Taiwan’s Giant Big Brother

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704648604575620023484722744.html

War Clouds over Taiwan, November 17, 2010, by J. Michael Cole

            Known formerly as Formosa, which means “beautiful island” in Portuguese, Taiwan has had anything but a beautiful national identity.  Imperialism, both political and economic, has scarred this paradise for centuries.  Recent events in 2010 suggest that the chess game for the Taiwanese territory is far from over.

            Taiwan is currently claimed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as a political state of their country, while Taiwan claims its own independent status.  Economically, China is especially interested in Taiwan for its recent transition into a financial powerhouse.  It has been called one of the Four Asian Tigers, along with Singapore, S. Korea, and Hong Kong, because of its quick industrialization and rapid technological growth.  Taiwan has weathered the global recession and remains tied economically with China through massive trade deals and investments.  Similar language and culture make the economic ties especially strong.  Taiwan also harbors many of the well-educated and wealthy Chinese who fled to the island when the communist PRC won the civil war on the Chinese mainland.

            WWII and the Chinese Civil War provide the stepping stones China uses as evidence that Taiwan is their territory.  The Japanese ceded Taiwan in 1945 at the end of WWII in accordance with their surrender, but Taiwan was never officially ceded to any nation in particular.  When Chiang Kai-shek fled to the island with his defeated ROC countrymen, they claimed the island was under the Republic of China umbrella and separate from the PRC.  Relations between the two countries have been extremely strained since that time, although the economic benefits of trade have dampened some of the independent spirit of Taiwan. 

For China, having Taiwan back in the fold would save the political “face” it feels it lost at the end of WWII with Japan.  The island of Taiwan also has strategic military importance as China expands its reach into the surrounding ocean.  The Taiwan Strait, which runs between China and Taiwan, is a major shipping route for oil and other cargo.  Taiwan, along with South Korea, is also the only piece of democracy which is flanked by communist China and its nuclear neighbor North Korea.  Taiwan has received military and economic aid from numerous countries, including the United States, to protect its democratic status. Unfortunately, as global funds dry up, China exerts more and more political pressure on the small country, including obvious military threats.

Tensions remain high in this area of the world, especially with nuclear capabilities in the hands of so many nations.  China’s aggressive, imperialistic actions toward “Formosa” are being watched carefully by the global community.