After much consideration, I have decided to place the total number of countries in the world at 194 as I have included Taiwan as an independent county. The only reason Taiwan has not been considered independent is due to political pressure from mainland China but in all regards, Taiwan is currently de facto independent and should be considered thus. If the time should come that Taiwan and China merge, as China wishes (but is not likely to happen in the near future), then Taiwan would loose it independence. Meanwhile, Taiwan exists and deserves to be counted among the countries of the world.
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Sir, your article is self-defeating. take for example the 8 criteria you quoted as enough for a “country”. 1,”Taiwan” is not internationally recognized. 2,Sending a team to Olympic Games doesn’t imply the status of the sender. Both Hongkong and Scotland send teams……
….
World Trade Organizations welcomed Taiwan as their new member in 2001. duh. You must be one of those brain washed Chinese ignorant a**hole!
Self-defeating? Scotland does not have an Olympic team but Hong Kong’s inclusion is based on its past status.
taiwan isnt a country its like puerto rico a state or territory of the prc!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I totally agree with Matt’s modern thinking here, and he is completely right. Even though Taiwan is not a member of the UN and never will be, as long as communist China runs things there, Taiwan is a real country, mr Shen, since it has its own currency, its own democratically elected President (try that one on for size, communist China!), its own post office stamps, its own passport, and more importantly, its own PEOPLE, who are a free and democratic people, UNLIKE communist dictatorship China which everyone knows will soon collapse like the old USSR. Freedom rings, and Matt has give Taiwan its due, even though it is NOt recognized by most nations around the world. But recognition is not the key. If it smells like a duck, and talks like a duck and walks like a duck, it’s a duck. Taiwan is now part of the 194 countries of the world. Thank you New York Times website webmaster Matt. This is what clear thinking and freedom is all about, the PRC be damned.
Shen,
Actually about two dozen countries recognize the Republic of China. List from Wikipedia
“loose it independence”? “lose its independence” surely
Of course Taiwan is a country. A country with billions of dollars worth of arms protecting her. China is like a mother who practices prostitution and forces her daughter to be a whore. What a shame!
I don’t really buy your idea yet.For Taiwan to be fully accepted as a nation, it has to be certified by the United Nations else it remains status quo. As you diffuse knowledge I expect you to give people accurate knowledge based on facts, figures and legality.People may believe Taiwan is truly an independent state.
Dear Chukwuemeka,
Why does an independent country need United Nations sanction? The only reason Taiwan isn’t a member of the UN is due to political pressure from China, who believes that Taiwan is simply a province, which it clearly no longer is. I believe Taiwan is independent so others should as well.
-Matt
you are an idiot
true idiots are the ones who think that taiwan is part of china. that is the definition of stupid.
a country doesn’t need to part of the UN to be a country. for example, switzerland only joined the UN in 2002, are you pro-china deluded people suggesting that switzerland wasn’t a country before then?
There is no doubt whatsoever that Taiwan fulfils all the criteria for a country whether Beijing likes it or not. The UN has nothing whatsoever to do with it. If it did, that would mean that no country existed prior to 1945.
Well I mean the UN wasn’t established during that time! Yeah brilliant article Matt and I entirely agree with you. Most Chinese people I talk to here in Australia agree that Taiwan has adopted different cultures, has its own trade agreements and a different economy. Just because China has vetoed several bills disallowing Taiwan’s “official” independence doesn’t mean the intelligentsia of the world can’t say its independent! Let’s hope the same doesn’t happen for the southern Serbia province of Kosovo. I heard something about a UN resolution being drafted tonight (or today for those behind Aussie time). If Russia decides to veto that too then its up to the international intelligentsia to tell the world otherwise again.
Great article Matt, love your work.
The Peoples’ Republic of China aside, does Taiwan only become a country when Americans say it does? I’m Canadian–we recognize Taiwan is an independent nation because it has declared itself a country.
The criteria for the UN to recognize a legitimate government is that it must be elected by the people (democratically?). (Forgive my fuzziness on details, please–I read an article on this a month or so ago.) By that standard, they should recognize Taiwan, not PRC. The PRC is not a legitimate government. Remember they took over by force, forcing the government at that time to flee to Taiwan. They’re such hypocrites. Why are we even members?
KB- Canada does not recognize Taiwan as independent.
Maryfrances- Many dictatorships are members of the United Nations. Why isn’t the PRC a legitimate government?
-Matt
thanks for including taiwan
.
194 is a good number. Glad you changed your position, Matt.
I am a citizen of Taiwan so Thanks!
Sir:
You are absolutely right about it, Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country, because Taiwan owns all the components required to form a complete country: the people, the government and the territory.
Taiwan is not a part of the People’s Republic of China for even a moment in the history. Not for any legal reason: there has never been any international treaty that states that Taiwan is a part of China; and not for any De facto reason: China has never collected any penny of Tax from Taiwan and Chinese military cannot control any inch of the land of Taiwan.
Taiwan has continuously expand its role in the international community, seek international recognition, and pursue the goal of entry into the United Nations and other international organizations.
Taiwan has bravely served as the frontier in preventing China’s sick communist advancement from reaching out into the world. The international society should backup Taiwan’s sovereignty and independence for the reason of defending Democracy, Freedom and Human Right.
- Allen Kuo
well, if Taiwan is a country, why doesn’t it a. have a seat in the UN, and b. have an embassy anywhere? Taiwan is not independent and will never be. It won’t sustain itself.
and China will collapse, will it? HA. if you’d seen the “democratic” process that goes on in Taiwan, you’d have second thoughts. I mean, at least mainland China’s political leaders don’t take their shoes off and throw it in the opponent’s face when they disagree over something.
Danny, Please don’t pretend that you know anything by saying China is a communist dictatorship. you’ll only embarass yourself. and Sir, your article hasn’t got a strong argument, it’s solely based on your (not well-researched) opinion.
And where’s your argument that proves Taiwan is not independent? Try taking your own advice yourself sometime and stop trying to be all morally high and self righteous.
