Well these last few weeks of my life in Ireland have been a bit interesting especially with the revelation to some of my Chinese friends that I believe Taiwan should be independent. They adamantly refused to listen to anything I said even with historical evidence available on the internet that states that the first Chinese settlers were brought to Taiwan by the Dutch in the 1620’s hence China having not historical claim over Taiwan.
Taiwan has had an unsettling history since those times but China wants Taiwan back for the most illogical reason out there which is “face.” Many western people may not be familiar with the term but it is kind of like honour which is not a bad principle to have but simply the wrong reason to impose a totally different regime on people who do not want it. “Face” was used by some of my friends to justify China’s policy on Taiwan and it kind of makes sense when you look back at the Treaty of Shimonoseki (1895) where the Chinese were defeated by the Japanese and forced to cede Taiwan to them. This is one of those century old wound’s that have never healed and I think the Chinese government wants to prove how great a nation it is for no practical reason.
The next century or so proved eventful but culminated with the election of President Chen Shui-bian who has had a tumultuous career but has ensured Taiwan remain stable in the year of economic upheaval. The reign of the DPP (President Chen’s part) is now over because the Nationalist Party scoring a landslide victory in last month’s elections will have control over the future of Taiwan. The NP advocates a better relationship with China which is not such a bad idea but I think they are ignoring the core of the Taiwanese population who wants Taiwan to be independent. If you look at this poll conducted by the NCCU which shows that more Taiwanese identify themselves as being Taiwanese rather than Chinese and this has been an increasing trend.
Let’s also look at Hong Kong as well which was ceded back to China on the 1st of July 1997. There are some people in Hong Kong who wish independence from China which I think is a great idea but having spoken to a friend of mine from there who identifies with being Chinese I think the people of Hong Kong are also divided on the issue. I honestly don’t understand this idea of having to be associated with one country? What is wrong with just being associated as a citizen of Hong Kong or Taiwan? I simply believe that if the majority of the population indicates that they wish independence than it is the responsibility of the government to follow the wishes of the population and then it is the responsibility of every democratic loving nation to support that declaration.
Take the declaration of Kosovo as independent, over 90% of the population supported independence and who would blame them when you consider the violence they suffered at the hands of the Serbs? Can you imagine that if Taiwan does not achieve independence soon that China will eventually take Taiwan over because no one will be in a position to stop them in the future. Have a look at the Goldman Sach’s report which was released in 2003 that first coined the term “BRICS” also known as Brazil, Russian, India, and China. They foresee China being one of the most powerful nations by 2050. My question is what is to stop China taking over Taiwan in line with its “One China” policy? I believe the current political environment prevents such a thing from happening now but who is to say it will not happen in the future?
China has made a lot of improvements since the Mao Zedong day’s but they are still a regime of sorts with no democracy, no ability to elect representatives and maybe the Chinese people are happy with that at the moment because the country is doing so well but what about the future? China still has a terrible human rights record because they still imprison and “disappear” dissident journalists as well as possibly killing thousands of Falun Gong supporters. You just need to Google “China and human rights” to see the string of articles about the government’s lacklustre record.
You know the worst part of it is that in the West we have reached a point in Global history where we ignore such things. We ignore the human rights abuses and the fact that Western companies actually help send dissidents to jail all because the Chinese are a Superpower. Don’t get me wrong, I do not dislike any Chinese people but I do dislike their government and its policies. The USA and the EU need to take a stance against the “One China” policy and make China relinquish its claim on Tibet and Taiwan. Both of these places have more than the majority support for independence and this is something that should be nurtured and supported.
I hope more nations will support the independence of Kosovo regardless of what the Serbs, Russians and Chinese say. Having looked at UN resolution 1244, the declaration does violate this resolution but I think we need to look at the bigger picture here in that the majority want independence and should be allowed to have their own nation as it is their choice. The remaining Serb’s should either stay or go to Serbia but Kosovo has reiterated that they want peaceful relations with Serbia so I honestly don’t see what the problem is? People have criticized this move stating that it will undermine the sovereignty of nations around the world and to these critics I say:
Does one population have the right to inhibit the independence of another nation within a given territory? Morally they do not because if people want to be free, they are entitled to this basic human right.
People also use the analogy of Hawaii breaking away from the USA which in the 21st century would not happen. There is not a single state in the USA that would want to break away from the whole so let us look at the facts and the present day when dealing with the issue of an independence declaration. You cannot compare the Kosovo situation to the USA, Israel or any other nation. The variables and the circumstances are totally different. The arguments do not pan out so I hope people will stop trying to resist this global and life changing precedent.
My greatest hope is that the people of Taiwan will realize that they can declare independence without the wrath of China. They should realize that people like me and other’s around the world would support Taiwan. The people of Taiwan should also realize that despite the Bush administration’s policy of maintaining the status quo; after the open support of Kosovo, the USA will also support the people of Taiwan. I urge Congress to adopt a resolution officially supporting the people of Kosovo while removing the hypocrisy of not supporting Taiwan.
