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United States' Role in the Conflict
Between China and Taiwan - The Cost of Freedom
by Courtney Bridges
9th Grade, Parkway Central High School, Chesterfields, Missouri
第一名 中派克衛高中九年級Courtney Bridges
相片說明：Courtney Bridges在台美人傳統週接受頒獎
A complex relationship between the island of Taiwan and mainland
China has existed for over fifty years. Because of the strategic
importance of these two territories, the United States must figure
out where it fits into this equation. While Taiwan was initially
an undisputed part of China, there is now disagreement on the
part of these three countries as to the issue of Taiwan's independence.
China regards Taiwan as a part of their domain. However, although
they have not formally declared it, the leaders of Taiwan believe
that they are an independent state. The United States, wanting
to maintain a working relationship with these two strategically
important territories, has taken a stand somewhere in the middle.
While the United States does not support Taiwanese independence
and believes Taiwan is part of China, they have agreed to provide
military aid to Taiwan against Chinese aggression. This aid has
been a source of conflict between China and the United States,
and China has put pressure on the United States to discontinue
military support of Taiwan. Despite this, and despite the fact
that the United States does not support Taiwan independence, the
U.S. should continue to provide Taiwan with military aid.
It is impossible to conclude whether the United States should
continue to support Taiwan without first exploring the history
between Taiwan and China. Taiwan was under the rule of the imperial
Chinese government from the mid 1660's to 1895 when it became
a colony of Japan (Taiwan 1) as a result of the Sino-Japanese
War (Gettings 1). In 1945, after the 1943 Cairo Agreement, Japan
was forced to return all of the territories it had colonized,
including Taiwan, to Chiang Kaishek's Chinese Nationalist government
(History of Taiwan 5). At this point, Chinese mainland colonists
moved in to Taiwan where they were ruled by the Kuomingtang (KMT),
China's nationalist forces. In 1947, the Taiwan people rebelled
against the Kuomingtang, but their rebellion failed. The KMT massacred
thousands of people and the day became known as the 2-28 Incident.
On the mainland in 1949, after twenty years of civil war, Chinese
Communists, led by Mao Zedong, took control of China and founded
the People's Republic of China (PRC). Chiang Kaishek, along with
his nationalist party and the KMT, were forced to flee to Taiwan.
Using force, they took control of Taiwan and imposed martial law
until 1987, calling Taiwan the Republic of China (ROC) (Gettings
1-6).
In 1949, the idea of one China (the idea that Taiwan is part
of China) and the "eventual reunification" (Gettings
1) of China and Taiwan, was put forth by Mao Zedong. For the next
fifty years, China's policy toward Taiwan was based on this idea.
Taiwan, on the other hand, claimed sovereignty over China. In
1988, the first Taiwan born President, Lee Ten-hui, took office.
The Democratic Progressive Party, which was in favor of an independent
Taiwan, lost in the national elections to the KMT in 1991. In
1996, Lee Ten-hui won the first free presidential election in
Taiwan. In 1999, Taiwan took one step closer to independence when
President Lee stated that Taiwan and China would deal with each
other on a "state to state" basis (Gettings 3). In the
year 2000, Taiwan elected its first pro-independence president
named Chen Shuibian , ending the fifty year reign of Nationalist
leaders. In 2002, President Shui-bian explained his plan for a
vote to be held on March 20 which proposed ordering China to withdraw
hundreds of missiles aimed at Taiwan. China ignored the referendum
and reinstated the one China policy, declaring they would never
view Taiwan as an independent state. In 2005, China passed an
anti-secession law, declaring that they can use force in order
to keep Taiwan from becoming independent (Gettings 1-6).
The United States played an important role in the history of
the conflict between Taiwan and China. After the Korean War began,
the United States promised to protect Taiwan from an attack by
China. They followed through with their promise in 1951
when they supplied Taiwan with military and economic aid. In 1954,
China attacked two islands, Quemoy and Matsu, which were held
by the Republic of China. Because of this, the United States signed
a Mutual Defense treaty with the Republic of China, agreeing to
protect Taiwan from future Chinese aggression. In 1971, the United
States formulated a two China policy (this supported granting
UN membership to the PRC while maintaining General Assembly membership
for Taiwan) in order to improve relations with China. In 1972,
President Nixon traveled to China and issued the Shanghai Communique,
which was a document to aid in normalizing relations between the
U.S. and China. Because of the United States' and the United Nations'
actions, other countries began to support the People's Republic
of China instead of the Republic of China. In 1978, the United
States announced that it would "terminate its diplomatic
relations with Taiwan on January 1, 1979" (Gettings 2). In
1979, the United States established the Taiwan Relations Act.