Saying Taiwan is not a country is like saying Japan isn’t when you consider their pasts with China. Taiwan is shrouded in political mystery and intrigue involving the US, Japan and Chiang-Kai Chek. China keeps insisting that Taiwan is a runaway province that it never really had a grip on. Japan controlled the island for 50 years, and when the US defeated Japan in WWII, a lot of unusual concessions took place. Chiang somhow got control of Taiwan without a fight against Japan, and promising the US that he would take back China. Go figure! China gives Taiwan a hard time because Chiang rid the name of Taiwan and called it Republic of China. The big deal with the UN was, there was only one China, the mainland. Renaming the island was Chiang’s way of dismembering the island country and keeping it his private property with a military arsenal that he gained from the US. Now Washington wasn’t too happy with all this, and all the Chek boys are now dead. The people on the land are taking their land back and China wants it all. Let’s just say, for the sake of argument that China seizes Taiwan, what will they go after next, Japan? They can always make that argument because their history is similar to that of Taiwan: Micronesian people on these two islands have fought against the Chinese centuries ago. And Japan did the same to Taiwan, and lost; in a secret trade-off perhaps with Chiang for the right to invade Manchuria. Who knows? One thing for sure, Taiwan was under the jurisdiction of Japan when the US defeated them during the Pacific War, which means that the US took possession of several commonwealth countries from them. And just maybe Chiang survived because he had to keep his promise to invade China which would have been an improbable task. Taiwan is a country as long as its people declare that it is.
Unfortunately, I think that the PRC will at some point control Taiwan. Maybe the way that it does Hong Kong. The leaders of the PRC are very aware of how Hong Kong and Taiwan are viewed by the rest of the world. The PRC would like to show a “kinder, gentler face” in their political ambitions.
The PRC has a well thought out “game plan”. The USA, and any other country that sees the PRC as a none aggressive and managable “semi-democracy”. Is in for a rude awakening.
The PRC could turn out to be THE superpower in the coming decades.
I have found the discussion of Taiwan’s history on this forum to be quite interesting.
Rosslyn,
A) It did have a UN seat but lost it to PRC. But the UN does not have a say on what’s a country or what is not. B) See comment four for a list of countries that Taiwan has embassies with.
At one time Taiwan once a country recognized by the UN. That should not be a country criteria. There are more “countries” recognized by FIFA that qualify for admission into the World Cup. Probably better to be there than in the UN anywy.
My father lived in Taiwan\n, and it treated him very well, so I have a great respect for Taiwann, and it’s people. I may not know much about Taiwann, as a seventh grader would, but what I do know is that Taiwann is a deserving country, and deserves its rightful independence.
Leah~
Ultimately, deciding what becomes a “country” or not and adding an entity to a list is primarily an issue of tweaking one’s criteria for what it means to be a “country”. As a former corporate geographer and now a freelance consultant in this area, I can say that the inclusion/exclusion of Taiwan from country/region lists is really a matter of your personal and/or corporate interests. If a company does not seek to do business in or with the PRC, then they can accept Taiwan’s soveriegn status with open arms. Otherwise, they have to dance by the PRC’s music and distance themselves from the appearance of Taiwan’s independence. Thus Matt’s decision to include Taiwan in the list of nation-states makes sense to me, given his interests. Since international recognition is often held up as a key factor in being anointed as a nation-state but is being excluded in Matt’s criteria, there are thus other entities worth considering to add to the list, such as Somaliland. Personally, I don’t believe that international recognition should be a prerequisite to validating the existence of a nation-state, but that’s the way the geopolitical game is played today.
Hi all!
Matt and I debated the inclusion of the Taiwan as a nation previously. What one must realize is that a sovereign nation is not one that is recognized by the UN, but one that is self-sustaining, with a government, and is willing to defend its terriitory.The crucial point, where does one go to get a visa or passport? Certainly , if one is going to Taipei, one does not go to the PRC consulate to receive permission.
Thus, de facto, Taiwan is a nation.
And, one editorial note: until the mid-1970s, Taiwan was a member of the UN’s security council as a permanent member, thus having the same power as the US or the UK. What precipitated the change? We might not want to go there!
I agree with Matt on the U.N. one. I’m Pretty sure that Russia is not part of the U.N. but the U.S.A. recognizes them as a country, why souldn’t we recognize Taiwan? After all we buy products that say “Made in Taiwan” on them. If we go by China’s policy, we might as well sell things that say “Made in Rhode Island” on them. And on top of that, China is communist and Taiwan isn’t!
There is no doubt that Taiwan is a country. They government, economy, currency, etc is completely different. Joining the UN is NOT in any way a prerequisite for becoming a country. Does anyone deny that the Holy See (Vatican City) is not a country because it is not in the UN?? Mainland Chinese nationalists (as opposed to the Taiwanese party) will always think of Taiwan as their possession, but that alone does not prevent Taiwan from being a country. Final take: If it wasn’t for China’s resistance, Taiwan would be recognized by every nation (again) and admitted to the UN in a heartbeat. The only reason they have their current limbo status is because it would likely create a war with China!
A few notes on state sovereignty from the perspective of political geography.
First, a sovereign state is a political unit that has (1) clearly defined territory, (2) population, (3) a government, and (4) the capacity and freedom to act on its own behalf, including controlling its territory and the resources there and functioning as an equal among other sovereign states. To function as an equal, a sovereign state must be recognized as such by other sovereign states. This recognition is accorded by one state to another, not by any sort of transnational organization. Thus, the number of sovereign states depends on the country doing the counting.
Second, although the United Nations has included most of the world’s sovereign states as members throughout its history (including many that were/are not democracies), most of the time there has been at least one sovereign state not on the UN roster. For instance, Switzerland joined the UN only in 2002, although it had long been an observer and the site of many important UN offices. For more on UN members and their dates of admission, see: http://www.un.org/members/list.shtml. (Yes, Russia is a member.)
Third, “country” does not necessary denote the status of sovereign statehood. International relationships and organizations involving sports, academics, health, and trade frequently include countries that are not recognized as sovereign by some or all of the other participants. That’s how Hong Kong and Puerto Rico can have teams separate from those of China and the U.S., respectively.
Fourth, Canada apparently does not recognize Taiwan. The two countries maintain trade offices to maintain their cordial commercial relationship, but neither has a formal diplomatic office (embassy or consulate) or embassador in the other land.
i totally agree with Matt when he says an independent country doesnt neccesarily need a recognition from the UN to be called an independendent nation. so long as its people call tiawan its own country , proudly claim they are “taiwanese”, it ia definately an independent country.
as far as my history geos , china has always tried to gain political control over taiwan since WW2.something similar is happening to mynamar too. a no. of countries including the US have to exploit its natural resources for their sake , leaving the country backward and without its own sound govt.
