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What does mean by “One China” policy?
At the end of the Second World War, China remained divided into two separate camps-the Nationalists and the Communists. The civil war between the two sides resulted in the victory of communists over the nationalists in 1949, forcing the latter to withdraw to the Island of Taiwan. The communists under the leadership of Mao Zedong formed their government in the mainland China with the name of the People’s Republic of China whereas the nationalist established their rule in the province of Taiwan under the official name of the Republic of China.
This rift divided the country into two parallel power structures; China and Taiwan with each one claiming it to be the legitimate representative of whole China. In 1992, both the governments agreed on the principle that there is only one China incorporating both mainland China and Taiwan but disagreed on the point that which one has the right to claim that. This consensus further strengthened the “One China” policy narrative of the People’s Republic of China on the international level.
American stand on “One China” policy
The war of ideologies between the United States of America and the Soviet Union towards the end of Second World War soon turned into a war of international influence and control. The revolution in China under the command of Mao Zedong that overthrew the dynastic rule was inspired by the Communist economic model, and thus China was considered to be a natural ally of the USSR. On the other hand, the nationalists with their capitalistic views became the allies of the United States of America.
Americans never accepted the People’s Republic of China as the legitimate authority over the whole China till 1972 when Richard Nixon visited Beijing with the facilitation of Pakistan. From there onwards, the winds started to blow for the Mao Zedong Government. The American administration under Jimmy Carter went a step ahead by breaking off relations with ROC and establishing formal diplomatic ties with PRC. However, this move was somewhat hindered by the Congress resolution which called for maintaining diplomatic relations with Taiwan but less than a formal recognition.
Donald Trump’s viewpoint on “One China” Policy
Donald Trump during his election campaign blamed China for all the economic problems of America. He claimed that he would use “One China” Policy along with other issues as a bargaining chip to counter the growing Chinese penetration into the American market and widening trade deficit between the two countries. Trump even termed “Climate Change” as a myth and hoax created by the Chinese to hinder the economic progress of America. Trump was seen as fulfilling his election promise when he received a congratulatory phone call on his win in presidential elections from the Taiwanese President, Tsai Ing-Wen but severe criticism from the Chinese government and the importance of China in regional and global issues compelled him to back-off from his earlier stance.
Why Trump withdrew from “One China” Policy?
As discussed above, the Chinese Government came up with harsh criticism to counter any move toward Taiwan’s freedom and even did not renounce the use of military force to annex it with the mainland China. This shows the seriousness of the matter for the Chinese government, which consider Taiwan as a breakaway province and a point of no negotiations. The massive investment that China companies have in America, the enormous stakes of American business community in China and the cheap products that are available to the American consumers make it difficult for Trump to take strict punitive measures against China and especially that of scraping “One China” Policy.
Last but not the least, the role that China can play in bringing the North Korean leadership to the negotiating table cannot be downplayed at any cost. The importance of China for America was evident from the recent meeting between the US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in which both the leaders agreed on maintaining friendly relations between the two states.
What is the future of “One China” Policy?
The current president of Taiwan belongs to the Progressive Democratic Party- a political party which advocates distinct Taiwanese identity and calls for the official use of the word "Taiwan" to represent the nation in international forums. This pro-freedom line from DPP and Tsai Ing-Wen has not been received well in the power corridors of PRC and has made them deeply suspicious of Taiwan’s future intentions. The present leadership in Taiwan may be pushing to put an end to the “One China” Policy and to formally announce independence from the Chinese clutches, but that is not going to happen soon because of the rigid and rightful stance of the Chinese Government.
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