Chen Shui-bian - Taiwan is a "sovereign independent country"
China has criticized Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian's talk of independence with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabiao calling the Taiwanese leader’s comments a "deliberate provocation" and "a dangerous step" [CNN]. Taiwan has made a number of changes in recent months that will also be seen as provocative by Beijing. Only last month the word ‘China’ was replaced with ‘Taiwan’ on postage stamps. And last week the Chinese Petroleum Corporation became CPC Corporation, Taiwan, while China Shipbuilding Corp is set to change its name to CSBC Corporation, Taiwan. But this latest series of comments is sure to upset the apple-cart in Chinese military circles. China Daily reported that the US State Department "does not support independence for Taiwan". However they failed tell readers that should China use force in asserting its claim to the island, the US would defend Taiwan. It is true to say that the US prefer the continuing status-quo. The United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, recognizing "one China," but is obliged by the Taiwan Relations Act to help the island defend itself.
The PM of Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian, said 'independence will be realised' during his address. He declared that Taiwan was “a sovereign independent country outside of the People’s Republic of China.” He also said that independence was the “common and long held ideal of the Taiwanese people” [Chosun Ilbo]. The declaration came as it was revealed Taiwan had recently tested missiles which could reach Hong Kong or Shanghai [Australian News]. Responses from the Chinese Military echoed that of the Prime Minister. General Guo Boxiong said the People's Liberation Army would respond to a declaration of independence and "effectively perform our glorious mission of safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity in accordance with the will of the motherland and the wishes of the people," the Xinhua News Agency reported [Guardian]. The escalating tensions between China and Taiwan threaten to cast a dark shadow on the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
5 comments:
WHY do you use the title "Taiwan provokes Beijing in independence row"?
Taiwan is an independent state that has NEVER been part of the People's Republic of China, and has recently peacefully thrown off the shackles of Chiang Kai Shek's brutal Chinese occupying dictatorship. the Taiwanese have accepted Chinese refugees, but do not want another Chinese government. the only provocation is China's missiles and violent rhetoric!
Yeah! as a member of Taiwan, we will definitely march on along our avenue toward Independence of Taiwan. Whatever the cost is!
No matter the whole world accept it or not, since none of you nor us are willing to be a citizen of China, which us still killing her own civilians and her so-call fellowmen-the Tibetans, you have NO right to tell people of Taiwan which is right or wrong.
No matter the war breaks or not, if it breaks, I will die for our motherland Taiwan, for our own freedom and self-determination.
Please hereafter use appropriate terms for titling your news about Taiwan. That would be great help for Taiwan to fight against the evil conspiracy of China and its brown-nosing media.
Thank you very much!
Enrico
Editorial response:
It has been asked why tvnewswatch used the headline "Taiwan provokes Beijing in independence row". In essence, whatever one might feel about the situation between China and Taiwan, the title is a truism. China has long maintained a claim to the island and has done so partly due to its long connection in history to what is sometimes referred to as the 31st province.
The ‘ownership’ of Taiwan has been a long and contentious one, much like the Falkland Islands claim with the Argentine state over many years. With regards Taiwan there have been brief visits by the Chinese since 1200 AD, but it was in the 16th century that the first major colonization and imposed rule took place by a foreign power, specifically, the Dutch. It was the Dutch who imported Chinese workers from Fujian province. Many of these became naturalized to the island, and, after brief attempts by both the Spanish and French to colonize Taiwan and its surrounding islands, forces from mainland China forced out the Dutch occupiers. Two hundred years later, during the Qing dynasty, the island was declared to be a province of China. It is this period of history, particularly, which China places its ‘historical claim’ to the island. With regard’s Taiwan having ‘thrown off the shackles of Chiang Kai Shek's brutal Chinese occupying dictatorship’, this is not in dispute. And it is evidently clear that the people of Taiwan want to move forward along lines of democracy, and may indeed be applauded. However, the statements made by the current leader, Chen Shui-bian, are provocative to a Chinese government, who insist the islands are a part of China. The Chinese government is just as provocative, not only towards Taiwan, but also other countries, both by their statements but also their actions. One event which has angered the US in recent months is the testing of a ‘space weapon’. tvnewswatch in no part of the article said that the actions of the Prime Minister were ‘right or wrong’, but merely conveyed the events as described on media outlets available in the UK. tvnewswatch attempts to be impartial with regards to its articles which highlight how and what is being broadcast on TV media outlets available via satellite in Britain. tvnewswatch is neither a protagonist for China, Taiwan nor any other state. Titles and headlines are sometimes employed to get attention, and are sometime contained within quotes where the veracity of the truth cannot be established. Nonetheless, tvnewswatch attempts to be as truthful and as neutral as possible.
