Revised Annotations (4)—Taiwan Identity and Solution for Taiwan’s Future

Why should we investigate Taiwan identity?

Group identity is important in social science study. Humans are social animals. In the process of evolution, people will attach to a certain group mentally. From the aspect of psychology, when a person says he/she belongs to a group, it reflects what he/she will dislike according to his/her knowledge and the world he/she sees through his/her mind, which enable us to speculate whether he/she will support or object to the political and social issues, and what information his/her brain will emphasize or neglect when receiving it.

Group identity is often related to a nation’s decision to be independent or unified. For example, in the process of European integration, those countries with stronger nation identification are more inclined to be against European integration. Another example is that the younger generation in Cyprus, a country on the Mediterranean which is separated to the north and the south, also stands against the unification for identifying with the different territory. To compare Taiwan with Cyprus, the geography difference cannot be ignored. There is no natural barrier between north and south Cyprus, when there is Taiwan Strait between China and Taiwan, which might have deferred the invasion of China.

The Rise of Taiwan Identity

Due to the replacement of the generation, there are fewer elders who had once lived in China and had fought the war. The younger generation in Taiwan who lives and grows on this land tends to identify themselves as Taiwanese.

For those individuals who change their identification in their older age, this transformation is often stimulated by the outer factors. In 1997, the 1995–1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis which is caused by the missiles fired by China made Taiwan identification increased by 10%(See the chart below). Likewise, before and after president elections, the rate of Taiwan identification will also increase.

Economical benefits will also influence Taiwan identity. The Taiwanese who feel that China’s economic is beneficial to Taiwan tend to have less Taiwan identification.

The Influence of Taiwan Identification and its Augment

The recognition of the difference between China and Taiwan, and the experience being oppressed by China will create Taiwan identification. The attitude, which is to recognize themselves as Taiwanese, will make people object to economical cross-Strait relations even though they know there could be monetary benefits, increase the rate to support the candidates who are closer to DPP and affect the recognition of parties which are more “blue.” Taiwan identification has become a more influential factor than provincialism in elections.

Does the Rise of Taiwan Identification Equal More Supporters of Taiwan Independence?

According to the chart which is released by Election Study Center National Chengchi University, while Taiwan identification has remarkably increased, the preference in the Unification-Independence stances of Taiwanese has not changed significantly. This may imply that Taiwan identification does not have direct relation to Taiwan independence, and there are still other factors involved, such as the recognition of the Constitution of Republic of China and the fear for China military might. “The 2011 Taiwan National Security Survey found that if one assumes China would not attack if it declared its independence, 80.2 percent of Taiwanese would in fact opt for independence.”(Mearsheimer)

It has little doubt nowadays that most Taiwanese prefer independence if China’s military threat is excluded. The problem is how and in what form. According to Mearsheimer, “Taiwan is not going to gain formal independence in the foreseeable future, mainly because China would not tolerate that outcome.” Taiwan can move toward de facto independence, which means Taiwan is independent practically but is not acknowledged formally by the law or other countries. Mearsheimer provides three options for Taiwan’s future. First is to pursue nuclear deterrent. If Taiwan has its own nuclear arsenal, it would be more difficult for China to conquer Taiwan. However, both China and the U.S. will strongly oppose Taiwan gaining a nuclear deterrent. Second option is conventional deterrence, which means to make China pay a huge price to unify Taiwan. Mearsheimer suggests that “This strategy would be even more effective if Taiwan could promise China that the resistance would continue even after its forces were defeated on the battlefield.” The third option is to pursue what China calls “one country, two systems,” as China has become more powerful and unification seems inevitable.

References:

http://whogovernstw.org/2014/07/25/austinwang4/

John J. Mearsheimer, Taiwan in the Shadow of a Rising China, Taiwanese Journal of Political Science No. 58

Revised Annotations (3)- Treaties Concerning Taiwan's Sovereignty

     In this annotation, I trace back to the history of Taiwan. Taiwan was given to Japan in 1895 according to the Treaty of Shimonoseki(馬關條約) as a result of losing The First Sino-Japanese War(甲午戰爭) which happened because of the sovereign rights over Korean Peninsula, so Taiwan was under Japanese governance during the period of WWI and WWII. As WWI was coming to an end, a wave of self-determination swept the world. “President Wilson presented his “14 points” as a blueprint of the handling of the war’s aftermath. Included in his “14 points” was the principle of self-determination for all people. In handling the aftermath of this war, the views of all people should be respected.”(15) At the same time, Korea was also under Japanese governance, and the Korean launched independence movement. Taiwanese intellectuals at that time were inspired by the movement and the concept of self-determination, so they were determined to strive for more freedom and equality in Taiwan. “We Taiwanese must seriously consider our future under Japanese rule.”(26) Taiwan’s leading intellectuals at that time were Cai Peihou(蔡培火) and Jiang Wieshuei(蔣渭水). These people along with Lin Siantang(林獻堂), considering that independence was impossible at the time, started the campaign to establish a representative assembly of Taiwan as the first step. This could be seen as the first sign of Taiwanese caring about the politics and Taiwan’s future.

