Republic of China Citizens are not Taiwanese

Republic of China Citizens are not Taiwanese
China Post editorial
by Bevin Chu
May 4, 2009

The Taiwan independence movement is committed to "zhen ming," i.e., the "rectification of names." By all means, let's take a moment to rectify some names, and set the record straight on "Taiwan" and "the Taiwanese."

When Chen Shui-bian occupied the Presidential Office, he ordered the lettering on the wall of the Presidential Office Press Room changed from "Republic of China" to "Republic of China (Taiwan)." The parentheses imply that "The Republic of China = Taiwan" and that "Taiwan = The Republic of China." Or as the DPP's "Resolution on Taiwan's Future" puts it, "Taiwan is a sovereign and independent nation. Its current name is the Republic of China."

But the Republic of China is not Taiwan. And Taiwan is not the Republic of China.

The Republic of China is not the "official name for Taiwan." The Republic of China is the official name for China. Taiwan is merely one of several regions under the jurisdiction of the Republic of China, and hardly the sole region.

What many people refer to as "Taiwan" isn't Taiwan at all, but what the Constitution of the Republic of China refers to as the "Free Area of the Republic of China."

The area under the active jurisdiction of the Republic of China government has shrunk to a tiny fraction of what it once was. No one denies this sad fact. Nevertheless the Republic of China's active jurisdiction is hardly confined to the island of Taiwan.

The Republic of China's active jurisdiction includes not merely Taiwan, but the Penghu Archipelago, Kinmen, Matsu, and numerous islets in the South China Sea.

The Penghu Archipelago is not part of the province of Taiwan. Penghu is an entirely separate administrative region from Taiwan. When Japan extorted Taiwan from China at gunpoint in 1896, the Makuan Treaty stipulated that "Taiwan and Penghu" would be ceded to Japan. The conjunction "and" denotes that Penghu was not part of Taiwan. Had Penghu been part of Taiwan, it would hardly have been necessary to include the "and." Even today, Penghu is not part of Taiwan. Penghu has never been part of Taiwan. Penghu has always been an entirely separate region from Taiwan.

This fact has interesting implications that most people on Taiwan today seldom stop to consider. It means that "nativist" indoctrination in "Taiwanese consciousness" notwithstanding, residents of Penghu are not Taiwanese. They are Penghunese, not Taiwanese. They have always been Penghunese. They have never been Taiwanese. They may be Republic of China citizens who pay Republic of China taxes and hold Republic of China National ID Cards, but they are not Taiwanese.

Kinmen and Matsu are not part of the province of Taiwan. Kinmen and Matsu are offshore islets belonging to the province of Fujian. Even today, Kinmen and Matsu are not part of Taiwan. Kinmen and Matsu have never been part of Taiwan. Kinmen and Matsu have always been entirely separate regions from Taiwan.

This means that residents of Kinmen and Matsu are not Taiwanese. They are Fujianese, not Taiwanese. They have always been Fujianese. They have never been Taiwanese. They may be Republic of China citizens who pay Republic of China taxes and hold Republic of China National ID Cards, but they too are not Taiwanese.

Other areas under the Republic of China's jurisdiction include the Nansha Islands (Spratly Islands), Shisha Islands (Paracel Islands), Chungsha Islands (Macclesfield Islands), and Tungsha Islands (Pratas Islands).

Some of these islands are habitable. Others are not. But anyone living on these islands would not be Taiwanese either. The Nansha Islands are not part of the province of Taiwan. The Nanasha Islands are part of the Province of Hainan Island.

Nor does it end here. Even the main island of Taiwan includes regions that may be part of the Republic of China, but are not part of Taiwan.

Taipei City and Kaohsiung City are "Directly Administered Municipalities." By what are they "directly administered?" They are directly administered not by "Taiwan," but by the Central Government of the Republic of China.

Taipei City and Kaohsiung City, as Directly Administered Municipalities of the Central Government of the Republic of China, are on the same level as Taiwan. They have the same status as Taiwan. They are not part of Taiwan. Geographically they may be located "on Taiwan," but they are not "under Taiwan."

This too has interesting implications that most people on Taiwan today seldom stop to consider. It means that residents of Taipei City and Kaohsiung City are not Taiwanese. They may be Republic of China citizens who pay Republic of China taxes and hold Republic of China National ID Cards, but they too are not Taiwanese.

In short, all Taiwanese are Republic of China citizens. But not all Republic of China citizens are Taiwanese.