America’s ‘One China’ policy is a delusion

[TruthSeeker]

America’s ‘One China’ policy is a delusion we can no longer afford​

America’s ‘One China’ policy and Taiwan illustration by Linas Garsys / The Washington Times more >

COMMENTARY
By Rep. Tom Tiffany - - Wednesday, December 20, 2023
OPINION:
On New Year’s Day 1979, then-President Jimmy Carter severed formal U.S. ties with Taiwan and recognized the unelected Communist Party regime in Beijing as “the sole legal government of China.”

The following year, Ronald Reagan would defeat Mr. Carter in the election, ending his presidency and ushering in a new approach to American foreign policy that culminated in the implosion of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.

Yet more than four decades later, Mr. Carter’s foolish “One China” policy remains in place. It is little more than a decaying relic.

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Many things have changed in the years since. But one hasn’t residents of both political parties have continued to dutifully repeat the State Department’s robotic mantra that there is “One China and Taiwan is part of China.” It’s a dogma that is as dangerous as it is dishonest.

For starters, Taiwan has never been under the control of mainland China or part of its territory — not even for a single day. Taiwan elects its own leaders, administers its own territory, conducts its own diplomatic and trade relations, sets its own immigration rules, and maintains its own armed forces. All of these are the indisputable hallmarks of a sovereign state.

China’s bombastic claim that “Taiwan has always been an inalienable part of China” also collapses under even the most basic scrutiny. Taiwan has been separately governed since before the People’s Republic of China was established in 1949 — and for the half century preceding the end of World War II, it was actually part of Japan.

In many ways, the “One China” farce is reminiscent of the timeless Hans Christian Andersen tale “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” In that story, two charlatans posing as tailors charge a king exorbitant sums to weave him a fine suit using what they refer to as the “fabric of dreams.” This “fabric,” they claim, can only be seen by those who are competent and wise.

But of course there is no fabric, and there are no clothes. The story ends with the two swindlers pocketing untold riches and the king strolling through town in full view of his subjects “wearing” his nonexistent robe. Eventually, a boy in the crowd exposes the ruse by pointing out that the emperor is stark naked.

Like the king in Andersen’s fable, America’s decision to acknowledge the Chinese Communist Party’s bogus claims over Taiwan has led other leaders to follow suit and accept fiction as fact. Currently, only 13 countries recognize Taiwan (mostly poorer states in Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific). That’s roughly half the number that did in 1990. And like the U.S., many of those nations subsequently increased their economic exposure to China as well.

The results — much like the emperor’s birthday suit — are visible to everyone. In the West, this fealty to Beijing has led to debt traps, ballooning trade deficits, lost manufacturing jobs, a deadly fentanyl epidemic, and espionage on an industrial scale.

In China, it has fueled a menacing military buildup and baseless territorial claims, and enabled forced labor, human rights abuses and even genocide.
It’s a delusion the world can no longer afford.

The good news is that support is growing on Capitol Hill for a policy change, one that rejects the “One China” sham. In fact, 50 House lawmakers have already co-sponsored legislation calling for a reality-based framework that recognizes Taiwan for what it is: a free, democratic and independent country.

For too long, democracies around the globe have been pretending to see something that simply isn’t there. The United States should lead by example and end this tired charade.

• Tom Tiffany, a member of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, represents Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District in the House of Representatives.

America’s ‘One China’ policy is a delusion we can no longer afford

On New Year’s Day 1979, then-President Jimmy Carter severed formal U.S. ties with Taiwan and recognized the unelected Communist Party regime in Beijing as “the sole legal government of China.”

www.washingtontimes.com

 

[VCheng]

The United States should lead by example and end this tired charade.

Okay then, all at once or drag it out? The devil, as usual, remains in the details.

 

[TruthSeeker]

Okay then, all at once or drag it out? The devil, as usual, remains in the details.

Well, any change to a "two" China policy must be done with full appreciation of the affect on the Taiwanese people. Unfortuantely, in today's world it is probably impossible to have "secret" understandings and strategies with either American or Taiwanese politicians. That is, the CCP would always know what is afoot. Consequently, I think the Taiwanese have to lead any USA change to a two China policy. They have to decide how the USA can best support such a change and new pathway. AND they must be willing to pay for it in Taiwanese blood and treasure. If it means a steady, costly defense buildup on Taiwan, the Taiwanese have to pony up the money and young people to pay for it and implement it. If it means they have to use their economic power (their semiconductor prowess) to cement allies for the struggle ahead with the CCP, like India, Vietnam, the EU, etc., they have to do that as well. So, my bottom line is God (and the USA) should only help those who help themselves.

 

[Beijingwalker]

OPINION:
On New Year’s Day 1979, then-President Jimmy Carter severed formal U.S. ties with Taiwan and recognized the unelected Communist Party regime in Beijing as “the sole legal government of China.”

Lol, from the OP's first sentence shows how little the author knows about China and his "opinion".
Do you think KMT "regime" was elected into power in China?

 

[Beijingwalker]

Before PRC China experienced non stop, continuous civil wars for over 100 years, hundreds of millions perished from the incessant civil wars and the famines and other disasters caused by them.

