Jakarta, IDM – Brothers with Different Views The conflict between China and Taiwan stems from conflicting views in which China does not recognize Taiwan’s government, and insists there is only “one China”. Tension came to a head when Xi Jinping again promoted efforts to reunify Taiwan through the “one country, two systems” formula, much like the Hong Kong model. On the contrary, Taiwan sees itself as distinct from the Chinese mainland, with its own constitution and a vibrant multi-party democracy where the people elect their own leaders.
Taiwan, with a population of more than 20 million, has been a self-governed island since 1949. It became a Japanese colony in 1895 after the Qing empire lost the first Sino-Japanese war. Then in 1945, after Japan lost World War Two, China took the island. However, due to ideological differences, a civil war broke out between the Communist Party led by Mao Zedong and the Nationalist Kuomintang Party led by Chiang Kai-shek.
The Communist Party emerged a victor and went on to found the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. Meanwhile, Chiang Kai-shek’s government and army retreated to Taiwan and ruled the island under the official name of the Republic of China (ROC).
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After the civil war, both the ROC and PRC claimed to be the sole legitimate government of China and its people. PRC strove to gain international legitimacy through diplomatic relations. Gradually, these efforts began to bear fruit with the issuance of Resolution 2758 by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 1971 which recognized the PRC as the only legitimate representative of China to the UN and removed the representatives of ROC from the international organization.
China’s firm stance in dealing with Taiwan has also been repeatedly seen through the various statements issued by its officials. For example, China condemned Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, who in an interview with CNN Indonesia TV on Wednesday (10/1) bluntly said: “Look at the fact that Taiwan is already a de facto independent country. We are in the middle of presidential election and we are also in the middle of parliamentary election. And we also have the military and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Taiwan is by itself. Taiwan is not part of the PRC. Taiwan cannot be any part of the PRC.”
In response, spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia via its official website on Thursday (11/1) issued a strongly-worded statement: “The Chinese Embassy in Indonesia
firmly opposes the remarks by Wu Zhaoxie (Joseph Wu), head of Taiwan’s foreign affairs department, in an interview with CNN Indonesia on 10 January, which disseminated ‘Taiwan
independence’ and separatist rhetoric, provoked regional tension and undermined China’s friendly relations with other countries. First, 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.”
In recent decades, China has vowed to pursue unification with Taiwan, by force if necessary. Even though it has always reiterated a call for “peaceful reunification,” in reality under President Xi Jinping the country has often taken a more aggressive stance against Taiwan, which he views as a renegade province. China reportedly often deployed its aircraft and ships around the island. This phenomenon has also given rise to speculation regarding the possibility of reunification and the impact on cross-strait relations.
Will Chinese reunification eventually become a reality?
Under Xi Jinping administration, China ratcheted up existing pressure tactics to shape the Taiwanese public opinion that the best option is for the island to reunite with China. To achieve this objective, China has increased the frequency and scale of its military patrols around the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan’s National Security Bureau director-general Tsai Ming-yen was quoted by Reuters (11/3) as saying that China regularly deploys around 10 fighter jest and 3-4 warships ships every week around Taiwan.
However, according to Yohanes Sulaiman, an international affairs expert and lecturer at Jenderal Achmad Yani University, the coercive strategy adopted by Xi Jinping will only spark backlash, making the reunification dream even more distant. “The more aggressive China becomes, the stronger the backlash from Taiwan will be,” he noted.
Even though China’s political elite supports reunification, Taiwan continues to reject the notion and remains adamant about maintaining its autonomy due to ideological differences between the two. Moreover, the majority of Taiwanese people, especially the younger generation, see themselves as primarily Taiwanese rather than Chinese.
Based on a survey conducted in June 2023 by National Chengchi University titled “Changes in the Taiwanese/ Chinese Identity of Taiwanese”, 61.7 percent of those surveyed identified themselves only as Taiwanese, down from 63.3 percent in 2022. By contrast, the percentage of Taiwanese identifying as only Chinese reached a new low of 2.4 percent. Meanwhile, only 2.4 percent of Taiwanese respondents felt they were Chinese. Meanwhile, those identifying as both Taiwanese and Chinese had fallen from 46.4 percent in 1992 to 32 percent in 2023.
“China claims that Taiwan is part of its territory. But over time reunification has become increasingly difficult to realize. This means that there are more Taiwanese, especially the younger generation who no longer identify with China because they are too different.
Unlike their parents, they have never experienced living in China. They were born in Taiwan, and grew up in Taiwan,” said Yohanes.
Maintaining the status quo
Despite constant pressure from China, Yohanes is of the view Taiwan will not take drastic action with regard to its sovereign status. This is based on the statement by Taiwan’s president-elect
Lai Ching-te, who vowed to maintain the status quo that Taiwan is a de facto sovereign country. Lai also said he would consistently maintain open communication with China, especially in the form of unconditional dialogue, based on the principles of mutual trust and respect.
Lai Ching-te will be inaugurated as president on May 20. Yohanes predicts that the status quo will be maintained through increased cooperation between state and non-state actors, especially in the economic sector.
“Taiwan will maintain the status quo but the biggest problem is if it is subsequently deemed as the truth. China doesn’t want that because Xi Jinping is determined to reunite Taiwan with China. Then the opinion emerged that the more Taiwan becomes more independent, there is less chance for unification, except by force,” observed Yohanes. (Bunga Permata)