Taiwan is not part of China

Taiwan is not part of China.

President-elect Donald Trump’s statement that the One-China policy is up for negotiations, I believe, has reasonable ground in United States policy toward China. Let’s review the time line more carefully:

(a)  In the February 28, 1972 Shanghai Communique (the first Shanghai Communique), the United States acknowledged that all Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait maintained there was but one China and that Taiwan was a part of China.

(b)  On January 1, 1979 the United States, in officially establishing diplomatic relations with the PRC by the joint communique (the second Shanghai Communique), declared that it “recognizes the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China.” With it, the United States de-recognized the ROC by severing any official dealings with it.

Nevertheless, it is important to bear in mind that US recognition of the PRC as “the sole legal government of China” is one thing and the question whether Taiwan is part of China is an entirely separate matter. The second Shanghai Communique itself left the question ambiguous, if not open. The United States merely acknowledged “the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China.” One must ask, what is the US position, then? A US position will change, so will other countries. Remember the United States, after having refused to recognize the PRC for 30 years, suddenly changed its policy. It may be possible for the United States to say that its position is that Taiwan is not part of China!