20110321 ROC is alive and well in Taiwan

ROC is alive and well in Taiwan

By Dennis Hickey

On Oct. 10, the world will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty and led to the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC). It should come as no surprise that Taipei is gearing up to commemorate the uprising with a series of major events. After all, the ROC is alive and well in Taiwan.

Public opinion polls reveal that most people in Europe and the US agree that there is a government in Taipei. Nevertheless, some quarrel with this position. However, a review of three core concepts in international relations — sovereignty, the state and the nation — shows that the ROC does indeed exist.

Jean Bodin (1530-1596), the French philosopher who contributed much to the concept of the modern state, explained that sovereignty is “the distinguishing mark of the sovereign that he cannot in any way be subject to the commands of another, for it is he who makes law for the subject, abrogates law already made and amends law.”

Sovereignty resides in the state — a body that exercises predominant authority within its geographic borders, possesses a relatively stable population that owes its allegiance to a government and maintains diplomatic ties with other states. A state differs from a nation.

A nation refers to a group of people with a shared sense of identity, often based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity, language, history or culture. Consequently, it is possible for two or more states to reside within one nation, or for a nation to exist within two or more states.

The ROC exercises predominant authority within its borders, possesses a relatively stable population that owes its allegiance to the ROC government in Taipei, maintains formal diplomatic relations with roughly two dozen countries and strong “unofficial” links with many others. Therefore, the ROC meets all the requirements of statehood.

Despite this fact, some contend that the ROC no longer exists because it is not a member of the UN and/or other intergovernmental organizations (IGOs). According to this logic, however, the People’s Republic of China did not exist until 1971, East and West Germany did not exist until 1973 and North and South Korea did not exist until 1991. In fact, Switzerland did not join the UN until 2002. Moreover, the ROC participates in some major IGOs (including the WTO, APEC and the WHO), and belongs to more than 2,000 NGOs.

Others argue that the ROC does not exist because large countries like the US do not “officially” recognize the government in Taipei. However, this is a case of “smoke and mirrors.” The US Department of State concedes that Washington’s “unofficial” ties with Taipei are closer than its “official” ties with most foreign governments. Furthermore, the US doesn’t maintain diplomatic ties with North Korea, Cuba or Iran, and these states exist.

Still others point to the fact that the ROC’s territory has shrunk since 1911. The government moved from Nanjing to Chongqing during World War II. Then during the Chinese Civil War, it moved from Nanjing to Chongqing to Guangzhou to Taipei — a city that Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) described as “the wartime capital of the ROC.” During the past 100 years, the territory of the ROC has changed a lot, but this is not unusual. The territory of many other states — including the US, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom — has changed a lot since 1911.

Some suggest that the ROC no longer exists because its governmental system has changed dramatically since 1911. The ROC has peacefully transformed itself from an authoritarian regime into what the US Department of State describes officially as a “multi-party democracy.”

However, many governments change over time. For example, US women did not obtain the right to vote until the passage of the 19th constitutional amendment in 1920, and some states barred African-Americans from voting until the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. The US, like the ROC, has changed a lot in recent years.

To be sure, the ROC exists, but it does much more. The ROC also plays an important role in the global community.

The ROC serves as an economic model for developing states. It has changed from an agrarian society into the world’s 16th-largest exporter and 17th-largest importer, and holds the world’s fifth-largest stock of foreign exchange reserves. Taiwanese enjoy a more equitable distribution of wealth than many states — including the US and China. As St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Denzil Douglas observed on March 13, the ROC has always pointed the way for developing countries.

The ROC provides China, East Asia and elsewhere with a model for political reform.

As one US lawmaker gushed, it is “an inspiring example to all of China ... it provides tangible hope that the world’s largest nation, with its ancient and profound civilization, will one day enter the ranks of the free nations of the world.”

Finally, the ROC makes important contributions with numerous international assistance programs. Once an aid recipient, the ROC is now an aid donor. It has dispatched medical missions, crafted disease prevention programs, promoted family planning initiatives, launched water purification drives and donated vaccines, wheelchairs and money to the developing world.

Such activities led Pope Benedict XVI to exclaim that the ROC “makes a valuable contribution to the building of a more secure and stable world.”

There is ample reason to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty. That momentous event led to the establishment of the Republic of China — a responsible state that continues to play an important role in the global community to this day.

Dennis Hickey is director of the graduate program in Global Studies and the James F. Morris endowed professor of political science at Missouri State University.