Taiwan Independence Leaders Rejoice!

Taiwan Independence Leaders Rejoice!
The Republic of China is not a Country!
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
September 2, 2007

The "Plebscite for UN Membership under the Name of Taiwan" has forced the US State Department and the White House to issue strongly worded statements, one after the other. Most alarming of all, White House National Security Council senior official Dennis Wilder went so far as to say that "The Republic of China is not a country."

This is unheard of, and immediately provoked a flurry of different interpretations on Taiwan. Deep Green Taiwan independence leaders were reportedly overjoyed. They gloated that "The Republic of China is not a country after all" and said this will undoubtedly lend greater legitimacy to Taiwan independence. Their interpretation is absurd beyond belief. Because what Dennis Wilder said was "Taiwan, or the Republic of China, is not a state in the international Community." The US also reiterated that it "does not support Taiwan independence." Dennis Wilder's statement really didn't allow any room for Taiwan independence.

The truth is just the opposite. Dennis Wilder's statement, along with Negroponte's earlier statement, revealed that the US is shrinking the amount of room for "Taiwan independence." Negroponte's statement showed that Washington and Beijing are on the same page regarding the "Plebscite for UN Membership under the Name of Taiwan." The US sees Chen's plebiscite as "a step towards a declaration of independence of Taiwan, towards an alteration of the status quo." This means the US agrees with mainland China's "line in the sand," and stands with the mainland on this issue. As for Dennis Wilder's statement "The Republic of China is not a state in the international Community," that also closely conforms to Beijing's viewpoint. The differences are negligible. Dennis Wilder also stated that "The ROC, Republic of China, is an issue undecided, and it has been left undecided... for many, many years." In other words the "Plebiscite for UN Membership under the Name of Taiwan" has forced Washington and Beijing to arrive at an unprecedented bilateral consensus.

The US view conforms to the internal logic of its foreign policy. Dennis Wilder said "Membership in the United Nations requires statehood. Taiwan, or the Republic of China, is not at this point a state in the international community." If the US did not take such a stand, then the US would have no reason to deny the Republic of China the right to "join the UN" or "rejoin the UN." The US knows perfectly well that it cannot support the Republic of China's return to the United Nations. Therefore the US decided it might as well state openly that neither "Taiwan" nor the "Republic of China" are currently countries. But if it weren't for Chen's "Plebscite for UN Membership under the Name of Taiwan" controversy, would the US have publicly declared that "The Republic of China is not a country?" No. Not if Chen Shui-bian had not forced the US's hand.

Dennis Wilder said that the Republic of China is "an issue undecided," also provoking all sorts of interpretations. Based on Dennis Wilder's context, he meant that "Taiwan, or the Republic of China, is not at this point a state in the international community." He added that the US view is that "The ROC, Republic of China, is an issue undecided." Note that Dennis Wilder said that "The ROC, Republic of China, is an issue undecided." He did not say that "Taiwan is an issue undecided." Therefore Dennis Wilder's interpretation has no relationship whatsoever with the "Taiwan's Undetermined Status Theory" of the 40s and 50s. The US maintains a One China Policy. It already recognizes that "Taiwan is a part of China." Taiwan's status has already been decided. The US standpoint is only that "The ROC, Republic of China is an issue undecided." The US does not support "Taiwan independence" and "opposes changing the status quo." Dennis Wilder's statement that the "The ROC, Republic of China, is an issued undecided" fits entirely within their "One China" framework. If the Taiwan independence movement insists on spinning Dennis Wilder's remark as a reference to the "Taiwan's Undetermined Status Theory," then it is engaging in deliberate mispresentation.

No matter what, for the US to say that "The Republic of China, is not at this point a state in the international community" is enormously harmful to Taiwan. Yet Taiwan independence leaders failed to protest the US's remarks. That's because Taiwan independence denies that the "Republic of China" is a country. It wants to "rectify names and author a new constitution." It wants to overthrow the Republic of China. As matters currently stand, the People's Republic of China denies that the Republic of China is a country. The US denies that the Republic of China is a country. What the US refers to as the international community, also denies that the Republic of China is a country. Most important of all, the Taiwan independence movement also denies that the Republic of China is a country. Chen Shui-bian asks: Just what the hell is the Republic of China, anyway? Minister of Education Tu Cheng-sheng says: The Republic of China no longer exists! Taiwan independence leaders, paradoxically, are Chinese Communist Party fellow travellers. And today they have also become Uncle Sammy's fellow travellers.

Therefore, confronted by Dennis Wilder's "The Republic of China is not a State Thesis" it's no wonder the Taiwan independence movement doesn't know whether to be sad or glad, doesn't know whether it has been blessed or cursed. They're glad the US said "The Republic of China is not a state," because that is consistent with the Taiwan independence movement's position. Their dream has come true. On the other hand they're sad because if the Republic of China is not a state, then the Taiwan independence movement can no longer use the Republic of China as a "back door listing" for their would be "Nation of Taiwan."