     In November 1943, “World War II was drawing to a close and the Japanese were on the brink of defeat. The leaders of the allied powers, China, the United States and Great Britain, met at Cairo and the issue of Taiwan’s future was addressed. The U.S. backed Chiang Kai-shek in his request that Japan return Manchuria, Formosa and Penghu to the Republic of China.”(14) However, in the formal treaty, Treaty of Peace with Japan, which was signed at San Francisco in 1951, the request was not recorded. The original text of the treaty wrote, “Japan renounces all right, title and claim to Formosa and the Pescadores.” It simply states that Japan “renounces” all right, but it doesn’t specify that Japan will give its right to the Republic of China.

     The popular dispute now in Taiwan is that which one is effective, Cairo Declaration in which Chiang Kai-shek requests that Japan return Manchuria, Formosa and Penghu to the Republic of China or Treaty of Peace with Japan? According to Vienna Convention on the law of treaties, Article 28, Non-retroactivity of Treaties, the latter should be more effective. If the Chinese National Party didn’t come to Taiwan after WWII, Taiwan would probably apply the principle of self-determination. Taiwan has the chance to become an independent country, and for this reason, some Taiwanese don’t recognize the name “Republic of China.” ROC is also refused in United Nation, and the reason could be that both People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China claim that they are the only and legitimate representative of China. This idea should be abandoned since one side one country has become the truth. To strive for a position in UN, using the name “Taiwan” is more practical.

Reference:

鄭丞鈞, 劉素珍, 劉昭淵and Peter Hillman, A History of Taiwan in Comics: The Japanese Era (II) : The Age of Awakening, Taipei, Green Futures Publishers Co., Ltd.

鄭丞鈞, 劉素珍, 劉昭淵and Peter Hillman, A History of Taiwan in Comics: The Post-World War II Era (I) : In the Realm of the Strongmen, Taipei, Green Futures Publishers Co., Ltd.

https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%20136/volume-136-I-1832-English.pdf

https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%201155/volume-1155-I-18232-English.pdf

Annotations (4)—Taiwan Identity

Annotations (4)—Taiwan Identity

Why should we investigate Taiwan identity?

Group identity is important in social science study. Humans are social animals. In the process of evolution, people will attach to a certain group mentally. From the aspect of psychology, when a person says he/she belongs to a group, it reflects what he/she will dislike according to his/her knowledge and the world he/she sees through his/her mind, which enable us to speculate whether he/she will support or object to the political and social issues, and what information his/her brain will emphasize or neglect when receiving it.

Group identity is often related to a nation’s decision to be independent or unified. For example, in the process of European integration, those countries with stronger nation identification are more inclined to be against European integration. Another example is that the younger generation in Cyprus, a country on the Mediterranean which is separated to the north and the south, also stands against the unification for identifying with the different territory.

The Rise of Taiwan Identity

Due to the replacement of the generation, there are fewer elders who had once lived in China and had fought the war. The younger generation in Taiwan who lives and grows on this land tends to identify themselves as Taiwanese.

For those individuals who change their identification in their older age, this transformation is often stimulated by the outer factors. In 1997, the 1995–1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis which is caused by the missiles fired by China made Taiwan identification increased by 10%(See the chart below). Likewise, before and after president elections, the rate of Taiwan identification will also increase.

Economical benefits will also influence Taiwan identity. The Taiwanese who feel that China’s economic is beneficial to Taiwan tend to have less Taiwan identification.

The Influence of Taiwan Identification and its Augment

The recognition of the difference between China and Taiwan, and the experience being oppressed by China will create Taiwan identification. The attitude, which is to recognize themselves as Taiwanese, will make people object to economical cross-Strait relations even though they know there could be monetary benefits, increase the rate to support the candidates who are closer to DPP and affect the recognition of parties which are more “blue.” Taiwan identification has become a more influential factor than provincialism in elections.

