The establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Taiwan comes at this time
“Beijing Spring” magazine honorary editor Hu Ping
Taiwan’s greatest wish is to gain recognition from the international community. Taiwan’s biggest worry is that it is always under the shadow of the threat of force from the Chinese Communist Party.
At present, the vast majority of countries in the world as well as international organizations such as the United Nations recognize that there is only one China, the People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate government of China, and Taiwan is part of China. This means that Taiwan has no right to participate in many international organizations and has no dignity in the international community. Moreover, if the mainland uses force against Taiwan, most of the international community will just stand aside on the grounds that it is China’s internal affairs. In other words, only by winning international recognition can Taiwan gain both dignity and security.
I believe that calling on the U.S. government to take the lead in dual recognition of mainland China and Taiwan through the two-Korea model is the best way to help Taiwan get out of its current predicament.
The United States can establish diplomatic relations with Taiwan based on the two-Korea model
As we all know, the U.S. Congress has enacted the Taiwan Relations Act. The United States is committed to protecting Taiwan’s security. But this relationship law is premised on Taiwan not taking the lead in unilaterally changing the status quo. The US government has announced many times in the past that it does not support Taiwan independence. In other words, if Taiwan takes the lead in unilaterally changing the status quo and declaring independence (whether it is Taiwan independence or China independence), and the CCP uses force, the United States may not necessarily send troops to protect Taiwan. This is certainly not because the United States does not like Taiwan enough, nor is it because the CCP is justified in blocking Taiwan’s international space. In fact, Taiwan’s increasingly mature democratic system, especially Taiwan’s respect for human rights and clean and neat handling of the coronavirus epidemic, has won the attention and respect of the world. But the United States has reasons not to want to be involved in the war. The U.S. government has repeatedly stated in the past that it does not want to be involved in military conflicts with the Chinese Communist Party. Therefore, whenever Taiwan’s calls for independence become too loud, the United States quickly puts pressure on Taiwan to dissuade Taiwan from pursuing independence.
However, in order to break the CCP’s unreasonable blockade of Taiwan and help Taiwan get rid of the unfair situation of international orphans, it does not actually require Taiwan to change its constitution or even its national name. It only requires the U.S. government and the government of the Republic of China to formally establish diplomatic relations.
The CCP’s trump card in dealing with the Taiwan issue is always to cut off diplomatic relations with anyone who recognizes the Republic of China, adopting the attitude of “there is one without me, there is one without me”, forcing foreign countries to choose one of the two. Since the importance of the mainland and Taiwan in international exchanges are not the same, foreign governments feel that the cost of severing diplomatic relations with the mainland is too high, so they have chosen the mainland and abandoned Taiwan.
But the United States can break this situation. Because breaking off friendship is a double-edged sword. If you break off friendship with others, you will have to pay the price. If the United States follows the two-Korean model and while maintaining diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, it also recognizes the Republic of China, how will the CCP respond? Announce the severance of diplomatic relations with the United States? If the United States brings together several other important countries to establish diplomatic relations with the Republic of China, it will be even more difficult for the CCP. And if the CCP does not dare to sever diplomatic relations with the United States, other countries may follow suit one after another. In this way, Taiwan will gain the international personality it deserves.
The establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Taiwan in accordance with the two-Korea model does not violate the “one China” principle.
At first glance, the relationship between South Korea and North Korea is that of two countries. South Korea and North Korea each have their own country name, land, government, army, as well as their own currency and customs. Both South Korea and North Korea have participated in relevant international organizations and activities in the name of their countries. They are also members of the United Nations and have established formal diplomatic relations with many countries. There are 150 countries in the world (including China) that recognize both South Korea and North Korea. At the Olympic Games, athletes from South Korea and North Korea can each appear with their own national flags, and each can play their own national anthem if they win a gold medal. But careful analysis shows that they are not a relationship between two countries.
