Xi is being labelled as a revisionist and expansionist and the world is getting united to counter China’s designs under democratic forces by supporting the Taiwanese cause
In an unprecedented move recently, the Chinese embassy in New Delhi issued a series of “directives” to Indian journalists and media houses regarding the coverage of the National Day of Taiwan on October 10. The press release that was issued by the media section of the embassy appeared to be more of a diktat and declared, “We will like to remind our media friends that there is only one China in the world, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legitimate Government representing the whole of China. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory.” It further dictated to the journalists, “Taiwan shall not be referred to as a country or Republic of China or the leader of China’s Taiwan region as ‘President,’ so as not to send wrong signals to the general public.”
Significantly, no such “advisory” was issued by the Chinese embassy in 2019 on the Taiwanese National Day. What is even more infuriating is that after the event, it issued a statement on “misreporting by the Indian media on Taiwan”, seriously objecting to and expressing strong dissatisfaction at some of the journalists referring to Taiwan as a country. “Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. It is an objective fact and a universally recognised norm governing international relations,” emphasised the Chinese envoy.
What was so different this year that the embassy issued a virtual threat to the Indian media? China is preparing for the celebration of the 100th year of the formation of the Communist Party of China (CCP) under the watchful eye of its all-powerful President Xi Jinping. The current behaviour of the Chinese diplomatic staff is the manifestation of its “wolf warrior” diplomacy. Xi wants China not only to be powerful but assertive as well. He is aggressively pushing China’s “3 W Strategy”, which includes media warfare. Xi desires that the CCP should not only control select foreign media but also be able to manipulate it to further its ideology and portray its Comprehensive National Power (CNP).
But why is China so sensitive about Taiwan? It is said that Taiwan would be the main trigger of a Sino-American conflict if it ever manifests. Ironically, the US does not officially recognise the Republic of China or Taiwan. Even India doesn’t. Only 17 countries in the world recognise Taiwan. Yet, the US is the biggest arms supplier to Taiwan, its 11th-largest trading partner and avowed guarantor of its sovereignty.
The self-ruled island’s uncertain future, amid tensions between Washington and a newly-powerful Beijing, is the greatest unresolved legacy of the Chinese civil war. While China claims Taiwan to be one of its regions and refers to it as Taiwan region, the latter is in no mood to alter the status quo and lose its status as an independent democratic nation. Xi has offered to resolve the matter on the pattern of Hong Kong by advocating the “One Nation, Two Systems” model, which has been rejected by the island nation.
Dwelling into history, the dispute is a legacy of the Mao-led Chinese civil war. The island formally became a Chinese province only in 1887. But China’s faltering Qing imperial government was forced to cede it to Japan in 1895 after a brief war. Japan ran Taiwan as a colony until 1945, when it was effectively handed over to Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist (KMT) Government in China. In 1949, Mao Zedong’s forces won the Chinese civil war and the KMT fled to the island, ruling it under martial law until democratising it in the 1980s, while the Communists controlled China. It continues to remain a dispute till date since no peace treaty has ever been signed.
However, China’s official position on Taiwan is unambiguous. It claims that the latter is, was and always has been an inseparable part of it, and that international law supports such a claim. This is drilled into every mainland Chinese child’s mind as part of the CCP’s ideology campaign with no second thought on the issue and no public discussion of alternate views being permitted.
The CCP wants outright reunification, the sooner the better, seeing the recovery of the island as the final chapter in the civil war and end of past humiliations when China was forced to cede territory to foreigners. Xi has succeeded in reasserting party control over society, which had loosened to an extent during the era of his immediate predecessors who believed in “collective leadership.”
His clarion call to the nation after assuming its control was, “Don’t forget the original intention. Stick to the mission.” With multifarious threats challenging him, the slogan has become more relevant in the present days and is emerging as a battle cry for unity and perseverance. With increasing US interference in Taiwan and the non-reconciliatory approach of its newly-elected hardliner President, iron lady Tsai Ing-wen, China is becoming increasingly sensitive and restive about Taiwan. On the other hand, Taiwan is becoming more assertive and confident.
During the ongoing pandemic, the Taiwanese were denied entry into various countries which believed them to be Chinese since their passport is of the Republic of China. The Taiwanese Government has, therefore, decided to change the cover of its citizens’ passports to read “Taiwan Passport” while retaining the Republic of China in Mandarin.
It has its own currency, the New Taiwan dollar controlled by the central bank of the Republic of China. It is increasingly stamping Taiwanese made goods as “Made in Taiwan” and all this is not going down well with the CCP, which is increasingly threatening to punish the errant island nation. China is also worried and annoyed with the fact that more and more nations are speaking up for Taiwan and are reluctant to back down under Chinese pressure.
Xi is being labelled as a revisionist and expansionist and the world is getting united to counter his designs under the banner of democratic forces and supporting the Taiwanese cause. There are growing voices in India for recognition of Taiwan though that may not be easy due to the prevailing agreements and treaties with Beijing. However, a change in intent and desire to strengthen relations between the two countries has been signalled by the present regime by deputing two of its senior party leaders to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new President.
The CCP is unwilling to settle for anything less than reunification. For Xi it has an additional emotional angle as well, related to his family history. China regards Taiwan as unfinished business as part of the civil war and Xi is a firm believer of this historic mission.
Apart from being an unfinished mission of the civil war, it is the geo strategic location and buzzing high-tech micro-chip industry of Taiwan that is the compelling reason for China to claim ownership of the island territory. Taiwan is also the world’s 22nd largest economy and an important supply chain link of Silicon Valley. Many high-tech companies from the mainland have changed base to the island territory with Taiwan emerging as a potential high-tech superpower. It is home to the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Limited.
Taiwan’s location and economy are critical to China in its pursuance of becoming the numero uno world power. If Taiwan becomes integral to China as desired by the latter, it would become a Pacific power, strengthen its position in the South China Sea and be in a position to threaten vital US interests in the Pacific region. It would also have the leverage to cut off oil supplies to Japan and South Korea, important US allies in the region. Economically, Beijing would have control over the world’s major cutting-edge technologies. All this explains China’s sensitivities about Taiwan and its allergy to other nations calling it a “country” rather than Taiwan, Region of the People’s Republic of China. The US, on the other hand, does not want to take any chance in the security of the island-nation that may help China fulfil its mission. Stepped-up US support for Taiwan has angered China, which has often cautioned Washington DC that it amounts to US support for Taiwan’s independence. If it feels threatened enough, Beijing may forcibly occupy the island by launching military operations across the strait.
With India and China on the verge of war in eastern Ladakh and the heightened anti-China sentiments across the country, the Chinese were apprehensive of the Indian media giving prominence to Taiwan on its National Day. It was to pre-empt the same and gauge India’s concerns to its sensitivities that the advisory was issued by the Chinese embassy.
(The author is a Jammu-based veteran, columnist and security analyst)