TAIWAN IS NOT A NATION. I agree that the “Republic of China” has de facto control over the island of Taiwan and that it has foreign relations with 25 Sovereign States around the world. However, that does not make it a country. The fact is, Taiwan is part of China, and has been for centuries. Taiwan never had a UN seat as the seat was under the name China, represented by the ROC. This was changed in 1971, when, as the UN called it in the GA resolution, “the representatives of General Chang” were expelled to be replaced by the PRC as the legal government of China, inc. the island of Taiwan, even if they do not have de facto control over the island. This recognition was also made by the United States in 1979, when it removed any and all military instalations from the Island.
This want for independance is not shared by all on the island of Taiwan, as from the last parliamentary results on the island, the Pro-Blue coalition (led by the KMT, which is not a so-called “Taiwanese” party as its official name is translated to be “Kuomintang of China” or “Chinese Nationalist Party”)won a majority in the elections and therefore hold control of the legislative yuan.
If the ROC government ever declares independance from China, what do you think the PRC is going to do. The PRC currently holds the upper hand in the Political, economic, and military arena. If the US intervines, the PRC could cripple the US economy, using the billions of dollars worth of US treasury bonds the PRC currently has in its possession.
If anything, the PRC will gain control of the island, either through peaceful means or by force.
Thanks for making this wise decision, Matt. Thanks as well for announcing it with a headline.
For the edification of those who deny this, Taiwan is a country/nation which has its own government, flag, currency, laws, passports, military, Internet domain (.tw), international country calling code (886) separate and distinct from the PRC. Refusing to call it a nation just because China disputes it and forces most of the world to follow suit via the “economic terrorism” of its “one China” policy is ludicrous.
Tim Maddog
Taiwan is definitely a country, I agree with that. How can a government of a country threaten its own people if Taiwan is a part of China.
Bravo!!!! I agree with you Matt. I live in Taiwan and as of now, they are independent as it has its everything. Of course there is no documentation laying claims to it as a sovereign nation, but it already operates as one. Of course, not every one agrees that this makes it an independent nation, but if those who make such statements would live here, they would see that Taiwan has a great amount of freedom and do act independent of China. And you are right, if Taiwan merges with China, they definitely will lose their freedom. But, sad to say, some people here do not recognize the freedom they have…and some do not realize that if they join with China that they will lose their freedom.
the list of countries that recognises Taiwan makes me laugh. if anything, with the increased influence PRC exercises in Africa, more and more smaller nations will break off with Taiwan. Let’s face it, even if it gains independence, it won’t survive on its own. the UN is fully justified in giving the seat to PRC instead. country or not, it may appear to be due to those criterias – some of them are weak anyway – it will never be powerful as a country. Without mainland China Taiwan will break down. Japan had her eyes on Taiwan for a long time now – if Taiwan gains independence it’s more likely to become a puppet of Japan. yeah, and that’d be independence, surely…
also let’s not confuse country with nations – it is entirely different.
Actually it is not Taiwan that is the country, it is the Republic of China (ROC) founded by Dr Sun Yat-Sen in 1911 that is the country. That country only has power on the island called Taiwan (formerly known as Formosa) as the PRC has been occupying the Mainland of China illegally since 1949. I don’t know when “Taiwan ROC” became “Taiwan” though the two are in fact one and the same as the non-distinction becomes blurred. Thank you Matt for seeing the light.
I have no problems with you adding Taiwan to your personal list Matt. But it must be said that the notion of a “country” is a fluid one. The fact that you have changed your mind illustrates this point well. The world is not ALL black and white, we have to accept the shades of grey in the middle. There are more “grey” nations other than Taiwan.
Taiwan is NOT a country. In history, a group of losers ran to Taiwan, a province of mainland China, and ‘established’ a so-called country. The Chinese government didnot fight over Taiwan, because it didnot want to injury the people living there. However, Taiwan is still a province of China, in the past, now and in the future.
All of you idiots, that stupidly recognize Taiwan as a country, should remember this.
Once again, almost all of the countries in the world have agreed with China, that Taiwan is not a country, because they are fully aware that, historily speaking, Taiwan is legally part of China. But, only some poor countries that need money from Taiwan, are still holding the stupid idea, because they are BEGGING! China will sooner or later reunite with Taiwan as one China, and this will definitely happen. All of those stupid and idiot guys that consider Taiwan as a country will regret their words!!!
Matt Rosenberg, you will be killed by the huge dragon, the zillions of Chinese people! You have broken the anti-reunion law of China and will be sued. One day, you will be sharing with Taiwan millions of missiles from mainland China. Your home address has been obtained! Hope you enjoy the missiles!
LOL!!!! thats hilarious
I understand China’s position, losing taiwan ‘economically’ to west is too dangerous in geographical strategies. But Taiwan’s position is clear too, they want independence… or is it just their leaders?
If you ask me, this is a big sham. Politics is too dirty to be discussed anywhere. Education has given us the wisdom to realise that people are trying to make full use of this ‘status quo’ problem.
To Taiwan supporters, dont worry. Several governments have arms deal worth of billions of dollars, so they wont let Taiwan be part of China.
To China supporteers, dont worry. These same government are very well aware about China’s economical potential, and so they will give you guys a nudge here and there.
Go ahead and fight amongst each other, while people stand aside and suck us dry.
Taiwan is not a country, and does not belong to People’s Republic of China should belong to Republic of China or Japan or US
US had a civil war and the south tried to secede from the federation. The north sent boys down south and kicked their butt, civil war ended. The Chinese civil war did not come to a conclusion and not all Taiwanese desire independence. Well, if you had read and traveled widely, Matt, you will know there is yet no conclusion. Let the world’s governments and bodies decide who they will recognize as the legitimate government, not on opinion of individuals. This is obvious as it’s who your administration has decided to deal with for the international arena. Sometimes, you gotta be surprised what ignorance are displayed by professionals. Adios and have a good day!
Sumi, Japan belongs to USA, so Taiwan belongs to the US too.
I definitely disagree with you! As long as it is not CURRENTLY recognized as part of the UN it simply cannot be considered a country! Not only that, almost all of the “taiwanese” people have ancestors who trace back to China. The aboriginals make up a tiny percentage of the population. And it is true that Taiwanese democrats take off their shoes and throw it in each other’s face; I’ve seen it on TV. Also, Hongkong also has its own political system and it’s still part of China, so you can’t claim that just because it has a different government it is not part of China.
Virginia, Hong Kong does have it’s own government for now but 50 years from 1997 (the year of reunification with China), it will be under the complete rule of China. The “one child” law will also apply to Chinese citizens living in Hong Kong.
