Read Between the Quote Marks
So, the National Unification Council of Taiwan/Republic of China has 'ceased to exist'. So what?
So, it's a massive provocation in an already delicate situation. Chen Shui Bian knows that.
But I sympathise with him. The Taiwan issue is basically pretty simple. Since 1949, there have been two different governments in that part of the world - the PRC, led by the CPC, and the ROC, led first by the KMT and now by a democratically elected government.
Here's Hu Jintao's response.
"We will continue to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification, but never tolerate the secession of Taiwan from the motherland," Hu said. "Anyone who moves against historical trend is doomed to failure."
What 'historical trend'? The historical trend of China to swallow up its neighbours?
Whether Taiwan is 'a part of China' or not is irrelevant. States change their borders. That's the historical trend. That's how the world works. It happened to the UK, the US, the USSR, the EU and every other similar union or empire you could care to mention. It just does.
The fact is that regardless of PRC rhetoric, it has no direct power over Taiwan. The ROC is de facto independent, and de jure independence is a mere formality - albeit political dynamite.. The only way that China could regain control is by military conquest.
You can read the BBC report either here or below, but ironically, official organ Xinhua sheds far more light on the situation. You don't need to be a trained journalist or political analyst to see the one-sidedness here:
BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- The Chinese mainland said Tuesday that the "de jure independence" activities, pushed by Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian through the so-called "constitutional reform", poses grave threat to peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and in the Asia-Pacific region in general.
"The level and danger of 'de jure independence' activities, pushed by Chen Shui-bian through 'constitutional reform', continues to rise," says a joint statement issued by the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council with authorization from above.
"If his aim is achieved, it will inevitably create intense tension of cross-strait relations and gravely imperil peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and in the Asia-Pacific region in general," says the statement.
It says to resolutely oppose and check Chen Shui-bian's activities to push "de jure independence" through "constitutional reform" is the most important and most urgent task at present.
No need to read between the lines - just between the quote marks.
The threat to peace is not Taiwan, since Taiwan is not going to resort to violence to achieve its aims. It can't - it simply isn't powerful enough. And it doesn't need to. The armed conflict occured in 1949. It's not like there's a rebel insurgency going on.
The threat to peace is the PRC, since it is the one that indicates that it will resort to violence. It's very very simple. The aggression with which the PRC tries to force home its own truth is fascinating only up until the moment it becomes frightening.
Oh yeah - if you're wondering where this picture is from - you've guessed it, it's from China Daily, via Xinhua. Those websites are not blocked on the mainland, while the BBC is. Read into that what you like.
China warns Taiwan of 'disaster'
China has warned that Taiwan's decision to scrap a council on reunification with the mainland could bring disaster.
The move will "create antagonism and conflict within Taiwan and across the strait," China's ruling Communist Party and government said in a statement.
Mr Chen announced on Monday that the National Unification Council and its guidelines would "cease to function" due to China's "military threat".
China said Mr Chen was pushing Taiwan towards formal independence.
China and Taiwan have been governed separately since a civil war ended in 1949, but China still sees Taiwan as its territory and has threatened to use force if the island moves towards declaring independence.
The US, Taiwan's closest ally in the face of this threat, has made clear that it supports the status quo.
The US State Department said on Monday that it would take Mr Chen at his word that his latest move meant no change to the situation.
"It's our understanding that President Chen did not abolish it, and he reaffirmed Taiwan's commitment to the status quo," spokesman Adam Ereli told Reuters.
Mr Chen took care to use the phrase "cease to exist" rather than abolish when he made the announcement, possibly because he promised in 2000 that he would not abolish the council or its guidelines.
China dismissed the difference as a "play of words".
In a joint statement carried by China's official Xinhua news agency, the ruling Communist Party and the cabinet's Taiwan Affairs Office said Mr Chen's determination to push for independence "will only bring disaster to Taiwan society".
The comments did not include any threat of military action, or say what sort of disaster Beijing was predicting.
China's President Hu Jintao took the unusual step of commenting directly on the Taiwanese move.
"We will continue to strive for peaceful reunification, but we will absolutely not allow Taiwan to break away from the motherland," he was quoted as saying by Chinese state TV.
Chinese newspaper editorials on Tuesday also slammed Mr Chen's decision.
The official China Daily newspaper said his actions were "risky and provocative" and threatened "to destroy peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region".
Despite China's reaction, Mr Chen signed the documents which officially disbanded the council on Tuesday.
Taiwan complains that China has been building up its military offensive capability across the Taiwan Strait, and has at least 700 ballistic missiles targeting the island.
Mr Chen's wish to get rid of the Council and its guidelines has long been known.
Analysts said he had moved to scrap it now because - with only two years left in office - he wants to recover some political momentum for his Democratic Progressive Party.
The National Unification Council was set up in 1990 as an attempt to convince the Chinese authorities that Taiwan was committed to reunification, and it helped kick-start landmark talks between the two sides in the early 1990s.
Comments
I avoided blogging about this because I think it is a complicated issue.
Clearly, Japan lost control of Taiwan after WWII.
However, the San Francisco Peace Treaty of 1952 failed to pick a side in the Chinese Civil War. So, while Taiwan was to return to China nobody wanted to say who was China.
When the communist party (overthrew, liberated) the mainland the KMT fled to another part of China. They did not go to Korea or Japan but rather an island of China.
The problem is that the PRC allowed the KMT to exist for 50 years. Additionally, allowing a democratic government to be elected only endeared Taiwan further to the west.
Is Taiwan part of China today? Of course it is. Since the 1600s when the Mings kicked out the Dutch the island has been under the mainland's thumb. Add to this that Taiwan's population is mostly Han, speaks Mandarin, and is Buddhist and Taoist.
In my opinion, the issue isn't whether Taiwan is part of China but rather the right of a people to self-govern.
Is Taiwan part of China? Absolutely.
Should the people of Taiwan be able to say, 'We declare ourselves to be an independent nation.' Absolutely.
Posted by: dave | March 1, 2006 3:12 AM