The status of Taiwan remains undefined although the government of China (PRC) thinks that Taiwan is a part of their territory.  Many Taiwanese consider Taiwan and China as two different countries (see the table below); however, most countries in the world do not agree with the statement of "Two China."  As a Taiwanese myself, I think Taiwan is an independent country.

The differences between the two countries -- Taiwan (ROC) and China (PRC):

What is a country?  A country is an area of land that forms a politically independent unit by people themselves.  In other words, the four conditions to make up a country are: territory, people, sovereignty, and government (施添福[1] 232).  Taiwan has its own territory, its own people, its own sovereignty, and its own government.  Taiwan also has its own army, its own industries, its own national flag, and its own money.  Taiwan has its own every thing.  It is reasonable to infer Taiwan's independence.

However, China claims that Taiwan belongs to theirs.  Taiwan is regarded by China as a Chinese province temporarily "wayward" (de Blij 481).  In China's point of view, Taiwan is taken over by "thugs," and they will take military actions to get it back.  Why do they want Taiwan so much?  It is also reasonable for China to want the small piece of land, Taiwan, so much.  All are about money and power.  Taiwan is a rich country in comparison with China.  If China rules Taiwan, it can get benefits from Taiwan.  In addition, Taiwan is known for its technology.  If China rules Taiwan, it can get the techniques of Taiwan's high-tech industry from Taiwan.  Moreover, the currency value of Taiwan is higher than China.  If China rules Taiwan, Taiwan's currency value will help bring up the currency value of China.  Furthermore, if China admits Taiwan's independence, it will be placed in the risk of falling apart just as Russia did because many of its states will want their independence too.

China's claim to Taiwan has several weaknesses.  First of all, Taiwan was first settled by Southeast Asian groups (Malay-Polynesian groups) thousands of years before any Chinese arrived (de Blij 481).  The control under China came late after thousands of years.  It is ridiculous to say that Taiwan is part of China for this reason because Taiwan was not only once under the control of China, but also once under the control of Dutch, of Spain, and of Japan.  Second, if Taiwan belongs to China, it will not belong to PRC.  Instead, it belongs to ROC because ROC is established in 1912, thirty-seven years earlier than the establishment of PRC.

The different views on the status of Taiwan have resulted in an unstable relationship between Taiwan and China.  As de Blij wrote, "Even as goods and capital flow between Taiwan and the mainland, Beijing engages in threatening acts (such as nearby missile tests) when democracy in the ROC takes another step forward" (483).  For example, according to de Blij, "In 2000, when Taiwan's voters elected a president who, during the campaign, had proclaim Taiwan's "equality" with mainland China, Beijing threatened force and massed weaponry across the Taiwan Strait" (483).

China not only react barbarian when Taiwan's democracy takes another step forward, but also react seriously on things that are nothing big deals.  For instance, according to de Blij, "In 1995, when the United States permitted the ROC's president to visit the American university of which he is a graduate, so that he might attend a class reunion, relations between Washington and Beijing plummeted" (483).

Even when Taiwan was having troubles in 1999 after a serious earthquake that killed hundreds of people, China acted inhumanity.  As the rescue teams coming from all over the world to Taiwan manage to save people who were still underground, buried by collapsed buildings, China inhibited rescue teams of Europe from crossing its territorial air space.  It was nonsense for those rescue teams from Europe to fly another way, which was flying due west across Atlantic Ocean, across America, across Pacific Ocean, to Taiwan.  It would obviously take more time to arrive at Taiwan that way, but time is critical when saving people's lives.  Nevertheless, Taiwan is still friendly to China and still provides proper help to China when they need.

From this incident, we can get a rough idea of how a communist government thinks of human rights.  There are too many differences between these two countries.  Taiwan is a country known for its rise as an economic tiger on the Pacific Rim, coupled with remarkable strides toward democracy (de Blij 482).  It is proud of its democracy, its openness, its freedom, its transparency, and its honesty.  Neither China's "One China Claim" nor "One Country Two Systems" will work.  As we speak, the promise of "One Country Two Systems" in Hong Kong* is eroding (de Blij 484).  It will not work for Taiwan. 

*Note: Hong Kong returned to China in 1997.

China also tries to isolate Taiwan on the stage of the world.  Since Taiwan (ROC) signed off from UN, the space of diplomacy has been compressed gradually by China, who makes "One China "claim again and again.  It makes difficulties to maintain relationships between Taiwan and other countries.  Fewer and fewer countries now maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.  There are only about twenty countries, which concentrated on Central America, Africa, and South Pacific Regions, still maintain such relations with Taiwan.  However, those countries do not have much international influences due to its size of land and of population.  Taiwan only can use its economic power to maintain unofficial commercial relationships with most countries in the world.  Furthermore, China also obstructs Taiwan to join any kinds of world organizations, including the nonpolitical ones.  Even in the Olympics, the official name of Taiwan and its national flag are not allowed to use.  In order to let the world hear the sound of over twenty millions people living in Taiwan, its government can do nothing but use any possible names, such as "Taipei Taiwan" to join international clubs.  China throws obstacles in Taiwan's way of diplomacy, and has made Taiwan in an predicament (施添福[2] 226,227).

"Therefore," according to de Blij, "The political geography of Taiwan is at odds with its economic geography.  The ROC stood firm against communism in the 1960s and 1970s; but its long-term ally, the United States, was required to publicly commit itself to a one-China policy, the one being the PRC, the communist giant.  The communist China has made it clear that a move toward independence of Taiwan, based on the likely outcome of any referendum, would lead to intervention.  Although militarily well prepared, Taiwan could not long hold off PRC's enormous armed forces" (de Blij 483).

However, let me throw a happy conclusion here, the relationship between the people in Taiwan and the people in China is not as bad as the political part.  We often have academic activities and competitions for students crossing Taiwan Strait.  Unlike the suicide attacks and the terrorism which happen in other places, we are still friendly to each other.