Although it is true that many Taiwanese inhabitants are descendents of Chinese people who migrated to the island, the Taiwanese people have developed a unique culture (currency, government, passports, laws, economy, etc.). Forcing the Taiwanese people to state that they are Chinese would be like forcing caucasian Canadians to state that they are European (many of these people have been living in Canada for centuries and do not associate themselves with their ancestors’ country of origin).
I am a citizen of China. However, since I moved outside of China, I began to think that the Kuomintang is actually the “original” China. I personally don’t really care whether the Communists or the Kuomintang controls China, I just wish that the two lands are merged into one country. I have friends in Taiwan, and I certainly don’t want to see them as living in a completely different country in the future. It would just add that extra brick wall between Mainland and Taiwan. Why can’t the Communists and the Kuomintang work together somehow? Why do we have to all separate? I deeply wish that China doesn’t fall into pieces one day, like the Soviet Union.
- A very hopeful Chinese
To TL, why are you so stupid have you ever heard of ONE COUNTRY TWO SYSTEM and how in the world do you know the future of HongKong, idiot.
Taiwan is not a country. Taiwan is occupied territory.
The Republic of China in Taiwan is (1) a subordinate occupying power, beginning Oct. 25, 1945, (2) a government in exile, beginning mid-December 1949.
Hence, Taiwan should not be included in any listing of independent sovereign nations. For more information, see my website.
Taiwan can only be a de facto state if it has officially declared independence (regardless if its widely recognized). Taiwan has failed to do so, so therefore it is a proposed state, albeit a proposed state that is doing rather well compared to all other proposed states in the world.
Wo~~before you come to the conclusion, you’d better consider all the chinese’s opinion!! Hawaii should be a independent country, because I think they should. By the way, TaiWanness passport’s name is ” Public of China”~~
how come whenever there’s a debate about Taiwan and China, a sense of rudeness is always detected in a person? *cough* Cheng *cough*. can’t we just have a nice polite debate here?
I’m a person who was born in Taiwan and am a citizen of Taiwan. Personally, I don’t care anymore whether Taiwan is a country or not. Let’s face it, we’re declaring we’re a country but who’s there to support us?
I love you article Matt and I agree with it one hundred percent but as a democrat would say “majority rules” hence the majority of countries in the world say Taiwan is not a country, sadly.
TAIWAN will always be a part of China,we should respect the history
However,PRC will return Taiwan to CHINA by peace or force ways.
The only reason that Taiwan isn’t in the United Nations is because China is one of the ‘Big’ countries. They have complete veto power over issues. As long as they keep refusing Taiwan, it’ll never be part of the United Nations. If Taiwan ever does join, China will be strongly against it. Also, Taiwan was never an integral part of China. Unlike what Chinese people claim, Taiwan was taken over by the Chinese, not established by them. There are still native Taiwanese people, although since both Japan and China took over them, there are not many. Anyway, how could China claim that Taiwan ‘stole’ their property (such as the artifacts of the National Palace Museum after the Chinese civil war) if Taiwan is part of China itself? Other countries just recognize China rather than Taiwan because they don’t want to ruin their relationship with the obviously more wealthy and powerful country.
i really cannot believe just how many people fall for the communist china’s ways of thinking… people can see for themselves so clearly that tawain IS a country why don’t other countries just tell that to china? its just because they want to maintain a good economic relationsihp with china that they are friends of china. thats so sad and stupid.
You sir, are an idiot
Hey guys. I just got a bit confused. Matt got some points, I agree that REPUBLIC OF CHINA is de facto independent. Then I did check in detail of the link that Catholicgauze posted. What confuse me is, do you guys think Mongolia should be an independent country? I am sure Mongolia is, but if as it is well believed that Repubic of CHINA is a contry, then Mogolia will be come a province of Republic Of CHINA, at least as the Republic Of CHINA offical map and current constitution claims. Or you guys are supporting that one province of Republic Of CHINA that is TAIWAN is an independent country. Whouldn’t that contradicts the argument that TAIWAN is not a province of CHINA? As I can see that there are some countries recognise Republic Of CHINA as a country, about 24, while some other countries recognise PEOPEL’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, but none on this planet, to the best of my knowledge, recognise TAIWAN itself as a country. Well, pardon me if I didn’t get my message understandable, ’cause it still sounds like a puzzle to me.
Perhaps if you had brushed up on your history, you’d realize that although Taiwan today seems to function like it’s own country, It shouldn’t. Let’s look at Taiwan’s more expansive history:
THE INDIGENOUS INHABITANTS
- Taiwan was originally settled around 4000 years ago by people of Malaysian and Polynesian decent (these later became the so-named “indigenous” Taiwanese which comprise a whopping 2% of Taiwan’s population).
EUROPEAN COLONIZATION
- In 1544, the Portuguese stumbled upon the island and named it Formosa, but never inhabited it. Later in 1624, the Dutch officially colonized the Island and used it as a trading post.
CIVIL CONFLICT
- In 1662, The Fujian province of China lead by Koxinga defeated the Dutch inhabitants and took over the Island for themselves as Ming-Loyalists when the Ming Dynasty fell and the Qing dynasty began to rise. He established Taiwan as the “Kingdom of Tungning” (Capital: Tainan) and launched attacks on mainland China attempting conquest.
MAINLAND CHINA’S OFFICIAL POSSESSION
- Mainland China officially staked its claim on Taiwan in 1683, when Admiral Shi Lang of the Qing Dynasty decimated the rogue Kingdom of Tungning. China annexed the Island of Formosa (Taiwan) and dubbed it a prefecture of the Fujian province. In 1887, Taiwan was promoted from a prefecture of Fujian to it’s own official legitimate province under the Chinese Empire.
JAPANESE RULE
- A Japanese Okinawan vessel was shipwrecked on Taiwan’s shores in 1871, and the seamen were executed by Taiwanese Aborigines. After the Qing Dynasty refused to give Japan compensation, claiming the acts of aborigines were out of their jurisdiction, Japan led an unsuccessful invasion of Taiwan with 3000 troops. After Qing-Dynasty China lost the First Sino-Japanese war (1894-1895), China ceded Taiwan to Japan in the Treaty of Shimonoseki. By late 1895, Japan had full control over Taiwan until it was forced to relinquish it’s possession of the island in 1945 when Japan was defeated in World War II.
CHINESE RECLAMATION
- The Republic of China led by Chiang Kai-Shek accepted the Japanese surrender and declared an official “Taiwan restoration day” during which China would reintegrate Taiwan after a long 50 year Japanese rule. Although some Taiwanese welcomed the re-integration, many more opposed it as they were loyal to the Japanese. Nonetheless, the Kumomintang Nationalists brutally struck down these Taiwanese rebels in the “228 Incident” and installed their corrupt government.