Does the Rise of Taiwan Identification Equal More Supporters of Taiwan Independence?

According to the chart which is released by Election Study Center National Chengchi University, while Taiwan identification has remarkably increased, the preference in the Unification-Independence stances of Taiwanese has not changed significantly. This may imply that Taiwan identification does not have direct relation to Taiwan independence, and there are still other factors involved, such as the recognition of the Constitution of Republic of China and the fear for China military might.

References:

http://whogovernstw.org/2014/07/25/austinwang4/

Reflection

     Professor Liang always emphasizes the importance of our motivation in writing our papers. What we care about will determine how deep and broad our papers could be. The topic I chose, Should Taiwan be an Independent Country, is related to the future job that I want to do, a diplomat. During the teacher-student conference, Professor Liang asked why I want to be a diplomat. It was hard for me to answer. I have had this thought (to be a diplomat) since I was a freshman when I sometimes worried what I could do after graduation. The concrete reason was even beyond my knowledge, but I could vaguely tell that first, I like to go abroad to have life experience in different countries, and being diplomat offers me this opportunity. Second, diplomat is a public official so the pay and treatment were good, a reason which is quite utilitarian.

     After I decided to be a diplomat, I have grown more and more interest in politics, and I care about Taiwan’s international relation and Taiwan’s relation with China. Since my father works in China now, Professor Liang suggested that I could interview my father about his experience in China and his opinions. However, I couldn’t figure out any way that I could communicate with him securely, and my father won’t come back until Chinese New Year, so I gave up this idea. Instead, I would like to design a questionnaire about whether they support Taiwan’s independence and their reasons for my peers to answer. The questionnaire will include questions such as, “Do you support that Taiwan becomes an independent country through referendum?” “Do you feel any hostility against Chinese?” “Do you recognize that Taiwan and China are the same in the aspect of ethnicity and culture?” “Do you recognize with ROC this government?” Some questions may simply ask them to answer yes or no and to write their reasons briefly. Some questions may ask their opinions.

     Ever since Sunflower Movement in March this year, more and more people in my generation started to be concerned with Taiwan’s politics, and I think it’s a good phenomenon. Many comments that I received from my peers asked me to relate my essays to Sunflower Movement and Umbrella Revolution in Hong Kong, which are both animated by almost the younger generations. After the result of Local Elections on November 29^th was revealed, we could see that the younger generation and the internet had brought their influence into full play. KMT lost the election in most of the counties, even the counties which have always been considered as having most KMT’s loyal supporters. BBC News reported that “Taiwan's local election, widely been seen as a referendum on relations with China.” KMT’s failure could be approximately viewed as Taiwan’s rejection to China.

     In my later annotations, I would discuss what crisis we might confront if Taiwan wants to be independent and what strategies we could take. China has become more powerful and influential in the international society, and it would be difficult for Taiwan to look for international support. Taiwan’s future is still full of uncertainty. In my final paper, I would include in those missing information of Taiwan’s background (Japan’s ruling, foundation of DPP and social movements).

Annotations (3)

     In this annotation, I trace back to the history of Taiwan. As WWI was coming to an end, a wave of self-determination swept the world. “President Wilson presented his “14 points” as a blueprint of the handling of the war’s aftermath. Included in his “14 points” was the principle of self-determination for all people. In handling the aftermath of this war, the views of all people should be respected.”(15) Taiwanese intellectuals at that time were inspired by this concept and were determined to strive for more freedom and equality in Taiwan. “We Taiwanese must seriously consider our future under Japanese rule.”(26) This could be seen as the first time that Taiwanese talking about our own future that is related to our sovereignty.

     In November 1943, “World War II was drawing to a close and the Japanese were on the brink of defeat. The leaders of the allied powers, China, the United States and Great Britain, met at Cairo and the issue of Taiwan’s future was addressed. The U.S. backed Chiang Kai-shek in his request that Japan return Manchuria, Formosa and Penghu to the Republic of China.”(14) However, in the formal treaty, Treaty of Peace with Japan, which was signed at San Francisco in 1951, the request was not recorded. The original text of the treaty wrote, “Japan renounces all right, title and claim to Formosa and the Pescadores.” It simply states that Japan “renounces” all right, but it doesn’t specify that Japan will give its right to the Republic of China.

