“US officials say UN Resolution 2758 twisted: sources. UNDER THE RADAR: Two US deputy assistant state secretaries visited Taiwan and met with foreign diplomats to discuss how to boost the nation’s international participation,” Taipei Times. Taiwan Republic 台灣国, geostrategery, and world history classrooms. Even though arguing over the textual meaning of UN resolutions is something that my students roll their eyes over, this is as important as weapons and troops because it goes to the heart of the American and Free world’s position on Taiwan Republic’s democratic sovereignty. The combat jets and naval vessels are necessary to carry out geostrategery policies – but clarity on the international, sovereign boundaries between the People’s Republic of China and the “Republic of China” Taiwan is an important step in fixing the decades-long American mistake made in the name of strategic ambiguity. Not the least in clarifying whether or not the Free World has a legitimate reason to come to democratic Taiwan’s aid if the Chinese communists choose to invade – is it a Chinese civil war (no!), or is it, like Russia invading Ukraine, one nation invading another (yes!!)? This is why the China KMT has vehemently opposed one citizen one vote direction presidential elections in Taiwan.
Just as Taiwanese presidents Dr. Tsai and Dr. Lai must make domestic and diplomatic concessions – weighing relative tranquility with needed reforms – and hence the current mainstream position inside Taiwan regarding the meaning of democratic sovereignty is that the PRC and the RoCTaiwan are not subservient to one another but Taiwan as of now will hold onto the tragic-comedic formal name “RoC” – global powers must balance between changing facts and policy inertia. Although in the realm of recognizing China as a threat to global democracies, shoring up Taiwan’s de facto independence, and redefining the “status quo” as near-permanent, things have been moving at light speed.
My educated guess is this: with the latest trip to China made by the reactionary, fascist, anti-democratic former China KMT Chair Ma, and with the “mainstream” China KMT leadership loudly denying Taiwan’s democratic sovereignty, the only remaining usefulness of the China KMT to the Chinese communists is for the China KMT to recognize that the People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate representative of One China, and to concede that Taiwan must be annexed and ruled underneath this PRC-One China. If DC, Tokyo, London, and other liberal democratic capitals see this trend clearly, then they know that once the China KMT crosses that line into official surrender, the Free World must fully recognize Taiwan’s democratic sovereignty as a response. 23.6.2024
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