This article on Taiwan in this morning's Globe and Mail suggests that eventually the world must recognize Taiwan as an independent nation:
theglobeandmail.com
Taiwan is arguably the most successful Asian nation in modern history. Yet, in the official view of most other countries, it simply does not exist.
Just 27 of the world's 190-odd countries recognize Taiwan as a country, and most of those are tiny, poor, or both. Though Taiwan has had its own government for decades, it has no seat at the United Nations, a rare snub from a body so undiscriminating that even North Korea is a member. Though it's the world's 14th-biggest exporter, it was let into the World Trade Organization only last year. It is still shut out of the World Health Organization.
Not surprisingly, the 23 million people of Taiwan find all of this a little galling. Most pariah nations are pariahs for a reason. White-ruled South Africa was tossed out of the Commonwealth and denied voting rights at the UN because its government was racist. Saddam Hussein's Iraq faced UN sanctions because it refused to come clean about weapons of mass destruction. What, ask, the Taiwanese, have we done?
Taiwan's exclusion has it roots in the Chinese Revolution of 1949. When Mao Tsetung's Communists defeated Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists and took control in Beijing, Chiang retreated to Taiwan and set up a government in exile that claimed to be the legitimate ruler of all China. In time, most of the world rejected this fiction, recognized Mao's People's Republic and Taiwan was hurled into the void.
Fair enough. Chiang was a pretender, and a dictator to boot. But that was 30 years ago. Chiang died in 1975, and Taiwan began to change. With its economy growing at an average of 10 per cent a year through the sixties, seventies, and eighties, Taiwan became suddenly prosperous. Today, its per capita output stands at $22,155, not far short of Canada's. The UN ranks it 24th on its global development index, ahead of rivals Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea.
With prosperity came a thirst for freedom. Chiang's son lifted martial law in 1987, opposition parties sprang up, and a free presidential election was held in 1996. And with freedom came a thirst for recognition. In 2000, Taiwan elected Chen Shui-bian, an advocate of independence for Taiwan, as President.
Mr. Chen is now making waves. Facing a re-election campaign next March, and trailing in the polls, he tried to push a law through parliament to allow a referendum on Taiwan's political status. Parliament balked, and watered down the law, but Mr. Chen says he still wants to go ahead with some kind of popular vote in March.
That makes China see red. On Wednesday, senior Chinese military officers reiterated that any such referendum could trigger a Chinese attack on Taiwan. Beijing considers Taiwan a renegade province and threatens to invade if it officially declares itself a separate country.
Such a declaration would only be stating the obvious. Taiwan has been separate for more than 50 years. All it wants now is what every other country has: recognition that it is a country.
The world is far from ready to give it. In fact, most other countries have reacted to Mr. Chen's pro-independence murmurings with barely concealed horror. The United States, though Taiwan's biggest patron, doesn't want to upset China, Asia's booming goliath. As Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao prepares to visit Washington next week, U.S. officials are urging Mr. Chen to clam up. That, indeed, is the world's attitude to Taiwan: Keep quiet and don't rock the boat.
That's reasonable to a point. No one wants a war over Taiwan. Everyone hopes Mr. Chen won't needlessly provoke China. He himself has promised not to actually declare independence unless China attacks.
But the world can't expect Taiwan to stay mum forever. Someone once said that a nation is a group of people who have achieved great things together in the past and hope to achieve great things in the future. Taiwan clearly fits the bill. Its people have achieved miracles over the past 20 years, transforming a small island into an economic dynamo and trading a grim authoritarian regime for a thriving democracy.
Whatever China may say, this is not a renegade province. This is a nation. Eventually, the world must recognize it.
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