Taiwan is included in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on a new “Standard Map” that was just published by China. The new map has breached the sovereignty of India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Japan, and Russia in addition to the PRC’s illegitimate claim on Taiwan.
Furthermore, China is gradually extending its “One China” philosophy to all the territories it has already annexed on the new map.
The ‘Nine Dash Line’ has been expanded into a ‘Ten Dash Line’ with a new dash. If unchecked, “One China” will continue to grow until Tianxia is attained, with China claiming and wanting to seize the entire land masses far beyond its own territory. This has to end immediately.
Taiwan plays a key, crucial, and indispensable role throughout the entire story. From a geopolitical standpoint, China would have definitively breached the first Island chain if it were able to seize Taiwan through political scheming or force.
Taiwan provides China with a base from which its massive People’s Liberation Army-Navy may sail freely over the oceans. Furthermore, once Taiwan is taken, China has greater strategic depth, making the Chinese mainland impenetrable. This will make it easier for Communist-run China to undermine the integrity and sovereignty of all countries in the Western Pacific and elsewhere. The geostrategic repercussions are significant.
More significantly, it is relevant from the standpoint of 23.6 million Taiwanese aspirations. Their basic human rights to be citizens of a country and to have an identity have been violated. They aren’t permitted to use their free will to make a decision about who they want to be.
They are not represented in the community of nations in any way. In this perspective, it is important to study Taiwan holistically to determine whether it has a case for being given its own identity apart from the PRC’s influence.
Taiwan has always been independent from China
The history of Taiwan supports its independence. Taiwan was a Dutch colony in the 17th century. It briefly enjoyed independence before being ruled by Imperial China.
It became a Japanese colony following the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895. Taiwan was governed by the Nationalist Government of China, also known as the Republic of China (ROC), following Japan’s defeat in World War 2.
As ROC, it joined the UN’s founding membership. The United Nations (UN) accepted it as a member until 1971. Nixon’s cosy relationship with Mao in 1972 allowed the PRC to rejoin the international community after a period of exclusion.
The PRC was then recognized as the official representative government of mainland China as per UN Resolution 2758, which stated, “Decides to restore all its rights to the People’s Republic of China and to recognize the representatives of its Government as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations, and to expel forthwith the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the United Nations and in all the organizations related to it.”
The UN Resolution did, however, leave a lot of concerns unanswered. The situation with Taiwan was not made clear. Furthermore, it omitted mentioning Taiwan’s affiliation with China. The ‘One China’ premise was neither mentioned or acknowledged in any meaningful way.
In order to push for the implementation of “One China,” the PRC, however, misinterpreted the resolution. It is time to formally admit Taiwan to the UN in order to correct this anomaly.
From a political standpoint, it makes sense to treat Taiwan as a separate country. In 1949, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) took control of the country. Taiwan did, however, continue to be a part of Imperial Japan until 1952.
In accordance with the Treaty of San Francisco, which became operative on April 28, 1952, Japan relinquished control over Taiwan. The Treaty of Taipei between Japan and the ROC was also signed on that day.
Japan gave the ROC, not the PRC or CCP, control over China (including Taiwan) as a result of this pact. Following the pact, Taiwan was still ruled by the ROC government. Today, Taiwan is ruled by its political offspring.
China’s communist party has no valid claims to Taiwan
Furthermore, over the previous seven decades, neither the CCP nor the PRC government has ever entered Taiwan to rule it in any capacity, not even for a single day. It is untrue for the Chinese to assert that Taiwan was formerly a part of the PRC.
As illegal as China’s takeover of Tibet or Xinjiang is the evidence that Taiwan is a part of China. The new map depicts China’s other territorial and maritime claims, all of which are equally treacherous. Overall, all Chinese claims are an extension of the CCP’s plainly illegal expansionist plans.
Taiwan’s political and social structure can be analysed to reveal that it is a fully operational democracy with a constitution and democratically elected officials. The political structure there has developed over the last seven decades. It takes a pluralistic stance, allowing for the coexistence of numerous legal political parties.
The public can select amongst candidates from those parties thanks to a free and fair electoral procedure. With well-established regulations and checks and balances, Taiwan’s previous governments have always operated openly and transparently for the benefit of all of their citizens.
Taiwan’s residents, who are guaranteed their civil rights and personal freedoms, have free will and control over their lives. It has a free and independent media that isn’t constrained by, or intimidated by, the government. It is the complete opposite of Communist China’s one-man-party rule.
According to the Freedom House Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index, and Heritage Index of Economic Freedom, it routinely ranks as one of the most approachable nations.
Taiwan crucial for global economy
Taiwan’s economy has grown remarkably since joining the global economy. It is a powerhouse economy in Asia and a pioneer in semiconductor technology. Thirteen nations recognise Taiwan, while 59 nations, including India, have formed unofficial diplomatic ties with the island nation.
It has grown to be the 18th-largest economy in the world and is totally integrated into international politics. It is essential to advancements in robotics, artificial intelligence, cyber technology, communication, space exploration, and energy conservation as the unchallenged leader in the semiconductor industry.
Taiwan is crucial for future global strategy. With calamities ravaging the Chinese mainland, Pakistan, and Europe this summer, climate change’s impacts are becoming increasingly obvious, making Taiwan’s technological prowess essential to the fight against it.
Therefore, maintaining Taiwan outside of international organisations is simply counterproductive. Taiwan has been attempted to be a part of global governance, however this has not been done in a fair or equitable manner. Taiwan is a notable outlier because it is an independent country without a UN seat.
The people of modern-day Taiwan are a lively democracy with a thriving economy who do not wish to be a part of the Communist-run PRC. According to polls, 87% of Taiwanese citizens do not want to be ruled by China, and 73% are prepared to use force to repel a Chinese invasion.
