…in making comments on China’s claim on Taiwan, we need to understand their shared distinct history, interests and the position of almost every country of the world to this, including the UN. For us here, “Nigeria opposes any separatist activities aimed at ‘Taiwan’s independence’ and foreign interference in internal affairs of other states and fully supports China’s strive in achieving peaceful reunification.”
Keen observers of global affairs would notice that there have been threats to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait recently. This is because of the separatist activities of Taiwan, like the election it held on 13 January despite the “one China principle”, the Chinese government’s position of opposing “Taiwan’s independence”, and the international community’s upholding of the principle. But in looking at history, both the Mainland China and Taiwan are the same people with the same traditions.
Since context is about everything, including on every human issue, it is important to enhancing our understanding of the position of China to reunify with its kith and kin, build one prosperous nation and de-escalate the rising tensions and fears in the region. It is also important to shed light on why foreign powers should cease interference in the internal affairs of these people, and what the simmering superpower rivalry means for the island and the world. So here is a look at everything people need to know.
First, Taiwan’s first known settlers were Austronesian tribal people, believed to have come from modern day southern China. Second, Chinese records appear to first mention the island when an emperor dispatched an expeditionary force to it. Third, the island was annexed in 1683 by the Qing dynasty of China. The Republic of China, which had overthrown the Qing dynasty in 1911, took control of the island following the surrender of Japan in 1945, after World War II
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Fourth, in the few intervening years, a civil war broke out in China, and the then-leader, Chiang Kai-shek’s nationalist troops were defeated by Mao Zedong’s Communist army. Chiang, the remnants of his Kuomintang (KMT) government, and their supporters numbering about 1.5 million people fled to Taiwan in 1949, dividing the two sides, to become the Republic of China (ROC), as against the Mainland’s the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Chiang established a dictatorship that ruled Taiwan until the 1980s. Following his death, Taiwan began a transition to democracy and held its first elections in 1996.
Fifth, despite all efforts of Chiang’s government to lay claim to the whole of China and even hold China’s seat in the United Nations Security Council, the rest of the world did not recognise Taiwan. This is because from the 1970s, some countries began to argue that the Taipei government could no longer be considered a genuine representative of the people living in Mainland China. In 1971, having been guided by history, the UN corrected itself by diplomatically recognising Beijing as the sole representative of the Chinese people. From 1979, with its opening up and reform programmes, more countries, including the United States, recognised China and established diplomatic ties with it. But Nigeria established relations with China in 1971.
This week, Nigeria reiterated its commitment to the One China Policy, as recognised by the UN in a statement issued by the Chairman of House of Representatives Committee on Nigeria-China Relations, Honourable Ja’afaru Yakubu. The statement reads, “There is but one China in the world. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.”
Consequently, the number of countries that recognised Taiwan fell drastically, with only about 12 countries recognising the island today. That is, almost all the countries in the world recognise and have established diplomatic ties with China. Nauru, a tiny Micronesian island, became the latest to ditch Taiwan, less than 48 hours after the election. Also following the election, the US Secretary of States, Antony Blinken, reiterated the US’ position on its One China Policy.
This week, Nigeria reiterated its commitment to the One China Policy, as recognised by the UN in a statement issued by the Chairman of House of Representatives Committee on Nigeria-China Relations, Honourable Ja’afaru Yakubu. The statement reads, “There is but one China in the world. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.” Meanwhile, amid the crisis, there are some Taiwanese who are constructive to the Chinese claim and favour closer relations with the PRC.
Lastly, China has, several times, demonstrated its willingness to embrace its breakaway province back through “peaceful reunification.” In 2019, President Xi Jinping reiterated China’s long-standing proposal for Taiwan on its incorporation into the mainland under the formula of “one country, two systems.” On the other hand, it does not shy away from applying force to accomplish the goal, as it had in 2004 passed what can be described as an anti-secession law, declaring its right to use “non-peaceful means” against Taiwan if it tried to “secede” from China. Such option would plunge the region and the rest of the world into crises. Nevertheless, 2049 has been set by President Xi for the unification with Taiwan, to achieve the Chinese Dream and restoration of China’s great power status.
I think this is the morality of this issue. But the experience of the benign big-power China has shown that morality is ineffective in determining foreign policy. The more it wants to have the island back, the more the island gets support from foreign powers, notably the US, UK and Japan. But as Tom J. Velk wrote in Asia Times on 10 January, “national interest, say pragmatic thinkers, is a more certain guide and standard for foreign policy.” It is in the interest of China and indeed most of its allies that the world backs its sovereignty claim and indeed have just One China. This is the sense of China’s claim.
China is desirous of a peaceful resolution of the dispute. That is, the split between the PRC and Taiwan, which is fast becoming a crisis as a result of the Chinese Civil War, should be resolved. As far as China is concerned and what it is entitled to, the breakaway province will eventually be part of the country, and it has not ruled out the use of force to achieve this, as earlier mentioned.
As such, given the historical trajectory and contemporary politics and diplomacy, the so-called complexity and controversial aspect of the dispute need not have arisen. Groundless and fearful geopolitics is to blame. This is because the US that is lending support to Taiwan, despite the Chinese interest, has not broken relationships with China but arms it. An example of this could be witnessed in the election that produced Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), a party vigorously championing Taiwanese “independence”, as the winner last week. His emergence pushed the island away from Beijing and the clamour for independence could trigger a war.
We need to realise that although the US sells weapons to Taiwan to defend itself against any invasion, it also partly respects the overwhelming prevailing consensus on upholding the One China Policy. This is one of the most contentious issues in China-US relations, with Beijing condemning any perceived support from Washington for Taipei. The visit to Taiwan by the former US Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2022, received an unprecedented show of force around Taiwan by China in retaliation. Beijing was also upset by US President Joe Biden’s comments in 2022 suggesting that the US would defend Taiwan if it was attacked. China’s military drills are an ongoing exercise in the Taiwan Strait, the sea that separates Taiwan from the Chinese mainland.
China is desirous of a peaceful resolution of the dispute. That is, the split between the PRC and Taiwan, which is fast becoming a crisis as a result of the Chinese Civil War. As far as China is concerned and what it is entitled to, the breakaway province will eventually be part of the country, and it has not ruled out the use of force to achieve this, as earlier mentioned. That is more reason why the great power competition with China can be approached through dialogue and cooperation, in order to avoid hegemonic tendencies that can lead to escalated conflict in the region. As nations strive to achieve national reunification, so does China.
Therefore, in making comments on China’s claim on Taiwan, we need to understand their shared distinct history, interests and the position of almost every country of the world to this, including the UN. For us here, “Nigeria opposes any separatist activities aimed at ‘Taiwan’s independence’ and foreign interference in internal affairs of other states and fully supports China’s strive in achieving peaceful reunification.” The enormous scale of the crisis over Taiwan in the past couples of years has put the responsibility on the international community to intervene and support China. Pretending the problem is not there will only make it worse. To address China’s concern on reunification and ensure global peace and security, the core principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty of China must be respected by all countries.
Olalekan A. Babatunde, a fellow at the Nigeria’s Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Abuja and writes via: austinebabatunde@yahoo.com
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