The China problem is a leftover from World War II, with the issues arising as the Republic of China (ROC) government occupied the nation after having accepted the surrender of the Japanese forces in Taiwan on behalf of the Allied forces.
In 1949, the ROC was overturned and replaced by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The People’s Republic of China (PRC) wanted to deal with what it saw as the remnants of China that remained outside of the PRC’s borders and the capture of the ROC has been its goal for well over half a century. It is this aim that is the basis of instability.
This issue is not only creating difficulties for Taiwan, it is also creating difficulties for the PRC, which is the representative of China.
This is causing problems for Taiwan’s democratic development and its road toward nationhood, and it is making it impossible for the PRC to become truly independent.
As a result, Taiwan and China have been unable to establish normal relations.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has used this “Chinese knot” to hijack Taiwan, but the CCP, with its “liberation theory,” has also been unable to untie the knot.
Taiwan, which was ceded by the Qing Empire to Japan, which ruled Taiwan for 50 years, has been separated from China for more than 120 years and even though the KMT has seen the land as a basis for the party’s revival after defeat in the Chinese Civil War, more than half a century of KMT rule has only resulted in the public becoming resentful of China.
The PRC wants to take over the ROC to complete the construction of a “new China,” which has made Taiwan a constant target for annexation. Although cross-strait economic relations have been close since China’s reform and opening up, Beijing’s ambitions to invade Taiwan have not diminished.
A look at history shows that there has been talk about helping liberate the Taiwanese from the KMT and the ROC, but a comparison with today’s situation highlights the malicious intent of great powers.
Taiwan has already cast off KMT rule and is now moving toward becoming a small, independent nation that has no claims on China.
Although many Taiwanese have ancestors from China, their descendants born and raised in Taiwan are not strictly Han Chinese, they have also developed their own history, independently of China.
Mutual respect and parallel development has been the norm in the modern world.
Military confrontation and meaningless waste of resources should come to an end in the name of peace and friendship.
This is also necessary if China is to become a respected power.
Following the election of former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) in 1996, there have been two popularly elected presidents who both served two terms each: former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who was elected in 2000 and then re-elected in 2004, and Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who won the presidential election in 2008 and then again in 2012.
Ma’s eight years — during which he restored the KMT government to power — are about to come to an end and president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is to take over on May 20.
Taiwanese have already made their view of the “status quo” known, discarding the KMT’s party-state ideology and pro-China stance.
The establishment of two nations, one on each side of the Taiwan Strait, will put an end to historical enmity and provide a historical opportunity for a new friendship.
Lee Min-yung is a poet.
Translated by Perry Svensson
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
RSS