CHINESE CIVIL WAR:
After a long and brutal Civil war between the Communist Party led by Mao Ze-Dong and the Nationalist Party led by Chiang Kai-Shek, the Communist victory forced the Nationalists to flee to Taiwan in 1949, where they re-established their ROC government in Taipei, while mainland China established the PRC. The business elites and aristocrats took many national treasures like gold and currency reserves with them to Taiwan , thus contributing to the PRC’s relative poverty and the ROC’s economic prosperity.
AN “INDEPENDENT” AUTHORITARIAN TAIWAN
- From 1948 until 1987, Taiwan was ruled by an oppressive single-party-dictatorship(KMT), and installed martial law. Democratization only began in the late 80s, and remnants of the corrupt system still lingered. During the period of authoritarian rule, Taiwan still managed to achieve economic prosperity and was recognized as the official government of China by the United States due to its Cold-War prejudices against communism in the PRC.
INTERNAL POLITICAL CONFLICTS
- After President Chiang Ching-Kuo (Chiang Kai-Shek’s son and successor) ended martial law in 1987 and appointed a native-Taiwanese vice president, Taiwan began to liberalize. The illegally formed Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was created in 1986, and Chiang Ching-Kuo’s successor Lee Teng-Hui began localization, in which native Taiwanese history and culture was promoted over their traditional Chinese roots. This has created a large political division between the pro-eventual-reunification Kuomintang and the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party.
TAIWAN TODAY
- Since the dawn of the 90s, Taiwan has made seemingly endless efforts to become more “independent,” both politically and culturally under the DPP party rule. However, with the KMT coming back into power, things could change.
CONCLUSIONS
- Taiwan will and should re-unify with mainland China. As many of you have probably noticed, China is becoming progressively less communist and more capitalist in nature as they continue to industrialize (and further develop their thirst for money). Hong Kong is officially part of the PRC and they maintain a fully capitalist economy, as they are a “special administrative region” or SAR (as Macau is). Just as Hong Kong had a 100 year British occupation (ending in 1997), Taiwan was occupied by Japan for 50 years, and thus, like Hong Kong, would influence Mainland China as much as Mainland China would influence it upon reunification. The PRC has made numerous generous offers to Taiwan for reunification, including letting them be an even more “special” administrative region by letting them keep their government, economy, dialects, traditional Chinese characters, courts, and many other aspects of an independent Taiwan; Part of the agreement would be that the PCR deal with Taiwan’s foreign affairs and Taiwan be recognized as a part of one, unified China. Sounds like a sweet deal to me. There seems to be so much fear of communist proliferation reminiscent of the Cold War these days, but in reality, the PRC is gradually adopting capitalist systems and by the time Taiwan is reclaimed, we could be looking at a huge capitalist machine. The majority of Taiwanese people may like to think they have a different culture than the mainland Chinese, but in reality they are all the same Han-descended people. The truly native Taiwanese culture lies with the aborigines, who comprise 2% of the population of Taiwan, and who were beaten ruthlessly by Taiwan’s own nationalist KMT party. Taiwan should cease their indignant and pretentious attitudes and look at things a bit more realistically. Allowing Taiwan to become their own separate country would be like the Union ceding the Confederacy in the United States Civil War, preserving the Unity of a country is essential to its success. What if Hawaii or Alaska wanted to become independent of the United States because of political-party strife or upset natives? What if Mexico demanded all of their south-western land back? I doubt the United States would give in if a bunch of extremists took over Puerto Rico demanding independence (Although in their case, they actually are a different culture and people). Eventual unity (under special provisions) with an ever-increasing capitalist PRC is the wisest path to take.
Tauwan is a country
Sir, you should learn your geography snd history before writing this essay. I am a Chinese student, and I know everything about the history. Taiwan is consider as a province, not a country.
zhong guo ren, you obviously have been brainwashed by the Chinese Government, which is a communist dictatorship…I have studied history from a neutral point as an American, and I can tell you that in the 1940′s, Chiang Kai Shek set up a new government on Taiwan, thus, creating a new country
What if the remnants of the soldiers and people from the civil war settled on Hawaii and established their own government would that consider them their own country too?
PRC is too stubborn to ask for what is not rightfully hers; it currently has hundreds of rocket deployed towards Taiwan to force her into submission (liken to a shotgun marriage)
US is too coward to defend a fact of Taiwan’s independence, it would not wage war unless it benefit it economically (so much for proclaim justice)
Taiwan has never had any control from PRC (except for political pressure and military threatening). However, can you say no if someone has a gun pointing at your face?
If a man is decent, women will be more than willing to marry him.
If PRC can one day reaches a democratic standard that Taiwan people can accept, Taiwan will have no problem to join PRC.
But for now, Taiwan is a country FOR A FACT.
Taiwan is a country, yaro125 and Taiwanrox8 are all right. Only Chinese has been brainwashed by its own government and u know what,screw you China, soon people will against you[China]. And if Chinese are smart enough soon they will find out Chinese government is lying every things they tell u.
Taiwan is a democratic country, China is communist countries. Rules when Taiwan from Japan mentions, Japan colonizes in Taiwan, afterward Japan defeats, withdraws from Taiwan, the ROC government takes over control Taiwan, establishes ROC. Much less, Taiwan once established diplomatic relations with US
I think you people are argueing the wrong side of the story. Some are saying taiwan is independent because is has it own government and some say is not a independent since is never formally declare to the world.
But in case of taiwan is like a situation where political and historical does fit each other.
politically they are self governed and has it our military and not directly controlled by PRC but historically since the they never formally declared independence and change the name to republic of Taiwan. So from a historical sense they are not a country.
I have been in contact with many Taiwanese people. There are two main groups. One group is extremely, overly proud and arrogant of the fact that they are Taiwanese and refuse to recognize PRC, which is absolutely preposterous. The other group simply does not care, which is probably true for most inhabitants of Taiwan at this moment. I will try my best to be unbiased in this subject, but to all you people who said Taiwan is a country, you are not only being ignorant, you are also making a big mistake.
To Cindy Lo, your English is absolutely terrible, and when you make harsh and falsely debilitating statements such as those, no one will be swayed by your argument. You cannot screw China. Ha, I doubt anyone can. And oh dear, you are so wrong when you say the government brainwashes people. You are too egotistical in your own dreamy beliefs.
