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》