Taiwan’s Precarious Position

35.1.8: Taiwan’s Precarious Position

Following the democratization reforms of the 1980s and 90s, Taiwan remains a strong democracy with one of the major global economies. Its political status, however, is vulnerable, with most UN member states neither recognizing it as an independent state nor as a representative of China.

Learning Objective

Describe Taiwan’s role in global politics

Key Points

  • The Chinese Civil War led to the Republic of China’s loss of the mainland to the Communists and the flight of the ROC government to Taiwan in 1949. Although the ROC claimed to be the legitimate government of “all of China” until 1991, its effective jurisdiction since 1949 has been limited to Taiwan and its surrounding islands. The official name of the entity remains the Republic of China although its political status is highly ambiguous, with most UN member states recognizing the ROC neither as an independent state nor a representative of China.
  • The ROC was a charter member of the United Nations. Despite the major loss of territory in 1949, the ROC continued to be recognized as the legitimate government of China by the UN and many non-communist states. However, in 1971, the UN expelled the ROC and transferred China’s seat to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
  • On February 28, 1947, an anti-government uprising in Taiwan was violently suppressed by the Kuomintang-led ROC government, which marked the beginning of the Kuomintang’s White Terror that turned into more than 38 years of martial law. Chiang Ching-kuo, Chiang Kai-shek’s son and successor as the president, began to liberalize the political system in the mid-1980s when he selected Lee Teng-hui to be his vice-president and eventually lifted martial law. After the death of Chiang Ching-kuo in 1988, Lee Teng-hui succeeded him as president and led Taiwan to full-fledged democratization.
  • Although Taiwan is fully self-governing, most international organizations either refuse it membership or allow it to participate only as a non-state actor. Internally, the major division in politics is between the aspirations of eventual Chinese unification or Taiwanese independence, although both sides have moderated their positions to broaden their appeal.
  • Since 1949, the relations between the PRC and the ROC have been characterized by limited contact, tensions, and instability. In the early years, military conflicts continued, while diplomatically both governments competed to be the “legitimate government of China.” More recently, following the Three Links policy, the PRC, and the ROC have established strong trade and communication, with China becoming Taiwan’s top trade partner.
  • Commercial, cultural, and other relations between “the people of the United States” and “the people on Taiwan” are currently governed by the Taiwan Relations Act. The Act does not recognize “the Republic of China” terminology after January 1, 1979, when the US recognized the PRC. The US government does not support Taiwan’s independence, but the two have strong economic and cultural relations.

Key Terms

White Terror
The suppression of political dissidents following the February 28 Incident, which turned into the period of martial law that lasted from May 19, 1949 to July 15, 1987. Taiwan’s period of martial law was the longest in the world when it was lifted, but has since been surpassed by the Syrian half-century martial law, which lasted from 1963 to 2011.
Three-Noes Policy
A policy established in April 1979 and maintained by President Chiang Ching-kuo of the Republic of China, commonly known as Taiwan, in response to the People’s Republic of China’s attempts to have direct contact with the ROC through the proposed policy of Three Links. President Chiang Ching-kuo refused, reiterating that there would be “no contact, no compromise and no negotiation.”
Three Links
A 1979 proposal from the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to open up postal, transportation (especially airline), and trade links between China and Taiwan with the goal of unification. The proposal was officially implemented in December 2008 with the commencement of direct flights, shipping, and post.
February 28 Incident
An anti-government uprising in Taiwan in 1947 that was violently suppressed by the Kuomintang-led Republic of China government, which killed thousands of civilians. Estimates of the number of deaths vary from 10,000 to 50,000 or more. The massacre marked the beginning of the Kuomintang’s White Terror period in Taiwan.

 

Taiwan or the Republic of China?

The island of Taiwan was mainly inhabited by Taiwanese aborigines before the 17th century, when Dutch and Spanish colonies opened the island to Han Chinese immigration. After a brief rule by the Kingdom of Tungning, the island was annexed by the Qing dynasty, the last dynasty of China. The Qing ceded Taiwan to Japan in 1895 after the First Sino-Japanese War. While Taiwan was under Japanese rule, the Republic of China (ROC) was established on the mainland in 1912 after the fall of the Qing dynasty. Following the Japanese surrender to the Allies in 1945, the ROC took control of Taiwan. However, the resumption of the Chinese Civil War led to the ROC’s loss of the mainland to the Communists and the flight of the ROC government to Taiwan in 1949. Although the ROC claimed to be the legitimate government of “all of China” until 1991, its effective jurisdiction since 1949 has been limited to Taiwan and its surrounding islands, with the main island making up 99% of its territory.

