Taiwan

[Jess]

most Chinese people (including my mom) view Taiwan as a part of China, but others (including me) view Taiwan as an independent nation


So what do you think? Is Taiwan a part of China or an independent nation? I reckon most of you would say the latter.

My mom says it's a part of China because of its history and all that, and people there speak Chinese just like in China

[Amnesiac]

Taiwan is an independent nation, it should be recognized as so. It's "the original China", before the Communist Party took over in the 1940s and 1950s.

It was recognized as the official China until the 1970s, when it lost that title to the People's Republic of China.

[ericboi]

It's the same country. They have the same culture, religion, language, and traditions. N and S Korea is the only other example I can think of. They used to be one country and probably will be again some day. They were divided by outside people after WW2.

[scuba steve]

It's the same country and is recognised as the seat holder for China in the U.N as the Republic of China, rather than it's mainland couterpart the Peoples Republic of China. The Republic of China is the origional government before the Peoples Republic took power.

[ericboi]

It's the same country and is recognised as the seat holder for China in the U.N as the Republic of China, rather than it's mainland couterpart the Peoples Republic of China. The Republic of China is the origional government before the Peoples Republic took power.

That was true up until 1971 ---

On October 25, 1971, Resolution 2758 was passed by the General Assembly, withdrawing recognition of the ROC as the legitimate government of China, and recognizing the PRC as the sole legitimate government of China. PRC received support from two-thirds of all United Nations' members including approval by the Security Council members excluding the ROC.

[Amnesiac]

It's the same country. They have the same culture, religion, language, and traditions. N and S Korea is the only other example I can think of. They used to be one country and probably will be again some day. They were divided by outside people after WW2.

They're not necessaries the SAME. Taiwan has a democratically-elected government and respects human rights standards. China does not, being a Communist one-party nation with a habit of oppressing its people.

Taiwan has a much more compressed economy and higher standards of living. At first they were the same, but now they're two roughly similar yet seemingly independent nations.

[ericboi]

They're not necessaries the SAME. Taiwan has a democratically-elected government and respects human rights standards. China does not, being a Communist one-party nation with a habit of oppressing its people.

Taiwan has a much more compressed economy and higher standards of living. At first they were the same, but now they're two roughly similar yet seemingly independent nations.

The key word in your reply is the last one, NATION(s). A nation is an entity comprised of people who have a certain sameness usually due to their common geography besides all the other ethnic and cultural factors I mentioned before. Economics and politics are transient things that don't matter much over the centuries when we're considering what makes a people a people and different from others on the planet. 60 years of self rule on Taiwan is a drop in the bucket compared to 5000 years of common Chinese civilization. ;)

[Sith Lord 13]

The key word in your reply is the last one, NATION(s). A nation is an entity comprised of people who have a certain sameness usually due to their common geography besides all the other ethnic and cultural factors I mentioned before. Economics and politics are transient things that don't matter much over the centuries when we're considering what makes a people a people and different from others on the planet. 60 years of self rule on Taiwan is a drop in the bucket compared to 5000 years of common Chinese civilization. ;)

So then the US is still a part of the UK?
It's a matter of declared independence and international recognition. Taiwan has declared its independence from mainland China, and has embassies in major countries around the world. Ergo, it's a separate nation.

[scuba steve]

So then the US is still a part of the UK?
It's a matter of declared independence and international recognition. Taiwan has declared its independence from mainland China, and has embassies in major countries around the world. Ergo, it's a separate nation.

Well you where offered a place in the Commonwealth? :P
Anyway, mainland China as far as i know has been beating down on Hong Kong and Taiwan's door for a very long time now, because they appear to democratic, even if they where to be officially independant how long would it be before China where to invade because of all the money they're bringing in and the West being very unhappy.

[Sith Lord 13]

how long would it be before China where to invade because of all the money they're bringing in and the West being very unhappy.

They won't invade. It'd spark a war. Quite possibly WW III. Taiwan is too important to the west.

[scuba steve]

I know very well that it would more or less spark world war III but it has been the most likely Chaos theory for the past few decades now.

[ericboi]

So then the US is still a part of the UK?
It's a matter of declared independence and international recognition. Taiwan has declared its independence from mainland China, and has embassies in major countries around the world. Ergo, it's a separate nation.

Sorry, in the case of Taiwan there are only a few countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations. Likewise, since there aren’t very many ROC embassies in the world, Taiwan’s government gets around this by maintaining a number of ‘nongovernmental offices’ in many countries. :yes:

[Continuum]

They won't invade. It'd spark a war. Quite possibly WW III. Taiwan is too important to the west.

But still, who would be stubborn enough to claim Taiwan, suppress Tibet and piss off the west in history, I say it's possible. If they're crazy enough :D

Politically, they are separate entities. The present government of Taiwan today is the result of republicans being overrun by communists and forced to flee to the tiny island named Formosa around the WWII time period. Darn zerg swarming >.>

While Culturally, they are basically the same; so it applies to both of them. You choose :D


I know very well that it would more or less spark world war III but it has been the most likely Chaos theory for the past few decades now.

Who you gonna call? The allies of course. :P

[Amnesiac]

The key word in your reply is the last one, NATION(s). A nation is an entity comprised of people who have a certain sameness usually due to their common geography besides all the other ethnic and cultural factors I mentioned before. Economics and politics are transient things that don't matter much over the centuries when we're considering what makes a people a people and different from others on the planet. 60 years of self rule on Taiwan is a drop in the bucket compared to 5000 years of common Chinese civilization. ;)

60 years may be "a drop in the bucket", but it makes a noticeable difference. Taiwanese people are less religious and wealthier than their fellow Chinese. They may share cultural similarities, but having one population living in a capitalist, open-minded, free-thinking society and another in a closed, oppressed, communist society is going to make a difference.