TRA40 fight for Taiwan
On Dec. 31, US President Donald Trump signed the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act passed unanimously by the US Congress and the Senate on Dec. 18, which stipulates that the US president should regularly handle the sale of defensive weapons to Taiwan and advocates visiting Taiwan by senior US officials. Most importantly, it affirms the valuable partnership between Taiwan and the US.
On Jan. 1, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) proposed three mechanisms for cross-strait exchanges: the first is the livelihood safety net; the second is cybersecurity; the third is to strengthen the democratic security in cross-strait interaction.
At the same time, she proposed four musts: must recognize the existence of the ROC [Republic of China]; must respect the values of democracy and freedom Taiwan’s 23 million people hold dear; must resolve cross-strait differences in peaceful means; and must engage in negotiations with the agency authorized by government.
On Jan. 2, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) spoke on the 40th anniversary of a landmark Taiwan policy statement, he said: “History can’t be chosen, but we can get hold of the time being and the future can be created. We do not promise to renounce the use of force and reserve the option to use all necessary measures to achieve this goal and prevent Taiwan independence, not against Taiwan people. The Taiwan issue is caused by ethnic unrest and will end with national rejuvenation.”
Basing China’s sharp power, Xi interpreted history at his own will without hesitation and ignored the international law and peace treaty that upholds the international social order.
To speak up, he attempts to annex Taiwan by force, though he can do whatever he want with his fists.
Give me a break, please show us the legal evidence to prove that Taiwan is an inevitable part of China, otherwise it is nonsense. As early as 1895, the Qing emperor had already ceded to Japan in perpetuity and full sovereignty the island of Formosa and the Pescadores under the Shimonoseki Treaty. Since then, Taiwan has had nothing to do with China.
After World War II, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) was ordered by US General Douglas MacArthur to occupy Taiwan, but was not granted Taiwan’s territorial sovereignty.
In 1949, the KMT [Chinese Nationalist Party] fled to Taiwan and it marks the 70th anniversary this year. Now they are no longer anti-communist, instead they are pro-communist, kiss the CCP’s [Chinese Communist Party] ass and voice support for the so called “1992 consensus,” but it won’t change the reality that they don’t own Taiwan’s sovereignty.
On the other hand, the principal occupying power authorized by the San Francisco Peace Treaty, the US, passed the Taiwan Relations Act [TRA] in 1979. It marks its 40th anniversary this year and at this time Taiwan-US relations are most closely integrated.
The TRA was passed by the US Congress and the Senate on March 28 and 29, 1979, and signed by then-US president Jimmy Carter on April 10. It became US domestic, which retroacted into force effective Jan. 1, 1979. There are 18 sections that clearly define the legal status of Taiwan after the war.
It is always questioned by Taiwanese, is Taiwan a nation?
Section 4b-1: Whenever the laws of the United States refer or relate to foreign countries, nations, states, governments, or similar entities, such terms shall include and such laws shall apply with such respect to Taiwan.
Yes, Taiwan is a nation. But, is it an independent nation with sovereignty? Unfortunately, it is not. Section 15-2 gives us a clear answer. Taiwan only applies to the islands of Taiwan and the Pescadores, not Kinmen and Matsu.
The US no longer recognized the ROC and only recognized the governing authority of Taiwan since the TRA in 1979.
Xi said Chinese people will not kill Chinese people, but it was BS.
Who are those people killed in Tiananmen Square in 1989, and Tibet in 1950? Not Chinese or foreigners?
How could we trust the CCP, it never kept its promise on the Tibet 17 Point Agreement and Sino-British Joint Declaration, one country two system good for Hong Kong for 50 years to dance and race horses?
How should we counter back Xi’s threat to annex Taiwan by using military force?
All Taiwanese should collaborate closely side by side with the US to fight against China especially on the TRA’s 40th anniversary.
We should decisively stand up and swear to defend Taiwan’s democracy, freedom, human rights and dignity.
John Hsieh
Hayward, California
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