CKS declared "death of the ROC"?

[yyy]

[ LETTERS ] - Taipei Times

@Charles Hong

The ROC was defeated and replaced by the PRC in China — and in the UN. Even old Chiang declared the death of the ROC.

Is anyone familiar with the quotation he’s referring to?

[tempogain]

Sounds bogus. Probably some rhetorical comment he made at some particularly depressing juncture.

[afterspivak]

Does that look like a good source to you?

CKS would NEVER admit such a thing. It would have meant the end of his illegitimate and thuggish regime on Taiwan.

Guy

[hansioux]

@tempogain

Probably some rhetorical comment he made at some particularly depressing juncture.

Not a comment, but a part of his re-inaugural speech. On March 13, 1950, in a speech titled “The purpose and goals of my re-inauguration” (復職的使命與目的), CKS said:

“Our ROC has ceased to exist last year along with the fall of mainland! Today, we are all people without a state.”
(我們的中華民國到去年終就隨大陸淪陷而已經滅亡了！我們今天都已成了亡國之民…)

[bluejasn]

Forgive me for my ignorance, since I’m still learning about Taiwan Political history. But as an outside observer trying to understand something thats starting to look obvious to me.

If the ROC government had changed its name to Taiwan and disavowed any claim over China back in the 1960s. perhaps PR China would not claim Taiwan as part of its own today?

Is Chinas claim over Taiwan the result of the ROC’s strict claim to China in the past? Or would China still claim Taiwan regardless today?

[hansioux]

@bluejasn

If the ROC government had changed its name to Taiwan and disavowed any claim over China back in the 1960s. perhaps PR China would not claim Taiwan as part of its own today?

China would be happy if Taiwan stopped claiming itself to be China, especially before they replaced Taiwan in the UN and established formal relations with the US.

@bluejasn

Is Chinas claim over Taiwan the result of the ROC’s strict claim to China in the past? Or would China still claim Taiwan regardless today?

After establishing formal relations with the US, China changed its tone regarding Taiwan. They have switched from a self-preservation mentality to a expansionist mentality. China needs Taiwan in order to become a dominant power in the pacific region.

[bluejasn]

Cool thanks

[the_bear]

Right up until the mid-80s this would have been the case. Until glasnost/kaifang China wouldn’t have cared less about a name change and desinicization of Taiwan. The reason Beijing is so obsessed with it now is because its a way to divert attention from other issues. Orwell in 1984 brilliantly captures this mode of operation of totalitarian states with the changing state of war and alliance between Oceania, Eurasia and East Asia. In point of fact the status of Taiwan is completely unimportant in a geopolitical sense.

“Taiwan is an unalienable part of the Motherland, Taiwan has always been part of China”. Goes without saying the statement is complete codswallop.

[JB_IN_TW]

@bluejasn

If the ROC government had changed its name to Taiwan and disavowed any claim over China back in the 1960s. perhaps PR China would not claim Taiwan as part of its own today?

If that happened at that time or sooner, Taiwan would have stood a chance against a Chinese attack to “liberate” Taiwan.

There are grumblings about a covert attempt to overthrow the Chiangs and set up an independent nation of Taiwan.

[JB_IN_TW]

@hansioux

China needs Taiwan in order to become a dominant power in the pacific region.

They have the Philippines, now. They can let TW go now.