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ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
TAIWAN INDEPENDENCE
OR UNIFICATION?
(Updated
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025, 06:38:55 AM)
he most pressing Asian foreign policy issue currently faced by the U.S. is the Taiwan question. The email we receive in reaction to our articles relating to this issue suggests that it's an emotional one for many of our readers. Perhaps one reason for the emotion is the fact that the issue isn't amenable to an easy or simple solution.
The first historical mention of Taiwan appears to have been when Portugese traders found it to be a resting place on their journey to Japan and named it Isla Formosa. Beijing's claim to Taiwan dates back to the 16th century when a Chinese general fought off the Portugese to claim the island for the emperor. In 1895 the expansion-minded Japanese annexed it after defeating China in a war on the Corean peninsula. China briefly reestablished sovereignty over Taiwan following Japan's defeat in August of 1945.
At the time the official government of China, as recognized by most nations of the world, was under the control of the Kuomingtang headed by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. He was engaged in a desperate war against Mao Tse-tung's peasant army. Despite billions of dollars of aid by the U.S. based mainly on intensely partisan reporting by Henry Luce's Time/Life empire, the spectacularly corrupt Chiang lost that war and fled to Taiwan with 2.5 million followers.
He established the present government of Taiwan on December 7, 1949 and proclaimed it the sole legitimate government of all China. Mao made the same claim. The claims competed until 1971 when it became clear to most of the world that Mao's was more persuasive. Taiwan was kicked out of the UN. The Beijing government took its place as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, a seat given in recognition of China's role in fighting Japan in World War II.
Mired in its own misguided war in Vietnam, and intensely fearful of anything red, the U.S. was one of the last nations to recognize the legitimacy of Mao's government. In 1972 Richard Nixon made his historic journey to Beijing. In 1976 the U.S. took the next step by recognizing the People's Republic as China's sole legitimate government. It began pursuing the "One China, One Taiwan" policy under which official diplomatic contacts were exclusively with Beijing but continued to sell billions of dollars a year of fighter jets, helicopters, tanks and missiles to Taiwan to help defend against a possible Chinese effort to refunify by force.
In 1997 President Clinton declared a "strategic partnership" with Beijing over intense Republican objections. It was an astute recognition of the fact that China's 1.2 billion people must be accorded a central place in U.S. foreign policy. But the historic, moral and economic ties that bind the U.S. to Taiwan's 23 million people stand squarely in the way of cutting off arms sales and renouncing the pact under which the U.S. obliged itself to come to Taiwan's defense in the event of attack by China. That U.S. pledge and continuing arms sales continue to inflame Beijing to periodic bursts of violent anti-U.S. rhetoric.
Taiwan has been a domocracy since 1989 when it legalized opposition parties. It held its first democratic presidential elections in 1990. Lee Teng-hui handily won to keep the presidency which he had originally gained in 1988. Lee won again in 1996. Since 1997 he began efforts to warm up relations with Beijing by agreeing to enter into negotiations under a "One-China" framework with an eye toward eventual reunification. Beijing's leaders continued their highly successful campaign of pressuring diplomatic partners into severing ties with Taiwan. China even raised hell when Lee made a semi-surreptitious trip to New York in 1997. Since then China has scared neighborning nations like the Philippines into not allowing Lee to enter. As of 1999 Taiwan's diplomatic allies number about 18 out of about 220 nations on earth. All are tiny, impoverished Central American, African and Pacific Island nations that appreciate Taiwan's generous aid packages. Pago Pago is considered a major ally.
Feisty Lee Teng-hui launched his own guerilla offensive in July, 1999 by declaring over German radio that Taiwan was in fact a separate state and would negotiate with Beijing on an equal footing. That sent Beijing into a tizzy. It fired off bombastic threats to take Taiwan by force and to annhilate the U.S. Navy if it intervenes. On October 18 during his British visit Chinese President Jiang Zemin assumed a softer, more relaxed tone in telling a London newspaper that China would be peacefully reunited with Taiwan under a one-nation two-systems formula by the middle of the next century. One might have expected Lee to have been relieved by that statement. Instead, he brushed it aside as "a hoax". China should try instead to set a timetable for its democratization as that was the only way to ensure reunification, sneered Lee's Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi. Most polls show that a clear majority of Taiwanese prefer to maintain the status quo indefinitely rather than moving toward unification.
Beijing's reunification mandate appears based on the idea that in winning the mainland, the Chinese people had rejected the "criminal" Kuomingtang and its right to rule any part of China. It also sees Taiwan as a galling symbol of the division wrought and preserved by western imperialists -- namely, the U.S. -- seeking to enjoy global hegemony at the expense of Chinese dignity.
