4 ms·

I don't see how it is sad. The One China Policy is simultaneously amicable with the PRC and ROC constitutions. They both claim One China and the United States a

I don't see how it is sad. The One China Policy is simultaneously amicable with the PRC and ROC constitutions. They both claim One China and the United States acknowledges that there is One China, but the United States makes no claims no preference for either government in resolving the Taiwanese straight conflict as it is a civil war.

YPPH 4y ago
What you're missing is that "One China" is now a mere diplomatic fiction. The only reason the US and Taiwan insist on it is to avoid unnecessary escalation with China. But, as a matter of fact, Taiwan is a completely independent, sovereign and autonomous state, over which China has absolutely no legal or practical control.
- birdyrooster 4y ago
  And that is fiction which has held the peace for 70 years
- sofixa 4y ago
  That's true, but as far as the world is concerned, Taiwan is de jure part of the One and only China, which is the PRC as of now. And of course the PRC has zero desire to recognise the fact that Taiwan is an independent country. So the status quo here, same as the one between the Koreas, is basically the only way things can remain peaceful until some drastic change happens (e.g. the PRC falling).
peoplefromibiza 4y ago
US, sadly, have always supported the right wingers against "the commies", no matter the consequences. When they started to support Taiwan in 1945, Chiang Kai-shek was a nationalist who imposed the martial law on Taiwan for 40 years (until the end of the 1980s!), waiting to strike back and regain "full control of China" (that's how One China principle was born, RPC has nothing to do with it! it was even in the ROC Constitution until 1992!) Nixon changed everything when he visited mainland China and talked to Mao in 1972, that lead to the US-China trade agreement of 1979. Until 1972 US had an agreement with Chiang Kai-shek, Taiwan "temporary" government was the only recognized China, they were bound to protect it in case of attack, they supported his claims of reunification under his ruling and the UN seat for China was that of Taiwan, even though 99% of the people of China lived on mainland. USA has been very ambiguous since then, on one side they acknowledges that all Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait maintain there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part of China and does not challenge that position, on the other they are formally Taiwan allied, but there's no more an US embassy in Taipei and no Taiwanese embassy in Washington. They even moved their "One China" capital from Taipei to Beijing. Reminder: indigenous people of Taiwan are only 2% of the original population, the rest is 97% Han Chinese, so one China is quite an accurate description. They only differ about the alliances they made, but the mythological example of freedom for Asian countries that Taiwan should be, is just a myth https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/12/nanjing/622671/ https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/12/na... (2016, long before the actual crisis) Also, 2021 referendum on pork ban from USA shows that to keep having the support of USA, the ruling political party in Taiwan has to to satisfy their demands, even when it (potentially) poses a risk for the entire Taiwanese population. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-16/pork-referendum-poses-test-for-strengthening-u-s-taiwan-ties https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-16/pork-refe... USA are not there as mere observers, but as strongly interested party, with deep economical interests. And to exploit cheap labor, that made the fortune of Apple with their iPhone. The truth is that until not long ago, Taiwan had access to better weapons thanks to the USA that compensated for the smaller army. Their technological superiority combined with the threat of US navy showing up at the border kept China at bay and forced them to think twice before trying to retake Taiwan. Now that's not true anymore.

YPPH 4y ago

What you're missing is that "One China" is now a mere diplomatic fiction. The only reason the US and Taiwan insist on it is to avoid unnecessary escalation with China. But, as a matter of fact, Taiwan is a completely independent, sovereign and autonomous state, over which China has absolutely no legal or practical control.

birdyrooster 4y ago
And that is fiction which has held the peace for 70 years
sofixa 4y ago
That's true, but as far as the world is concerned, Taiwan is de jure part of the One and only China, which is the PRC as of now. And of course the PRC has zero desire to recognise the fact that Taiwan is an independent country. So the status quo here, same as the one between the Koreas, is basically the only way things can remain peaceful until some drastic change happens (e.g. the PRC falling).

peoplefromibiza 4y ago

US, sadly, have always supported the right wingers against "the commies", no matter the consequences. When they started to support Taiwan in 1945, Chiang Kai-shek was a nationalist who imposed the martial law on Taiwan for 40 years (until the end of the 1980s!), waiting to strike back and regain "full control of China" (that's how One China principle was born, RPC has nothing to do with it! it was even in the ROC Constitution until 1992!) Nixon changed everything when he visited mainland China and talked to Mao in 1972, that lead to the US-China trade agreement of 1979. Until 1972 US had an agreement with Chiang Kai-shek, Taiwan "temporary" government was the only recognized China, they were bound to protect it in case of attack, they supported his claims of reunification under his ruling and the UN seat for China was that of Taiwan, even though 99% of the people of China lived on mainland. USA has been very ambiguous since then, on one side they acknowledges that all Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait maintain there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part of China and does not challenge that position, on the other they are formally Taiwan allied, but there's no more an US embassy in Taipei and no Taiwanese embassy in Washington. They even moved their "One China" capital from Taipei to Beijing. Reminder: indigenous people of Taiwan are only 2% of the original population, the rest is 97% Han Chinese, so one China is quite an accurate description. They only differ about the alliances they made, but the mythological example of freedom for Asian countries that Taiwan should be, is just a myth https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/12/nanjing/622671/ https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/12/na... (2016, long before the actual crisis) Also, 2021 referendum on pork ban from USA shows that to keep having the support of USA, the ruling political party in Taiwan has to to satisfy their demands, even when it (potentially) poses a risk for the entire Taiwanese population. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-16/pork-referendum-poses-test-for-strengthening-u-s-taiwan-ties https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-16/pork-refe... USA are not there as mere observers, but as strongly interested party, with deep economical interests. And to exploit cheap labor, that made the fortune of Apple with their iPhone. The truth is that until not long ago, Taiwan had access to better weapons thanks to the USA that compensated for the smaller army. Their technological superiority combined with the threat of US navy showing up at the border kept China at bay and forced them to think twice before trying to retake Taiwan. Now that's not true anymore.