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The Significance of the Diaoyutai/Senkaku Islands Dispute for Taiwan

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The Significance of the Diaoyutai/Senkaku Islands Dispute for Taiwan Sovereignty or Identity? The Significance of the Diaoyutai/Senkaku Islands Dispute for Taiwan Boyu CHEN* Abstract Introduction Narratives of the Diaoyutai/Senkaku Islands Where does Taiwan fit in the dispute expose the spectrum of Taiwan’s national Diaoyutai/Senkaku Islands dispute? identity. While Taiwan has long been struggling to legitimise its claim of representing China or Officially, Taiwan’s government could to become an independent state, some of the also make claims on the islands. Taiwanese people still welcome their former But historically, Taiwan has had and colonial master, Japan. This paper draws on continues to have intimate relations with academic and journalistic work on how Taiwan both China and Japan. Former Ming has responded to the islands dispute. The author also turns to the internet to examine popular Dynasty officials and scholars escaped to sentiments in the region by examining netizens’ Taiwan in the 17th century to seek refuge discourse on the islands from Taiwan’s largest from the newly installed, Manchu- bulletin board system (BBS), Station-PTT. run Qing Dynasty. After the Second This survey finds that the sovereignty dispute World War, the Nationalist government surfaces issues of national identity. under Chiang Kai-shek fostered an anti-Communist ideology and Chinese Key Words identity, reinforced by US dominance militarily, politically, economically and Diaoyutai/Senkaku Islands, China, Taiwan, Japan, National Identity. culturally. At the same time, Taiwan also shares an intimate history with Japan. Colonised by the latter between 1895-1945, Taiwan’s elderly still wax * Boyu Chen is Assistant Professor at the Gradu- nostalgically about Japan while the ate Institute of Political Science, National Sun younger generation swarms to Japanese Yat-sen University, Taiwan. His research focus- es on non-Western international relations theo- manga and anime. Indeed, Taiwan ries, international security, as well as internet turned out to be Japan’s top donor after politics. Recent articles have appeared in East the 2011 earthquake. Taiwan also enjoys Asia, Pacific Focus, International Relations of the Asia-Pacific and Millennium: Journal of Interna- a variety of bilateral relationships with tional Studies. Japan.1 Nonetheless, Taiwanese do not 107 PERCEPTIONS, Spring 2014, Volume XIX, Number 1, pp. 107-119. Boyu Chen disregard Japan’s invasion and colonial turn to the internet to examine popular rule of China from the 1930s-1940s. sentiments in the region by examining Some Taiwanese have called for a netizens’ discourse on the islands from “brotherhood” between China and Taiwan’s largest bulletin board system Taiwan against what they see as an (BBS), Station-PTT. This survey finds imperialistic Japan;2 others suggest that that the sovereignty dispute surfaces Taiwan join the US-Japanese alliance issues of national identity. against China to prevent the latter from Let’s see how. invading Taiwan after taking over the disputed islands.3 National Identity and the This paper explores the ambiguity of sovereignty in contemporary world Islands Dispute politics. Even though international relations (IR) proceeds from sovereignty Debates over the islands’ sovereignty as a premise in inter-state relations, highlight the role of history on it remains elusive due precisely to national identity. This historical legacy, Westphalian power politics, exercised moreover, frames Westphalian inter- most blatantly during the colonial/ state politics. For some Taiwanese, for imperialist era of the 19th and 20th instance, only Taiwan, as the Republic centuries, followed by US hegemony of China (ROC), has the legitimacy to since the Second World War. Taiwan, as claim sovereignty over the islands, not noted above, serves as a prime example China. The latter suffers from the yoke of a state that has experienced all of the of an outlaw government, the People’s above. Republic of China (PRC), even though international society recognises it as the While Taiwan has long been legitimate government of the Chinese struggling to legitimise its claim people. In contrast, some declare that the islands belong to Japan: in the Treaty of representing China or to of Peace (1951), signed with China to become an independent state, return Taiwan, Japan did not relinquish some of the Taiwanese people its rights over the islands. Furthermore, still welcome their former many argue, the islands have nothing to colonial master, Japan. do with China or Taiwan. State actions reflect these ambiguities This paper draws on academic and of history and culture. In response to journalistic work on how Taiwan has Japan’s claim over the Islands, Taiwan’s responded to