UK’s recognition of Taiwan, a perspective of political rebuilding HoonTing 20200605

以政治重建角度，看英國承認台灣之議

UK’s recognition of Taiwan, a perspective of political rebuilding    HoonTing 20200605

As measures encountering Chinese hawkish moves, the UK is considering providing Taiwan critical submarines components and technologies, sharing British diplomatic resources in South Pacific, and even recognizing Taiwan’s sovereignty “within just five years.”

 

Though the ideas are in its preliminary stage; however, the source revealed the policy shift “could change if China continues on its current trajectory.”  As the first western country that recognized the PRC the legitimate Chinese government, the leak from UK cabinet matters. 

 

The UK, as well as the member states of the Commonwealth such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and India; and the U.S., "the Principal Occupying Power" of "the Peace Treaty with Japan," both the major victories of the Pacific War hold a treaty obligation to determine the future of Taiwan, one of the territories separated from former Japanese Empire. 

 

We learn that UK holds strong viewpoints over the status of Taiwan in the wartime after reading historical documents, in which the famous one is that the UK did not recognize the “Cairo Press Communiqué” from the beginning. 

 

A formula raised by Canada in 1970 when it formalized with the PRC was another example.  In the formula, Canada "takes note of" PRC’s claim over Taiwan, but not "recognizes" its assertion.

 

The moves explain that the UK has deeply participated in the political rebuilding process of Taiwan since the end of the Pacific War.

 

On the one hand, the Allies have given the PRC opportunities twice to resolve the status of Taiwan.

 

Firstly, despite in breach of the Atlantic Charter and the Declaration of the United Nations, the U.S. proposed in the conference of Cairo to give China the power to rule Formosa and the Pescadores.

 

The members of the Allied did not add an opinion on the proposal at that time, except the UK.  The UK opposed it openly.

 

Not long, U.S. President Harry Truman suspended the proposal by making a statement to neutralize Taiwan Strait when the PRC waged war, known as the Korean War, against the UN.  The statement drew a temporary line on the Strait, keeping Taiwan and China from merging as one by force.

 

The international community tried it again in the 1970s: from reaching the UNGA Resolution 2758 in 1971 to the U.S.-China normalization in 1979. 

 

This time, the international community further encouraged Communist China to renounce its Party-State system, embracing true democracy, modernizing China, and then solving the issues of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao accordingly.  To do these, the international community transferred China advanced technologies, provided China special treatments in the WTO, and showed China the rules of democracy and international laws.

 

Frankly speaking, the status of Taiwan might have been solved if China followed the arrangements and honored them.  Yet, Beijing devours the system that benefits it.  Eventually, its consistent hawkish practices drain out the goodwill of the U.S., UK, among other states.

 

On the other hand, the status of Taiwan evolves during the last three decades, from a territorial country to a people’s nation, then is moving toward a political state.   A tacit recognition of Taiwan is underway amid the pandemic of Covid-19, which originated from Wuhan, China.

 

From President Lee Teng-hui visited Singapore in 1989 as “the President from Taiwan;” Lee’s visited the U.S. in 1995 raising “the Republic of China on Taiwan” in his famous speech “what the people of my country want and to be always guided by their wishes;” President Trump called Tsai Ying-wen “democratically elected Taiwan President” in 2016; to entitled “Taiwan President” when the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo congratulated Tsai’s re-election in 2020, the status of Taiwan is upgrading step-by-step. 

 

It should remind that the U.S. and UK are two major contributors to the Allies, the Pacific War, and the organizers of the post-war world institutions.  They possess the power to recognize Taiwan’s democratically elected government as the legitimate government of the state of Taiwan. 

 

Beijing has granted opportunities twice.  There will be no third time to waste.