Local media reported earlier this month that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) criticized President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) for referring to China as a “neighboring country,” saying that this is no different from a “two-state” model and that it amounts to changing the cross-strait “status quo.”
I find it quite impossible to understand why civilized Taiwan continues to tolerate the existence of such a deceitful group that believes its own lies.
The relationship between Taiwan and China is the relationship between two countries, and neither has any jurisdiction over the other — this is the undeniable “status quo.”
Those who believe in the “one China” principle are incapable of accepting this “status quo” because they have been brainwashed.
What is the so-called “one China” principle? China’s “one China” says that “Taiwan is part of China.” This is a false statement aimed at legitimizing China’s idea of annexing Taiwan.
The KMT’s “one China” says that “the Republic of China (ROC) is China.” That is nothing but a daydream.
Unfortunately, this kind of “one China” statement is having a huge negative impact on the international community, including my home country, Japan.
For example, when most Japanese media and people talk about China and the US, they say “China and the US,” but when they talk about China and Taiwan, they say “the [Chinese] mainland and Taiwan.”
No one seems to think that “mainland” is wrong, which only goes to show that the average Japanese thinks that the relationship between Taiwan and China is a domestic relationship.
For this reason, I have for many years requested that the Japanese media stop using “mainland” to refer to Taiwan. I am not sure if it is this campaign that has borne fruit, but I have rarely seen this word used in recent years.
However, one media outlet still insists on using the phrase “the Chinese mainland,” and that is the Central News Agency’s (CNA) Japanese news service.
I know that the CNA has hung on to “one China” since former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) days in office, and to this day they continue to say “the Chinese mainland.”
The CNA is a national news agency, so I suggest that the Tsai administration instruct the agency to take the position that the relationship between Taiwan and China is a relationship between two countries, and to call China “China.”
Taiwan should make an effort to thoroughly rid itself of the “one China” delusion and make the international community understand that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country that has nothing to do with China.
Tsai only has three years remaining in her term in office, but she could still make a great contribution to Taiwan in this respect.
Hideki Nagayama is chairman of the Taiwan Research Forum.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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