The People’s Liberation Army (EPL, the Chinese Army) reported this Saturday (02.26.2022) on the Chinese social network Weibo of the passage of the American destroyer USS Ralph Johnson across the Taiwan Strait.
The US ship transited the waters of the strait on Saturday and the PLA “dispatched troops to monitor its movements,” according to the spokesman for the Eastern Theater of Operations Command, Shi Yi.
The US action constitutes “an act of provocation” that tries to “support the Taiwan independence forces,” Shi said, adding that such gestures are “hypocritical and useless.” The official assured that Chinese troops remain “on high alert at all times” to protect China’s “sovereignty and security” and “regional stability.”
In November 2021, shortly after a virtual meeting between the presidents of China and the United States, Xi Jinping and Joe Biden, the American destroyer USS Milius it also crossed the Taiwan Strait in what the US command described as a “routine” operation, but which drew protests from China.
For its part, on February 24, nine Chinese military planes flew over what Taiwan considers its Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), detailed the island’s defense portfolio. According to Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense, Beijing sent almost 1,000 planes to what Taipei defines as its ADIZ in 2021, a figure that represents approximately triple the incursions registered in 2020, when the island began keeping a count of these.
China claims for itself the sovereignty of Taiwan, which it considers a rebellious province for whose reunification it has not ruled out the use of force. The island is one of the main sources of conflict between China and the United States, mainly because Washington is Taiwan’s main arms supplier and its main ally in the event of a war with Beijing.
ama (efe, afp, reuters)
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China and Taiwan: The best enemies?
Recapture vs. release
After the end of World War II, the Communist Party led by Mao Zedong waged a harsh war against his arch-rival Chiang Kai-shek, head of the Kuomintang (KMT). Chiang took refuge with his forces on the island of Taiwan. For some time, Taiwan was the center of propaganda. The Communist Party wanted to “liberate” the island, while the Kuomintang sought to “recapture the mainland.”
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China and Taiwan: The best enemies?
Letters to “compatriots”
In the 1950s, the Communist Party published four “Messages to Chinese Compatriots” in Taiwan, which are considered the basis of Beijing’s policy towards Taiwan. In these texts, China warns Taiwan of the inconvenience of collaborating with the US “imperialists”. Military clashes, basically artillery attacks, were still recorded in these years.
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China and Taiwan: The best enemies?
Beijing replaces Taiwan in the UN
In 1971, the United Nations General Assembly declared that the People’s Republic of China was the sole legal representative of China. With this decision, the Republic of China (Taiwan) was removed from all UN bodies. The frustration of Taiwanese Foreign Minister Chow Shu-kai (right) and his ambassador Liu Chieh is easy to see in this image.
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China and Taiwan: The best enemies?
new taiwanese politics
Beijing’s fifth and last “message” to Taiwan was published on January 1, 1979. The mainland, under the leadership of reformist Deng Xiaoping, ended military operations, announced the development of bilateral relations, and promised peaceful reunification. However, Beijing’s right to represent China internationally was not questioned.
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China and Taiwan: The best enemies?
The “one China” policy
The new orientation of Chinese policy towards Taiwan took place while Washington and Beijing moved closer. On January 1, 1979, the United States and China resumed diplomatic relations, with Washington – under the presidency of Jimmy Carter – recognizing Beijing as the only legitimate government in all of China. The US embassy in Taiwan was turned into a cultural institute.
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China and Taiwan: The best enemies?
“One China, Two Systems”
Even before meeting with Carter, Deng Xiaoping had already introduced the “one country, two systems” principle, which would allow Taiwan to maintain its social system even after eventual reunification. However, Taiwanese President Chiang Ching-Kuo did not acknowledge receipt. On the contrary, the 1987 formulated the principle of “the best system for one China”.
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China and Taiwan: The best enemies?
independence movement
In 1986, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Taiwan’s main opposition movement, was founded. In a conclave in 1991, the DPP approved a clause for independence, which stipulated that Taiwan was a sovereign country and not part of China.
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China and Taiwan: The best enemies?
“1992 consensus”
In unofficial talks in 1992 in Hong Kong, representatives of Taipei and Beijing reached a political agreement on the nature of their relations. Both sides agreed that there was only one China. However, they had different views of what “one China” means. A year later, chief negotiators Wang (left) and Koo met in Singapore.
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China and Taiwan: The best enemies?
bilateral relations
In an interview with DW in 1995, Taiwan’s first democratically elected president, KMT leader Lee Teng-hui, said that all relations across the Taiwan Strait should be “defined as relations between states; at best, as a special relationship between states”. This formulation came very close to being a declaration of independence.
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China and Taiwan: The best enemies?
“A state on each side”
The DPP won presidential elections for the first time in 2000, with Chen Shui-bian, a Taiwanese with no connections to China, implying that there was “one state on each side.” This meant that Taiwan had nothing more to do with China. In 2005, Beijing reacted with the Anti-Secession Law, which allows the use of military force in the event that Taiwan declares independence.
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China and Taiwan: The best enemies?
“One China, different interpretations”
After losing the elections in 2000, the KMT adopted a change in the wording of the “1992 Consensus” in the party’s charter, calling for the understanding that there is “one China, different interpretations.” The 1992 Consensus is still under discussion in Taiwan. The reason: the 1992 negotiators had no official position.
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China and Taiwan: The best enemies?
The Communist Party meets with the KMT
China adopted the “1992 Consensus” as the political basis for its relationship with Taiwan. At the first summit between the two sides since the communists took power in China, Hu Jintao (right) and Lian Zhan endorsed the “1992 Consensus” and the “one China” principle.
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China and Taiwan: The best enemies?
“The address is correct”
After the KMT’s Ma Ying-Jeou won the 2008 presidential election, the two sides continued to grow closer. In an interview with DW in 2009, Ma said that “the Taiwan Strait should be a place of peace and security. We are getting very close to that goal. Basically our direction is the right one.”
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China and Taiwan: The best enemies?
Quo vadis?
Since the 2016 elections, when President Tsai Ing-wen came to power, the independence movement has been gaining strength. Tsai questioned the existence of the 1992 Consensus, describing the biggest challenge to her country as “China’s attempt to interfere in Taiwan’s political and social development.”
