The Republic of China is a Nation, Taiwan is a Region

The Republic of China is a Nation, Taiwan is a Region
Bevin Chu
October 6, 2008
Taipei, ROC

Former DPP legislator Lee Wen-chung recently wrote, "Regardless of whether you prefer Taiwan or the Republic of China (ROC) as the nation's title, both refer to the land and the people of Taiwan."

Lee Wen-chung's position is DPP orthodoxy. Lee Wen-chung's position is Pan Green Political Correctness. But above all, Lee Wen-chung's position is Taiwan independence sophistry.

The Republic of China, or ROC, most assuredly does not refer exclusively to "the land and the people of Taiwan." If it did, Lee Wen-chung, the DPP, and the Taiwan independence movement would not be demanding the "Rectification of Names and the Authoring of a New Constitution." They would be perfectly content with the DPP's disingenuous "Resolution on Taiwan's Future."
No, Lee Wen-chung, the DPP, and the Taiwan independence movement know perfectly well that the Republic of China, or ROC, refers to the land and the people of all China, including the Chinese mainland.

Geographically, the Republic of China government is based on the Chinese island of Taiwan. Politically, the Republic of China government is based in what Republic of China President Ma Ying-jeou referred to, with commendable semantic precision, as the "Taiwan Region of China."

But the government "on" Taiwan is not the government "of" Taiwan, anymore than the government "in" Washington, DC is the government "of" Washington, DC. Just as the government in Washington, DC is the government of the United States of America, so the government on Taiwan is the government of the Republic of China.

When the DPP assumed power in 2000, DPP officials were taken aback when they met with the Republic of China's twenty odd allies, and heard these allies correctly refer to the Republic of China as "China."

ROC allies: "Yes, yes, you're China!"

DPP government: "No, no, we're not!"

Seeing the Republic of China's allies show greater respect for the Republic of China Constitution than the ruling DPP was both amusing and depressing.

The most one can reasonably deviate from this formulation is to say that the Republic of China government is "a" government of China, rather than "the" government of China. Just as one might say that the Republic of Korea government is "a" government of Korea rather than "the" government of Korea.

Actually, it is not that difficult to imagine the Republic of China government once again exercising active jurisdiction over the Chinese mainland in the not so distant future.

After all, Beijing has repeatedly stressed that "Everything is negotiable." This includes the name of the nation, the design of the national flag, even the national anthem.

If Republic of China leaders play their cards right, who is to say that a reunified China will not be called the Republic of China? Who is to say that its national flag will not be the "Blue Sky, White Sun, and Red Earth?" Who is to say that its national anthem will not be "The Three People's Principles?"

German reunification or "Deutsche Wiedervereinigung" took place on October 3, 1990, when the German Democratic Republic, better known as East Germany, was merged into the Federal Republic of Germany, better known as West Germany.

German reunification took everyone by surprise. Even the CIA. Anyone bold enough to predict in 1988 that the government of the Federal Republic of Germany would soon be the sole government of both West and East Germany, would probably have been ridiculed as a kook.

But lo and behold, one year later the Berlin Wall fell. Two years later, Germany was reunified.

At last count, 171 nations recognize the Peoples Republic of China government on the Chinese mainland as the legitimate government of China. At last count, 23 nations recognize the Republic of China government on the Chinese island of Taiwan as the legitimate government of China.

How many nations recognize "Taiwan" as the legitimate government of anything? How about none? How many nations recognize "Taiwan" as a nation at all? How about none? Twenty-three nations may be a lot fewer than 171. But it's a lot more than none.

When Republic of China President Ma referred to Taiwan as a "region," he was hardly "demeaning Taiwan" or "caving in to Beijing." The two sides of the Taiwan Strait are indeed regions -- of the Republic of China.

President Ma, as well as his predecessors Chen Shui-bian and Lee Teng-hui, took solemn oaths to uphold the Republic of China Constitution. According to the Republic of China Constitution, both Taiwan and the Chinese mainland are "regions" of the Republic of China, the very first republic in Asia, and its oldest.

Does the DPP care to explain how referring to Taiwan as a region of the Republic of China "demeans" either Taiwan or the Republic of China?

The Taiwan independence thugs rioting in the streets of Taipei hypocritically waving Republic of China flags can rant and rave all they want. But President Ma has nothing to apologize for. The Republic of China is a nation. Taiwan is a region. Quod erat demonstrandum.