Article 3 of the South Korean Constitution stipulates: “The territory of the Republic of Korea consists of the Korean Peninsula and its affiliated islands.” Note: This refers to the entire Korean Peninsula, not just the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. Article 5 of the North Korean Constitution also stipulates: “The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea strives to achieve the complete victory of socialism in the northern half, to eliminate external forces nationwide, to peacefully unify the country on the basis of democracy, and to strive for complete national independence.” This means that the whole country mentioned by North Korea includes the southern half. Although its current actual jurisdiction is limited to the northern half.
Here, when North and South Korea talk about their territorial scope, they are talking about the entire Korean Peninsula. In other words, they include the half of the country that is actually under the jurisdiction of the other party. However, both parties recognize that their current governance power, that is, actual jurisdiction, is limited to their own half of the country, and they respect the other party’s actual jurisdiction over that half of the country. Both sides respect and recognize the reality of division and partition, and allow the other side to enter international organizations such as the United Nations and establish formal diplomatic relations with foreign countries. Both sides insist that there is only one Korea, but within one Korea there are two governments that regard themselves as the central government. Therefore, it can be seen that the relationship between the two Koreas is that of “one country, two governments”.
The CCP has long been no longer opposed to “one China, two governments”
In the Sino-US Joint Communiqué signed on February 28, 1972, China wrote the following sentence: “The Chinese government firmly opposes any activities aimed at creating ‘one China, one Taiwan’, ‘one China, two governments’, ‘two Chinas’, ‘Taiwan independence’ and advocating that ‘Taiwan’s status is uncertain’.”
The Taiwan Affairs Office of the Communist Party of China has released two white papers. In the white paper titled “Taiwan Issue and China’s Reunification” released on September 1, 1993, there is the following passage: “The Chinese government firmly opposes any words and deeds aimed at splitting China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, opposes ‘two Chinas’, ‘one China, one Taiwan’ or ‘one country, two governments’, and opposes all attempts and actions that may lead to Taiwan’s independence.”
However, in the white paper titled “The One-China Principle and the Taiwan Issue” released on February 1, 2000, it was written that the Chinese government “opposes the so-called ‘Taiwan independence,’ ‘two Chinas,’ and ‘one China, one Taiwan.’”
Please note: In this white paper, the statement that the Chinese government “opposes” “one country, two governments” has been removed. We have also noticed that since February 2000, on the Taiwan issue, the Chinese Communist authorities have only mentioned their opposition to “Taiwan independence,” “two Chinas,” and “one China, one Taiwan,” and have no longer mentioned their opposition to “one country, two governments.”
On January 2, 2019, Xi Jinping, the supreme leader of the Communist Party of China, said the same thing in his speech at the 40th anniversary meeting of the “Letter to Compatriots in Taiwan”: “Resolutely defeat all attempts to create ‘two Chinas,’ ‘one China, one Taiwan,’ and ‘Taiwan independence.’” Here, he still did not mention his opposition to “one China, two governments”.
Of course, the fact that the CCP no longer opposes “one country, two governments” does not mean that it has accepted “one country, two governments”. But at the same time, it does not mean that it does not accept “one country, two governments”. In other words, the CCP does not accept “one country, two governments”, but it does not say it does not accept it either.
In summary, it is completely feasible to deal with the Taiwan issue with one country and two governments, or one China and two governments, that is, one China and two governments. And the United States will play a key role here. In other words, on the premise that Taiwan maintains the status quo—including maintaining the legal status quo of the current constitutional system—the United States can maintain normal diplomatic relations with the mainland and at the same time formally establish diplomatic relations with Taiwan. In other words, the United States can implement dual recognition of mainland China and Taiwan, that is, one China, two governments. Since the premise is still one China, it does not violate the one-China principle, and the CCP has nothing to say. Since Taiwan has not done anything to take the lead in unilaterally changing the status quo, the CCP has no reason to use force. What’s more, since Beijing can recognize the government of both North Korea and South Korea, why can’t Washington recognize both the government of the People’s Republic of China and the government of the Republic of China?
First draft on May 14, 2019
Modified on April 12, 2020