The U.S. must adopt a “One Taiwan, One China” policy
Ching-chih Chen
太平洋時報 Thursday, June 24“

"Mr. Hu Jintao, dump your “One China” principle!” President Bush would do right to take a less from the manner that the late President Reagan in 1987 told the former Soviet Union’s General Secretary Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall, and boldly demand a change in policy from President Hu of the People's Republic of China (PRC). This is the only way to insure genuine and long-lasting peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The U.S. nevertheless must first recognize free and democratic Taiwan.

Beijing’s “One China” principle--there is only one China and Taiwan is a part of China-- is a fiction. Taiwan has never been a part of the People’s Republic of China established in 1949. In 1895, Imperial China ceded Taiwan to Japan as a result of the Peace Treaty signed between the two countries. For the next half century Taiwan was a Japanese colony. After having been defeated by the Allied Powers in 1945, Japan renounced her sovereignty over Taiwan. This renouncement of sovereignty was officially confirmed in the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty signed by Japan and over fifty Allied Nations. Even the subsequent 1952 Peace Treaty between Japan and the Chiang Kai-shek-led KMT government in Taiwan only repeated Japan’s renouncement of her claim over the island. Neither treaty designated a specific country as the recipient of the renounced sovereignty. Therefore one cannot but believe that Taiwan has been an independent country for the last half century.

Indeed, until 1979 the U.S. had recognized Taiwan as a sovereign country. Unfortunately for the people of Taiwan, the process of the U.S. de-recognition of Taiwan had begun in 1972 when for the purpose of detaching the PRC from the Soviet Camp during the Cold War as well as for winning Beijing’s help in ending the Vietnam War President Richard M. Nixon acted on behalf of the US in agreeing to “acknowledge” that the Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have claimed Taiwan as being a part of China. Ultimately, the U.S. government switched its diplomatic recognition to Beijing in 1979. The US effort to improve its relations with the PRC also started a stampede of the world’s nations to sever their diplomatic ties with Taiwan. In addition, Taiwan was kicked out of the United Nations. Consequently, Taiwan has been very much isolated diplomatically since the 1970’s.

The Cold War was over by late 1980s when the Soviet-led Communist Camp broke up and the Soviet Union was dissolved. The U.S. became the world’s sole Superpower. In Asia, the PRC leaders wisely decided to preoccupy themselves primarily with the development of China’s economy. While China today has claimed that it is striving to “rise up peacefully,” Beijing has nevertheless continued to threaten Taiwan militarily.

In the meantime, Taiwan has been undergoing rapid and drastic changes also. In the late 1960’s, Taiwan began its process of economic development and by the late 1980’s it had become one of Asia’s four newly industrialized countries. However, Taiwan remained under the authoritarian rule of the KMT government that began in the 1945 aftermath of Japan’s surrender when the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers General Macarthur entrusted Chiang Kai-shek and his KMT government with the occupation and administration of Taiwan. Under the rule of Chiang Kai-shek and then his son, the people of Taiwan had no real voice. But democratization began in 1991 resulting in today Taiwan’s being considered by the U.S.-based Freedom House as one of Asia’s two freest countries (Japan being the other). Less than 10% of Taiwan’s people today consider themselves Chinese. Even smaller percentage of Taiwan’s population would want Taiwan to become part of the un-free and un-democratic PRC. What they really want is a free and independent country in which they are masters of their own destiny. Having elected their president since 1996, the people of Taiwan are indeed the owners of sovereignty over Taiwan. In the age of human rights, the US and other democratic nations are certainly obligated to support Taiwan, which after all does share their liberal democratic values such as respect for human rights and dignity, freedom, and rule of law.

Given the new reality in the world, and particularly in Taiwan, the U.S. must re-assess its policy towards Taiwan. The U.S. cannot afford to continue to get stuck with a Cold-War era policy that is based on the “One China” myth. Furthermore, at a time when the U.S. is playing a major role in promoting democracy worldwide, particularly in Afghanistan and Iraq, Taiwan must be liberated from its diplomatic isolation so that it could truly serve as a beacon of democracy in Asia.

One can understand why the U.S. does not recognize Cuba and North Korea, which are Communist countries. It is, however, increasingly difficult for the U.S. to justify its refusal to recognize a free and democratic Taiwan. Instead of treating Taiwan merely as a trustworthy ally under the America's less than guaranteed protection, the U.S. must now work for Taiwan’s return to the international community as a member state no less than the newly established East Timor. But first of all, the U.S. must face the reality and grant Taiwan diplomatic recognition.