The official name of the entity remains the Republic of China although its political status is highly ambiguous. The ROC was a charter member of the United Nations. Despite the major loss of territory in 1949 when the People’s Republic of China was established by the Communists, the ROC was still recognized as the legitimate government of China by the UN and many non-communist states. However, in 1971 the UN expelled the ROC and transferred China’s seat to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In addition, the ROC  lost its membership in all intergovernmental organizations related to the UN. Most countries aligned with the West in the Cold War terminated diplomatic relations with the ROC and recognized the PRC instead.

The ROC continues to maintain relations with the UN and most of its non-governmental organizations. However, multiple attempts by the Republic of China to rejoin the UN to represent the people of its territories have failed, largely due to diplomatic maneuvering by the PRC. The ROC is recognized a small number of United Nations member states and the Holy See. It maintains diplomatic relations with those countries, which means they recognize the ROC government as the representative of China but not the independent status of Taiwan as a state. The PRC refuses to maintain diplomatic relations with any nation that recognizes the ROC, but does not object to nations conducting economic, cultural, and other exchanges with Taiwan that do not imply diplomatic relations. Therefore, many nations that have diplomatic relations with Beijing maintain quasi-diplomatic offices in Taipei. Similarly, the government in Taiwan maintains quasi-diplomatic offices in most nations under various names, most commonly as the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office. The ROC participates in most international forums and organizations under the name “Chinese Taipei” due to diplomatic pressure from the People’s Republic of China. For instance, it has competed at the Olympic Games under this name since 1984.

President Chiang Kai-shek and President Dwight D. Eisenhower waved to crowds during Eisenhower's visit to Taipei in June 1960, author unknown.

President Chiang Kai-shek and President Dwight D. Eisenhower waved to crowds during Eisenhower’s visit to Taipei in June 1960, author unknown. The ROC continued to represent China at the United Nations until 1971 when the PRC assumed China’s seat, causing the ROC to lose its UN membership. Not until January 1, 1979, did the United States recognize the People’s Republic of China and not the ROC as the sole representative of China.

Taiwan’s Political System

On February 28, 1947, an anti-government uprising in Taiwan was violently suppressed by the Kuomintang-led ROC government, which killed thousands of civilians. The massacre, known as the February 28 Incident, marked the beginning of the Kuomintang’s White Terror period in Taiwan, in which tens of thousands more inhabitants vanished, died, or were imprisoned. The White Terror, in its broadest meaning, was the period of martial law that lasted for 38 years and 57 days. Chiang Ching-kuo, Chiang Kai-shek’s son and successor as the president, began to liberalize the political system in the mid-1980s. In 1984, the younger Chiang selected Lee Teng-hui, a Taiwanese-born, US-educated technocrat, to be his vice president. In 1986, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was formed and inaugurated as the first opposition party in the ROC to counter the KMT. A year later, Chiang Ching-kuo lifted martial law on the main island of Taiwan.

After the death of Chiang Ching-kuo in 1988, Lee Teng-hui succeeded him as president and continued to democratize the government. Under Lee, Taiwan underwent a process of localization in which Taiwanese culture and history were promoted over a pan-China viewpoint, in contrast to earlier KMT policies that promoted a Chinese identity. The original members of the Legislative Yuan and National Assembly, elected in 1947 to represent mainland Chinese constituencies and holding the seats without re-election for more than four decades, were forced to resign in 1991. The previously nominal representation in the Legislative Yuan was brought to an end, reflecting the reality that the ROC had no jurisdiction over mainland China and vice versa. Democratic reforms continued in the 1990s, with Lee Teng-hui re-elected in 1996 in the first direct presidential election in the history of the ROC. By the same token, Taiwan transformed from a one-party military dictatorship dominated by the Kuomintang to a multi-party democracy with universal suffrage. Taiwan is the 21st-largest economy in the world, and its high-tech industry plays a key role in the global economy. It is ranked highly in terms of freedom of the press, health care, public education, economic freedom, and human development.

Although Taiwan is fully self-governing, most international organizations either refuse it membership or allow it to participate only as a non-state actor. Internally, the major division in politics is between the aspirations of eventual Chinese unification or Taiwanese independence, although both sides have moderated their positions to broaden their appeal. The PRC has threatened the use of military force in response to any formal declaration of independence by Taiwan or if PRC leaders decide that peaceful unification is no longer possible.

 

Cross-Strait Relations

The English expression “cross-strait relations” refers to relations between the PRC and the ROC by the two sides concerned and many observers, so that the relationship between China and Taiwan would not be referred to as “(Mainland) China–Taiwan relations” or “PRC–ROC relations.”

