Via CDT, a powerful argument by Bruce Jacobs, professor of Asian Languages and Studies and director of the Taiwan Research Unit at Monash University, Melbourne. Jacobs insists that the US and its key allies must give Taiwan standing in international organizations like the WHO and desist from seeing it as a province of China. The world would be a safer place, he says, if China would renounce its false historical claim on Taiwan.”
The recent close mayoral elections in Taipei and Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s two largest cities, remind us that Taiwan remains a thriving democracy. Along with South Korea, Taiwan is one of two former Asian dictatorships that have made a true transition to democratic rule.
This democratization has won Taiwan many friends around the world, including the United States, Australia, Japan, and Britain. But this support doesn’t change the fact that Taiwan faces a severe threat from China.
At this moment, China has more than 800 missiles aimed at the island. Its military often conducts exercises relevant to an invasion of Taiwan. That kind of power makes some observers in government, business, and academic circles wary of upsetting China. Yet China has shown that it respects strong, principled stands rather than a submissive, begging attitude.
The US and other democratic nations must stand up for Taiwan’s right to determine its own future without China’s military threats. Taking this stand means welcoming Taiwan’s representation in more international organizations – and yes, rethinking their approach toward the so-called One-China policy, which declares Taiwan to be part of China.
Definitely read it all. Jacobs appears to carefully avoid calling for independence outright, but it’s not so hard to read between the lines, based on the parallels he draws between Taiwan and East Timor.
1
By dudeinwales
Doesn’t the RoC government also insist on its’ own One China Policy?
December 14, 2006 @ 12:54 am | Comment
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By BT
Not really. That is the old KMT policy, which loss presidential election twice. That is saying something about the mind of the people in Taiwan.
Without the threat of the military, most of Taiwanese will vote for independent. If China really interested in winning the heart of the Taiwanese, they better drop those bullying attitude.
December 14, 2006 @ 5:02 am | Comment
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By Chip
I agree, BT. Personally, I’d be just as cool with reunification if it meant the complete political restructuring of China to something democratic. But until then (if it happens), Taiwan should have better support from its allies.
December 14, 2006 @ 5:36 am | Comment
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By Jing
Bah, where do they dig up these separatist running dog lackeys.
With such a selective and farcical interpretation of history as the following
“Historically, Taiwan belonged to China only during the short period between 1945 and 1949, when the Chinese Nationalists occupied the island and killed some 20,000 Taiwanese who demonstrated for democracy. The Ching Dynasty, which ruled parts of Taiwan from 1683 to 1895 was Manchu, not Chinese. At that time, China, too, was a Manchu colony.”
Then again, seeing the majority of his academic topics deals with Taiwan I can’t say I’m surprised.
December 14, 2006 @ 8:01 am | Comment
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By Tang
The people of Taiwan have earned the right to decide their own destiny. The nations of the world can, and should, stand together firmly on this point.
The people of Taiwan have built a successful, democratic, and peace-loving society. Matters of unification and independence are best left to the people of Taiwan to decide by democratic means they have already put in place.
China renouned all claims to the island ‘forever’ in the nineteenth century. Taiwan has never been part of the PRC. In spite of the PRC’s constant threats, Taiwan has been a good neighbor, investing billions of dollars in ‘China’s rise.’ It’s time all nations of the world called on China to treat the people of Taiwan with the respect they have earned.
December 14, 2006 @ 8:16 am | Comment
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By Tang
The people of Taiwan have earned the right to decide their own destiny. The nations of the world can, and should, stand together firmly on this point.
The people of Taiwan have built a successful, democratic, and peace-loving society. Matters of unification and independence are best left to the people of Taiwan to decide by democratic means they have already put in place.
China renounced all claims to the island ‘forever’ in the nineteenth century. Taiwan has never been part of the PRC. In spite of the PRC’s constant threats, Taiwan has been a good neighbor, investing billions of dollars in ‘China’s rise.’
