| Taiwan Independence |
Article Index for Taiwan |
Articles about Taiwan Independence |
Website Links For Taiwan Independence |
Information AboutTaiwan Independence |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT TAIWAN INDEPENDENCE | |
| sovereignty movements | |
| taiwan independence movement | |
|
This movement is supported by the (noting the policy of President George W. Bush toward Taiwan's defense). DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS Although the name itself might sound straightforward, "Taiwan independence" has varying definitions with different degrees of support. Currently, there are three major views. The first view, put forward by the People's Republic of China government, defines Taiwan independence as "splitting Taiwan from China, causing division of the nation and the people." What China constitutes in this statement is somewhat ambiguous according to Taiwan Independent supporters, as some statements by the People's Republic Of China (PRC) seem to identify China solely and uncompromisingly with the PRC, and others indicate a broader and more flexible definition suggesting a cultural and geographic entity in which both Mainland China and Taiwan are part but divided politically due to the Chinese Civil War . The PRC considers itself the sole legitimate government of all China, and the Republic of China to be a defunct entity replaced in the Communist revolution in 1949. Therefore, assertions that the ROC is a sovereign state are construed as support for Taiwan independence while proposals to change the name of the ROC to Taiwan are paradoxically met with even more disapproval since this would be the equivalent of formally dropping the notion that Taiwan is part of the greater China entity (as a side of an unresolved Chinese civil war). Before the passing of UN resolution 2758 in 1971, the ROC was the recognized legal government of China. Afterwards, the PRC became the recognized legal government of China. A second view is that Taiwan is already an independent nation with the official name Republic of China, which has been independent (i.e. de facto separate from China) since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, when the ROC lost China, with only Taiwan (including the Pescadores ), Quemoy and Matsu on the coast of Fujian , and some of the Islands In The South China Sea remaining under its administration. Although previously no major political faction adopted this pro- Status Quo viewpoint, because it is a "compromise" in face of Chinese threats and American warnings against a unilateral declaration of independence, the DPP combined it with their traditional belief to form their latest official policy. This viewpoint has not been adopted by more radical groups such as the Taiwan Solidarity Union , which favor only the second view and are in favor of a Republic or State of Taiwan. In addition, many members of the Pan-blue Coalition are rather suspicious of this view, fearing that adopting this definition of Taiwan independence is merely an insincere stealth tactical effort to advance Desinicization and the second view of Taiwan independence. As a result, supporters of pan-blue tend to make a clear distinction between Taiwan independence and Taiwan sovereignty, while supporters of pan-green tend to try to blur the distinction between the two. This view is challenged by the fact that no official agreement has ever been reached by the warring parties of the Chinese Civil War. Therefore, the Chinese Civil War in fact is unresolved to this day. Both of the competing factions of Chinese Civil War belong to China. The third view considers the move for Taiwan independence as a Nationalist movement. This is the opinion, historically, put forward by such pro-independence groups on Taiwan as the Tang Wai movement (which later grew into the Democratic Progressive Party ), which argue that the ROC under the Kuomintang has been in the past a "foreign regime" forcibly imposed on Taiwan. Since the 1990s, supporters of Taiwan independence no longer actively make this argument. Instead, the argument has been that in order to survive against the growing power of the PRC, Taiwan must view itself as a separate and distinct entity from "China". This involves removing the name of China from official and unofficial items in Taiwan, making changes in history books to focus mainly on Taiwan as a central entity, promoting the use of Taiwanese , reducing economic links with mainland China, and in general thinking of Taiwan as a separate entity. In this view, China is a foreign entity, and the goal of this movement is to create an internationally recognized country which is separate from any concept of China. Quemoy and Matsu on the coast of Fujian and some of the islands in the South China Sea, which are historically not part of Taiwan, are to be excluded from the proposed state of Taiwan. Some supporters of Taiwan independence argue that the Treaty of San Francisco1 justifies Taiwan independence by not explicitly granting Taiwan to either the Republic of China or the People's Republic of China. This legal justification is rejected by both the PRC and ROC governments. HISTORY OF THE MOVEMENT The modern-day political movement for Taiwan independence dates back to the Japanese colonial period but became a viable political force within Taiwan only in the 1990s. Taiwan independence movement was advocated periodically during the Japanese colonial period, but was suppressed by the Japanese Government . With the end of World War II in 1945, Japanese Rule ended, but the subsequent rule under the Republic Of China 's autocratic KMT revived calls for local rule. During the martial law era lasting until 1987, discussion of Taiwan independence was forbidden in Taiwan, at a time when recovery of the mainland and national unification were the stated goals. During that time, many advocates of independence and other dissidents fled overseas, and carried out their advocacy work there, notably in Japan and the United States . Part of their work involved setting up think tanks, political organizations, and lobbying networks in order to influence the politics of their host countries, notably the United States, Republic Of China 's main ally, though they would not be very successful until much later. Within Taiwan, the independence movement was one of many dissident causes among the intensifying democracy movement of the 1970s, which culminated in the 1979 Kaohsiung Incident . The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was eventually formed to represent dissident causes. After the lifting of martial law in 1987, and the acceptance of multiparty politics, the DPP became increasingly identified with Taiwan independence, which entered its party platform in 1991. At the same time, many overseas independence advocates and organizations returned to Taiwan and for the first time openly promoted their cause in Taiwan and gradually built up political support. By the late 1990s, DPP and Taiwan independence have gained a solid electoral constituency in Taiwan, supported by an increasingly vocal and hardcore base. As the electoral success of the DPP , and later, the DPP -led Pan-green Coalition grew in recent years, the Taiwan independence movement shifted focus to Identity Politics by proposing many plans involving Symbolism and Social Engineering . The interpretation of historical events such as the 228 Incident , the use of broadcast language and mother tongue education in schools, the official name and flag of the ROC, slogans in the army, orientation of maps all have been issues of concern to the present-day Taiwan independence movement. With the Cross-straits Political Process stalled, this is likely to be the focus of the movement for the foreseeable future. HISTORY OF THE TAIWAN INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT Many supporters of independence for Taiwan view the History Of Taiwan since the 1600s as a continuous struggle for independence and use it as an inspiration for the current political movement | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|