China Taiwan Issue: History, Relations, US and India

Amid China Taiwan Issue, China has announced that it is prepared to fight against any attempt to achieve Taiwan’s independence or any foreign interference.

About China Taiwan Issue

• Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China (ROC), is an island off the southern coast of China that has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949.
• The People’s Republic of China (PRC) views the island as a province, while in Taiwanpolitical leaders have differing views on the island’s status and relations with the mainland.
• The PRC asserts that there is only “one China”, and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of it.
• Beijing says Taiwan is bound by an understanding reached in 1992 between representatives of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Kuomintang (KMT) political party then ruling Taiwan.
• Referred to as the 1992 Consensus, it states that there is only “one China” but allows for differing interpretations, by which both Beijing and Taipei agree that Taiwan belongs to China, while the two still disagree on which entity is China’s legitimate governing body.
• The tacit agreement underlying the 1992 Consensus is that Taiwan will not seek independence.

History of China Taiwan Issue

• The first known settlers in Taiwan are Austronesian tribal people thought to have come from modern day southern China.
• After a brief spell as a Dutch colony (1624-1661) Taiwan was unquestionably administered by China from 1683 to 1895.
• At the beginning of the 17th Century, significant numbers of migrants started arriving from China, often fleeing turmoil or hardship.
• The descendants of these migrated people now make up by far the largest population group in Taiwan.
• Following Japan’s victory in the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895, China ceded Taiwan to Japan.
• But after World War Two, the Republic of China began ruling Taiwan, after Japan surrendered it back to China.

China Taiwan Relations

• China has claimed Taiwan through its “one China” policy since the Chinese civil war forced the defeated Kuomintang, or Nationalist, to flee to the island in 1949 and has vowed to bring it under Beijing’s rule, by force if necessary.
• China is Taiwan’s top trading partner. Taiwan runs a large trade surplus with China.
• While Taiwan is self-governed and de facto independent, it has never formally declared independence from the mainland.
• Under the “one country, two systems” formula, Taiwan would have the right to run its own affairs
• Taiwan is a member of the World Trade Organization, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and Asian Development Bank under various names.
• Currently, only 13 countries recognize Taiwan as a sovereign country due to China’s diplomatic pressure.

What Is The One China Policy?

What Role Does The US Play?

• The US is by far Taiwan’s most important friend, and its only ally.
• In 1979, US ended diplomatic recognition of Taiwan in order to concentrate on burgeoning ties with China.
• However, it later revoked and passed the Taiwan Relations Act, which promises to supply Taiwan with defensive weapons
• The Taiwan Travel Act aims to promote greater engagement between US and Taiwan.
• US has also sought to leverage Taiwan to pressure China in the U.S.’s ongoing trade war.

India And Taiwan

• Since 1949, India has accepted the “One China” policy that accepts Taiwan and Tibet as part of China.
• India does not have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Instead, it has established the India-Taipei Association, headed by a diplomat, to coordinate ties with the island.
• India has been cautious in expanding economic ties and hesitant in exploring the political potential of the relations because friendship and cooperation with Taiwan mean perpetual animosity with China.
• Beijing has zero-tolerance for countries endorsing stronger ties with Taiwan since it considers the island country to be an integral part of China.

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