Taiwan is not a country, and it is certainly not doing a great job at its pretended democracy. Democracy is a joke. How can a state ever truly be democratic? There is so much corruption and falsehood in the world that this type of government is nearly impossible to enforce. Taiwan certainly does not have the power or the resources to make such a claim.
Furthermore, just because a land establishes a government and calls itself a country, out of the blue, does not mean it actually is. There is a very good reason why the UN does not recognize Taiwan, and if those stubborn Taiwan-independence believers just take a good look at the history, you’ll understand. Do not say that China never had Taiwan to begin with because that is simply denial. So it is you who need to wake up. Once you cut roots from mainland, do you actually think your economy will hold up? And oh my, it is such a joke to discuss the diplomatic relationships between Taiwan and US. Let me tell you something, the US only does everything for its own benefit. It will never risk its relationship with China to uphold any “promise” it has made to Taiwan.
Lastly, people in Taiwan are exactly the same as the people of China. Although they speak mandarin with a different accent, it does not give them a different culture. Everything that is Taiwanese is Chinese. The aborigines are not even emphasized by the so-called government of Taiwan.
So this debate is indeed very hostile, but a clear distinction is made here.
Well said!
The citizens of the Taiwan should have the right to decide whether or not Taiwan should be independant. Having just returned from a trip to taiwan and having lived in China, I can tell you that the two are very different places. All of my Taiwanese friends do not consider themselves to be Chinese, which is fair enough. I am tired of mainland Chinese people try to claim Taiwan against the wishes of the majority of the Taiwanese people. And having taught in the mainland Chinese education system it is very scary to see how nationalistic everyone was. I have yet to meet a Chinese person who admits that thier country has ever committed any kind of wrong doing. They can’t even acknowledge Tiananmen for Christs sake…I believe every country needs to acknowledge their history whether good or bad. China needs to be more like Taiwan if anything, not the other way around. Ntil that happans, I never want to see China in control of Taiwan.
And in reply to George. How dare you have a go at someones English skills because they might not be as “perfect” as you. I would like to see you speak Chinese or another language as well as what Cindy and other people on this forum can. Until then I suggest you keep focused on the topic. Its not a bloody English class.
First,TAIWAN is a country
we have our own government which is completly different from PRC
to george
you article is the joke
not TAIWAN’S democracy
and i donno why you say things just like you understand TAIWAN a lot
cause you’re not a TAIWANESE
and don’t live in TAIWAN
how could you say things like this
to those who live across the strait
don;t ever believe your president
thank those who consider TAIWAN an independent country
and I LOVE TAIWAN
and
you know what
the words that we write are the traditional chinese
not the stange words that PRC writes
and
our manners are way better than chinese
cause we are TAIWANESE
DON’T PRETEND THAT YOU KNOW TAIWAN A LOT
CAUSE TAIWANESE ALWAYS KNOW MORE ABOUT OUR OWN COUNTRY
I am a Taiwanese
I know most Twainese(more 80%) think us “Taiwanese”not Chinese
If you see above these opinions.it is why most taiwanese do not like chinese~
Because chinese always treat Taiwan badly and control Taiwan~
We take the “Taiwan”passports and pay money for Taiwan’s goverment~
And if Taiwan is a part of china,why do china always want other countries say it!
In fact.This china’s goverment never rule Taiwan~
When I live in USA.I see many chinese
If china is good~why are many chinese illegal to stay USA?
I just know when I said I came from Taiwan
I got more respect from the other counties than chinese!
Chinese must think this problem!
I like Japanese .Korean and USA etc…
they are so nice and kindness
Although we say similar language
I do not like many chinese,your behaviors
always rude
i don’t wanna say a word about this topic.
anyone of you dare to say you were not tendential?
most of you always try to impose your opinion to others and never respect others.
by the way, why do americans always say others they dislike were brainwashed?????? that’s ridiculous. why do americans always act on its own benifits completely without any repect for other countries??
a so called most advanced nation, a impertinent nation.
By the way, from an academic point of view, you are a faker.
It isn’t up for debate, Taiwan is indeed a country end of story. By the way there are 195 countries as of now in the world.
sir, in fact i don’t agree of your article, your article is unfair for Chinese. All Chinese put Taiwanese as compatiots. Our goverment also give many profit to them. We love them. We want to Taiwan come back China just becuase they are our compatiots!!! Sure, now China is a developing country and some Chinese people have shortcoming. But I believe you also have shortcoming. we aren’t god,so everyone and you have shortcoming! We love peace. But you(the wester country people) think we love war!why?This is your human right! This is your fair! You never think about Chinese. Because China is different from your country! You want China to lost, you want Chinese people to die! you want chinese people to be so poor!How kind are you!!!! You never give us fact, just give falsehood to us. I am only a student, 14 years old. I only study English one month, so my English is so bad. I know now you maybe you hate me, but i had to say,please respect chinese and please close your mouth ! And Taiwan is a part of China forever! Time and fact will prove all the thing!What if I let you angry, please forgive me, thank you.
You’re obviously confused and incapable of writing correctly. No one said that they want the Chinese to be poor or to fail. It’s inevitable that the majority of you are going to be in poverty…news flash THERE ARE TOO MANY OF YOU. Perhaps if Asia wasn’t so damn overpopulated you may have a better standard of living. You sit over there producing like rabbits and hogging up resources. Also by the tone of your comment (if you are indeed a young Chinese boy or girl) I can see that you’re being taught to be intolerant of us here in the west. You’re no better than what you make us out to be apparently you too are becoming a biggot.
Obviously this person here isn’t too happy about the rise of Asia and the simultaneous fall of the US or whichever western country he’s from. His opinions are saturated with racial stereotypes and general intolerance of the east (which is completely contradictory to his own claims of China advocating a hate campaign on the west).
As long as “no name” can express his opinions clearly, who are you to criticise his capabilities? If anything, his comments are much more rational than the filth you’re churning out.
You’re probably just unable to come to terms with the fact that the west will not be dominant forever and insecure of the overpopulation in China. And by the way…new flash ITS SPELT BIGOT NOT BIGGOT YOU ILLITERATE FOOL
Taiwan is a de facto independent country just check the facts.
Taiwan is not a country!!!!!!!If you do not know the history of Taiwan .Please do not conclude that!!!!
Dear moron, Taiwan is a country here’s why: It’s sovereign, has it’s own currency, own military, own government, own transportation systems that they maintain, an organized economy and handles it’s own foreign and domestic trade. When this is no longer the case come and talk to me. The only reason that a lot of countries do not officially recognize Taiwan has an independent nation is because China is a huge trade partner and they are afraid of upsetting them. However as it stands Taiwan does indeed meet the criteria to be it’s own country. Just because China wants to sit back and say it isn’t a country doesn’t make China correct it makes them WRONG.