When you think of it, it's truly ironic. The Taiwan independence movement has seized control of the Republic of China government. On the one hand it has used the Republic of China as a "back door listing." On the other hand it is using the "rectification of names and authoring of a new constitution" as a platform for Taiwan independence. Now however, it has forced the US to oppose moves toward Taiwan independence by means of plebiscites demanding UN membership, and declarations that "the Republic of China is not a country." Now even the Republic of China, the very same "back door listing" used by the Taiwan independence movement, and the "rectification of names and the authoring of a new constitution" have been demolished.

Chen Shui-bian, you can now light firecrackers and open champagne. You have finally succeeded. The Republic of China is no longer a country.

台獨大喜？ 中華民國不是國家！
【聯合報╱社論】
2007.09.02 02:15 am

「入聯公投」逼得美國國務院及白宮相繼發表強烈聲明。最怵目驚心的是，白宮國安會資深官員韋德寧居然說「中華民國不是一個國家」。

此說聞所未聞，在台灣立即出現各種解讀。例如，有深綠台獨人士聞之大樂，喜謂「中華民國果然不是一個國家」，並稱無疑已使台獨論述更具正當性云云。此種解讀，離譜太甚。因為，韋德寧說的是「台灣與中華民國皆不是國家」，何況美國亦一再重申「不支持台獨」。韋德寧的談話，並未給台獨任何空間。

實情可能正好相反。韋德寧的談話與稍早奈葛彭的談話皆在顯示，美國正在緊縮「台獨」的空間。奈葛彭的談話顯示，美國與中國對「公投入聯」的認知，幾已趨於一致。美國認為，「公投入聯是走向宣布台獨及改變台海現狀的一步」，儼然已與中國共守同一「紅線」。至於韋德寧說「中華民國此刻在國際社會中不是國家」，亦是大致符合中國的觀點；其間微妙的差異，只在韋德寧附加了「此刻」的時間副詞而已。換句話說，「入聯公投」已將美中兩國的政策認知與操作紅線，逼到空前未見的一處去了！

美國的說法，是符合其政策邏輯的。韋德寧說：「加入聯合國需要以國家為會員身分，台灣或中華民國此刻在國際社會中皆不是國家。」倘若美國不如此表態，則美國此時就沒有理由否定中華民國有「入聯」或「返聯」的權利，但美國又明知不可能支持中華民國返聯。因此，乾脆挑明台灣與中華民國此刻皆不是國家。問題是，倘若沒有「入聯公投」的爭議，美國也就不必撕破臉，說出「中華民國不是國家」這最後一句醜話。若非陳水扁相逼，美國不至如此。

韋德寧說，中華民國是一「未決定的議題」，亦引發各種解讀。從韋德寧談話的上下文看，他是在說到「台灣與中華民國此刻在國際社會中皆不是國家」之後，接著補充表示，美國的立場認為，「中華民國是一未決議題」。在此，韋德寧只說，「中華民國是一未決議題」，但未說「台灣是一未決議題」。因此可知，韋德寧的說法與四○或五○年代的「台灣地位未定論」，不可同日而語；因為，美國維持「一中政策」，既表示「認知」到「台灣是中國的一部分」，則「台灣」的「地位」已定，「未定」者卻是「中華民國」；而美國又不支持「台獨」，且稱「反對改變現狀」；則韋德寧所稱「中華民國是未定議題」，其實仍在「一個中國」的框架之中。台獨若將韋德寧的論述解讀為「台灣地位未定論」，即不啻指鹿為馬。

然而，無論如何，美國在此時說出「中華民國不是國家」，畢竟對台灣是極大傷害。對此，台獨其實沒有向美國抗議的立場。因為，台獨否定「中華民國」是一國家，必欲正名制憲，以推翻中華民國為目標。如今的情勢是：中華人民共和國否定中華民國是國家，美國否定中華民國是國家，（美國所稱的）國際社會亦否定中華民國為國家；最關鍵者則是台獨也否定中華民國是國家。陳水扁說，中華民國是什麼碗糕？杜正勝說，中華民國已經不存在了！台獨是中共的同路人，如今亦是美國的同路人。

因此，面對韋德寧的「中華民國不是國家論」，難怪台獨不知是悲是喜，亦不知是福是禍。喜的是，「中華民國不是國家」正是台獨的一貫主張，如今不啻美夢成真；悲的是，倘中華民國不是國家，則台獨連「借殼上市」都無可憑藉，遑論另立台灣國？

說來真是充滿弔詭：台獨在中華民國取得執政地位後，一方面藉中華民國「借殼上市」，另一方面亦藉中華民國為「正名制憲」的台獨平台。但是，如今逼得美國當局「反對走向台獨的入聯公投」，又宣示「中華民國不是國家」，卻連台獨「借殼上市」的殼，和「正名制憲」的平台也被台獨自己搗爛了。

陳水扁放鞭炮、開香檳吧！中華民國終於被你搞成不是國家了。