     The popular dispute now in Taiwan is that which one is effective, Cairo Declaration in which Chiang Kai-shek requests that Japan return Manchuria, Formosa and Penghu to the Republic of China or Treaty of Peace with Japan? The latter should be effective since the allied powers in WWII had signed the treaty and Cairo Declaration was not a treaty. If the Chinese National Party didn’t come to Taiwan after WWII, Taiwan would probably apply the principle of self-determination. Taiwan has the chance to become an independent country, and for this reason, some Taiwanese don’t recognize the name “Republic of China.” This is how I try to support the independence of Taiwan from the perspective of history.

References:

認識台灣歷史. 8, 日本時代(下) : 覺醒的年代 [電子資源] : 覺醒的年代 = The Japanese Era (II) : The Age of Awakening / 鄭丞鈞劇本編寫 ; 劉素珍, 劉昭淵漫畫繪製 ; 何仁傑(Peter Hillman)英譯.

認識台灣歷史. 9, 戰後(上): 強人天空下 [電子資源] : 強人天空下 = The Post-World War II Era (I) : In the Realm of the Strongmen / 何佩琪劇本編寫 ; 劉素珍, 劉昭淵漫畫繪製 ; 文魯彬(Robin J. Winkler)英譯. 

https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%20136/volume-136-I-1832-English.pdf

Revised Annotations (2)

Legacy Debate as Republic of China Marks 100 Years

     According to this piece of BBC news, we find out a problem when discussing Taiwan’s independency. Our government recognizes the formal name of our country as ROC (Republic of China), and in the Constitution of ROC, it writes, “中華民國領土，依其固有之疆域”, but it doesn’t specify the parts which belong to its inherent territory. Should Taiwanese insist on the name of ROC? Or should we recognize Taiwan as just Taiwan?

     The article starts from the 100^th anniversary of ROC in 2011. While many people in Taiwan celebrate the national day, there are some people who have different opinion.

          "The ROC is a Chinese government exiled in Taipei. It should be out of Taiwan," said Tsay Ting-kuei, who is one of a group of people who believe that when Japan lost WWII, Taiwan technically should not have been handed over to the ROC because that was not specified in the treaties signed between Japan and the Western victors in the war.(BBC News)

Another business woman, Yeh Tsai-chu, said, “The ROC's 100th anniversary has nothing to do with Taiwan. Besides, what is there to celebrate? The ROC is not even recognised as a country by the rest of the world.” (BBC News)

     There are still many people credit KMT government with making Taiwan a democratic country and becoming prosperous in economy. Despite these facts, it seems that we have to choose between the name of ROC and Taiwan. Most the countries in the world recognize Taiwan instead of ROC. If we go abroad with the passport writing ROC, the customs officers categorize us as Chinese. ROC has lost its membership in United Nations in 1971, and it is only admitted officially by about 20 more countries.

     Considering the Sun Flower Movement happened in March in 2014, which is mainly the response of the students to Service Trade Agreement that is going to be signed by our government with China, we can get a hint of the attitude of both the government and the younger generation. There is concern among Taiwanese that we are about to be integrated with China. Even the name of ROC will become history. This is the reason of why the issue of whether Taiwan should be independent is under severe debate recently.

     Another student demonstration happened in Hong Kong, which is recognized as Umbrella Revolution, can also be our lesson to learn. China government promise Hong Kong to rule themselves when they were returned to as part of China, but it turned out to be a lie. People are angry that they can only choose from a pool of candidates that are approved by Beijing, so the protestors occupied the central areas. Some people in Taiwan, including me, are afraid that if we integrated with China, even the Beijing government promises us democracy, we will end up like Hong Kong. We will eventually lose our most precious value, freedom.

Reference

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-15218596

Annotations (2)

Legacy Debate as Republic of China Marks 100 Years

     According to this piece of BBC news, we find out a problem when discussing Taiwan’s independency. Our government recognizes the formal name of our country as ROC (Republic of China), and in the Constitution of ROC, it writes, “中華民國領土，依其固有之疆域”, but it doesn’t specify the parts which belong to its inherent territory. Should Taiwanese insist on the name of ROC? Or should we recognize Taiwan as just Taiwan?

     The article starts from the 100^th anniversary of ROC in 2011. While many people in Taiwan celebrate the national day, there are some people who have different opinion.

