tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post8832074954341869113..comments2023-10-22T18:25:39.688+08:00Comments on The View from Taiwan: By-election thoughtsMichael Turtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-50014248046850208702010-01-12T10:04:29.816+08:002010-01-12T10:04:29.816+08:00Thomas, that sounds like it’s technically right, b...Thomas, that sounds like it’s technically right, but it doesn’t reflect reality at all. I have the same interpretation as Wu Ming.<br /><br />Claims and legal status aside, the ROC undoubtedly administers Taiwan right now; it has Taiwan in its possession. When I’m having a bad day I think of it as an ongoing occupation. The same is true of Japan with the Senkaku Islands – there may be no legal basis for it, but the US handed the islands to Japan to administer and that’s de facto ownership. <br /><br />The ROC is de facto a sovereign, independent nation because it runs itself and its population continuously validates its existence, usually under the belief that Taiwan=ROC. I would call that the mainstream, light-blue opinion, temporarily acceptable to pan-greens but not a belief shared by the most powerful of the pan-blues. To them, the ROC is still a government in exile and I’m not sure those can qualify for statehood under the Montevideo Convention (“permanent population,” “defined territory,” “capacity to enter into relations with the other states”).Carloshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13079284428870214896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-47391072716473141042010-01-11T09:36:25.268+08:002010-01-11T09:36:25.268+08:00But, Wu Ming, what gives the ROC the right to clai...But, Wu Ming, what gives the ROC the right to claim Taiwan? Despite what the ROC constitution says, the question of whether or not the ROC holds Taiwan's sovereignty at all is debatable. <br /><br />As for the PRC/ROC distinction, remember that, according to the UN, there is just one China. That China has a capital in Beijing. And since Taiwan is clearly not a part of that China, then it is already independent. The root of the problem lies with the KMT, who muddies the issue with sentiments for the "ROC" and the fallacious claim that the ROC holds Taiwan's sovereignty. <br /><br />Unfortunately, this view has become so pervasive that it is difficult for even greens to get away from at times. <br /><br />A legitimate course of action for a Taiwan-focused government would be constantly stress that Taiwan's status is indeed unresolved and that Taiwanese, just as former colonial subjects in other areas have, therefore have a right to determine their own future. <br /><br />The "ROC" is an anachronism. If it could only be replaced by a responsible successor government, a large hurdle for Taiwan would already be crossed.Tommyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13552370490869601403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-21494191721555373012010-01-10T21:54:37.171+08:002010-01-10T21:54:37.171+08:00if there is a "china" that the DPP wants...if there is a "china" that the DPP wants independence from, it is the republic of china 中華民國 that currently occupies and governs taiwan, not the people's republic of china 中華人民共和國, which has never had any control of the island other than on fanciful maps.<br /><br />at least that's the impression i've got.無名 - wu minghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01078479850722724885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-75502198746992412702010-01-10T17:56:51.574+08:002010-01-10T17:56:51.574+08:00There is nothing wrong with "independence fro...<b>There is nothing wrong with "independence from china". China regards and claims taiwan as territory, and the DPP wants independence from china. The simple claim of china is enough to demand independence from it.</b><br /><br />Ah, so the people of Arunachal Pradesh, by the magic of China's claim, also want independence from China. By your logic, any place that A claims, irrespective of reality, wants independence from A.<br /><br />The claim is completely false. The DPP does not want independence "from China." The DPP does not believe that Taiwan is part of China (it's not). Hence Reuters engages in a double misrepresentation, both of the status of Taiwan, and of the DPP's position. <br /><br />And that sucks.<br /><br />MichaelMichael Turtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-20445541251210843162010-01-10T08:57:03.870+08:002010-01-10T08:57:03.870+08:00There is nothing wrong with "independence fro...There is nothing wrong with "independence from china". China regards and claims taiwan as territory, and the DPP wants independence from china. The simple claim of china is enough to demand independence from it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com