Quote:
Originally Posted by Luke
In 1950s and 1960s, Taiwan was recognized as an independent country, that is "Republic of China", which covers all mainland China and Outer Mongolia with its capital in Nanjing. After 1970s, international community recognize "People's Republic of China" as the only legitimate government in China. Most countries consider Taiwan island as part of P.R. China, just like Hainan island. USA also consider Taiwan island as part of China, but is ambiguous on which China it is referring to.
As for "Taiwan" or "Republic of Taiwan", it has never been recognized as an independent country in modern era. Now, there are still 24 countries in the world who recongize "Republic of China" as the legitimate government in the whole China. Can you find these countries in the map?
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Let us look at the "real" situation as opposed to the international policy situation. In a simple way a sovereign state can be defined as a nation that governs itself without outside control. Taiwan certainly meets this criteria and mainland China has no direct control over the political processes in Taiwan. Taiwan has its own government, its own military, and functions independently of mainland China and therefore it is a sovereign nation.
The sovereignty of Taiwan meets the criteria for government from an American perspective if you compare it to the ideals established in the US Declaration of Independence. It has a government that reflects the self-determination of the people. The US should recognized Taiwan as an independent nation based upon these facts alone.
Whether recognized or not Taiwan is an independent nation with its own government, laws, and military. These facts are undeniable.