FOREIGN RELATION OF TAIWAN

FOREIGN RELATION OF TAIWAN

The foreign relations of Taiwan, constitutionally and

officially the Republic of China (ROC), are the relations

between the Republic of China and other countries. The

Republic of China is recognized by 21 United Nations

member states, as well as by the Holy See. ROC maintains

diplomatic relations with those countries, as well as

unofficial relations with other countries via its

representative offices and consulates.

INTERNATIONAL DISPUTES

International Disputes The 1970s saw a switch in diplomatic recognition from the ROC to the PRC, with countries like the United States, Japan, and Canada making the switch during that decade. In October 1971, Resolution 2758 was passed by the UN General Assembly, expelling "the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek" and transferred China's seat on the Security Council to the PRC. The resolution declared that "the representatives of the Government of the People's Republic of China are the only lawful representatives of China to the United Nations."Many attempts by the ROC to rejoin the UN, in recent years, have not made it past committee, under fierce opposition and threatened vetoes by the PRC

 Attempts under President Chen Shui-bian attempted the argument that Resolution 2758, replacing the ROC with the PRC in 1971, only addressed the question of who should have China's seat in the UN, rather than whether an additional seat for the Taiwan Area can be created to represent the 23 million people on Taiwan and other islands. The argument, however, has not been accepted by the UN. On less official terms, Taiwan is involved in a complex dispute for control over the Spratly Islands with China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; and over the Paracel Islands, occupied by China, but claimed by Vietnam and by Taiwan. Taiwan claims the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands, which are called the Diaoyu Islands in Taiwan and China

Number of countries recognizing ROC and

PRCYear Recognition of ROC Recognition of PRC

1969 71 48

1971 68 53

1973 31 89

1978 21 112

1986 23 134

1990 28 139

2012 23 172

2013 22 172

CROSS-STRAIT RELATION

Cross-strait Relations Cross-Strait relations refer to the relations between the following two political entities, which are separated by the Taiwan Strait in the west Pacific Ocean: The People's Republic of China, abbreviated as PRC, commonly known as China or mainland China, and the Republic of China, abbreviated as ROC, commonly known as Taiwan. In 1949, with the Chinese Civil War turning decisively in the Communists' (CPC) favor, the ROC government led by the Kuomintang (KMT) retreated to Taipei, in Taiwan, while the CPC proclaimed the PRC government in Beijing. Since then, the relations between China and Taiwan have been characterized by limited contact, tensions, and instability. In the early years, military conflicts continued, while diplomatically both governments competed to be the "legitimate government of China". More recently, questions around the political and legal status of Taiwan have focused on the alternative prospects of political unification with China or full Taiwanese independence. The People's Republic remains hostile to any

formal declaration of independence and maintains its claim over Taiwan. At the same time, non-governmental and semi-governmental exchanges between the two sides have been increasing. From 2008, negotiations began to restore the "three links" (transportation, commerce, and communications) between the two sides, cut off since 1949. Party-to-party talks between the CPC and the KMT have resumed and semi-official negotiations through organizations representing the interests of their respective governments are being scheduled. PRC through CPC basically affirms the granting of Taiwanese autonomy in its “One Country, Two Systems” Policy in the event of Mainland-Taiwan reunification in the future

STATE COMPARISONName People’s republic of

chinaRepublic of (Taiwan)

Area 9,706,961 km(3,747,879 sq mi)

36,193 km(13,974 sq mi

Population 1,350,695,000 (2013) 23,373,517 (2014)

Population 139.6/km (363.3/sq mi) 644/km(1664/sq mi)

Capital Beijing Taipei

Largest Shanghai (23,019,148) New Taipei city(3,935,072

Government

Unitary single-party socialist republic

Unitary sime presidential constitutional republic

State leaders

President Xi jingping-Premeir Li keqiang

President Ma Ying-jeouPremeir Jiang Yi-huah

Official languages

Mandarin (Putonghua)

Mandarin (Guoyu)

Official script Simplified Chinese characters

Traditional Chinese characters

GDP (nominal) $9,325,300(millions of USD)

$473,971(millions of USD)

GDP (PPP) $12,383,000(millions of USD)

$903,469(millions of USD)

GDP (nominal per capita

$10,253 $38,749

GDP (PPP)coefficients

47.4 (high) 34.2 (medium)

Human development Index

0.699 (medium) 0.882 (very high)

Foreign exchange reserveMilitary expenditures -% of GDP

3,341,000 (millions of USD)$106.4 billion (2012)-2.1%(2012)

406,062 (millions of USD)$8.888 billion (2013)-2.3% (2012)

ONE CHINA POLICY

The One-China policy (simplified Chinese: 一个中国政策; traditional Chinese: 一個中國政策 ; pinyin: yī gè Zhōngguó zhèngcè) refers to the policy or view that there is only one state called "China", despite the existence of two governments that claim to be "China". As a policy, this means that countries seeking diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC) must break official relations with the Republic of China (ROC) and vice versa. Hence, all the countries recognizing the ROC recognize it as the sole legitimate representative of all of China and not just the island of Taiwan and other islands which it controls. Similarly, all states that recognize the PRC either recognise the PRC as the legitimate representative of Taiwan or acknowledge the PRC's views on the matter

ONE CHINA PRINCIPLE

The One China policy is also different from the "One China" principle (一個中國原則/一个中国原则), which is the principle that insists both Taiwan and

mainland China are inalienable parts of a single "China". A modified form of the "One China" principle known as the 1992 Consensus is the current policy of both the PRC and ROC governments. Under this consensus, both governments agree that there is only one sovereign state encompassing both mainland China and Taiwan, but disagree about which of the two governments is the legitimate government of this state

Legal Positions on the Political Status of TaiwanPeople's Republic of China (PRC) Preamble of the Constitution: "Taiwan is part of the sacred territory of the People's Republic of China. It is the lofty duty of the entire Chinese people, including our compatriots in Taiwan, to accomplish the great task of reunifying the motherland." Anti-Secession Law: Article 2: There is only one China in the world. Both the mainland and Taiwan belong to one China. China's sovereignty and territorial integrity brook no division. Safeguarding China's sovereignty and territorial integrity is the common obligation of all Chinese people, the Taiwan compatriots included. Taiwan is part of China. The state shall never allow the "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces to make Taiwan secede from China under any name or by any means.

Article 5: Upholding the principle of one China is the basis of peaceful reunification of the country. To reunify the country through peaceful means best serves the fundamental interests of the compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits. The state shall do its utmost with maximum sincerity to achieve a peaceful reunification. After the country is reunified peacefully, Taiwan may practice systems different from those on the mainland and enjoy a high degree of autonomy.

Republic of China (ROC) Article 4 of the Constitution: "The territory of the Republic of China according to its existing national boundaries shall not be altered except by resolution of the National Assembly." (Effective 1948 to 2000.)

POSITION OF THE UNITED STATES

Position of the United States The position of the United States, as clarified in the China/Taiwan: Evolution of the "One China" Policy report of the Congressional Research Service (date: July 9, 2007) is summed up in five points: The United States did not explicitly state the sovereign status of Taiwan in the three US-PRC Joint Communiqués of 1972, 1979, and 1982. 1.The United States "acknowledged" the "One China" position of both sides of the Taiwan Strait. 2.US policy has not recognized the PRC's sovereignty over Taiwan; 3.US policy has not recognized Taiwan as a sovereign country; and 4.US policy has considered Taiwan's status as undetermined. U.S. policy has considered Taiwan’s status as unsettled.