The Legislative Yuan passes the Referendum Act, providing a legal basis for citizens to vote directly on issues of local or national importance. The first national referendum is held in conjunction with the third direct presidential election, in which Chen and Lu are re-elected with a slight majority. The Legislative Yuan passes a constitutional amendment package, halving the number of its seats from to and introducing the single-district, two-votes system for legislative elections.
Ma Ying-jeou and Vincent C. Siew of the KMT are elected president and vice president of the ROC, garnering 58 percent of the vote and marking the second transfer of ROC government executive power in Taiwan between political parties. Taiwan attends the World Health Assembly as an observer, marking its first participation in an activity of the U.
Incumbent Ma Ying-jeou and his new running mate Wu Den-yih, representing the KMT, win the election for president and vice president with Taiwan signs an agreement on economic cooperation with New Zealand and an agreement on economic partnership with Singapore. Sunflower Movement protesters occupy the Legislature to oppose the passing of the Cross- Strait Service Trade Agreement, preventing its passage.
President Ma and Chinese leader Xi Jinping meet in Singapore in November, marking the first top-level meeting between the two sides in 66 years. They feel they in effect have a separate nation - whether or not independence is ever officially declared. Going back to the beginning - the first known settlers in Taiwan were Austronesian tribal people, who are thought to have come from modern day southern China.
The island seems to have first appeared in Chinese records in AD, when an emperor sent an expeditionary force to explore the area - something Beijing uses to back its territorial claim. After a relatively brief spell as a Dutch colony , Taiwan was administered by China's Qing dynasty from to From the 17th Century, significant numbers of migrants started arriving from China, often fleeing turmoil or hardship.
The descendants of these two migrations are now by far the largest demographic groups on the island. After World War Two, Japan surrendered and relinquished control of territory it had taken from China. But in the next few years a civil war broke out in China, and the then-leader Chiang Kai-shek's troops were beaten back by Mao Zedong's Communist armies.
This group, referred to as Mainland Chinese and then making up 1. Having inherited an effective dictatorship, facing resistance from local people resentful of authoritarian rule and under pressure from a growing democracy movement, Chiang's son, Chiang Ching-kuo, began allowing a process of democratisation. President Lee Teng-hui, known as Taiwan's "father of democracy", led constitutional changes towards a more democratic political layout, which eventually led to the election of the island's first non-KMT president, Chen Shui-bian, in Relations between China and Taiwan started improving in the s.
China put forward a formula, known as "one country, two systems", under which Taiwan would be given significant autonomy if it accepted Chinese reunification. This system was established in Hong Kong to be used as something of a showcase to entice Taiwanese people back to the mainland. Taiwan rejected the offer, but it did relax rules on visits to and investment in China.
In , it also proclaimed the war with the People's Republic of China on the mainland to be over. There were also limited talks between the two sides' unofficial representatives, though Beijing's insistence that Taiwan's Republic of China ROC government is illegitimate meant government-to-government meetings couldn't happen. And in , when Taiwan elected Chen Shui-bian as president, Beijing was alarmed.
This site All sites. What is the reason for saying "Taiwan is an inalienable part of China"? Taiwan has belonged to China since ancient times. The Chinese people were the earliest developers of Taiwan. The historical document "Seaboard Geographic Gazetteer" compiled 1, years ago gave an account of it. It may conclude commercial and cultural agreements with foreign countries and enjoy certain rights in foreign affairs.
It may keep its military forces and the mainland will not dispatch troops or administrative personnel to the island. On the other hand, representatives of the government of the special administrative region and those from different circles of Taiwan may be appointed to senior posts in the central government and participate in the running of national affairs.
Peace negotiations. It is the common aspiration of the entire Chinese people to achieve reunification of the country by peaceful means through contacts and negotiations. People on both sides of the Straits are all Chinese. It would be a great tragedy for all if China's territorial integrity and sovereignty were to be split and its people were to be drawn into a fratricide. Peaceful reunification will greatly enhance the cohesion of the Chinese nation.
It will facilitate Taiwan's socio-economic stability and development and promote the resurgence and prosperity of China as a whole. In order to put an end to hostility and achieve peaceful reunification, the two sides should enter into contacts and negotiations at the earliest possible date. On the premise of one China, both sides can discuss any subject, including the modality of negotiations, the question of what Parties, groups and personalities may participate as well as any other matters of concern to the Taiwan side.
So long as the two sides sit down and talk, they will always be able to find a mutually acceptable solution. Taking into account the prevailing situation on both sides of the Straits, the Chinese Government has proposed that pending reunification the two sides should, according to the principle of mutual respect, complementarity and mutual benefit, actively promote economic cooperation and other exchanges. Direct trade, postal, air and shipping services and two-way visits should be started in order to pave the way for the peaceful reunification of the country.
Peaceful reunification is a set policy of the Chinese Government. However, any sovereign state is entitled to use any means it deems necessary, including military ones, to uphold its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Chinese Government is under no obligation to undertake any commitment to any foreign power or people intending to split China as to what means it might use to handle its own domestic affairs. It should be pointed out that the Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China and bears no analogy to the cases of Germany and Korea which were brought about as a result of international accords at the end of the Second World War.
Therefore, the Taiwan question should not be placed on a par with the situation of Germany or Korea. The Taiwan question should and entirely can be resolved judiciously through bilateral consultations and within the framework of one China. All the Chinese people are yearning for an early end to this agonizing situation.
In order to enable normal movement of people across the Straits and to achieve reunification of the country, the Chinese Government has made proposals towards this end and, at the same time, adopted measures to step up the development of inter-Straits relations. On the political plane, policy adjustments have been made with a view to breaking down the mentality of hostility.
The Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate have decided respectively that people who had gone to Taiwan would no longer be prosecuted for offenses prior to the founding of the People's Republic of China.
On the military plane, initiatives have been taken to ease military confrontation across the Straits. Shelling of Jinmen and other islands have been discontinued. Some forward defense positions and observation posts along the Fujian coast have been transformed into economic development zones or tourist attractions.
On the economic plane, doors have been flung open to facilitate the flow of goods and people. Businessmen from Taiwan are welcome to invest or trade on the mainland. They are accorded preferential treatment and legal safeguards. The Chinese Government has also adopted a positive attitude and taken measures to encourage bilateral exchanges and cooperation in areas such as two-way travels, post and communications as well as scientific, cultural, sports, academic and journalistic activities.
A non-governmental Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits has been set up and authorized by the Government to liaise with the Straits Exchange Foundation and other relevant non-governmental bodies in Taiwan for the purpose of upholding the legitimate rights and interests of people on both sides and promoting inter-Straits relations.
Such policies and measures of the Chinese Government have won the understanding and support of more and more Taiwan compatriots, compatriots in Hong Kong and Macao as well as overseas Chinese and people of Chinese descent. On their part, Taiwan compatriots have contributed tremendously to the development of inter-Straits relations. In recent years the Taiwan authorities have in turn made readjustments in their policy regarding the mainland. They have taken steps to ease the situation, such as allowing people to visit relatives on the mainland, gradually reducing the restrictions on people-to-people exchanges and contact, expanding indirect trade, permitting indirect investment and cutting red tape in inter-Straits post, telecommunications and bank remittance services.
All these are conducive to better interchanges. The past few years have witnessed rapid growth of economic relations and trade as well as increasing mutual visits and sundry exchanges across the Straits. The Wang Daohan--Koo Chen-fu Talks in April resulted in four agreements, marking a step forward of historic significance in inter-Straits relations.
Thus an atmosphere of relaxation prevails in the Taiwan Straits for the first time in the past four decades. This is auspicious to peaceful reunification. It should be pointed out that notwithstanding a certain measure of easing up by the Taiwan authorities, their current policy vis-a-vis the mainland still seriously impedes the development of relations across the Straits as well as the reunification of the country.
They talk about the necessity of a reunified China, but their deeds are always a far cry from the principle of one China. They try to prolong Taiwan's separation from the mainland and refuse to hold talks on peaceful reunification. They have even set up barriers to curb the further development of the interchanges across the Straits. In recent years the clamours for ''Taiwan independence'' on the island have become shriller, casting a shadow over the course of relations across the Straits and the prospect of peaceful reunification of the country.
The ''Taiwan independence'' fallacy has a complex social-historical root and international background. But the Taiwan authorities have, in effect, abetted this fallacy by its own policy of rejecting peace negotiations, restricting interchanges across the Straits and lobbying for ''dual recognition'' or ''two Chinas'' in the international arena.
It should be affirmed that the desire of Taiwan compatriots to run the affairs of the island as masters of their own house is reasonable and justified. This should by no means be construed as advocating ''Taiwan independence''. They are radically distinct from those handful of ''Taiwan independence'' protagonists who trumpet ''independence'' but vilely rely on foreign patronage in a vain attempt to detach Taiwan from China, which runs against the fundamental interests of the entire Chinese people including Taiwan compatriots.
The Chinese Government is closely following the course of events and will never condone any manoeuvre for ''Taiwan independence''. Certain foreign forces who do not want to see a reunified China have gone out of their way to meddle in China's internal affairs. They support the anti-Communist stance of the Taiwan authorities of rejecting peace talks and abet the secessionists on the island, thereby erecting barriers to China's peaceful reunification and seriously wounding the national feelings of the Chinese people.
The Chinese Government is convinced that Taiwan compatriots want national reunification and that this is also true with most of the political forces in or out of office in Taiwan. The people on both sides of the Straits will overcome all the barriers and stumbling blocks by their joint efforts and ensure a better development of relations across the Straits.
Several Questions Involving Taiwan in International Relations As has been elucidated in the foregoing, there is only one China in the world, of which Taiwan is an inalienable part.
The Government of the People's Republic of China has been recognized by the United Nations and throughout the world as the sole legal government representing the entire Chinese people. In the interest of safeguarding state sovereignty and realizing national reunification the Chinese Government has always stood firm on the principle of one China and ensured the interests of Taiwan compatriots in international relations involving Taiwan.
The Chinese Government has no doubt that its position will be respected by all other governments and people. The Chinese Government deems it necessary to reiterate its position and policy on the following matters. According to international law, a sovereign state can only be represented by a single central government. As a part of China, Taiwan has no right to represent China in the international community, nor can it establish diplomatic ties or enter into relations of an official nature with foreign countries.
Nevertheless, considering the needs of Taiwan's economic development and the practical interests of Taiwan compatriots, the Chinese Government has not objected to non-governmental economic or cultural exchanges between Taiwan and foreign countries. In recent years the Taiwan authorities have vigorously launched a campaign of ''pragmatic diplomacy'' to cultivate official ties with countries having diplomatic relations with China in an attempt to push ''dual recognition'' and achieve the objective of creating a situation of ''two Chinas'' or ''one China, one Taiwan''.
The Chinese Government is firmly against this scheme. It is noted that the overwhelming majority of the countries of the world cherish friendly relations with China and abide by their agreement or understanding with China on the issue of Taiwan. The Chinese Government appreciates this.
On the other hand, it should be pointed out that, in disregard of their international credibility, certain countries have breached the undertaking made at the time of the establishment of diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China by evolving official relations with Taiwan, thereby putting a spoke in the wheel of China's reunification.
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