Taiwan : A country that faces discrimination in world at behest of China

The belligerent rise of china has made world to find solutions to contain it. And many have claimed they have found it: A democratic Taiwan. They claim that it is the antidote that can cure China's belligerence and contain it for the good of world. But, for that to happen first world needs to acknowledge Taiwan as country, The recognition which has been held from it by countries due to fear of retribution from China. Read on to learn more about Taiwan and decide for yourself what it can do? And does it deserve the recognition as an independent and sovereign nation.

Introduction : 

Taiwan is officially  known as the Republic of China (ROC). (China is known as People’s republic of China). It’s Neighbouring countries includes PRC or China to the northwest, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south. The main island of Taiwan has an area of 35,808 sq.km ( compare that with Maharastra's 3,07,713 Sq.Km and India's 32,87,263 Sq.Km.) with mountain ranges dominating the eastern two-thirds and plains in the western third, where its highly urbanised population is concentrated. Taipei is the capital as well as the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Other major cities include New Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Tainan and Taoyuan. Taiwan is among the most densely populated countries, and is the most populous country and largest economy that is not a member of the United Nations (UN). During the China originated corona pandemic, Taiwan’s 2.4 Crore people have seen fewer than 600 infections and only seven deaths. It’s the best example of handling pandemic by any national government.

History :  In 1895, military defeat forced China to cede Taiwan to Japan, however it reverted to Chinese control after World War II. Following the communist victory on the mainland in 1949, 2 million Nationalists fled to Taiwan and established a government using the 1947 constitution drawn up for all of China. 

Over the next five decades, the ruling authorities gradually democratized and incorporated the native population within its governing structure. Throughout this period, the island has prospered to become one of East Asia's economic "Tigers." The dominant political issue continues to be the relationship between Taiwan and China and the question of eventual reunification. 

Taiwan - U.S. Relationship : 

According to U.S. State Department, the United States and Taiwan enjoy a robust unofficial relationship. The 1979 U.S.-P.R.C. Joint Communique switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing. The United States does not support Taiwan independence, but 'the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act provides the legal basis for the unofficial relationship between the United States and Taiwan, and enshrines the U.S. commitment to assist Taiwan in maintaining its defensive capability'.

India Taiwan Relations: 

Like most countries, India doesn’t formally recognize Taiwan, with the two governments maintaining unofficial diplomatic missions in the form of representative offices. This is because, China’s Communist Party, which claims Taiwan as its territory despite having never ruled it.

In the September 2020, Indian government gave approval to firms including Taiwan’s Foxconn Technology Group, Wistron Corp and Pegatron Corp as he looks to attract investment worth more than Rs 10.5 lakh crore ($143 billion) for smartphone production over five years. Any formal talks with India would amount to a big win for Taiwan, which has struggled to begin trade negotiations with most major economies due to pressure from China. India and Taiwan in 2018 signed bilateral investment agreement. Trade between them grew 18% to $7.2 billion in 2019, according to India’s department of commerce. 

President Tsai Ing-wen’s administration has raised its profile in India in recent weeks after China issued a statement telling Indian media outlets not to refer to Taiwan as a country when reporting on its October 10 National Day celebrations. Twitter users in India lambasted China and its ambassador to New Delhi, Sun Weidong, while heaping praise on Taiwan and making the hashtag #TaiwanNationalDay go viral. 

“We have to think about the way for democracies, for like-minded countries, to work further together,” Taiwan foreign minister Joseph Wu said during an interview to Indian news channel. He also said “We have traditional good relations with the United States, with Japan, and we want to develop closer ties with India as well.” 

Tsai, who was voted into a second term in a January 2020 landslide, has sought to capitalize on the wave of interest in Taiwan among Indians online. On October 11, she thanked Indian Twitter users who had sent national day greetings. Two days later she went viral again, posting photos of her visiting the Taj Mahal.

Conclusion: 

The world facing the unruly and unpredictable belligerence of china, expects the small island country to stand upto CHINA, (which it already does btw). This is just like expecting someone else to fight for you! If world wants to be protected from china, it has to be done by themselves and when that happens they will be contributing to world peace! While this is happening, world needs to stand upto bullying of China and give wings to Taiwan by recognising it as legitimate, sovereign, independent country (which it rightfully deserves).

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