Two important ideas are often lost in all the cross-strait controversy. What Westerners miss is the flimsiness of China's claim over Taiwan. What Taiwanese folks miss is the degree to which that Western ignorance affects their status in the world.
Although academics and pundits have publicly stated the facts about Taiwan's history and status, most Westerners are still not aware of these things.
The Taiwan issue is just one among thousands that vie for precious air time on the nightly news, and more often than not, the local weather and sports scores occupy most Westerners' minds much more than Taiwan's distant needs.
Academics and pundits aren't newsmakers. So in order to grab the world's attention and get the message out, a real newsmaker needs to step up.
President Chen Shui-bian (
"Because of several decades of brainwashing in the KMT-controlled school system, sadly even many of my countrymen do not know the full story I'm about to tell. Naturally, even fewer in the West have heard this story. It is the story of Taiwan's history, and it bears heavily on the validity of China's supposed claim to this territory, the so-called `one China' principle.
"If there is anything the Chinese love to talk about more than the `one China' principle, it is the `5,000 Years of History' of which they are rightly so proud. And since the main island of Taiwan is so close to China on the map, it's hardly surprising that so many Westerners would assume Taiwan has been a part of China, inhabited by Chinese people, right from the start. But that is not the case."
(To save space, I'll skip the history lesson that would be the bulk of A-bian's statement. The reader may refer to Bruce Jacobs' excellent article last week ["Describing Taiwan's real history," Feb. 9, page 8] or the Taiwan History page on www.wikipedia.org. It will suffice here to note simply that there were few Chinese inhabitants on Taiwan until the 1600s, when the Dutch began importing them as laborers. Traditionally, Chinese rulers deemed Taiwan a "useless ball of mud." And even for the 212 years (1683 to 1895) when China did nominally claim this territory, it was seen as much more of a nuisance than an asset. The "one China" principle is nothing but an artifact of Cold-War propaganda and of dictator Chiang Kai-shek's (
Continuing now with my speculative A-bian statement: "China makes much of its `century of shame' at the hands of Western colonial powers in the 1800s, and claims Taiwan is the last piece of territory yet to be repatriated from that period -- following the handover of Hong Kong and Macau in the 1990s. But what of Taiwan's `century of shame' at the hands of colonizers from Japan and China in the 1900s? Do not the Taiwanese people also deserve a chance to reclaim their dignity and sovereignty?
"As a member of the UN, China purports to uphold the ideals of the UN charter, Article I of which declares `respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples.' But the `one China' policy is clearly incompatible with this principle.
"If China wants to join the ranks of mature, stable world powers, it ought to be "big enough" to admit that it already has plenty of territory, and acknowledge the Taiwanese people's right to choose their own destiny -- just as the US has allowed the people of Puerto Rico to hold several plebescites on their sovereign status over the years.
"When you study the history, this notion that Taiwan is an `inalienable' part of China starts to look pretty weak. But hey, don't take my word for it. (After all, I'm the president of Taiwan, and my views might be biased.) Look it up for yourself. Go down to the library or get on the Internet, and see what you can learn about our history. Then decide for yourself whether or not China has any legitimate claim to our country."
One of the main reasons why China has been so successful with its campaign to isolate Taiwan diplomatically is because most people in the world still think Taiwan has been "Chinese" since ancient times. Just look at how every article or story about Taiwan contains a line or two explaining that "Taiwan split from the mainland in 1949" to see how deeply entrenched this notion has become.
But if that notion were to be challenged and shaken -- perhaps by a headline-making statement like this from A-bian -- China's claim over Taiwan might soon be recognized for the petulant, narcissistic whining it truly is. Instead of gaining sympathy from a guilt-ridden West over the wrongs suffered by China in the past, the "one China" policy could quickly become a face-losing proposition for the Chinese.
The court of world opinion is currently in recess on the question of Taiwan. But it won't be long before a verdict is called for. In the meantime, Taiwan's government and its people should be doing everything in their power to sway the prevailing mood in their direction. China certainly is, and has been for years.
John Diedrichs is a writer based in Taipei.
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of