At the foundation of the Republic of China, the Republic controlled all of Mainland China and the island of Taiwan. After the Communist party took over there was an era of martial law until 1987. During this period of time, discussion of Taiwan independence was prohibited and reunification was a clear goal. When martial law was lifted, Taiwan independence became an issue and the Democratic Progressive Party was formed with the platform of Taiwanese independence (1).
gh being a third party, the United States has still had a large effect on theSince then there have been three major players in the Taiwanese
independence issue: the People's Republic of China (PRC), or mainland
China, the Republic of China (ROC), or Taiwan, and the United States.
Althou relationship between the two Chinese “states”. The understanding of the positions and past actions of all three states are essential to the understanding of the issue.
Taiwanese Position
The main Taiwanese view about the independence of Taiwan is that Taiwan is already a sovereign state with the official name of the Republic of China and holds the island of Taiwan and other smaller islands under its administration (1). There are many reasons this claim is tainted, but there are just as many that give validity to this claim.
The greatest reason the Taiwanese position of ROC sovereignty is tainted is the fact that only 26 states, each of whom have only a small amount of world influence, recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state. The United States, being the world superpower, recognizes the PRC as the sole government of Mainland China and Taiwan. (2).
The Taiwanese claim that they have met most of the “eight accepted criteria” that makes a state qualified to be a state. They have a stable population of 23 million people and have the economic activity of an organized country. In fact Taiwan has become one of the economic powerhouses of Asia, and has a GDP per capita in the top 30 of the world. It has an extensive transportation system that is on par with any other industrialized state. Taiwan even has a military with over 400,000 service members. Finally, Taiwan has a sovereign government that has been governing the island since 1949, even though the PRC has laid claim to the land since then (3).
Recently, Taiwan has been acting more independent from China then ever before. In 2000, Taiwan held its first election in the face of Chinese military intervention and elected the pro-independence party to the presidency. This is a daring move, especially when Chinese polls show that 95% of the Chinese population support war against Taiwan if they declare independence (4). Following this success, Taiwan has continued to hold democratic elections independent from China, by holding a successful election in 2004.
These great successes of independence have allowed Taiwan to begin to have a more friendly relationship with Mainland China. They have decided that they have nothing to gain from further advocating independence if they are already independent, so they have abolished the 50 year ban on direct contact with the mainland. This included mail links, trade, and transportation. Furthermore, the leaders of Taiwan have become friendlier with the leaders of the Mainland by inviting China's top envoy to attend the inauguration ceremony (6).
In conclusion Taiwan's standpoint on the issue is that Taiwan is a sovereign state and has been one for over 50 years. They have met all the requirements as a sovereign state and have taken actions to prove that they are what they claim they are. Being a sovereign state, the Taiwanese have begun to try and be friendly with the mainland to avoid further confrontations.
Chinese Position
“Taiwan independence, in whatever form, will never be allowed.” This was the Chinese government's reaction to the Taiwanese election in 2000, and basically sums up the Chinese standpoint about dealing with the Taiwan issue (7). The Chinese claim that they are the sole government of all Chinese lands, including Taiwan. They are backed by most nations of the world and also the United Nations. Moreover, the PRC's military presence around Taiwan raises questions about the ROC's sovereignty and ability to secure its borders.
All but 26 nations in the world who hold diplomatic relations with either China, say they the PRC is the sole government of all Chinese lands (2). This gives the PRC unquestionable support from the world. Even the world superpower, the United States, officially agrees that the PRC holds authority. Being recognized by foreign states as a legitimate government is key to making you a legitimate government, so in that sense the PRC is the legitimate government of Taiwan.
Aside from other states, the United Nations is a key organization which determines your status as a state. According to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, the PRC is the sole legitimate government of China, and holds the Chinese United Nations seat. It is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security council, so it holds a considerable amount of power in the international community (8). According to the PRC, why should a rogue government, who is barely recognized by foreign states, be the government of China when they are the recognized government of an emerging superpower?