the islands dispute. I also government proposed “The East China 108 The Significance of the Diaoyutai/Senkaku Islands Dispute for Taiwan Sea Peace Initiative”.4 It proclaims The complexity of Taiwan’s national Taiwan’s sovereignty over the islands identity reflects contentions regarding based on three points: i) the islands were “legitimacy”. Some Taiwanese regard discovered, named and used by Ming Japan as their genuine place of origin; China (1368-1644) and later became a Japan represents a civilised and modern territory of Qing China (1644-1912); society. One observer notes, “[s] ii) although the islands were annexed ome Taiwanese intellectuals believed by Meiji Japan during the Sino-Japanese Taiwan should denounce China for War, coupled with the cession of Taiwan its backwardness and betrayal and to Japan in 1895, the post-Second World welcome Japanese rule as an opportunity War arrangement “restored the islands to for the island to be modernised by their pre-1895 legal status”; and iii) the administrators from Asia’s most transferring of administration rights of advanced country”.7 In contrast, others the islands by the US in 1971 does not insist on Taiwan’s Chinese origins, citing “constitute a transfer of sovereignty”. the historical and cultural ties across Some groups in Taiwan, however, are the Strait. They identify themselves as perplexed. The government’s references Chinese even though some of them deny 8 to the Ming and Qing Dynasties seem to the legitimacy of a Communist China. echo a “one China policy”, suggesting no differentiation between the ROC and the Since the lifting of martial PRC and thereby subordinating Taiwan law in 1987, Taiwanese as a to China.5 Those who propose Taiwan’s independence and rectification from national identity has emerged, “Republic of China” to “Taiwan” argue and interaction among Taiwan’s that the Treaty of Peace never claimed different ethnic groups has sovereignty over the islands; therefore, become more prominent. it is untenable for Taiwan to claim the islands as auxiliary territory. This argument reflects the position of some National identity issues surface most that Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang prominently where national security (KMT) party on Taiwan was an alien strategies are concerned. Those who call and oppressive regime. Some scholars for a sense of “brotherhood” between argue outrightly that the islands belong Taiwan and Mainland China against an to Japan, stating that it was the first imperial Japan usually reflect a strong application of international law in East “Chinese” identity.9 Those who suggest Asia based on the doctrine of terra nullius Taiwan join the US-Japanese alliance under international law.6 against Taiwan’s enemy, China, are more 109 Boyu Chen inclined to support a Taiwanese, if not Democratisation did not begin until the Japanese, identity.10 In short, those late 1980s-early 1990s. Before then, the who identify themselves as Taiwanese Taiwanese independence movement was tend to have a positive perception of strictly banned. “Taiwanese” was never Japan relative to China, while those an option as a national identity; any sign who identify themselves as Chinese are of insurrection or rebellion was directly more prone to have a negative attitude and brutally suppressed.13 Since the towards Japan.11 We hear two different lifting of martial law in 1987, Taiwanese voices, accordingly, within the same as a national identity has emerged, and national entity. In contrast, the people interaction among Taiwan’s different of Japan and China seem united in their ethnic groups has become more stance regarding the islands dispute. The prominent. background to these two different voices Indeed, ethnic, political, and cultural reflects deep-seated identity issues in meanings infuse “Taiwanese” or Taiwan. “Chinese” as an ethnic label in Taiwan. Public opinion polls usually fail to Chinese Identity and elucidate these connections.14 Ethnically Anti-Japanese Sentiment speaking, the term “Taiwanese” refers to the descendants of immigrants from China’s Fujian Province in the 18th and “Long divided, the world will unite; 19th centuries. They regard themselves long united, it will fall apart”: Taiwan’s as natives to the island and distinct president Ma Ying-jeou quoted this from the “mainlanders” who escaped famous opening line from the 14th from the Chinese Communists in 1949. century epic, The Romance of the Three Politically speaking, however, those who Kingdoms, to call on the people of identify themselves as “Chinese” are not Taiwan and China to create a new necessarily those who came to Taiwan history through peaceful resolution to with the KMT forces or who, now, Cross-Strait relations.12 This quote aimed are their descendants. Rather, they are deliberately to remind both Taiwan and those who contend that the Taiwanese China of their
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