          "The ROC is a Chinese government exiled in Taipei. It should be out of Taiwan," said Tsay Ting-kuei, who is one of a group of people who believe that when Japan lost WWII, Taiwan technically should not have been handed over to the ROC because that was not specified in the treaties signed between Japan and the Western victors in the war.(BBC News)

Another business woman, Yeh Tsai-chu, said, “The ROC's 100th anniversary has nothing to do with Taiwan. Besides, what is there to celebrate? The ROC is not even recognised as a country by the rest of the world.” (BBC News)

     There are still many people credit KMT government with making Taiwan a democratic country and becoming prosperous in economy. Despite these facts, it seems that we have to choose between the name of ROC and Taiwan. Most the countries in the world recognize Taiwan instead of ROC. If we go abroad with the passport writing ROC, the customs officers categorize us as Chinese. ROC has lost its membership in United Nations in 1971, and it is only admitted officially by about 20 more countries.

     Considering the Sun Flower Movement happened in March in 2014, which is mainly the response of the students to Service Trade Agreement that is going to be signed by our government with China, we can get a hint of the attitude of both the government and the younger generation. There is concern among Taiwanese that we are about to be integrated with China. Even the name of ROC will become history. This is the reason of why the issue of whether Taiwan should be independent is under severe debate recently.

Reference

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-15218596

Revised Annotations (1)

Revised Annotations (1)

1.      Define primordialism, structuralism and constructuralism.

2.      Connect my points more logically.

3.      Find out why other countries refused to admit Taiwan as an independent country.

4.      Refer to Sunflower Movement and Umbrella Revolution.

Source: 民族意識與兩岸關係 (P.31~P33) 林國章著

     From the perspective of Ethnic Politics, ethnic group is a kind of social group, which will act like an interest group in order to strive for political or economical resources from the government or the society. Since 1960s, research about Ethnic Politics had become more common because most of the countries in the world are consisted of multicultural ethnic groups. To analyze Nationalism from the perspective of Ethnic Politics involves two key points: identity principle and ethnic relation theory. Generally, ethnic or national identity is concluded into primordialism, structuralism and constructuralism.

Primordialism considers that the identification of an ethnic group is based on a common culture, such as blood relationship, life, language, religion and so on. Structuralism argues that ethnic group is a kind of consensus people form due to the inequalities in political right and economical property, and the features of blood relationship and culture are merely the tool to mobilize people. Constructuralism emphasizes that identification is constructed by human. The common experience and history is the key point to construct this identification.

In the behalf of the contemporary discourse of Taiwan nationalism that inclined to be independent, it attempts to establish Taiwan as a multicultural country though the ancestors of the residents in Taiwan were mostly Han race that came from China with Chinese culture.

Secondly, relation of ethnic groups refers to the phenomenon that different ethnic groups meet and conflict in a multicultural country, and the displayed phenomenon can be also concluded into three theories: Assimilation Theory, Conflict Theory and The Pluraist Theory. Assimilation Theory means that one ethnic group is transplanted into another ethnic group, and gradually become very similar. Conflict Theory emphasizes that different ethnic groups conflict because of different interest. The Pluraist Theory thinks that the culture of minority should be kept, and we should respect different ethnic groups in a society.

     When it comes to the question whether Taiwanese should accept being treated as part of China, I think we can first look at Taiwanese identity. Not all of the people in Taiwan have a strong identification with Taiwan this island. If we analyze Taiwanese with identity principle, we can say that Taiwan ethnic groups are the mixture of three identity principles. Some Taiwanese think they are Taiwanese because their relatives born, grow and share rather the same custom with other people in Taiwan. Others think the inequality in political powers and economical sources make the sense of group. The others think identification is built by human on the basis of the same experience. With these different kinds of identification, one can hardly identify with the other, and thus is difficult to form a common consensus.

     From the perspective of relation of ethnic groups, the Pluraist Theory is more valued in order to make the society more harmonious nowadays, so it seems that we shouldn’t create the conflict between different ethnic groups by refusing any interaction in any form with China. Chinese should not be discredited and that to get along harmoniously and peacefully is the long road to go.

     The theories I mentioned above provide the reasons why not all of Taiwanese wish Taiwan be an independent country. 

Annotations (1)

Source: 民族意識與兩岸關係 (P.31~P33) 林國章著

     From the perspective of Ethnic Politics, ethnic group is a kind of social group, which will act like an interest group in order to strive for political or economical resources from the government or the society. Since 1960s, research about Ethnic Politics had become more common because most of the countries in the world are consisted of multicultural ethnic groups. To analyze Nationalism from the perspective of Ethnic Politics involves two key points: identity principle and ethnic relation theory. Generally, ethnic or national identity is concluded into primordialism, structuralism and constructuralism. In the behalf of the contemporary discourse of Taiwan nationalism that inclined to be independent, it attempts to establish Taiwan as a multicultural country though the ancestors of the residents in Taiwan were mostly Han race that came from China with Chinese culture. Relation Theory contains Assimilation Theory, Conflict Theory and The Pluraist Theory.

