“Time for the U.S. to Recognize Taiwan”

The “one China” principle is all but dead. (See Richard Halloran, “The fiction of a `One China’ policy” or some other titles carried by different U.S. newspapers in early April 2004) In fact, Taiwan has never been part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). More importantly, over the last decade and half, the people of Taiwan have made it increasingly clear to the international community they do not want Taiwan to become part of China and they do not desire to place themselves under the Chinese Communist rule. This is the reality that the United States, the PRC and the rest of the world will have to face.

According to Taiwan’s various opinion polls, the percentage of Taiwanese who favor Taiwan’s retaining its separateness from China has increased steadily over the years while that of the people who prefer Taiwan’s becoming a part of China has declined. Today, only about 12% of the people favor unification with China. Such trend is also reflected in the results of recent presidential elections. In each and every one of the three direct presidential elections since 1996, in spite of China’s military threat and verbal attacks, the voters of Taiwan have elected a presidential candidate who asserted Taiwan’s independence over a candidate that Beijing favored. In the most recent election on March 20, President Chen Shui-bian, who has unequivocally stated again and again that Taiwan is a free and independent country, defeated his rival, who has taken an ambiguous stand regarding Taiwan’s sovereignty issue and was preferred by Beijing. In achieving his re-election victory, President Chen garnered 51% of the total votes cast, an increase of nearly 12% as compared with 4 years ago when he defeated two rivals to win his first 4-year term. There is no doubt that the voters’ Taiwan awareness has increased significantly over the last four years.

After nearly 4 centuries of a series of alien rule, including Dutch, Manchu, Japanese and finally Chinese Nationalist, the people of Taiwan are clearly determined to exercise their hard-won freedom and political rights to be masters of their own destiny. Through their February 28 defend-Taiwan hand-in-hand human chain rally that extended over 300 miles and involved over two million people and their March 20 election of President Chen for a second term, the people of Taiwan have clearly demonstrated that they reject Beijing’s “one China” principle.

Today Taiwan is a vibrant, market economy country. It has a per capita income of nearly $15,000, or 15 times that of China. More importantly, according to the U.S.-based Freedom House, Taiwan, next to Japan, is Asia’s freest country while China is one of Asia’s most un-free countries. The people of Taiwan elect all their representatives including their president while the Chinese are only allowed to elect their township heads. The difference between Taiwan and China is like that between day and night. No one should expect the freedom-loving Taiwanese to accept the brutal and dictatorial Chinese regime.

It is time for the United States to discard the “one China” fiction, a relic of the Cold War era, and extend diplomatic recognition to a free and democratic Taiwan.

Here is the entire list of the essay’s endorsers (last names in alphabetical order):

Andre C. Chang, San Clemente
Jean J. Chang, San Clemente
Jew-ming Chao, San Marcos
Chao-hsiong Chen, Encinitas
Ching-chih Chen, San Marcos
Chiu-Shan Chen, La Jolla
Chong-maw Chen, Carlsbad
Jeng-hsien Chen, Poway
Meinu Chen (Ms.), San Diego
Pi-chen Chen (Ms.), San Marcos
Pily Chen (Ms.), Encinitas
Young C. Chen, San Diego
Edward Cheng, Rancho Santa Fe
Pi-Huei Chiou (Ms.), San Diego
Joe Chou, San Diego
Chris Fan, La Jolla
Sao-Tah Fan, San Diego
Lily M. Hazelton (Ms.), Vista
Chiung-I Huang (Ms.), San Diego
Cindy Kasai (Ms.), Rancho Santa Fe
Raymond Lee, San Diego
Luby Liao, San Diego
Frank Lin, Carlsbad
Jeffrey Lin, La Jolla
Kun-Chen Lin, San Marcos
Mao Lin, San Diego
Phoebe Shen (Ms.), San Diego
Ker-Yen Shei, Carlsbad
Donald Dean-Jau Shieh, Carlsbad
Katherine Shih (Ms.), Carlsbad
Michael Shih, Carlsbad
Sengeng Shih, San Diego
Kin Shu (Ms.), Carlsbad
Shufone Shu, Carlsbad
Charles Tu, La Jolla
Ken Wang, La Jolla
Sophie Wang (Ms.), La Jolla
William Wei, San Diego
De-Min Wu, La Jolla
George Wu, Poway
Justina Wu, La Jolla
Ming Wu, La Jolla
Sam Wu, Oceanside
Bea-Leou C. Wung (Mrs.), Sand Diego
Edward Wung, San Diego
Shu Fen Yang (Ms.), San Marcos
Shyh Rong Yang, San Marcos