Who owns Taiwan?
In 1945, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) was authorized by General Douglas MacArthur to militarily occupy Formosa and the Pescadores, but he was never given sovereignty over Taiwan.
Chiang then ordered his military to conduct the 228 Massacre in 1947, when tens of thousands of Taiwanese were killed.
Those who were kicked out by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and escaped to Taiwan with Chiang in 1949 always thought they were first-class citizens and treated Taiwanese as second-class citizens.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government ruled Taiwan by martial law and controlled people with the use of the White Terror.
Unfortunately, after 70 years of brainwashing, Taiwanese suffering from Stockholm syndrome now believe that the Republic of China (ROC) is their country and that they still have sovereignty over China and Mongolia.
Today, we are in the digital era and historical facts can easily be checked online, and secret promises or pacts are disclosed by WikiLeaks. The ROC is nothing but a Chinese exiled government that survives by having the unconditional support of Taiwanese.
Taiwanese have never questioned the legitimacy of the ROC as a country. Instead they believe that Taiwan is the ROC and the ROC is Taiwan, and that Taiwan is an independent sovereign nation named the ROC.
However, history is cruel and Taiwan is not an independent and sovereign country, and even the ROC is not recognized by the international community.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) boasts that the ROC is a sovereign, independent nation and that he is its president, but when meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) Ma changed his tune and said that he is one of Xi’s six “tiger staff” who are working for “one China.”
Now, KMT presidential candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) has changed tactics, offering “One Taiwan” as his campaign slogan.
However, when he met with Xi in May, he said both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to “one China.”
His “one Taiwan” policy is nothing but baloney.
Since the Sunflower movement, most Taiwanese have woken up and begun to question the legal status of Taiwan.
The KMT/ROC do not own the sovereignty of Taiwan and neither does the Democratic Progressive Party/ROC if it wins the presidential election next month.
Then who are the nation’s legal guardians?
The nation’s status has been in limbo since the San Francisco Peace Treaty authorized the US Military Government (USMG) as the principal occupying power and the Taiwan Relations Act then derogated the ROC by calling it “the governing authority of Taiwan.”
The commander-in-chief of the USMG, US President Barack Obama, named Taiwan as one the US’ partners in the global battle against the Islamic State group and the extremists immediately listed Taiwan as a target nation.
Some have urged Obama to “keep Taiwan out of your fight.”
That is just sticking one’s head in the sand rather than facing a challenge. The Islamic State group attack civilians and reporters, and destroy freedom and democracy.
The Islamic State group do not represent Muslims. They are very different from one another.
If Taiwanese want to be their own masters, they need to follow international rules. We must commit ourselves to defend the democratic system, while joining the fight for freedom and justice.
John Hsieh
Hayward, California
Beijing getting desperate
China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) Chairman Chen Deming (陳德銘) said last week that people should be wary of popular political leaders because Hitler was also popular.
Mao Zedong (毛澤東) was popular too and he killed more people than Hitler did.
What Chen was doing was telling Taiwanese not to vote for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). China so desperately wants its Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) servants to stay in power that it is calling the DPP Nazis.
We saw this desperation last year as well just before the nine-in-one elections when the KMT said if that if they lost it would be the end of the Republic of China.
Well, they lost and Taiwan is still here.
Congratulations KMT and your Chinese masters, your comments are as ridiculous as those of US Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump.
Andres Chang
Taipei
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
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
The past few months have seen tremendous strides in India’s journey to develop a vibrant semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. The nation’s established prowess in information technology (IT) has earned it much-needed revenue and prestige across the globe. Now, through the convergence of engineering talent, supportive government policies, an expanding market and technologically adaptive entrepreneurship, India is striving to become part of global electronics and semiconductor supply chains. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision of “Make in India” and “Design in India” has been the guiding force behind the government’s incentive schemes that span skilling, design, fabrication, assembly, testing and packaging, and
As former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrapped up his visit to the People’s Republic of China, he received his share of attention. Certainly, the trip must be seen within the full context of Ma’s life, that is, his eight-year presidency, the Sunflower movement and his failed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, as well as his eight years as Taipei mayor with its posturing, accusations of money laundering, and ups and downs. Through all that, basic questions stand out: “What drives Ma? What is his end game?” Having observed and commented on Ma for decades, it is all ironically reminiscent of former US president Harry