China Passes Law Authorizing Use of Force if Taiwan Persists in its Independence

Story dated 15 March 2005

You remember that anti-secession law that the People's Republic of China (PRC) has promising to pass? The one that I have been grousing about for months on my web site? Well, they did it. They passed the law that makes it illegal for any territory claimed by the PRC to make a formal statement that it is independent from Beijing. This makes problems for both Japan (whose Senkaku islands are claimed by the PRC as part of China), and for Taiwan who, in the most warped legal fiction I've seen outside of the US 9th Circuit, the PRC claims as a rogue province. Their claim, of course, completely ignores the fact that Taiwan is a sovereign republic that has never been under the political or military control of the PRC. The law allows the PRC to use military force to ensure the unity of Chinese territory -- meaning that they will simply invade any Beijing-claimed territory that makes official statements that it is independent and crush any resistance. Nice, huh? Where's the UN on this one? Or do they only care when it's the British, Americans, or Japanese acting in an imperialist fashion?

I will admit that Taiwan might be part of the problem, here. They have not officially declared themselves a state in their own documents despite the fact that they have been a de facto sovereign republic for some time. Though the Republic of China accepted Japan's surrender in Taiwan, the Treaty of San Francisco (by which the Japanese gave up any territorial claim to Taiwan) never designated another outside power to control Taiwan. Under international law, neither the PRC, nor any other states has a legitimate claim to Taiwan (this actually includes the ROC). Theoretically, to get the support of the international community, Taiwan would merely have to declare that they were an independent state in their official documents. And of course, that would incite the PRC to attack -- and they would blame Taiwan for inciting that attack. You see, the PRC wants a peaceful unification. As Carl von Clausewitz said, "The aggressor is always peace-loving; he would prefer to take over our country unopposed."

In slightly more encouraging news, while the Bush Administration has not abandoned its pro-tyranny 'one-China' policy, the president has publicly stated his displeasure at the new anti-secession law.
---------White House unhappy with new Chinese law
---------Will America, Japan and rest of the world stand up against the dragon to protect Taiwan's independence?
---------China's president tells army to prepare for war

posted by The Sovereign Editor | 1:09 PM

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