State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi was quoted on Monday stating: “Taiwan is a wanderer who will eventually come home, not a chess piece to be used by others. China must and will be reunified.” This announcement from one of China’s top officials confirms the party’s continuous plan to gain political control of the island of Taiwan, a desire felt for decades.
Currently, Taiwan is an independent nation; however, its freedom from China has been primarily protected by the United States. China has been angered by the Western control of what they believe is their land. In recent years, they have made threatening remarks similar to those made on Monday to express their displeasure with international involvement.
Historically, Taiwan has been a part of Chinese territory up until the emergence of the People’s Republic of China after WWII. The civil conflict between the growing People’s Republic Party and the Nationalist Party, in control of the governing of the Republic of China, resulted in Nationalist Party members fleeing to the island of Taiwan and the People’s Republic Party taking control of politics within the mainland. The PRC considers Taiwan a part of China’s territory, and therefore so is the population living on the island. Still, the people of Taiwan believe they are the actual governing power of the Chinese people. The United States allied themselves with the people of Taiwan during the Cold War in hopes to stop the spread of communist governing, still providing support today to protect their island from Chinese invasion.
China has expressed their displeasure with the international support from the United States to Taiwan numerous times, including this past Monday. Chinese officials would instead the United States end Taiwanese support and allow China to take back the territory they believe is theirs to rightfully govern. However, it is clear the people of Taiwan do not wish to be governed by the PRC.
Therefore, the United States government must aid in finding a peaceful resolution to the competing beliefs. With minimal support for Taiwan in the United Nations, with only over a dozen nations recognizing Taiwan as an independent country, the United States must work with PRC Chinese government officials to find a solution to the Taiwanese people’s desire for autonomy. Our nation is responsible for perpetuating the contentious divide between the people of China on the mainland and on Taiwan throughout the second half of the 20th century, so our nation is responsible for assisting in finding a peaceful solution.