Just because you want to sit back and say it is a country doesn’t make you correct, it makes you WRONG.
If that logic works, I’d sit back and say you should go mind your own business because there’s already enough issues going on in the West for you to worry about.
I am a direct descendent of a prominant KMT military family. I spit on the idea of Taiwanese independence. Taiwan is part of China. It was, it is and it always will be. There may be be two seperate governments for China the ROC and PRC but there will always be only one China now and forever end of discussion.
Sorry you’re wrong Taiwan exhibits all the properties of an independent country simply saying it’s part of another country is not enough end of story bye.
owned by willis parns INC. owning idiots since 1889.
Taiwan has never been an independent country. Records of Chinese people developing Taiwan in earlier periods are found in many historical books and annals dating back more than 1,700 years. From the mid-12th century, the governments of different Chinese dynasties set up administrative bodies to exercise jurisdiction over Taiwan. The social development of Taiwan continued according to Chinese cultural traditions even during its 50-year occupation by Japan after the war of 1894. In 1945, after victory against Japan, the Chinese government restored its administrative jurisdiction in Taiwan province. On the eve of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the Kuomintang authorities headed by Chiang Kai-shek retreated from the mainland to Taiwan.
The Taiwanese do not consider themselves Chinese lol. They also operate separate from China and if you look at above arguments I’ve cited many ways in which Taiwan operates separate from China. Currently 22 nations officially recognize Taiwan as an independent country (one notable one being Germany). The only reason why most major countries do not recognize it “officially” is because China is a huge trade partner and they don’t want to upset them. So in fact Taiwan is a de facto independent nation, China simply saying “no that’s part of China” doesn’t make it true it just makes China incorrect.
Owned thx gg hf no re
Taiwan is NOT a country but a province NOW and it WILL be CHINA’S Province due to many reasons that is beyond the mind of those who doesn’t understand
Way to talk out of your ass idiot and not give any of those “reasons” Taiwan functions as its own country and until it doesn’t it is a de facto independent country end of story. Just declaring something doesn’t it make it so. Until it functions completely in accordance with China it’s not part of it.
gg hf no re thx Asian moron. Willis Parns Inc.
Way to talk out of your own ass idiot. Simply repeating the same reason a billion times only goes to show that you struggle to back up your opinion. If every other state in the world just decided to declare independence and function as their own country, there’d be about a million countries. Until your brain/ass functions completely in accordance with logic, I suggest you stfu.
sozgtgnoobcya White retard. Willy Pains Inc.
Thank you Mr. Willis Parns because I firmly believe that Taiwan is NOT part of China! Taiwan is like America. Most Taiwanese people came from China, but they built their own nation and created a distinct culture. Likewise, Americans came from Europe, mostly England, and built their own nation. Taiwanese people speak Chinese while Americans speak English.
taiwan is a province of china !forever
taiwan is a country !forever
Doesn’t act or function currently as a province of China therefore it is not part of China. Simply declaring it is not enough, go and learn something.
Sir,I am a Chinese college student,I didn’t care about polity,but I am really annoyed after reading these.However,taiwan is a part of China since acient ages,China never force her daughter doing sth. especilly when it hurts their daughters.It’s same to Hongkong.
Taiwan is not a country. That’s a fact.
Taiwan should be recognized as a country. Only then will it be allowed to prosper and be truly a democracy.
To those who say Taiwan is not part of China:
You should take care of DiayuDao (Angling Islands off the North coast of Taiwan) on your own and not complain that China is not doing anything.
UN does nothing except being having a name and a few countries as members and bullying smaller countries. So there’s no reason joining in to prove a nationalty.
Taiwan is not recognized as a country because of threats from China. Period.
All the Chinese citizens were deeply brainwashed by false propegenda ever since kindergarden.
So, none of the Chinese will call Taiwan a country.
But strangely, all of them are saying “Taiwan should not be separated from China.”
The other side of this means, Taiwan is not yet part of China.
The most insane move I see in recent years is that, some corporate customer support web sites have already listed Taiwan under China. (eg. Sony, Yahoo) What a shame.
Even Canadian Passport application would ask you to fill out country of origin as Taiwan, China. Not Taiwan.
So much for the love of freedom.
Sorry to break the news to you but, apparently all Americans were brainwashed into thinking they should stick a leg into everyone’s affairs because they’re some gung ho hero.
Evidently not the best, just have a look at the flailing economy of the US.
Tauwan is a country
I agree Taiwan has enjoying the reality of independent. Yet dear professor do you think Taiwan is eligible to be an independent country? or they are just rebel against main government in China?
I am just asking for an objective opinion, so I have no offense to either sides…
do you have any doctrine to prove Taiwan is eligible to be a independent or not?
The chances of China letting Taiwan become independent is about as much as the chance of the U.S. letting Florida become independent. Taiwan only survives because it relies heavily on the U.S., which relies on China. Ironic.
Taiwan is part of China, whether they like it or not. If they’re mad, then they should go build uranium enrichment facilities with the U.S.’ money. Whatever floats their boat.
And does Communism really have so much relevance to this? REALLY? I mean, does anyone even know what the Nationalist government that fled to Taiwan did? What they would have done? They weren’t good for the people, which was why the people fought against them. Instead of just blaming it on Communist China (because that seems to be the cause of everything bad, according to Americans, including the U.S.’ poor economy, the Yeonpeong bombing, and everything in between), why don’t you go read a book? I should specify – a book that tells the truth, and not what the U.S. government tells it to say.
First, to dear ol’ Bob Sacamano:
Interesting how you’re quick to judge the Chinese commenter as an idiot because he/she isn’t perfectly fluent in English, yet you fail to spell bigot correctly yourself.
You say that the Chinese are quick to judge the West as intolerant, and yet who’s the one comparing the Chinese to rabbits? Ever heard of the one-child policy in China? Oh that’s right, when we have laws preventing excessive child birth, we’re violating “human rights”. But if we don’t restrict reproduction, we’re suddenly animals? Gee, thanks a lot for the insight. Maybe you should take out a dictionary and look up the word “intolerant”.
completely agree with you!
the West are just insecure of their own bleak future while China’s is looking bright and sparkly.