     When it comes to the question whether Taiwanese should accept being treated as part of China, I think we can first look at Taiwanese identity. Not all of the people in Taiwan have a strong identification with Taiwan this island. If we analyze Taiwanese with identity principle, we can say that Taiwan ethnic groups are the mixture of three identity principles. Some Taiwanese think they are Taiwanese because their relatives born, grow and share rather the same custom with other people in Taiwan. Others think the inequality in political powers and economical sources make the sense of group. The others think identification is built by human on the basis of the same experience. With these different kinds of identification, one can hardly identify with the other, and thus is difficult to form a common consensus.

     If we consider Taiwan as a multicultural country, the phenomenon that different ethnic groups meet and conflict can also be explained in three relation theories. First, one ethnic group is transplanted into another ethnic group, and gradually become very similar. Second, different ethnic groups conflict because of different interest. Third, the culture of minority should be kept, and we should respect different ethnic groups in a society. Nowadays, the third theory is more valued in order to make the society more harmonious. From this perspective of view, it seems that we shouldn’t create the conflict between different ethnic groups by refusing any interaction in any form with China. Chinese should not be discredited and that to get along harmoniously and peacefully is the long road to go. 

References

林國章. (2010). 民族意識與兩岸關係: 孫中山研究的新面向. Taipei, 海峽學術出版社

Should Taiwan Be an Independent Country?

Should Taiwan Be an Independent Country?

     When we look through Taiwan’s history, we could see that it is complicated to define who Taiwan’s owners are. Was there a rightful government to the island? In Tang, Song Dynasty, there were Han people came to Taiwan from Mainland China, but China’s dominion didn’t really reach Taiwan Island. In 1945, when the Chinese Civil War ended, Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China retreated to Taiwan, and Communist Party of China ruled China, and the situation remained till nowadays.

     It was impossible to distinguish China people and Taiwan people by race. Most of the population in Taiwan now came from the cities along the coast of Mainland China. The aboriginals are the minority, and through marriage, Han people and the aboriginals were mixed. Taiwan and China share very similar language and culture. The biggest difference between China and Taiwan, which is probably identified by most Taiwanese, is that Taiwan is a free and democratic country while China is totalitarian. In Taiwan, we have freedom to talk and write about anything we like as long as we don’t hinder other people. Our right is protected by the law. Most of Taiwanese are proud of this quality, and it is the biggest reason why Taiwanese don’t want to become part of People’s Republic of China.

     There are about three different opinions over this issue.

First, some people would support that Taiwan integrate with China, that we become part of China for these reasons:

(1)   China is a powerful country now. Its economic develops very quickly, with its huge population; it is also a very big market. If we integrate with China, it’s possible that Taiwanese could also have improvement in economic and become richer.

(2)   Some people came across the Taiwan Strait with Kuomintang from China, so regard China as their hometown. Their nation identification is with China.

Second, other people would prefer that Taiwan remains the situation now, which we don’t integrate with China, but we also don’t declare independency. Taiwan is not as strong as China. Our territory is only a small island, and we only have a population of 23 million, while China has a population of 1.3 billion. If we declare independency, China could be infuriated and impose economic sanctions against us or even wage war on us.

Third, still other people would support that Taiwan become an independent country, because Taiwan has already governed itself for over 100 years. We have our own government, people and territory. We have our own economic system to support ourselves. We are practically independent. It is only that China doesn’t admit it.

     In my opinion, I support that Taiwan become an independent country. I think that remains our relation with China now is not a solution. Remains the situation now leaves Taiwan at an awkward position. We travel around the world and tell others that we are from Taiwan, and that we are not from China, but Taiwan is not a nation. This confusion will leave us in uncertainty, like a child without home.

     However, if Taiwan wants to become independent, there are still many problems need to be faced. First of all, our trade relation with China is getting closer these years. We export and import lots of goods to and from China. 

We rely too much on China in economic, so what if China prohibits any trade activity between China and Taiwan? Are we able to survive on our own? Second, we are not the member of the United Nations. How can we strive for other countries’ support? How can we be admitted as a nation by other members of the United Nations? Third, do we have armed force which is strong enough to protect ourselves? China is a big country and develops very fast, how can we survive under its threats? We need to consider these questions, and determine our future. 

老外看中國－《被囚禁的台灣》