Taiwan, China, and the Olympics Part II: More Half-baked Journalism
Part II of the Keating article posted April 29, 2007. This one contains a concise history of Taiwan for everyone's information:
Taiwan, China, and the Olympics Part II: More Half-baked Journalism
Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.
As China seeks to use the Olympic torch route to bolster its claim to possess and rule Taiwan, another typical one-sided, hackneyed phrase used by journalists appears. It joins the list of stock phrases that journalists are either ordered to use by their syndicates or are too lazy to seek the full detailed explanations behind them. Some past phrases are "Taiwan, which China considers a breakaway province." (Journalists never print what Taiwan considers China.) Or there is the old chestnut, "Taiwan, which has always been a part of China." (Hello, do you ever read history?). The current phrase (while not entirely new) states that "Taiwan and China have been ruled by separate governments since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949." This implies that Taiwan was always ruled by one and only one form of government before. It is time to clarify this half truth and set the record straight.
Taiwan has always been ruled by numerous separate governments throughout its history. From Taiwan's side of the Strait, here is a brief history of who has ruled Taiwan.
Before 1624, Taiwan was ruled by a variety of aboriginal tribes, each guarding their own territory and fighting with those on their borders. Other countries may have tried to claim Taiwan but having the island on one's maps, does not mean they ruled here.
From , small parts of Taiwan were ruled by the Dutch and the Spanish; the majority of Taiwan was still ruled by aboriginal tribes.
From , parts of Taiwan were controlled by the Ming loyalist Koxinga, Zheng Cheng-gong and his followers; the majority of Taiwan still was under control by the aborigines.
From 1681 to 1895, half of Taiwan was loosely controlled by the Manchu Qing government; the remaining half of Taiwan was still ruled by the aborigines. The French briefly controlled a small portion in 1885, but quickly left.
From 1895 to 1945, Taiwan was ruled by Japan following the Treaty of Shimonoseki. This was the first time all of Taiwan was controlled and ruled by any nation. The aborigines no longer controlled any part of the island.
In 1945, at the end of World War II Taiwan was turned over in trusteeship to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) of the Republic of China by the United States. Taiwan's status was not spelled out. The KMT under Chiang Kai-shek would control Taiwan by martial law and a police state until 1988.
In 1949, the Republic of China (ROC) under Chiang Kai-shek lost the civil war in China and his forces retreated to Taiwan taking advantage of the police state they held there. The People's Republic of China (PRC) was born and ruled China but not Taiwan; it has never ruled any part of Taiwan.
In 1952, the Treaty of San Francisco did not clarify matters. It stated that Japan must give up Taiwan but it did not say to whom. By the United Nations Charter, the people of Taiwan should have been given the choice of self-determination; they were not. The KMT's Republic of China, now on Taiwan, continued its martial law and police state.
In 1972 the United States muddied the waters and added to the ambiguity by introducing the innocuous phrase "one China" in the Shanghai Communiqué. By this it admitted that the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China each had their own interpretation of what was "one China." But it did not state what the USA's interpretation was, nor did it endorse either the PRC or the ROC position. The people of Taiwan were not consulted. (Those that want a more detailed explanation of this can consult my posting of August 10, 2006, "Taiwan, Lazy Journalists, and Unfinished Phrases").
At the end of 1991, all of the surviving members of the Republic of China's Legislative Yuan who had been elected in China in 1947 and had never had to face election again were forced to retire. The people of Taiwan now for the first time had the right to elect all members of the Legislative Yuan.
In 1996 the first ever election of the President of Taiwan by popular vote was held. Taiwan was no longer under the one party KMT state. It was completely ruled by the vote of the people. For the first time, the new separate government was that of the people of Taiwan. On the other side of the Strait in China, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) still ruled.
This brings us to the present and the half truth of journalists. Have China and Taiwan been ruled by separate governments since the end of the civil war? Taiwan has always been ruled by many separate governments from 1624 on. After 1949, Taiwan was first controlled by the KMT's one-party state; now it is ruled by its people in a democracy. China has been ruled by the same CCP since 1949.
The ambiguous status of democratic Taiwan from the Treaty of San Francisco remains ambiguous.
