Part 1 of Teacup Media’s Taiwan series was released yesterday.
Not sure if I said too much in the comment section…
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Don’t know if anyone else here has been following it.
Since this episode started getting into recent history, and tried to address the nature of Taiwan’s sovereignty, I had to gave my response.
The chronology portrayed in this episode is a bit disjointed, almost like you did a lot of editing after the first recording. @25:00 you mentioned that the Instrument of Surrender signed away the “sovereignty of Taiwan to the Republic of China”. That of course cannot be true because the KMT was instructed by MacArthur’s General Order No. 1 to represent the Allied Powers for Japanese surrender in Northern Vietnam and Taiwan. In fact, it was the US navy that ferried Chen Yi over to Taiwan. The same General Order No.1 also instructed Russia to represent the Allied Powers for the Japanese surrender in Manchuria and Northern Korea. Are you saying the act of accepting Japanese surrender signs away the sovereignty of Northern Vietnam to the KMT and the sovereignty of Manchuria to the Soviets as well?
Since Taiwan’s sovereignty should have been determined by a treaty, Chen Yi and the KMT’s declaration of retrocession of Taiwan, and turning it into a province of China was completely against international law. In reality, the KMT illegally occupied and annexed the island. The fact is Taiwan is a territory separated from an enemy state as the result of World War 2, and according to Article 77 of the UN charter, Taiwan should have entered a Trusteeship and became an UN trust territory, with the goal of eventual self-determination, as stated in the UN charter. The US as the primary victor in the Pacific Theater is the chief trustee and merely delegated the right to administration to the KMT.
Chiang Kai-shek knew this full well because he wrote exactly that in his January 12, 1949 letter to Chen Cheng, the Governor of Taiwan appointed by CKS:
台灣法律地位與主權，在對日和會未成以前，不過為我國一托管地之性質，何能明言做為剿共最後之堡壘與民族復興之根據也，豈不令中外稍有常識者之輕笑其為狂囈乎。
Before a Sino-Japan treaty can be signed, the legal status and sovereignty of Taiwan is merely a trust territory to the ROC. How can we openly claim the island as our last stronghold of our anti-communist efforts, and the base for the revival of our race? Such open statement would only be derided as crazy talk from slightly more knowledgeable people both in and outside of China.So CKS knew unilaterally annexing Taiwan prior to a treaty with Japan was against international law, yet he did it anyway. He also proceeded to massacre Taiwanese elites, raid Taiwan’s resources and installed a brutal police state on the island.
On June 18, 1949 Chiang also wrote in his diary:
台灣主權與法律地位，英美恐我不能固守台灣，為中共奪取，而入於俄國勢力範圍，使其南太平洋海島防線發生缺口，亟謀由我交還美國管理，而英則在後積極慫恿，以間接加強其香港聲勢，對此一問題，最足顧慮，故對美應有堅決表示，余必死守台灣，確保領土，盡我國民天職，絕不能交還盟國。如其願助我力量，故同防衛，則不拒絕，並示歡迎之意，料其絕不敢強力收回也。
On Taiwan’s sovereignty and legal status, the British and the Americans are afraid that I cannot held on to Taiwan, and will allow the CCP to grab it, letting Taiwan to fall into Russia’s sphere of influence, making a hole in the South Pacific island defense chain, therefore are trying to have me return Taiwan to the US’ governance. The British are peddling the same behind the scenes, and trying to increase Hong Kong’s regional prominence. At the moment, this is the most critical issue. I have to firmly express to the Americans that I’ll die protecting Taiwan if I have to, I’ll protect my territory, fulfil my duty to my citizens, and absolutely will not return Taiwan to the Allies. If they wish to assist me, and defend Taiwan together, then they are more than welcomed. With that I think they don’t dare to take Taiwan back forcefully.So CKS also knew full well that it was the Americans and the rest of the Allied powers who have sovereignty over the island through maintaining the people of Taiwan’s right to self-determination.
@26:30 you said that sine Japan renounced its sovereignty over Taiwan in the 1951 Treaty of San Francisco, the sovereignty was transferred to the ROC. That again isn’t what happened. The treaty deliberately refused to mention who shall be the recipient of that sovereignty. That is exactly because Taiwan should have been a Trust Territory, and the sovereignty belonged to the people of Taiwan and should be determined by future self-determination.
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Thank you for sharing your criticism of this podcast! I have been following this series (though I have to catch up with the 7th episode) and I’m quite new to Taiwanese history, so I wouldn’t have noticed the faults that you mentioned.
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I’ve been leaving comments under nearly every video on his Taiwan history series. He would leave a thank you comment, which is very nice. I guess it’d be more effective to communicate to his listeners if I join his Patreon and share my thought there. I think his podcasts are great. I’ve also been listening to his Tea History Podcast lately. So I don’t leave messages just to point out where I think he got wrong. I kind of just want to get a dialogue going.
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Yes, the other episodes of that podcast are great too and the host’s enthusiasm is contagious. I usually listen to them using PodcastAddict, so I didn’t even know the podcast was on YouTube too. Thanks for pointing that out, so I can check out the discussions and learn more 
Just happened across their History of Hokkien People podcasts. Seems good so far
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