It is surely no surprise to regular readers of these pages that I agree with China's central government on the national status of Taiwan. By modern international decree, at the very least, (i.e. Messrs. Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin.; etc., etc.) it is a province of China--which is almost universally recognized as the People's Republic of China--and should remain so, albeit with some extraordinary concessions that cannot be ginger-cake.
It is also no surprise to me that many, if not most of you disagree; some of you vehemently. Nothing wrong with that.
The short version of why I think as I do is one word: Sovereignty. The long version is also short: Sovereignty is everything; without it, there is no nation-state. Therefore, to remain a nation-state, sovereignty must be rationally claimed and defended to conclusion, whatever that conclusion might be.
The arguments and analogies pro or con are all but endless and, more importantly, are better served in lecture halls and diplomatic backrooms than in these pages. I will only excerpt and link to a news story in The New York Times that I find heartening in its facts, and believe you should read.
Opposition Wins Taiwan Parliamentary Election
By DAVID LAGUE Published: January 13, 2008
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The opposition Kuomintang party won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections in Taiwan on Saturday. President Chen Shui-bian, who has antagonized China with his efforts to forge a national identity for the self-governing island, resigned as chairman of the governing Democratic Progressive Party to take responsibility for the loss.
The victory by the Kuomintang enhances its prospects of success at the voting for president in March, in which it is expected to continue campaigning for closer ties with China.