Other writings can be found at http://zen.sandiego.edu:8080/Jerome.
Taiwan, China, and the Olympics Part II: More Half-baked Journalism
Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.
As China seeks to use the Olympic torch route to bolster its claim to possess and rule Taiwan, another typical one-sided, hackneyed phrase used by journalists appears. It joins the list of stock phrases that journalists are either ordered to use by their syndicates or are too lazy to seek the full detailed explanations behind them. Some past phrases are "Taiwan, which China considers a breakaway province." (Journalists never print what Taiwan considers China.) Or there is the old chestnut, "Taiwan, which has always been a part of China." (Hello, do you ever read history?). The current phrase (while not entirely new) states that "Taiwan and China have been ruled by separate governments since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949." This implies that Taiwan was always ruled by one and only one form of government before. It is time to clarify this half truth and set the record straight.
Taiwan has always been ruled by numerous separate governments throughout its history. From Taiwan's side of the Strait, here is a brief history of who has ruled Taiwan.
Before 1624, Taiwan was ruled by a variety of aboriginal tribes, each guarding their own territory and fighting with those on their borders. Other countries may have tried to claim Taiwan but having the island on one's maps, does not mean they ruled here.
From , small parts of Taiwan were ruled by the Dutch and the Spanish; the majority of Taiwan was still ruled by aboriginal tribes.
From , parts of Taiwan were controlled by the Ming loyalist Koxinga, Zheng Cheng-gong and his followers; the majority of Taiwan still was under control by the aborigines.
From 1681 to 1895, half of Taiwan was loosely controlled by the Manchu Qing government; the remaining half of Taiwan was still ruled by the aborigines. The French briefly controlled a small portion in 1885, but quickly left.
From 1895 to 1945, Taiwan was ruled by Japan following the Treaty of Shimonoseki. This was the first time all of Taiwan was controlled and ruled by any nation. The aborigines no longer controlled any part of the island.
In 1945, at the end of World War II Taiwan was turned over in trusteeship to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) of the Republic of China by the United States. Taiwan's status was not spelled out. The KMT under Chiang Kai-shek would control Taiwan by martial law and a police state until 1988.
In 1949, the Republic of China (ROC) under Chiang Kai-shek lost the civil war in China and his forces retreated to Taiwan taking advantage of the police state they held there. The People's Republic of China (PRC) was born and ruled China but not Taiwan; it has never ruled any part of Taiwan.
In 1952, the Treaty of San Francisco did not clarify matters. It stated that Japan must give up Taiwan but it did not say to whom. By the United Nations Charter, the people of Taiwan should have been given the choice of self-determination; they were not. The KMT's Republic of China, now on Taiwan, continued its martial law and police state.
In 1972 the United States muddied the waters and added to the ambiguity by introducing the innocuous phrase "one China" in the Shanghai Communiqué. By this it admitted that the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China each had their own interpretation of what was "one China." But it did not state what the USA's interpretation was, nor did it endorse either the PRC or the ROC position. The people of Taiwan were not consulted. (Those that want a more detailed explanation of this can consult my posting of August 10, 2006, "Taiwan, Lazy Journalists, and Unfinished Phrases").
At the end of 1991, all of the surviving members of the Republic of China's Legislative Yuan who had been elected in China in 1947 and had never had to face election again were forced to retire. The people of Taiwan now for the first time had the right to elect all members of the Legislative Yuan.
In 1996 the first ever election of the President of Taiwan by popular vote was held. Taiwan was no longer under the one party KMT state. It was completely ruled by the vote of the people. For the first time, the new separate government was that of the people of Taiwan. On the other side of the Strait in China, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) still ruled.
This brings us to the present and the half truth of journalists. Have China and Taiwan been ruled by separate governments since the end of the civil war? Taiwan has always been ruled by many separate governments from 1624 on. After 1949, Taiwan was first controlled by the KMT's one-party state; now it is ruled by its people in a democracy. China has been ruled by the same CCP since 1949.
The ambiguous status of democratic Taiwan from the Treaty of San Francisco remains ambiguous.
Other writings can be found at http://zen.sandiego.edu:8080/Jerome.
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