Meanwhile the U.S. remains on the hook to defend Taiwan and sell it arms though doing so keeps its relations with a quarter of humanity rocky and on edge. Under its current policy the U.S. is the asbestos firewall that keeps friction between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait from igniting into war.
Should the U.S. continue alienating Beijing to help Taiwan protect its independence or improve relations with China by pressuring Taiwan to reunite?
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Discussions posted during the past year remain available for browsing.
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
SOG:
"people will always ask you were you come from. Last week this guy asked me that, I said "USA" and he said, "no, where do you really come from."
~~~~~
So...is this how you express your pride of being Chinese outside of Goldsea...?
Lol....
A Porsche....
Wednesday, September 18, 2002 at 22:14:36 (PDT)
[67.241.7.185]
SOG,
"In a effort to mend fences, I am sorry (actual use and meaning of the word not attempting to make up BS like US gov against china in spy plane incident) for the misunderstanding we may have had before. I must say, I admire your courage to admit faults and mistakes. Only a strong man can do that."
Frankly, I'm shocked. I do appreciate the apology, and accept it without reservation. And in so doing, I have to offer forth my own. I hope you'll forgive me for bowing to the pressure and attacking you on a more personal level. This is a tactic of the unlearned, and it is to my shame that I allowed myself to descend to that level.
"I suggest you dont forget your roots. Bashing the PRC is like bashing yourselfs. In the eyes of white america, you are always chinese american. Emphasize on chinese. Lets not kid ourselves here. Ditto for AHL grad."
Can't speak for A/HL--nor should I try--but for myself, I think you have me pegged wrong. Or, perhaps, I failed to elucidate my position in a clear and concise way.
I've never been anti-PRC.
I am absolutely anti-CCP.
I do think the CCP is one of the most self-serving governments in existence today. A lack of transparency coupled with the ancient Chinese intransigence against change conspires to make it such. We all know that every government is corrupt--look at the US Congress, specifically Traficant--but the CCP exists in a near void, almost without any degree of oversight. While we here in this country jeer Clinton for getting it on with an overweight intern, the fact that hundreds if not thousands of female employees in the various bureaus of the CCP are subjected to unwanted sexual contact with their often elderly male employers goes almost unnoticed. Yes, there is a cultural imperative here that could perhaps be the root cause, but its existence in the still-nascent 21st Century is repellant, in the least. The CCP distorts or inconsistently recalls past events in China's long, long history for its own purposes, in an attempt to foster something which was virtually unknown in China for thousands of years: Nationalism.
For reasons such as these, coupled with a genuine disinterest for the average hua ren, I am opposed to the CCP. It is a dinosaur. It clings to power by pointing at the disintegration of the former USSR and claiming the same could happen to China. Russia has never been known for stability. China has. I think this claim is a patent lie, designed to continue the personal entitlements afforded those in the CCP hierarchy.
At the same time, the PLA is too active politically. There is little doubt in my mind that the PLA very much wants to flex itself through belligerence and combat power. China is becoming worrisome in this regard, even for other Asian nations. This is why Japan remains home to thousands of US troops, and Thailand continues to participate in the COBRA GOLD field training exercises. Similarly, this is why Singapore and Malaysia have defense agreements with the US specifically and with ANZUS as a whole.
"I aint saying america dosent treat you like her own, but the fact remains, people will always ask you were you come from. Last week this guy asked me that, I said "USA" and he said, "no, where do you really come from"."
Understandable. I don't know how you carry yourself in real life, but I speak perfect, unaccented English and am generally comfortable in American society. Most people consider me to be an ABC, even though not so very long ago I was FOB. But you're right, I do field inquiries into my heritage on occasion, though it's almost always positioned as "Where did your parents come from?" I don't take mortal offense at this.
"I am not suggesting giving your loyalty to china by any means. But the well being of your chinese compatriots will directly affect your status here in america. If china and US have a confrontation, do you think americans can really differentiate you from a PRC national?. Not likly, you will face the same rejection and hostility. Like wise if the PRC and the chinese people succeed in developing a powerful military and economic system, you too my friend will share in the glory. ditto for AHL grad."
But I already share in the glory. :)
As I stated in another forum not long ago here on GoldSea, China is ALREADY a superpower. It stands poised to become an economic colossus. I don't think it will ever realize global power status, or as the French called the US, a "hyperpower," but it will soon be if not already a super power. I think very little goes on in world affairs in which China is not afforded a say in the matter.