This act allowed for a nongovernmental establishment, named the
American Institute in Taiwan, to attend to Chinese aggression
towards Taiwan and to provide them with the military means to
defend themselves. In the same year, China conducted military
exercises near Taiwan, causing the United States to send in the
naval fleet to protect them. In 1998, President Clinton traveled
to China and introduced the three no's policy. This policy stated
"no two Chinas, no independence for Taiwan, and no membership
for Taiwan in international organizations that require statehood
for membership" (Gettings 3). In April of 2000, the relationship
between the United States and China suffered when President Bush
approved the largest arms sale to Taiwan in ten years. In 2002,
President Shui-bian proposed the referendum regarding forcing
China to withdraw missiles aimed at Taiwan. President Bush disliked
the stance Taiwan took with China and reprimanded them, urging
them to discard the referendum. Taiwan slightly gave in to President
Bush by toning down the referendum (Gettings 1-6). In April of
2005, the United States declared that it " [... ] remains
committed to its longstanding one China policy, [. . .] does not
support Taiwan independence, opposes unilateral changes by either
side, [... ] and abides by our commitments under the joint communiques
and the Taiwan Relations Act" (China's Anti-Secession Law
1).
Given the historical context, there are many reasons for the
United States to continue to provide Taiwan with military aid.
One of the most important of these is China's recent acts of aggression
against Taiwan. Although they have been there for quite some time,
China has hundreds of missiles aimed at Taiwan (McClanahan 1),
and in the past year they have conducted a simulated invasion
of Taiwan (Feder, The UN 2). Then, in March, 2005, an anti -secession
law was passed by China stating "The state shall employ non-peaceful
means and other necessary measures to protect China's sovereignty
and territorial integrity" (Gettings 6). This was a clear
message to Taiwan that they will react with military force if
Taiwan tries to achieve independence. The United States reaction
to these events should be to continue to provide Taiwan with military
aid if for no other reason than to live up to the 1979 Taiwan
Relations Act. If that is not reason enough, the United States
has a lot to lose if Taiwan is not protected from a takeover by
China. The spread of democracy is a United States' goal and policy.
Taiwan is working toward a democratic government with a president
who is in favor of constitutional reform, (Yeun 2) while communist
China both opposes and works to stop the spread of democracy (Dillon
1). If the U.S. does not step in at this point and provide Taiwan
with military aid, it is possible that China could defeat Taiwan,
and the United States would lose their ally to communism. Furthermore,
the U.S. needs to stand behind Taiwan in order to keep democracy
alive in that region.
Another reason to continue military support of Taiwan is their
stand on human rights. Taiwan is a democracy, and Freedom House
rates it as the second freest Asian nation (Feder, The UN 2).
They have a free economy, allow political protest, and have a
free press and elections (Feder, Barring Taiwan 1). China, on
the other hand, is a totalitarian state with a censored press
(Feder, The UN 2) which does not hold free elections or allow
dissent (Feder, Barring Taiwan 2). The U.S. State Department reported
that "China suppresses political, social, and religious groups
and individuals" (Human Rights Report 1). Since the U.S.
is committed to improving human rights around the world (Human
Rights Report 1) it has an obligation to protect the human rights
of the people of Taiwan which would certainly be taken away from
them if they were under communist rule.
Since the U.S. military support of Taiwan continues to be a source
of tension between the U.S. and China, there is an argument to
be made for the U.S. to withdraw support from Taiwan and throw
their support to China instead. Although the argument
for supporting Taiwan is much stronger, this is still something
the United States should consider. Both the U.S. and China have
an interest in a stable Northeast Asia. North Korea, which claims
to have nuclear weapons, threatens this stability. Both the U.S.
and China have agreed to work toward the denuclearization of North
Korea (President Bush 1) to diffuse this very dangerous situation.
China has an influence over North Korea (one China Policy 4) that
the United States does not. It is important for the U.S. to have
a good working relationship with China so that the U.S. can put
pressure on China to persuade North Korea to get rid of its nuclear
weapons and keep the peace. The U.S. should also consider the
economic benefits of a better relationship with China. Even though
there is still a trade deficit between the U.S. and China, China
is now the fastest growing area for imports from the U.S. (Swiftly
Expanding 1). It is the United States' fifth largest export market
and it continues to increase at a rapid pace (Swiftly Expanding
3). In addition, China is now the third largest importer and the
third largest exporter in the world. This is something the U.S.
should consider when deciding the question of Taiwan support.
