Whether Taiwan is a country or not has long been a point of argument. Recently, in the debate about whether it should apply for UN membership using the name "Taiwan" rather than the "Republic of China" (ROC), some have said it is unnecessary for Taiwan to declare independence since it is already a country, while others believe it needs to declare independence to apply for UN membership.
One commentator said that the question of whether Taiwan is a country will be self-evident if we answer the following questions: When did Taiwan declare independence, where is the independence declaration and how did it handle its relations with the ROC at that time?
The fact is that Taiwan declared its independence and issued an independence declaration 112 years ago, in the name of the "Republic of Formosa."
After its defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 and 1895, the Qing dynasty ceded both Taiwan and Penghu to Japan in the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Led by governor Tang Jingsong (
By Oct. 21, Japanese troops had taken control of all of Taiwan. Despite the fact that the Republic of Formosa existed for just 184 days, its existence is an undeniable fact and cannot be ignored.
The history of the Philippines offers some instructive parallels. In 1565, Spain colonized the Philippines, ruling the islands for 333 years. On Aug. 28, 1896, Emilio Aguinaldo started a revolutionary war and the Philippines declared independence on June 12, 1898. On Jan. 23, 1899, the country adopted a Constitution and proclaimed the establishment of the Republic of the Philippines. Aguinaldo became the first president. The Spanish-American War was ended by the Treaty of Paris, which was signed on Dec. 10, 1898, and by which Spain ceded the Philippines to the US.
On April 1, 1901, Aguinaldo surrendered to the US, and the Republic of the Philippines fell apart. It had existed for two years, nine months and 20 days.
Japan occupied the Philippines during World War II from 1942 to 1945. On June 23, 1946, presidential elections were held, and on July 4 the US declared the Philippines independent.
Although the Philippines have been occupied by the Spanish, the Americans and the Japanese and only began its full independence on July 4, 1946, the Filipinos still mark June 12 as their independence day, commemorating the day in 1898 when Aguinaldo first established the Republic of the Philippines. Last month the nation celebrated the 109th anniversary of its independence.
The fate of Taiwan is similar to that of the Philippines. After it declared independence, Taiwan was occupied by the Japanese and then the Chinese, who renamed it the Republic of China. But when Japan "renounced all right, title and claim" to Taiwan in the Treaty of San Francisco in 1951, it did so without stating to whom it was ceded. This meant that, in theory, it should be returned to the government that ruled Taiwan when the Japanese took over: the Republic of Formosa.
Following the Filipino example, one could say that Taiwan has been independent since 1895, so that today it has been independent for 112 years, making May 23 Taiwan's independence day.
Kuo Cheng-deng is director of the Graduate Institute of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine at National Yang Ming University.
Translated by Eddy Chang and Anna Stiggelbout
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
As Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s party won by a landslide in Sunday’s parliamentary election, it is a good time to take another look at recent developments in the Maldivian foreign policy. While Muizzu has been promoting his “Maldives First” policy, the agenda seems to have lost sight of a number of factors. Contemporary Maldivian policy serves as a stark illustration of how a blend of missteps in public posturing, populist agendas and inattentive leadership can lead to diplomatic setbacks and damage a country’s long-term foreign policy priorities. Over the past few months, Maldivian foreign policy has entangled itself in playing
A group of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers led by the party’s legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (?) are to visit Beijing for four days this week, but some have questioned the timing and purpose of the visit, which demonstrates the KMT caucus’ increasing arrogance. Fu on Wednesday last week confirmed that following an invitation by Beijing, he would lead a group of lawmakers to China from Thursday to Sunday to discuss tourism and agricultural exports, but he refused to say whether they would meet with Chinese officials. That the visit is taking place during the legislative session and in the aftermath