But I submit to you the following...and please, keep in mind, these are only the thoughts of a single guy among a nation of hundreds of millions:
China will never become as successful as the US has and, one hopes, continues to be. China is a great nation, but not for what it has done or provided, but because of its incredibly vast history and the importance of its culture. In the 20th Century, China hid from most of the world, contributing little. In the 21st Century, China moves slowly, reeling from culture shock to culture shock. For some reason, China seems overwhelmingly surprised to find the presence of the US everywhere it turns. It's almost funny, in a way: the incredibly historical land finding itself continually confronted--or confronting--the history-less land.
The United States did not become this "hyperpower" by happenstance or circumstance. Americans of all colors worked to make it occur. To be sure, America's history is full of injustices and inequalities. But the US is something of a grand experiment, almost a dream, if you will. Perfection might very well be the eventual goal, but we all know that will never happen. Yet in order to strive for that, the US accepts and takes risks known by no other nation. The US does not appear to resemble any past empire. I don't believe there is a true historical context which one could use to define what the US is. To be sure, many things have worked in favor of the US: geography, climate, arable land, an abundance of water and minerals, both pedestrian and precious. But one cannot overlook the most overriding contributor to American success: immigrants.
My friends, a great portion of the legacy of America lies with Chinese. And it will continue to do so; for every poor soul who begins his life anew--or finds it cut short--in a shipping container bound for the US, hundreds more arrive with money in their pockets and among the finest educations in their minds. We are the new Americans, and we will take this country to the next plateau. And we will do it working with Japanese Americans, Korean Americans, Filipino Americans, and Vietnamese Americans, not to mention Caucasian, African, and Latino Americans. True equality may still be a distant point on a far horizon, but I confess, I know of no other place where it is likely to take hold.
This could never happen in China. While it is not the only building block to greatness, it is significant, and I do believe it is the most direct approach. Certainly, it has netted the US a significant return on its investment. Look at where the US is now compared to 226 years ago. This is after suffering a revolutionary war, a large-scale civil war that left the country almost bankrupt, two world wars, and at least four or five smaller police actions. The US has invested in its own security abroad, and in doing so, allowed Japan and Europe to flourish by administering to their security needs. There is very little doubt that, had Task Force Smith not been committed to the Korean peninsula, then Seoul would be a much different place than it is today.
China enters into mainstream global society at a curious time. China's leadership is not, in my view, particularly relevant to the success of China as a nation. But China does view the rest of the world through eyes that are, at the very least, substantially outdated. It's unfortunate that the CCP clings to the comfort of old trappings as opposed to reaching for newer, more precious treasures: democracy, human rights, a liberal outlook.
And in failing to acquire this outlook, they maneuver themselves into a potential confrontation with the US over Taiwan.
The US has over the past year or so made direct statements indicating it will defend Taiwan in the face of PRC aggression. This assistance is not unconditional, however; it is predicated on the Taiwanese leadership not taking such protection for granted and gambling on its effectiveness in dealing with the mainland.
I have a fondness for the Taiwanese. Of all Chinese, they have managed to rise from the horribly corrupt, contemptible ashes of the bonfire lit by the Kuomintang. In their frenetic, ad hoc, endearing frantic way, they are striving to become a leading element of Chinese society. While their gait is small and the mainland wishes them shackled due to an old cultural imperative, the Taiwanese do fight to rise above and stand on their own feet in the international community. Their politics are wacky, their lifestyles ceaselessly indulgent, their vision at times less than clear and, on occasion, utterly myopic. Their way is clearly not the best way, but it is a superior approach to that of the PRC under CCP stewardship. They are brash, bold, incredible risk-takers and consummate grand-standers. We Singaporeans laugh at their shenanigans, but beneath the denigrations, we envy their ability to express themselves and seek a self-determination that is likely to end in tragedy. There is, at some level, a degree of nobility to the Taiwanese that they themselves don't even notice...probably because it's rather cleverly hidden beneath their crass arrogance.
I do feel Taiwan would be better off as a totally separate entity from China. Their ways are becoming more the ways of the 21st Century, and they are taking more than just baby steps to distance themselves from the diseased, decrepit mores of CKS and the Kuomintang. They have a long, long way to go, but insofar as the US might be considered a grand social experiment, then so too could Taiwan benefit from the auspices of such experimentation. To be sure, to me, they demonstrate the flexibility and innovation of Chinese no longer bound by their empirical culture. They are not hobbled by the need to view everything though the long lenses of history. Think of what could be accomplished there. Not just for Taiwan, but in the long run, for China and, perhaps, East Asia as a whole.
But this is not to say there are not lessons the Taiwanese could stand to learn from China. They do need to familiarize themselves with their ancestral roots, the treasures of their heritage. But the PRC has invested too much of its national consciousness into seeing Taiwan returned to the fold. China as a nation and a people are perhaps worth more than a thousand Taiwans, but the truth of the matter is, that tiny rogue province has lessons of its own to teach China. It's a pity that neither wishes to learn.