Mao's biggest credit in the Chinese history wa bringing the end of the century long civil wars and reuniting the Chinese nation under one strong, centralised government, and showing the world what power an united China can deliver.

If China was united and provincial warlords were not fighting each other, Japan and western powers would have never had a chance to invade China, during anti Japanese war, some warlords aligned with Japan to gain advantage over other warlords.

Haters always wonder why the Chinese population revere Mao so much even today, cause they know very litte about China , what the Chinese people aspire to and what the Chinese nation had gone through in the recent century.

Chinese warlords spheres by influence and administration before PRC

 

[ety]

Yeah, US better sever any diplomatic relation with PRC and as might well declare to go to war with PRC to make Taiwan independent, a true legal vassal of US. Lol, present day Americans can always blame their gov previous policies now they dislike to be foolish, but, why didn't Americans say so in those days when the policies benefitted US ?

 

[Beijingwalker]

Well, any change to a "two" China policy must be done with full appreciation of the affect on the Taiwanese people. Unfortuantely, in today's world it is probably impossible to have "secret" understandings and strategies with either American or Taiwanese politicians. That is, the CCP would always know what is afoot. Consequently, I think the Taiwanese have to lead any USA change to a two China policy. They have to decide how the USA can best support such a change and new pathway. AND they must be willing to pay for it in Taiwanese blood and treasure. If it means a steady, costly defense buildup on Taiwan, the Taiwanese have to pony up the money and young people to pay for it and implement it. If it means they have to use their economic power (their semiconductor prowess) to cement allies for the struggle ahead with the CCP, like India, Vietnam, the EU, etc., they have to do that as well. So, my bottom line is God (and the USA) should only help those who help themselves.

Taiwan's official name is "Republic of China". Do you know the name of Taiwan's airline?

Can you tell the difference of China Airline and Air China?

 

[Beijingwalker]

American Civil War VS Chinese Civil War

 

[Beijingwalker]

Beijing Tsinghua university vs Taiwan Tsinghua university

Beijing Forbidden City vs Taiwan Forbidden city

"China Medical University"? It's not in mainland China, it's in Taiwan


He was the founding father of Republic of China ( Taiwan), which country he was from?

 

[Beijingwalker]

The Republic of China ( Taiwan)'s position on The South China Sea

 

[Beijingwalker]

The Republic of China ( Taiwan)'s law stipulates that a citizen of The People's Republic of China is automatically a citizen of The Republic of China. The People's Repulib of China has simlilar laws towards people from Taiwan.

 

[Beijingwalker]

yeah, you posted that about a million times on the old forum already.

right from the playbook, that one, isn't it ?

I only came to this forum for 2 days, and do you have arguments to prove me wrong and you know better about our Chinese history ? This thread is about China. You want we Chinese to shut up on China related threads?

 

[Beijingwalker]

I'm not name calling anyone

more than capable of

and it doesn't, but your spamming here is kind of cringe

there's travel brochures for your kind of threads, y'know ?

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also, this isn't exactly the kind of place potential holiday makers, vacation folk will look to

I can also call you a bot, it's an easy insult which involvoes no efforts made to porve. if this is not name calling, I don't know what is. If you keep doing this, I will show you how capable I m at it too.
This is not an Indian forum, if you believe any wrong with my posts, you can report them to the mods.

 

[Kingfisher]

I can also call you a bot, it's an easy insult which involvoes no efforts made to porve. if this is not name calling, I don't know what is. If you keep doing this, I will show you how capable I m at it too.
This is not an Indian forum, if you believe any wrong with my posts, you can report them to the mods.

I have no "problems"

whatsoever

with what you post

indeed, I am appreciative of many too.. its good to learn about China

my "problem", if one may even call it that, is that your purpose here is to do propaganda without real engagement of the sort we see between other people here.

I guess that's fine but, if this were more Pacific Korea-Japan-China etc oriented forum, you may well have.

Chinese civilization is very east Asian, very different from south Asian, let alone others such as Europe and the Americas or Africa.

Most of China is a very thin line of civilizational hubs along your east coast facing Japan.. your strategic calculus, then, too, most unsurprisingly, is oriented differently.

Anywho.. carry on, I'm a guest here too, on a short leash even :lol:

be nice to hear about real China sometime but, give us some spicy news too lol

 

[ety]

I have no "problems"

whatsoever

with what you post

indeed, I am appreciative of many too.. its good to learn about China

my "problem", if one may even call it that, is that your purpose here is to do propaganda without real engagement of the sort we see between other people here.

I guess that's fine but, if this were more Pacific Korea-Japan-China etc oriented forum, you may well have.

Chinese civilization is very east Asian, very different from south Asian, let alone others such as Europe and the Americas or Africa.

Most of China is a very thin line of civilizational hubs along your east coast facing Japan.. your strategic calculus, then, too, most unsurprisingly, is oriented differently.

Anywho.. carry on, I'm a guest here too, on a short leash even :lol:

be nice to hear about real China sometime but, give us some spicy news too lol

What you Indian's fuss with Chinese responding to posts concerning China, even they are not in the China and Far East section, lol, who do you think you Indians are ?