100% agree with you, That guy is a racist :/
While the official stance of the PRC is that Taiwan is a province of China, many Mainlanders subscribe to the idea of “One China Two Policy”: both Taiwan and Mainland China are China, but each believes itself to be the only legitimate government. That’s why Mainland China doesn’t object to Taiwan calling themselves the “Republic of China”, but object strongly to the term “Republic of Taiwan”.
Nearly all the people in Taiwan have ancestors tracing back to the Mainland, and many of them (especially the politicians) didn’t migrate there until the 1950s. The reason they have different “culture”/”customs” is due to recent history (e.g. colonization by Japan, import of Western ideas due to friendlier ties with the U.S., different business practices) rather than due to true cultural differences a la China and say, Korea, which arose over hundreds if not thousands of years.
It’s fine if you believe Taiwan to be a country. But if so, stop recognizing PRC as a country. There is only one China, and if you don’t believe that two governments can coexist as one nation, then pick one or the other.
Also, the one commenter way back who said they studied the history of China-Taiwan as a “neutral” scholar in the U.S., the U.S. has never been neutral on any matters regarding China because of it’s belief that communism is inherently evil. Unless you’ve been to both Mainland China and Taiwan, and interacted with the locals there without any bias, you can’t say your opinions are neutral.
Finally, I find it interesting that while many of the commenters, including the original writer, are quick to point out the dozen small bit-players in world politics who recognize Taiwan as a country, they haven’t responded to any comments about the state of democracy in Taiwan. Really, I would think a “democratic” government that thinks fist-fighting is an appropriate course of action in House of Commons, and whose former PRESIDENT is on trial for embezzlement should be subject to just as much criticism and doubt as the PRC.
A 4 year old blog still getting view time. Rosenberg, you rock! Anyone who doesn’t believe Taiwan is independent must be living under a rock, or under a Communist regime. Personally, I’d rather live under a rock. The US sells high end weapons to Taiwan, they don’t sell it to China. Obviously the US and any other country with half a brain views it as independent. I agree it’s not “officially” recognized, but that’s semantics.
WTF is a brain washed uneducated idiot. If fist fighting in the House of Commons makes a democracy invalid, then what can a Communist government say for itself when it rolls tanks into Tienanmen Square and slaughters over 1000 innocent students and human rights activists?
It’s amazing how a country that is growing so rapidly is so oblivious of the world around it. China viewed itself as the center of the universe, thus it’s self proclaimed name as the “Middle Country”. That arrogance and point of view led the country to a be has-been world power for a few hundred years. Now that the country’s fortunes have turned, they still maintain that same viewpoint. Learn from your past and open your mind, or you will be destined to repeat history and fail miserably.
You the only sources you have to cite are those of words of mouth, then that makes you blind to what is going on, not taking sides i suggest that you do some, even superficial, research before you let your redneck mouth run
Taiwan is not a country, in a civil war. One side wins, one side loses. Not, one side retreats to an island and is backed by a foreign power due to their dislike of the winning side.
Taiwan is its own independent country. Countries do not recognize this because they are afraid of China. If the Chinese really care about their Taiwanese counterparts, they should just leave us alone. If the US cared about democracy and the protection of democracy, they would do well to support Taiwan. It has everything it needs to be its own country.
“The United States has long pursued a policy in Asia in which it provides security while promoting economic and political liberalization. The Taiwan of today is in many ways a fruit of that policy. Washington would soon regret any decision to drop its support for Taiwan and allow mainland China to annex the island nation. Only by continuing to nurture its relationship with Taipei and by continuing to steel the island against threats from the mainland can the United States hope to ensure continued peace in Asia.”
http://the-diplomat.com/china-power/2011/03/08/why-taiwan-matters/
Taiwan is its own country. Countries won’t recognize this because they are scared of China and the effect it will have on their economy. If the Chinese really cared about their Taiwanese counterpart, they should stop using threat to get countries to side with them. If the US and other democratic countries who want to protect democracy really cared, they would support Taiwan in its fight for recognition.
Taiwan is independent.
“The United States has long pursued a policy in Asia in which it provides security while promoting economic and political liberalization. The Taiwan of today is in many ways a fruit of that policy. Washington would soon regret any decision to drop its support for Taiwan and allow mainland China to annex the island nation. Only by continuing to nurture its relationship with Taipei and by continuing to steel the island against threats from the mainland can the United States hope to ensure continued peace in Asia.”
http://the-diplomat.com/china-power/2011/03/08/why-taiwan-matters/
i’m a han chinese who came from china and is now in australia, and i’m quite unsure whether or not to support taiwan. if taiwan becomes a independent country what about the ethnic issues that are present there? do know that a number taiwanese i used to know is very anti mainlander and sees them as something like uneducated trash or pests trying to overrun their territory, take over it and spread communism? even if taiwan become a country it still is very strangely dislikes its fellow han peoples and think they’re a superior group of han and can make anyone of mainlander chinese descent look like they’re some sort of lowly and uncivilised group? if taiwanese becoming a country can put an end to all this discriminating and biased view of every mainlander chinese and just get along and accept each other as part of the same ethnic group, then i’m definitely supporting taiwan to become a nation.
i agree, the chinese government is not the nicest and definitely needs to have some changes in its ways, the internet censorship really makes me mad.
of course not! taiwan is part of china!!!
I think Taiwan will eventually become part of The People’s Republic Of China as Hong Kong and Macau did .
I am from Taiwan snd i love my country so mich. It’s so sad that most countries are terrified by China and refuse to recognize the fact that Taiwan is indeed a country.. China and Taiwan are like brother and sister. It would be ridiculous to force them stay together when they already have their own family. Those who think Taiwan is a part of China, you might as well say that USA is a part of the United Kingdom.
Seriously, Taiwan will never become part of China. Having been in Taiwan a couple of times, I can deduce its
1) Economically stable. (In fact, its economy is so strong, its considered one of the powerhouses of economy in the world, such as USA,Singapore and Japan.)
2) Highly educated. (I know a few Taiwanese, and trust me, the people there are all highly educational. School is compulsary in Taiwan after all)
3) Militarily stable.
I see no reason why we have to dig back on the past as some of you did and thus state Taiwan shouldn’t be a country. Taiwan might have lost the war with the Republic of China then, but does it still matter now? It has flourished, very very quickly. It houses one of the best technologically advanced cities, education and economy systems in the world.
My point is, Taiwan should be a state in my opinion.
Oh, and by the way, to the sweet dears that stronly believe that Taiwan isn’t considered a country simply based on it’s past, then wouldn’t my dear country(United States of America) be part of England?