To this end, the futures of the PRC and the US are inextricably intertwined. How they will coexist in the future is anyone's guess. I myself don't have crystal balls, so divining what lies on the road ahead is beyond my abilities to forecast.
"I hope we can develop mutual respect for each other, or at least respectful tolerance. No need for childish antics that have been produced thus far.
I think it is best for all of us to discuss this sensitive issue logically with the best interest of both americans and chinese (roc+prc).
"Lets not kid our selves here. The improvemnet of our asian countries directly and significantly affects our status in the united states. If china becomes a superpower all asians in the world will receive a significant status boost."
To no doubt, but in that, we--Asian Americans--have to shed some rather dubious habits we've developed in the past during our time in the US.
For one, we've got to stop this clannish tendency to remain isolated within our own communities. I've met Chinese in Alhambra and San Gabriel, California who have been in the US for decades...and they've never learned English. Be that a condition borne from fear or laziness, it has to end. American society--and to be more direct, white society--has a vision of the US becoming an inclusive entity. Whether this is something that will be realized or not is for separate debate. But Asian Americans have to make the strides. We have to share our views, and the truth of the matter is, the rest of American society is less inclined to come to us just to hear our voice. We have to go to them. This is the way of the land. For now.
As Asian Americans, we oftentimes pin our success and failures to how we are perceived, and the benchmarks of our success are almost always measured against how we are treated by white society. I don't believe any race is naturally superior to any other, but I will submit that--again, just to me, from my 40 years on this planet and my 34 years in the US--Asian Americans and white Americans are closer to being true peers than any other two ethnic groups. Asian Americans don't have the same baggage as African-Americans, and we don't fall into the same zone of bias as Latin Americans. And we're not a vanquished people, like the Native Americans. But for every Asian American who carries on about the inequities of being an Asian in America, I have to ask: what have you done to change that?
Here we are...wasting a bucket load of time engaged in internecine flame wars, trying to prove that one guy is whitewashed, another guy is a stupid FOB with poorly-slanted eyes and buck teeth, and that another feels emasculated because an Asian female decided to try and find some degree of happiness with a white guy (and invert that equation, if you will--I'm seeing more and more Asian guys with white women these days than I ever did just a few years ago). I think we need to pay attention to the paradigm we face here: we are Asian, some by direct birthright, others by descent. And we are American…by birthright or by naturalization. Which characteristic of Asian American is most important? Do we demand that American society give us due regard for our ethnicity, or our nationality?
For myself, it's an easy answer: I choose to be an American. Every day when I look in the mirror, I see an Asian staring back at me. (I also see an Asian who, unfortunately, is not maintaining the stereotype and aging with grace.) But while I know I'm a kid from middle-class Holland Village in Singapore, I'm also a diehard American. This is the country where things happen, and this is the country every other nation looks to take their cues from. For me, my ethnicity is perhaps the core element of my persona, but it's subservient to what I can or must do for the nation I call home. I am Chinese, but I do not live in China, in my ancestral home in Xiamen. I am Singaporean Chinese by birth, but I do not live in Singapore--the home of my grandparents. I am Chinese, but now I am something more: American. And I'm American by choice.
Of course, many of you out there reading this--maybe all of you--will dismiss me as being "whitewashed." As a traitor, a white man in yellow skin, a banana. But really--for all those who might feel such, my question for you is: why are you in America? No matter whether you're Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Thai, Vietnamese, whatever…if you choose to live in the US, and call the US your home, are you not also by virtue of association "whitewashed?" Does living in America, adopting an American outlook make you less Asian? Or, in a way, more than just "Asian?" These are questions you need to ask yourself. From my perspective, there is no right answer. I only know what's right for me. (By the way. I'm not whitewashed enough to think Lucy Liu is hot. Though I do appreciate her attitude. Just a casual aside.)
Somewhere in this immense diatribe, I had a point. I'll be damned if I can remember what it was.
Pardon the contents of the spleen...hadn't realized I needed to vent so much.
Respectfully,
Apache Driver
Wednesday, September 18, 2002 at 13:06:28 (PDT)
[24.44.167.125]
The local government of Matsu, which is an island that is part of the ROC, recently signed an agreement with the PRC to acknowledge the "One China Policy."
The agreement was part of a package to co-develop hotels, malls, and schools on the island of Matsu. Taiwan MAC department is furious the local government of Matsu agreed to this.
This is just a sign of how divided Taiwan is about their own status.
Perhaps China and Tawain will unify one district at a time.
AC Dropout
Wednesday, September 18, 2002 at 11:40:32 (PDT)
[24.90.98.143]
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