It’s time all nations of the world stood firm in treating the people of Taiwan with the respect they have earned.
December 14, 2006 @ 8:17 am | Comment
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By Johnny K
If we can claim territory we had at any point in the past, I want the Philippines back.
And I guess this means the Sudetenland is still up for grabs…
I wish China would grow up.
December 14, 2006 @ 9:15 am | Comment
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By Falen
All these huffing and puffing is dandy, but which nation in the world has the political will and power to intimidate China into abandoning the One China Policy? Ultimately this is really not an issue American, much less others, has much of a stake in anymore or care about.
December 14, 2006 @ 12:04 pm | Comment
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By Falen
What “powerful argument” is there the article? It is basically rehash of old stuff..
December 14, 2006 @ 12:06 pm | Comment
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By richard
I guess “powerful” is in the mind of the beholder. Maybe if you look harder you’ll see the powerful arguments – but only if you are willing to see them. They are there.
December 14, 2006 @ 12:19 pm | Comment
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By Chungta Hsieh
Why not United States let Hawaii independent. Hawaii Kingdom has never historically or culturally related to United States as Taiwan related to China.
December 14, 2006 @ 2:46 pm | Comment
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By Falen
The arguments in the article are like stale tales told and retold over and over. Of course there’s counter-arguments to every points presented in the article which is conveniently absent. However, fighting over those fine detail is boring. Obviously if there’s any resolution to that one this would have been over a long time ago.
The author proposes that countries like Japan, Australia, Canada, etc support Taiwan in multilateral institutions, and US should work towards that. I particularly like the point about taking a “principled stand” against China. Good! How about US sponsor Taiwan’s UN membership next year? What about starting tomorrow accept an ambassador from Taiwan as well as allow Taiwan to establish an embassy in Washington?
Where’s the support? Obviously if China’s claim is so hollow Taiwan wouldn’t be so isolated today. These “freedom loving” countries like Japan, Australia, Canada and especially US are as much an accomplice in isolating Taiwan as China.
Until that changes, the same talk about democracy and freedom is as false as China’s claim on Taiwan.
December 14, 2006 @ 3:18 pm | Comment
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By Fat Cat
Falen, like you, I’m also questioning a particular argument that Jacobs put forward, which says: “Polls show that the number of people in Taiwan who consider themselves Chinese has declined from 25 percent of the population in 1992 to about 6 percent now.”
I think that the best way to determine the truth of this statement is to allow the people of Taiwan to have a referendum to see how many of them want Taiwan to be a part of China. And to make this experiment even more accurate and scientific, Taiwan people should be able to conduct this referendum under no duress. In order to guarantee a threat-free referendum, the international community should ask the PRC to stop pointing those 800 missiles at Taiwan.
In the past the Australian Commonwealth allowed Western Australia to have a referendum to determine whether they wanted to be a part of Australia. The Canadians allowed Quebec to have a referendum to determine their future. I don’t see why China can’t follow these examples.
December 14, 2006 @ 3:40 pm | Comment
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By Flabbergasted
The Taiwanese have been independent for so long from PROC. Forced reunification would be viewed by the world and more importantly by most Taiwanese as an invasion not less worse than what the Japanese had done. I believe China knows that and they are courting rather than forcing. Like any marriage sometimes outsiders help but most of the time it brings the issue of face/ego mostly Chinese ego into the whole picture. Then it gets messy. But the Taiwanese of course wants and needs US help and I donot blame them.
I believe and I am not stating anything new here, as long as they(the CCP) believe that Taiwan will not declare independence , they will leave the Taiwan issue as status quo.And I believe the majority of the Taiwanese do not have such strong independence fervour. But I am open to being corrected
December 14, 2006 @ 4:22 pm | Comment
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By Michael Turton
Thanks, Richard. Stuff we’ve all been saying for years, good to see academia catching up. BTW, I’m stealing your blog post on how great Taiwan can be to put on my teaching website. Hope you don’t mind.
