There is no question about Taiwan’s status today. Only an authoritarian regime’s denial of a reality its ideology finds inconvenient.
[Op-ed by Roy Chun Lee, Taiwan’s Ambassador to the EU and Belgium.]
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Over the past 130 years, the people of Taiwan have cultivated a unique identity with a multicultural heritage, drawing not only from Chinese influences but also from the Dutch, Spanish, Japanese, and Taiwan’s indigenous peoples, who are widely regarded to be the origin of all Austronesian cultures. Like the identity-building process of most European countries, Taiwan’s journey has been a mixture of darkness and light, suffering and joy, struggle and triumph.
Yet these elements are exactly what make the Taiwanese identity unique and render it a special, like-minded partner to Europe and the world, with or without formal diplomatic recognition.
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Unfortunately, instead of applauding Taiwan, the PRC has continually employed every available method to deny the existence of Taiwan. One of the most frequently used tools is to distort the meaning of UN Resolution 2758, arguing that the Resolution reflects a global consensus that Taiwan is part of the PRC.
This is fake news. The following is a direct quotation from a speech delivered by European Commissioner Nicolas Schmit, on behalf of EU High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell in October 2024: “United Nations Resolution 2758 is very short - only 150 words. And among those 150 words, the word ‘Taiwan’ does not appear. The resolution switched representation in the United Nations from the ‘representatives of Chiang Kai-shek’ to the ‘representatives of the Government of the People’s Republic of China’”.
In short, Resolution 2758 provides no legal basis for the PRC to claim ownership of Taiwan or to deny the fact that Taiwan has existed as a sovereign, independent, and meaningful country for the last 75 years.
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Europe can help deter coercion in the Taiwan Strait.
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First, face the facts: Taiwan is a democracy whose sovereignty is exercised and enjoyed every day by its 23 million people. No amount of propaganda can erase that reality.
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Second, expose and resist coercion: Call out and reject the PRC’s disinformation campaigns, economic blackmail, and military intimidation whenever and wherever they appear.
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And third, invest in partnership: Expand trade, technology, security dialogues, and cultural exchanges with Taiwan, so that shared values can become shared resilience.
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What happens if they decolonialize and hand over control to the indigenous people and stay there with refugee status?
So you want the indigenous population to run an ethnic supremacist island with an underclass of Han Chinese?
Can’t imagine what Xi would do with that excuse.
Maybe they should just stay a democracy.
If he can’t use that excuse because they don’t turn it into a supremacist country, would it still be a bad idea? Taiwan could become a better South Africa. China would be compelled to accept it from their dedication to BRICS.
Uh… that’s not what refugee means.
What does it mean and what have I implied?
You answer that. Who are “they” and why should they be considered refugees?
“They” are the non-natives. If they are not part of Taiwan then China has no claim to integrate it.
“They” still need to keep living. So some legal form must be found to allow them to stay and keep living their lives.
I see what you mean then, but nobody’s gonna buy that. China certainly won’t. Also most Han Taiwanese people have nothing to do with the Kuomintang, with Han migration going in since the 13th century, so the line of who is a native and who isn’t is much blurrier than it sounds.
Why should they?
They could, if it ends the conflict with China and prevents war.
They also could to make up for their colonial past, or for whatever other reason there could be.
Before clarifying if they should it should be clarified what will happen. E.g. if China takes it as a reason for war, there is no need to think any further.
China also could just stop threatening Taiwan with invasion, that would also end the conflict with China and prevent war
they need something to distract thier population, from internal problems like population issues, and the evergrande thing.
Of course, but not something that Taiwan can do.
Yep. I just don’t think victim-blaming is a right thing to say in this case; it’s not Taiwan threatening China but China threatening Taiwan
What do you mean? What have you perceived as victim blaming?
Blaming Taiwan for not fixing the “conflict”
Which words put the blame on Taiwan?