Since 1949, relations between the PRC and the ROC have been characterized by limited contact, tensions, and instability. The Chinese Civil War stopped without signing a peace treaty, and the two sides are technically still at war. In the early years, military conflicts continued while diplomatically both governments competed to be the “legitimate government of China.” On January 1, 1979, Beijing proposed the establishment of the so called Three Links: postal, commercial, and transportation. The proposal was greeted in ROC’s President Chiang Ching-kuo’s with the Three-Nos Policy (“no contact, no compromise and no negotiation”). This policy was revised following the 1986 hijacking of a China Airlines cargo plane, in which a Taiwanese pilot subdued other members of the crew and flew the plane to Guangzhou. In response, Chiang sent delegates to Hong Kong to discuss the return of the plane and crew, seen as a turning point. In 1987, the ROC government began to allow visits to China. This benefited many, especially old KMT soldiers who had been separated from their families in China for decades. This also proved a catalyst for the thawing of relations between the two sides, although difficult negotiations continued and the Three Links were officially established only in 2008.

Regular weekend direct, cross-strait charter flights between mainland China and Taiwan resumed on July 4, 2008, for the first time since 1950. Currently, 61 mainland Chinese cities are connected with eight airports in Taiwan. The flights operate every day, totaling 890 round-trip flights across the Taiwan Strait per week. Previously, regular passengers (other than festive or emergency charters) had to make a time-consuming stopover at a third destination, usually Hong Kong. Under the current procedure, the flights do not directly cross the Taiwan Strait for security reasons, but instead must enter the Hong Kong air control area before moving into or out of China or Taiwan airspace.

Taiwan residents cannot use the Republic of China passport to travel to mainland China and China’s residents cannot use the People’s Republic of China passport to travel to Taiwan, as neither the ROC nor the PRC considers this international travel. The PRC government requires Taiwan residents to hold a Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents when entering mainland China, whereas the ROC government requires mainland Chinese residents to hold the Exit and Entry Permit for the Taiwan Area of the Republic of China to enter the Taiwan Area.

Cross-strait investments have greatly increased in recent years. Predominantly, this involves Taiwan-based firms moving to or collaborating in joint ventures in the PRC. China remains Taiwan’s top trading partner. Cultural exchanges have also increased in frequency. The National Palace Museum in Taipei and the Palace Museum in Beijing have collaborated on exhibitions. Scholars and academics frequently visit institutions on the other side. Books published on each side are regularly republished on the other side, although restrictions on direct imports and different orthography somewhat impede the exchange of books and ideas. Religious exchange has also become frequent. Frequent interactions occur between worshipers of Matsu and Buddhists.

The flag used by Taiwan at the Olympic Games, where it competes as "Chinese Taipei."

The flag used by Taiwan at the Olympic Games, where it competes as “Chinese Taipei.” Due to PRC pressure, the ROC is forced to use the name “Chinese Taipei” in international events such as the Olympic Games where the PRC is also a party. The ROC is typically barred from using its national anthem and national flag in international events due to PRC pressure, and ROC spectators attending events such as the Olympics are often barred from bringing ROC flags into venues. The ROC is able to participate as “China” in organizations that the PRC does not participate in, such as the World Organization of the Scout Movement.

 

Taiwan and the United States

Commercial, cultural, and other relations between the people of the United States and Taiwan are currently governed by the Taiwan Relations Act. The Act does not recognize “the Republic of China” terminology after January 1, 1979, when the U.S. recognized the PRC. The U.S. government does not support Taiwan’s independence and Taiwan is not allowed to raise its national flag on the U.S. soil, with certain exceptions governed by international law. However, Taiwanese passport holders are included in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program.

In 2007, the House of Representatives passed a resolution calling for the lift of United States government restrictions on visits by high-ranking or top ROC officials. The resolution noted that “whenever high-level visitors from Taiwan, including the President, seek to come to the United States, their requests result in a period of complex, lengthy, and humiliating negotiations.” In response, the resolution lifted the restrictions to “help bring a friend and ally of the United States out of its isolation, which will be beneficial to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific Region.”

A bill was also introduced by U.S. lawmakers to back the UN bid by Taiwan. The bill stated that Taiwan and its 23 million people “deserve membership in the United Nations” and that the United States should fulfill a commitment “to more actively support Taiwan’s membership in appropriate international organizations.” The bill was introduced in November 2007 at the House Foreign Affairs Committee by 18 Republican legislators and one Democrat.

The United States ended official diplomatic relations in 1979 as a prerequisite for establishing ties with the PRC. However, unofficial diplomatic relations are maintained on both sides by means of de facto embassies, which are technically “private organizations” staffed by career diplomats who are formally “on leave.” The ROC’s de facto embassy network is the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) with offices in Washington, D.C., and 12 other U.S. cities. An analogous organization is the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). As of 2010, officials of the ROC have gained quasi-official government and political visits to the United States.

Attributions