i appreciate you are trying to be neutral. however, you miss out 50 years of Japanese occupation until the end of WWII, and the fact that many Taiwanese consider the KMT to be worse than the Japanese were.
there was no atrocity by the Japanese on the scale of Chiang Kai Chek's forces 2/28 massacre.
there are obvious links to China and chinese culture, just as in Ireland there are links to british culture, due to historic circumstances. but the unfortunate position that Taiwan finds itself in now, is equivalent to if an intolerant dictatorship ruled Britain, insisted that as part of the British Isles, the Republic of Ireland must return to the British motherland, and the UN out of cowardice accepted this situation.
would it be considered provocative if the Irish government insisted that the Irish Republic is an independent state and not part of Britain?
Taiwanese people's views are all too often ignored, even within Taiwan, where most of the media is still controlled by the corrupt occupying Chinese KMT.In 1947, Chiang Kai Shek's brutal occupation forces all but destroyed the Taiwanese independence movement, but historical events have led Taiwan to be an independent country, as anyone who has visited there can plainly see. President Chen was elected by the Taiwanese, who have never been, and never wanted to be, ruled by the communist PRC. it is not provocation to state this. China can be as arrogant as it likes towards Taiwan, and the UN accepts it. The Taiwanese leadership tries to get on with the job of ruling Taiwan, as it has been elected to do, and it is accused of provocation.
i would draw your attention to http://www.taiwannation.com.tw/ecairo.htm
this shows that China's claim on Taiwan is false, and that legally Taiwan was independent from April 28th, 1952.
First of all, I must admit that tvnewswatch has done much better than BBC Chinese edition, which always views Taiwan events via non-Taiwan-born, pro-China journalists who always quote the lines from the media apple-polishing for the corrupt occupying Chinese KMT; allow me say thank-you for your trying to be truthful and neutral.
Jusat as Steve Fowles said, the history of Taiwan is a series of blood-shed occupation of foreign power no matter the aborigines agree or not, in the same way, Taiwanese people nowadays consist of many tribes including aborigines, colonists form China, refugees brought by the defeated KMT in Chinese civil war. But the philosophy of Chinese national identification is deeply rooted in blood relationship not the value of liberty, equality or any other noble ideals. The relation between the US and Britain in 1776 can evidently tells how we Taiwanese feel about China now.
However, people of the world even the major Taiwanese people don’t know the history of Tibet, which had NEVER been a part of China, but accepting the soliloquy of China, which led the Tibetans never gain any chance to claim their own destiny and her inherent territory until they lost it; and that’s also what we Taiwanese afraid of!
Under the blood bath and the shadow of autocratic occupying KMT, we has been crawling toward our promised land where can finally unshackle the chains around our necks and breathe the same free, sweet air of liberty which you have had for a long time in the international society.
Though we are threatened by the PLA’s above 900 continental missiles pointing toward us and fake history made by China used to cheat the world, we will NOT stop our steps toward substantial independence. We want nothing but just asking for your careful, professional publication on events of Taiwan, especially the political issues, which can be easily blurred via the viewpoint of China instead of Taiwan.
Thank you very much.
Enrico, Taiwan
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