The United States should continue to provide military aid to
Taiwan against Chinese aggression. In other parts of the world,
the United States has declared that its policy is to spread democracy
and encourage free elections. From the beginning of the conflict
between communist China and Taiwan, the United States has promised
military support to Taiwan. The conflict between the two countries
gives the United States a clear cut choice between supporting
a democratic country with free elections (Taiwan) or a communist
country that could provide economic benefits to the U.S. (China).
U.S. support to Taiwan shows their friends and allies that they
will not choose possible economic benefits for themselves over
freedom and democracy for their friends.
The Disputed Nation: Taiwan
by Lawerewnce Lin
9th Grade, Parkway Central High School, Chesterfield, Missouri
第二名 中派克衛高中九年級林宇倫(Lawrence Lin)
相片說明：林宇倫與雙親林弘毅、金秀娟合影
The island of Taiwan was formed millions of years ago by shifting
landmasses and volcanic eruptions. These natural disasters formed
the now beautiful country of Taiwan, an island that resembles
half of a butterfly's wing. The island is small, less than 230
miles from north to south, yet has a vast array of landforms,
such as the mountain range that goes through the center of the
island. This mountain range, known as the Chungyang Shanmo, cuts
off most of the east coast of Taiwan from the west coast. While
the east side of the mountain range ends in steep cliffs leading
to the Pacific Ocean, the west side has many hills and plains.
On the west, many of the island's crops are grown, such as bananas,
rice, and oolong tea. Unlike Japan, the amount of rice grown in
Taiwan is enough to feed its population of about 22 million. Taipei,
the capital of Taiwan, is the most populated city in Taiwan with
a little more than 2 million people. The people of the island
have many different jobs, however, many of the products produced
in Taiwan are exported to countries all around the world, including
the United States. Nowadays, it is difficult, if not impossible,
to shop in a store and not come across a seal bearing the words
"Made in Taiwan". Taiwan, the Republic of China, is
an island full of rich culture and remarkable history.
There are many different ethnic groups in Taiwan, however none
are really actual Taiwanese people. Many of these people are Han
Chinese, which makes up about 98 percent of the population of
Taiwan (1). Han Chinese also makes up 98 percent of the population
on Mainland China (1). The Han Chinese originated in the river
valleys in the ancient times of central China and, over the centuries,
spread throughout China (1). Intermarriage between the Han Chinese
and other ethnic groups in Asia have led to physical differences
which can be seen in the Taiwanese population. The Han Chinese
population of Taiwan is broken down into 2 main groups, the Bensheng
Ren and the Waisheng Ren. The Bensheng Ren are considered to be
native Taiwanese, due to their early arrival date in Taiwan around
1000 A.D. (1). The earliest arrivals of the Bensheng Ren were
sailors from the Fujian Province in China, which is directly across
the Taiwan Strait from Taiwan. Although many Fujianese came to
settle in Taiwan, the island kept out of notice from the Chinese
emperors. More immigrants came to Taiwan to escape the economic
hardship in China, much like the European settlers who sailed
to the Americas who wanted freedom from their government. Today,
the Bensheng Ren make up about 84 percent of the Taiwanese population
and 70 percent of the Bensheng Ren are Fujianese (1). The other
14 percent of the Han people are known as the Waisheng Ren. These
are the more recent settlers of Taiwan, who came in a wave of
about 1.5 million in 1949, due to the Communist overthrow of the
Nationalist government in China (4). The Nationalist who arrived
in Taiwan quickly took control of the island with their leader,
Chiang Kai-shek, who said that the Republic of China was not only
the government of Taiwan, but also the rightful government of
China. Today, the number of Waisheng Ren is decreasing because
of new restrictions on immigration from the Peoples' Republic
of China to Taiwan, however they still remain a powerful political
force. The other 2 percent of the Taiwanese population are the
aborigines, who are not native to Taiwan either (2). They were
the earliest to arrive on the island of Taiwan and most likely
originated in Indonesia or Malaysia. There are 10 aboriginal groups
recognized by the Taiwanese government today, however there are
3 tribes that make up 85 percent of the aboriginal population:
the Atayal, the Ami, and the Paiwan (1). There are very few aboriginal
people today because when the Han Chinese came to Taiwan, they
forced the tribes into the mountains. The present-day government
of Taiwan has tried to retain the aborigines by setting up laws
so that they may preserve their cultures.
Essential parts of Taiwanese culture are the many different
holidays. Different holidays are held on different calendars;
some on the solar calendar dates and some are held on the lunar
calendar dates. February 28th of the solar calendar is 2/28 day,
which is a memorial for the 20,000 Taiwanese who were massacred
by Chiang Kai-sheks' Nationalist soldiers in 1947 (1). March 29th
is celebrated in Taiwan as Youth Day on the solar calendar. April
5th is known as Tomb Sweeping Day, in which Taiwanese people tend
to graves, burn money for the dead, and celebrate their ancestors
(1). September 28th is Teachers' Day, which also happens to be
the birthday of Confucius, is a day where teachers are commemorated.