Michael
December 14, 2006 @ 4:29 pm | Comment
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By Porlock Junior
Taiwan and South Korea are really annoying. All we old non-reactionaries despised them so much and for so long and with such good reason! And now all of a sudden they’ve become liberal democracies, and we have to like them! As we do, not being reactionaries.
Meanwhile the heirs of the China Lobby and the Syngman Rhee fan club are waffling about Taiwan for fear of offending Big China. And they’re not doing very well with South Korea, either. Bastards then, bastards now.
Seriously, btw, that was a great piece about Taiwan yesterday. Now I know really have to get there, and not just for the (so I hear) incomparable museum in Taipei.
December 14, 2006 @ 5:11 pm | Comment
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By xueleifun
Isn’t the same principle lead ‘democratic’ U.S. and ‘nations of willings’ topple ‘dictatorship’ in Iraq, causing, err, up to half a million civilian casualties in Iraq and counting daily?
How easy it is to claim moral superiority. ‘Good’ versus ‘evil’, ‘democracy’ versus ‘dictatorship’, ‘freedom’ versus ‘oppression’, ‘peace-loving’ versus ‘militaristic’, ‘self-determination’ versus ‘aggression’…
By the way, since I find that type of armchair argument highly dangerous, some commentator will probably accuse me being a CCP sympathizer, or worse yet, a ‘Chinese nationalist’. You see, white versus black…
December 14, 2006 @ 5:29 pm | Comment
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By richard
xueleifun, are you new here, or did you simply not notice this site is more critical of the Bush administration than it is of the Hu administration? Bullying bullshitters need to be called for their BS, whether they commit their crimes in the name of democracy or a one-party communist dictatorship.
December 14, 2006 @ 7:40 pm | Comment
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By richard
Michael, I am really honored! Thanks a lot.
December 14, 2006 @ 7:45 pm | Comment
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By Chip
Chungta Hsieh,
1. “Historically”, Hawaii HAS been linked to the United States, because it’s been part of the united states up to now. The same way I’ve historically been in high school. In the past (also the present), Hawaii has been a part of the united states, so your arguement there is wrong.
2. They have every right to independence, and there is a fully functioning independence movement there without any legal opposition. So why haven’t they been independent? Because most Hawaiians WANT to be part of the US. Every state in the union has the right to call a referandum of independence, and as of yet, not one has decided by vote to leave. By the way, Puerto Rico has decided numerous times to stick to the US, despite not having “historical” connections or even a common language. That’s how democracy works.
December 15, 2006 @ 11:45 am | Comment
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By Pan
You might want to give this report a look.
http://www.eastwestcenter.org/stored/pdfs/PS026.pdf
December 15, 2006 @ 8:57 pm | Comment
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By Paul
After reading all the arguments I still believe that China has a legitimate claim to Taiwan. I also think that Taiwan would benefit in the long run being part of China. However, I only want to see this reunification done on Taiwanese terms. That is, they get to choose when it happens and determine the terms and conditions under which it takes place. This should be the U.S. position in my opinion.
Toward this end, I believe the idea of a 50 year pact of the status quo is a good idea. China under this pact should stand down militarily (removing all missiles and all threats to Taiwan). Relations should be normalized as much as possible and Taiwan should be allowed to join non political organizations such as WHO etc.
By the way, States in the U.S. do not have the right to independence(not even Texas as is often thought). Don’t forget a little event call the Civil War where a half million Americans died largely over holding (or seceding from) the union.
I would also like to second, third or fourth the comments on living (or visiting) Taiwan. I was just there for a month and found the Taiwanese to be the friendliest and most helpful people of any country I have ever visited. It reminded me of the Italians in Europe who have a similar reputation. Highly recommend a visit if you are going to be in Asia.
December 17, 2006 @ 12:02 pm | Comment