is Poland.

The painting captures the calamitous moment of Poland’s enslavement by Russia. Some of you might say that enslavement is a harsh word but that is exactly what it was. Enslavement by a brutal foreign power.

Given our tragically complex history, the Poles are a nation of refugees. We understand what Ukrainians are going through. During the Second World War, Polish refugees were welcomed by Iran and India. Polish Jews prospered in Shanghai. We know what it means to be displaced and disenfranchised.

On May 3, we were marking the 231st Constitution Day of the Republic of Poland. It is the world’s second modern constitution, after the US. As the Director of the Polish Office in Taipei, Cyryl Kozaczewski, said: ‘’Poles and Taiwanese value solidarity and mutual support in difficult moments, as best evidenced by our joint efforts to tackle the pandemic outbreak and provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

Clearly, our two nations are destined to be allies. Taiwan and Poland can be beacons of freedom for the world, showing how nations can prosper economically and culturally even when the neighboring countries are regimes with imperial ambitions.

In a sense, Taiwan and Poland have been blessed with the awareness of how precious freedom is. Many nations across the world lack this awareness and take their independence for granted. Yet, as the Ukraine war shows, any nation can be targeted by a genocidal regime for so-called liberation.

(This piece reflects the author's opinion, and does not represent the opinion of CommonWealth Magazine.)

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About the author

Adam holds a master’s degree in international relations. He is a technical Polish-English translator who has worked in Chengdu, China. He has honed his translation skills at the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You are welcome to connect with Adam.
His LinkedIn and email: [email protected]

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