October 10th, which is sometimes called Double Ten Day, celebrates
the overthrow of the Manchu dynasty in 1911 (1). October 25th
is Retrocession Day, which honors the day when Taiwan was released
from Japanese rule (1). The Dragon Boat Festival is held on the
fifth day of the fifth moon and is a holiday in which boats in
the shape of dragons are raced. Mid-Autumn Festival (more commonly
known as the Moon Festival) is on the fifteenth day of the eighth
moon. People enjoy tea with moon cakes, which are sometimes filled
with red bean paste. Chinese New Year, which may be the most important
holiday to Taiwanese and Chinese alike, is a holiday of the Lunar
Calendar. It starts on the first day of the first moon and continues
for 15 days. During this 15-day period, Lion and Dragon dances
are held throughout the streets, firecrackers are set off, and
homes are decorated with the lucky color, red. Chinese New Year
ends with the Lantern Festival, on the first full moon of the
lunar calendar. The settlers from China brought many of these
customs to Taiwan. Although many Taiwanese believe China to be
home, a push for Taiwanese independence has caused many problems
to arise.
An independent Taiwan could be very beneficial or could cause
disastrous events to occur. In 1949, the civil war in China ends
with the Communist as the victors (3). The Nationalists, led by
Chiang Kai-shek, took shelter on the island of Taiwan. Mao Zedong
became the leader of the Peoples' Republic of China and unleashed
the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution upon China, which destroyed
much of the Chinese culture and its beliefs (1). The Nationalists
disapproved of this destruction, so they have tried to keep the
Chinese culture alive in Taiwan. Today, they are politically Taiwanese,
but culturally Chinese (1). The Mainland Chinese believe that
Taiwan is a province of China, and contrary to popular belief,
only about 50 percent of the Taiwanese people disagree. The first
major leap for independence came in 1988, when Lee Tung-hui became
president in place of Chiang Ching-kuo, Chiang Kai-shek's son.
Lee Tung-hui continued Chiang Ching-kuo's democratization of Taiwan
and, in 1996, he was reelected directly by the people of Taiwan
(4). Given the title "Mr. Democracy", Lee Tung-hui has
provoked China's government many times and by doing so, China
has gone out of it way to conduct missile tests over the Taiwan
Strait (1). However, today, if China tried to fight a war against
Taiwan, or take it over by force, there would be no certain conclusion.
The Taiwanese air force is superior to China's air force, and
a Chinese invasion force would be left to the mercy of Taiwanese
fighters and bombers overhead (1). A push for an independent Taiwan,
recognized by nations around the world may succeed. In March 2000,
Chen Shui-bien won the presidential election and ended more than
50 years of Nationalist control of the government. With the Democratic
Progressive Party in power of the government today, a war between
China and Taiwan seems to be imminent. However, Chen has lessened
his campaign on Taiwanese independence and, as a result, relations
with China have not become worse, yet China insists that Chen
sticks with the one China policy (1). The conflict between China
and Taiwan may always exist, however a solution may reveal itself
in the near future.
Taiwan is an island of many wonders. I have visited it a total
of 4 times myself. Every time I go back to visit my relatives
I see new things that amaze me, things such as the landscape,
the beaches, and the vibrant nightlife. I enjoy walking through
the night-markets just to take in all of the different sights,
sounds, and smells one can find in Taiwan's nightlife. I have
also been privileged to travel through the Taroko Gorge in Taroko
National Park. I consider it to be the most astounding landform
in all of Taiwan simply because of it natural, earthly beauty.
Taiwan is truly a magnificent island. Although the Taiwanese people
may not actually be Taiwanese, they will be Taiwanese at heart,
and one day, China and Taiwan may be reunited once again. I believe
that in order for Taiwan to be joined with China, China would
need to return to a democratic form of government, because if
Taiwan were to join a Communist country I do not think that such
a thing would be acceptable. This would allow both Chinese and
Taiwanese to work as one nation, as they did 50 years ago, before
Mao Zedong and before a corrupted government came into power.
A peaceful Chinese state governed by its own people may at some
point become reality and this long, dreadful conflict may finally
be resolved.
Works Cited
1. Green, Robert. Taiwan. Lucent Books, Inc. 2001.
2. Kim, Vivien. Insight Guide Taiwan. Apa Publications GmbH &
Co. 2001
3. Stuckey, Sterling. Call to Freedom. Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
2001
4. Wan, Vanessa. Welcome to Taiwan. Gareth Stevens Publishing.
2005
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